“Destination Omaha”: New faces, same fire as ASU Baseball opens fall ball
A year ago, Arizona State baseball had a simple mission: get back to the NCAA Tournament and break one of the program’s longest postseason droughts. After failing to make the postseason for four consecutive seasons, head coach Willie Bloomquist’s team finally broke through to get back to the NCAA Tournament and earned its first regional spot since 2021. But a milestone that used to feel like an endpoint now feels less like an endpoint and more like a launching pad.
This fall, the mood around Phoenix Municipal Stadium isn’t satisfaction; it’s hunger. Nine Sun Devils were drafted in July, leaving major holes to fill and sending the staff deep into the transfer portal, where they added 15 new pieces, ranking among the nation’s elite in incoming talent.
Out of that overhaul emerged a roster that feels fresh and formidable, eager to stake its claim—whether for a second chance, a return home, or proving they belong on college baseball’s grandest stage.
Sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston, named a Second Team Freshman All-American by D1 Baseball, explained that coming back gave him the chance to reflect and reset his priorities.
“I did a lot of reflecting this summer, and just kind of the ups and downs of what I needed to improve on and how I can take the next step in terms of being a leader on this team and trying to set the example for the younger guys,” Hairston noted. “At the same time, bettering myself individually, making strides in my swing, being better in the outfield, that’s something I really tried to work on this summer.”
Hairston is one of just two returning offensive starters this year, making him a familiar face and a bridge between the old and new. In only his second season, he’s one of the few veterans left after five bats were drafted and two more graduated.
“It’s been cool to see so far,” Hairston remarked. “We have a lot of new faces in the clubhouse. Like you said, me and Nu’u (Contrades) are really the only ones that are back.”
Confidence runs through this year’s group, forged in last spring’s highs and the sting of its finish: a tournament-opening loss followed by two near-blowout defeats. Despite finishing 29th in the country in runs scored and first in the Big 12, it felt like a year with untapped potential. ASU’s early postseason exit still lingers, and for Hairston, that disappointment has sharpened his focus.
“We just don’t want to make a regional,” Hairston added. “We want to win a national title. That kind of just fueled the fire for this year.”
That same fire has spread through the clubhouse. Junior right-handed pitcher Wyatt Halvorson, one of the most dominant arms in the Cape Cod League this summer, posted a league sixth-best 1.95 ERA across 27.2 innings, noting that last year’s disappointment still motivates the returning group.
“I think last year’s team was a way better team than a one-win in the playoffs,” Halvorson admitted. “That kind of pissed me off, and I guess you could say I used that to fuel my summer. That’s not going to happen again.”
Halvorson’s summer success was part of a pitching staff renaissance, with ASU’s arms combining for a 3.55 ERA over 223 innings. For him, it wasn’t just about numbers; it was about mindset.
“I kind of went in the summer with the attitude of just going right after guys, knowing that I can compete with some of the best players in the country,” Halvorson explained. “It was big for my confidence, bringing that into the fall and hopefully into the spring.”
Players returning from previous years have witnessed the transformation of the program under Bloomquist, as a change in standards and expectations has turned a team that was once searching for its own identity into one for which merely “getting to the tournament is now the standard.”
Senior left-handed pitcher Sean Fitzpatrick pointed out that postseason appearances are not milestones in themselves anymore.
“Blooms kind of talked to us a lot about how we made the postseason,” Fitzpatrick pointed out. “But that’s not something we should be celebrating. That should kind of be like a standard that’s expected.”
That standard has been made clear to the newcomers: graduate student outfielder Matt Polk (Vanderbilt), junior outfielder Sam Myers (TCU), redshirt junior infielder Garrett Michel (Virginia Tech), senior right-handed pitcher Kole Klecker (TCU), sophomore right-handed pitcher Finn Edwards, and junior infielder Dominic Longo (Utah Valley). All arrived with a singular purpose: to integrate into the culture and push the team forward.
Polk, from Vanderbilt, which has won all five of its national championships since 2011 and missed the 2025 season due to injury after a .864 OPS in 52 games, explained the adjustment to ASU has been smooth thanks to the leadership of returners like Hairston and redshirt sophomore catcher Brody Briggs.
“It’s been a great experience,” Polk shared. “Brody and all the returners have shown us how things are supposed to go. Everybody’s blending so good, and it’s just a good vibe.”
For Myers, a transfer seeking a fresh start after hitting .354 as a freshman but struggling last year, the move to ASU was about finding a culture that matched his competitiveness.
“I think it’s just a winning culture here,” Myers emphasized. “I felt like I could help that along the way. That’s what I’m about — winning — and that’s what the coaching staff is about.”
That reputation has grown under Bloomquist and pitching coach Jeremy Accardo, who in one season lowered ASU’s team ERA from 6.53 to 5.38, their best mark since 2021, and quickly earned the trust of his staff.
Edwards, a highly regarded transfer who has touched 98 MPH coming from JUCO and was taken in the 18th round by the Dodgers before returning to ASU, noted Accardo was a major reason he came to Tempe.
“I don’t think there’s a better coaching staff in the country,” Edwards remarked. “I love him. He’s pretty much the main reason I came here. I think everything he’s doing is to build that winning kind of culture.”
At first base, Michel, who battled injuries the past two seasons but posted a .950 OPS in each of his first three college years, steps into the spot long held by Jacob Tobias, now coaching alongside Bloomquist, a challenge he eagerly embraces.
“It’s cool to be able to talk to him, learn a little bit from him,” Michel added. “He’s played here for four years, he’s kind of left his mark, and it’s cool to be able to fill those shoes.”
Klecker, another former Horned Frog joining Myers in trying to reignite the spark from his early college days, brings experience from Omaha after helping TCU reach the College World Series in 2023, a season in which he posted a 3.72 ERA over 96.2 innings.
“I think just understanding being a part of that team, knowing what it takes, just sharing that with all the guys around me,” Klecker explained. “It’s about stacking days, getting 1% better every time.”
Returning home made the decision even easier. “I was the first high school recruit Bloom ever talked to,” Klecker recalled. “When (Bloomquist) first called me, the first thing he said was he’d been waiting four years for this call. So it’s a really cool moment. It’s great to be back home.”
If the theme isn’t clear, each transfer carries a chip on their shoulder, joining returners driven by the dream of Omaha. This core of talent will build off a historic 2025 season, guided by a coaching staff that proved potential can be turned into results. The message, from veterans to newcomers, is clear: the program has turned a corner, but the work isn’t finished.
The season is months away, and uncertainty looms larger than for last year’s MLB Draft-bound returners. Mindset is what matters, and every individual has already answered the call.
Fitzpatrick summed it up best: “To play for ASU — like, you guys see it right behind you — it says ‘Destination Omaha.’ That’s what I want. That has to be our mission this year.”
Halvorson agreed, emphasizing that the team’s shared mentality is what makes this group different. “Everybody here has something to prove,” Halvorson added. “Nobody’s deviating from the plan right now. It’s special.”
