ASU baseball will go as far as pitching staff will take it

ASU baseball has plenty to look forward to in 2022. A new, young head coach, a dominant infield and infielder Ethan Long. Even so,  the season is likely to be defined by how well the pitching staff can perform.

The Sun Devils don’t know who their starting pitchers will be. Pitching coach Sam Peraza and coach Willie Bloomquist said they don’t have a consistent weekend pitcher. Nobody has separated themselves.

“Guys know that they are expected to contribute on a daily basis, whether or not they start one game for two innings, they may be available a day later coming out of the bullpen,” Bloomquist said. “Certainly, I would love to have a stud Friday, Saturday and Sunday guy, but right now we’re waiting to see. We’re not quite sure we’re there yet.”

Last year, the pitching staff had a collective 5.28 ERA, third-worst in the Pac-12 and only better than Utah and Washington State. The Sun Devils will need much more production from the staff if the team is to have a successful season.

Arizona State will gain some reinforcements. Redshirt senior Boyd Vander Kooi will return from Tommy John surgery along with sophomore Jared Glenn. Both have had a strong presence in the bullpen, and Vander Kooi gained some starting experience in 2020. Neither has been able to pitch much in the fall to get their bodies back to pre-injury form.

“We’re very hopeful that Boyd will be available opening night,” Bloomquist said. “We will be very, very cautious at easing him into things and making sure he’s more than ready to jump out there and certainly limit his pitch count.”

Vander Kooi started working his way back to throwing with some bullpen action on Tuesday and Friday. Coming back has been a grind for the right-hander.

“You have days that you’re not really getting anywhere,” Vander Kooi said. “But throughout the whole process I’ve made huge strides and I’m excited to be back out there. There are days when it doesn’t feel very good. You have to do rehab every day even if you don’t want to.”

Vander Kooi is starting to “feel like a real pitcher.” The return of Kooi’s arm will be a huge relief for ASU. His career ERA of 3.10 would have been fifth-best in the Pac-12 in 2021. 

Peraza said that he is looking for experience when it comes to the starters, which gives Vander Kooi an advantage over the others on the staff as he is the only senior.

“Ideally, I’d like for him to be an opener,” Peraza said. “He’s a guy who has not only taken the mount before and started, he’s a guy who has started on this field and [has] done it for this university.”

The catchers will be a crucial piece of finding success on the mound for ASU as well. Bloomquist wants to see the group take charge and help the pitchers settle in.

“Coach Bloomquist has talked to those guys about being leaders and making sure they take care of the pitching,” Peraza said. “They need to know what gets them going, what makes them tick, they need to be on the same page.”

Time is of the essence with opening day at Phoenix Municipal Stadium set for Feb. 18 against Dixie State. That gives ASU a little less than three weeks to figure out what the pitching staff will look like.