Following the Sun Devils' devastating loss in extra innings to New Mexico State, ranked No. 218 in RPI at the time, ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist's frustrated comments echoed through the Sun Devils' Omaha room.
"This one stings probably as much as any loss that I've had since I've been here," Bloomquist said.
It was the team's third consecutive mid-week loss (UNLV and Arizona), dropping them to 4-5 in their last nine games before a pivotal series against Baylor.
It seemed as if the Sun Devils were faltering as the season wore down, with questions of the team's focus and lack of endurance at the forefront of Bloomquist's mind, compounded by questions from national media placing ASU as a bubble team with Selection Sunday inching closer in the distance.
"I don't know what the right answer is," Bloomquist said. "But, bottom line, we can't do these things. We have to get better. We're out of mulligans, so we can't afford to lose games like this."
ASU responded to that challenge and gave the answers to their skipper over the weekend against Baylor, sweeping the Bears for their first Big 12 series sweep on the season. A series in which the Sun Devils outscored Baylor 26-8.
"I told them that's the standard," Bloomquist said in his message to his team. "That's my expectations. So, right, wrong or indifferent, that's what I expect out of this team."
As the final month of the season approaches, No. 19 ASU sits three games back of first-place Kansas inf the Big 12. They are set to square off against UCF, who they are tied for second place, on the road before their final two conference series against a middle-of-the-pack Oklahoma State squad and last-place Houston.
ASU needs a strong final month to erase any bubble talk and strengthen its postseason resume, with a path still in place to contend for a Big 12 title and potentially earn a regional host spot.
"We're just trying to play our best baseball at the end of the year and make a run toward Omaha," sophomore infielder Beckett Zavorek said. "It's a common goal by everyone in the clubhouse, so we're just pushing together to get that done."
Scary "Hairy Bonds"
Sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston continues to set the tone atop the Sun Devils' lineup. "Hairy Bonds," as he is called by teammates, still ranks in the top five in nearly every major offensive category and leads the nation in OPS by more than .100 points.
READ MORE: Bred for the moment: Landon Hairston's meteoric rise to the top of college baseball
With that kind of production, opposing teams have started to give Hairston the Barry Bonds treatment, pitching around him whenever possible. That was evident in the loss to New Mexico State, where he was walked four times, three intentionally.
The challenge now becomes finding consistent protection behind Hairston in the lineup.
Redshirt junior infielder Nu'u Contrades shone after being slotted in the two hole this past weekend against Baylor. The team captain went 6-11 with two home runs, driving in five total runs.
"We didn't just score it all in one inning; it was inning after inning," junior first baseman Dominic Smaldino said on the success of the top of the lineup. "It's vital, and we've got to keep doing it to go where we want to."
Can Cole Carry?
Junior left-handed pitcher Cole Carlon has been the lone consistent force leading the way for the Sun Devil pitching rotation.
The ace has posted a 3.57 ERA across 11 starts this season, striking out 97, good for fourth in the nation. Carlon has recently begun flashing higher velocity numbers, reaching triple digits on his fastball against BYU.
"I just stayed with my recovery process throughout the season," Carlon said. "Making sure I can reach back for when I need to in big moments."
That late-season velocity jump is an encouraging sign that his transition to a starter is taking hold, with stamina improving rather than fatigue setting in.
ASU has played the Saturday spot in the rotation on a week-to-week basis, with sophomore Taylor Penn currently being the starter in a "piggyback" style bullpen game.
"You'd like to have a set Friday, Saturday, Sunday, starter, but this is college baseball," Bloomquist said. "We'll keep tinkering with the recipe to try to get it right."
Senior right-hander Kole Klecker has had an up-and-down season, but has provided a veteran presence who can take the ball on Sundays and provide quality innings.
Klecker will be an integral part down the stretch to try to give stability to an unsettled rotation behind Carlon.
As the intensity of the final month of the regular season takes shape, the Sun Devils still control their own destiny. A resilient, battle-tested group has answered the nation's questions time and time again whenever it appeared they were slipping out of the postseason picture.
For a team that has responded all season, the final month presents one last test to prove it belongs among the nation's elite.
Edited by Niall Rosenberg, Jack McCarthy and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at eapache3@asu.edu and follow @EricPachecoasu on X.
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