After a statement 15-3 victory over No. 13 Oklahoma on Tuesday, Feb. 24, Arizona State (8-4) looked as if it could play with the nation’s best.

Move ahead to Monday, March 2, and the Sun Devils have lost four in a row and leave their SEC road trip with much to desire. 

Off such a strong start, what went wrong? 

Takeaway: A concern for pitching depth 

Entering the 2026 season, head coach Willie Bloomquist and pitching coach Jeremy Accardo prided themselves on a much-improved pitching infrastructure – the Achilles’ heel of the program over Bloomquist’s tenure. 

After facing three top 25 offenses in runs scored – OU sixth, No. 4 Mississippi State T-13th and No. 23 Texas A&M T-20th – the Sun Devil pitching staff allowed 29 runs over five games. 

Friday and Sunday were particularly alarming, as the Bulldogs and Aggies combined to score 17 runs. 

Following the departure of junior left-hander Cole Carlon on Friday, the Sun Devil bullpen surrendered five runs plus two inherited runs that came off a three-run home run surrendered by junior right-hander Josh Butler in relief of Carlon. 

Sophomore Eli Buxton continued the bullpen woes, failing to record an out while allowing three runs. 

On Sunday, junior right-hander Jaden Alba – newly inserted into the rotation in place of sophomore left-hander Easton Barrett – ran into danger from the start. 

Alba surrendered a two-run home run prior to recording an out. 

Following the Sun Devils' tying the game on a home run by junior designated hitter Garret Michel, Alba surrendered four more runs. 

Any momentum toward an ASU comeback dissipated when Barrett entered in the sixth and recorded a single out while allowing three runs. 

On the weekend, the Sun Devils’ pitching staff issued 20 walks in an effort Bloomquist called “pathetic.” 

Although the Sun Devils faced the SEC’s best, the pitching faltered against the competition they’ll face come June. 

Takeaway: Cole Carlon & Alex Overbay shine in spotlight 

ASU’s SEC road trip didn’t come with all negatives. Despite the pitching staff’s overall shortcomings, Carlon and junior right-hander Alex Overbay put their names on a need-to-know basis. 

Carlon took a no-hitter into the fifth inning Friday before departing with cramps against a prolific Mississippi State offense. 

The southpaw overpowered the Bulldogs, striking out seven over 4 ⅔ innings, topping at 98 mph with his fastball and fooling hitters with a sharp slider. 

Carlon’s line reads with three runs allowed, yet 2 of 3 were inherited on the three-run home run Butler allowed. 

“We were having a tough time with their starter (Carlon) … you’ve got to tip your cap to (Carlon). He’s really good and is going to win a lot of games for ASU,” Bulldogs’ head coach Brian O’Connor said postgame. 

If Carlon wasn’t impressive, Overbay performed an encore Saturday against No. 20 Tennessee.

In relief of junior right-hander Colin Linder, Overbay threw three scoreless innings while fanning six Volunteers and reaching 98 mph with his fastball. 

In nine innings this season, Overbay has allowed just a single earned run and struck out 13.  

Takeaway: Missed opportunities on base 

While the pitching staff’s failures get the attention, the ASU offense left many scoring opportunities on the field. 

Over the weekend, the Sun Devil bats hit 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position, just 8-for-40 with runners on base and left 20 on base. 

ASU got out-hit once in its five games and even out-hit Oklahoma in a 4-3 defeat. 

After scoring 15 runs to open the week, the Sun Devils plated 13 the following four games with practically the same lineup. 

Against the three starting pitchers ASU faced, the offense scored five runs over 16 ⅔ innings. 

The Sun Devils particularly struggled against Mississippi State’s ace, sophomore right-hander Ryan McPherson, who allowed just a single run over seven innings on Friday. 

On Sunday, Michel’s early two-run homer had the Aggies sophomore right-hander Aiden Sims on the ropes early; however, he settled in and didn’t surrender another run. 

For a team nationally 22nd in runs scored, the Sun Devils couldn’t muster enough against the best competition they’ll see in the regular season.