PHOENIX — While spending the summer of 2025  with the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League, then-freshman infielder Beckett Zavorek developed into a player Arizona State head coach Willie Bloomquist said plays the game the right way. 

Rather than focusing on launch angle or power, the versatile infielder caused havoc on the basepaths, stealing 28 bases, and hit to a .360 average with a .442 on-base percentage. 

Yet when Zavorek entered his 2026 season with the Sun Devils, the sophomore failed to win a starting spot, resulting in inconsistent playing time and an inability to find his groove. 

Throughout the process, Bloomquist said Zavorek kept working toward an earned spot in the starting lineup.

“All you can do is continue working, continue grinding and trying to solve the Rubik's Cube,” Bloomquist said. 

While working to simplify his swing and create a good foundation, Bloomquist said Zavorek found himself again, and in a big way. 

Hitting seventh in the ASU lineup on Friday, Zavorek hit two home runs, marking the second baseman’s first career multi-homer game. 

Though looking dark at times, Zavorek said he stayed ready and took things one day at a time. The sophomore also credited Bloomquist for believing in his ability to turn things around.

“Thanks to him for sticking with me and trusting me throughout the process,” Zavorek said. 

Zavorek’s two home runs were a part of a five-homer evening for No. 25 ASU (29-14, 12-7 Big 12), as it launched the baseball at Baylor’s (22-19, 9-10 Big 12) expense on Friday, April 24. Alongside the Sun Devils’ 16 hits, junior left-hander Cole Carlon electrified the stands at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, striking out 11 in an 11-2 victory. 

Despite Zavorek’s power surge, Bloomquist jokingly said he doesn’t want his superutility player to change his plate approach. 

“Please don't tell him he's a home run hitter,” Bloomquist said. “That's not what he needs. He needs to stay in the middle of the field and hit line drives.” 

After ASU’s 10-9 upset loss to New Mexico State on Wednesday, Bloomquist said other role players like Zavorek needed to step up to give sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston some protection in the lineup.

“You want to keep your lineup lengthened out as much as possible,” Bloomquist said. 

On Friday, Hairson posted a quiet 1-for-5 evening; however, the rest of the Sun Devils’ lineup understood the task at hand.

The two through five sports in the lineup went a combined 10-for-18 with seven RBI and three home runs. 

“That's what this lineup’s capable of doing there,” Bloomquist said. “They can beat you with the long ball and beat you with 1000 cuts if things are going well.”

Notably, graduate right fielder Dean Toigo and sophomore Austen Roellig each had three hits, and junior first baseman Dominic Smaldino had a team-high three RBI alongside a two-run homer in the first inning. 

Smaldino said it’s vital that the offense pick up Hairston on his down nights if the team desires to achieve its end goals. 

With only 13 games remaining till the Big 12 Tournament, Zavorek said the offense wants to put together a stretch run. 

“We're just trying to play our best baseball at the end of the year and make a run towards Omaha,” Zavorek said. “It's a common goal by everyone in the clubhouse, so we're just pushing together to get that done.” 

While the 11 runs and 16 hits stand out in the box score, the effort from ASU’s pitching staff rounded out what Bloomquist called the team’s most complete performance of the season. 

Despite allowing the first batter he faced to reach base on a bloop single, Carlon settled in rather quickly with Baylor having few answers to the left-hander’s breaking ball and 99-mile-per-hour fastball. 

However, that first batter, Bears junior shortstop Travis Sanders, wreaked havoc on Carlon.

After stealing second and advancing to third on an errant pickoff throw, Sanders attempted to steal home. Although catching Carlon off guard, the left-hander stepped off the mound and threw a strike to sophomore catcher Brody Briggs to end the inning. 

Carlon said he stayed calm throughout the sequence and trusted himself to execute. 

Beyond the first-inning drama, Carlon allowed just five baserunners over the next five innings. The left-hander ended his night after six innings, surrendering two runs on a pair of solo home runs. 

After six scoreless innings and a matching 11-strikeout performance against BYU on April 17 – a performance Bloomquist said was his career best – Carlon set the tone early and threw the heck out of the ball. 

Yet Carlon wasn’t the only southpaw to shine for the Sun Devils on Friday.

Senior left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick entered the game for Carlon in the seventh and showcased a devastating left-on-left slider that left Baylor's sophomore second baseman Pearson Riebock awkwardly swinging. 

In two innings, Fitzpatrick struck out four Bears and didn’t allow a baserunner. 

After putting on weight and increasing his velocity in the offseason, Fitzpatrick said he’s accepted a late-inning relief role with a simple mentality.

“It's one pitch at a time. You execute the pitch in its hand, and then you move on to the next one,” Fitzpatrick said. “Whatever the result is, it's done with. You can't change it.” 

All in all, the Sun Devils sit in third place in the Big 12 standings with just over three weeks until tournament play. 

Following a complete game, Bloomquist said his team must carry over performances like Friday’s going forward. 

“That’s the standard. That's my expectation,” Bloomquist said. “So, right, wrong or indifferent, that's what I expect out of this team.”