PHOENIX – Arizona State sophomore left fielder Landon Hairston drilled a grand slam in the fifth inning as part of a 15-run barrage over the course of three innings. 

“(The) offense obviously came alive and swung the bats the way they’re capable of,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said.

The Sun Devils scored eight runs in the fourth, four in the fifth and three in the sixth to put UConn (0-4) in the rearview mirror, winning 17-7 and advancing to 4-0 on Tuesday, Feb. 17, night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

After the Sun Devils’ led just 2-0 through the first few frames, they turned the contest into a blowout by both hitting for power and grinding out plate appearances.

“We’re trying to beat teams in different ways,” Bloomquist said. “We’re not always going to be able to sit back and crank out home runs.”

However, the Sun Devils launched four home runs Tuesday night. One of those long balls came from Hairston, which was the first grand slam of his career.

“The first one is always a good feeling,” Hairston said.

The grand slam came as part of a 2-for-4 performance for the Sun Devils’ leadoff hitter, including a double and seven RBI.

Yet Hairston was far from alone in his offensive prowess. 

Sophomore third baseman Austin Roellig and junior center fielder Dominic Longo each tallied three hits and a home run. 

“When we get rolling, it’s lights-out,” Longo said. 

Three additional Sun Devils recorded at least two hits, including junior second baseman Nu’u Contrades, who went deep as part of the eight-run bottom of the fourth.

“(I was) really just seeing it well,” Contrades said.

For ASU, a multi-hit night was more common than a hitless night. This offensive dominance also allowed Bloomquist to give at-bats to players up and down the roster, with 16 position players getting in on the action.

Bloominquist saw solid performances off the bench, and said he believes this depth will be key later in the season. 

“We’re going to need guys in depth, as we move down the road this season,” Bloomquist said. “We’re gonna need more than our starting nine.”

One particular Sun Devil who came off the bench impressed Bloomquist with his hustle. 

In the bottom of the sixth, ASU led 14-1 when graduate outfielder Matt Polk pinch-hit. Polk hit a ground ball to shortstop, but hustled down the line and legged out an infield single.

“That’s Sun Devil baseball in my mind,” Bloomquist said. “We’re going to play 27 hard outs regardless of what the score is.”

The fireworks on offense overshowered a great outing from senior right-hander Kole Klecker in his first appearance of the season, the starter going five innings and allowing just one run. 

Klecker was all over the strike zone, recording seven strikeouts without issuing any walks.

“The more I can stay ahead, the more opportunity I have to get quick outs or strikeouts when the time comes,” Klecker said.

Although he didn’t make an appearance until the fourth game of the season, Bloomquist said Klecker is an extremely valuable part of this pitching staff.

“He could easily be our Friday night guy,” Bloomquist said. 

The Chandler, Arizona, native made a homecoming Tuesday night. After growing up in the Valley, Klecker committed to TCU out of high school and played his first three seasons of college baseball in Fort Worth, Texas.

After posting a 4.66 ERA in 10 appearances for the Horned Frogs in 2025, Klecker transferred home to ASU for his senior season.

“(It’s) surreal, kind of full-circle,” Klecker said. “If you would’ve asked me when I was 8 years old, if I was going to play college baseball where I’d play, I’d say ASU.”

After coming up short in their original recruitment of Klecker, Bloomquist and his staff are glad to have him aboard.

“We swung and missed on him the first time and couldn’t land him,” Bloomquist said, “but then things kind of came full-circle.”

After the series this upcoming weekend with St. Johns, the Sun Devils enter a treacherous stretch. 

ASU plays Oklahoma State twice, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas A&M, all in five consecutive days and away from home.

With these challenging matchups ahead, Bloomquist said he’s glad to have such depth in his rotation with a number of starters he feels he can trust.

“It’s nice to have that depth … You have a bona fide guy that’s going to be pretty good going on the midweek game,” Bloomquist said. 

As tough of a slate as the Sun Devils have ahead, Tuesday’s win is a big step in building momentum going into those matchups.

“I knew coming into this year, we were going to be pretty good all around offensively,” Contrades said. “It’s really no surprise.”