"It just means more."
In Division I baseball, that slogan isn't marketing, it's reality. The Southeastern Conference has won the last six College World Series national championships and remains the sport's gold standard.
Now ASU, off to a strong start and eager to prove it belongs among the nation's elite, heads to Arlington, Texas, for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series to compete against three of the SEC's finest: No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 20 Tennessee and No. 23 Texas A&M.
"We're ready to go out and show the nation what we're made of," sophomore infielder Beckett Zavorek said. "We're a little bit slept on right now, not a lot of people are talking about us, but that's exactly how we want it. We want to fly under the radar and perform when it matters."
ASU is coming off a series split against No. 13 Oklahoma. They run-ruled the Sooners in seven innings on Tuesday, winning 15-3 before dropping the two-game series finale in heartbreaking fashion, 4-3, getting walked off after leading the entire game.
ASU's ace junior Cole Carlon will look to start the weekend strong against undefeated Mississippi State, facing an opposing Bulldog offense sporting a 1.049 OPS in the young season.
Leading the fray for the Bulldogs is 2026 No. 18 draft prospect, according to MLB.com, Ace Reese. The junior is hitting an astounding .514 with three home runs and 15 RBIs.
Opposing Carlon will be sophomore Ryan McPherson, who struck out 11 in his last start against Delaware.
"Stay relentless each pitch," Carlon said, as a key to performing at a high level against tough competition. "That's a big word for me that I like to use to say to myself."
Saturday morning's matchup will pit ASU against the new-look Tennessee Volunteers, led by their first-year head coach, Josh Elander.
The Vols are the lone opponent entering the weekend without an undefeated record, as they are coming off back-to-back losses to Kent State, dropping the series in Knoxville.
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The expected matchup on the bump will be sophomore Landon Mack for Tennessee, looking to continue his hot start. The righty is tied-fourth in the nation with 20 strikeouts to start the year.
Redshirt junior Colin Linder looks to elevate from his first two outings for the Sun Devils, where he has a 2.08 ERA in 8.2 innings.
Closing out the weekend Sunday night for ASU will be a matchup against undefeated Texas A&M.
The Aggie lineup features three top 30 MLB draft prospects, according to MLB.com. Juniors Caden Sorrell and Gavin Grahovac are among those names, but the status of junior Chris Hacopian is unclear, as he has missed the past six games with back stiffness, according to College Station Today.
Sunday starter for the Aggies has been sophomore Aiden Sims, who has struck out 17 in 13 innings with a 1.38 ERA.
We will wait to see who gets the ball for ASU, as sophomore Easton Barrett has struggled to start the season in the Sunday role.
Head coach Willie Bloomquist hinted at a potential change in that role, saying, "We're going to have to take a peek at that and see what ultimately is going to be best for us moving forward."
Despite the early success, this series will serve as a measuring stick for who ASU truly is in 2026. Facing top-tier competition will reveal just how far the Sun Devils can go this season.
"We're going to get challenged," Bloomquist said. "These things we have to get cleaned up will rear their heads a lot more against better teams like that. We can't afford to have mental lapses."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Jack McCarthy and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at eapache3@asu.edu.
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