PHOENIX — In March of 2025, senior right-handed pitcher Kole Klecker pitched for TCU. Yet the Chandler native later transferred back home to Arizona State for the 2026 season.

“I still have a lot of love for a lot of people over there, but at the end of the day, I got maroon and gold on my chest, so I just made sure to compete out there,” Klecker said.

Flash ahead to 2026, and he shone against his former squad in the biggest moment. 

Klecker pitched seven scoreless innings and exited to a standing ovation from the Phoenix Municipal Stadium crowd on Sunday, March 15, as he led the Sun Devils (14-5, 2-1 Big 12) to a 4-0 victory against the No. 17 Horned Frogs (11-8, 1-2 Big 12). Behind the right-hander, senior left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick and junior right-hander Derek Schaefer sealed the 2-of-3 series victory over the Big 12 preseason favorite.

Sunday also marked ASU's first shutout win against a ranked opponent since 2018. 

Klecker admitted Sunday was far from a normal game but made sure to stay locked in.

“These are the kinds of games where if you let the emotions take over,” Klecker said. “You can end up spiraling and that’s not what you want to do on the mound. I just tried to stay composed.”

 Head coach Willie Bloomquist echoed a similar sentiment. 

“He certainly used the emotions in the right way,” Bloomquist said, “and obviously the outcome was what it was, but he was tremendous today.”

Klecker kept the Horned Frogs' offense in check all afternoon, earning the win while only surrendering two hits and striking out seven.

The Sun Devils' bullpen did equally well.

Fitzpatrick pitched a perfect eighth, and Schaefer sent the Horned Frogs down in order in the ninth to complete a two-hit shutout. 

Fitzpatrick said it’s more exciting to enter a game after the starting pitcher performed the way Klecker did.

“Having the opportunity to go in and pitch any day is a blessing in and of itself, but coming in after him, what he did, that’s pretty special and pretty fun to be a part of,” Fitzpatrick said.

On offense, sophomore left fielder Landon Hairston and graduate right fielder Dean Toigo both homered for the second game in a row and finished 2-for-3 at the plate.

ASU rebounded in a big way after the wild ending on Friday, securing back-to-back victories to start conference play on the right foot.

Bloomquist praised the way his team didn’t let Friday’s loss deter it.

“The way our guys stayed resilient and bounced back Saturday and Sunday was impressive,” Bloomquist said. “Finished product by no means, but we have a glimmer of where we can get to if we can continue to tighten things up the way we’re capable of.”

Two weeks ago, the Sun Devils got punched in the mouth in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas, against some of the nation’s best teams.

ASU finished the tournament 0-3, a disappointment for the team, but Fitzpatrick said the team still believed in itself heading into the TCU series.

“I feel like we didn’t lose confidence, we know what we’re capable of as a team,” Fitzpatrick said. “To be quite honest, there are some games in Arlington we probably should have won and we probably should have won Friday night’s game.”

Likewise, Bloomquist said the team played up to par with some of the nation’s best competition despite poor preformace at times.   

“We didn’t play great there, but we were in every game there,” Bloomquist said. “We were right there with those guys.”

Despite losing several winnable games, the team’s belief paid off against the Horned Frogs.