“It just means more.”<\/p>\n
In Division I baseball, that slogan isn’t marketing, it’s reality. The Southeastern Conference has won the last six College World Series national championships and remains the sport’s gold standard.<\/p>\n
Now ASU, off to a strong start and eager to prove it belongs among the nation’s elite, heads to Arlington, Texas, for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series<\/a> to compete against three of the SEC’s finest: No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 20 Tennessee and No. 23 Texas A&M.<\/p>\n “We’re ready to go out and show the nation what we’re made of,” sophomore infielder Beckett Zavorek<\/a> said. “We’re a little bit slept on right now, not a lot of people are talking about us, but that’s exactly how we want it. We want to fly under the radar and perform when it matters.”<\/p>\n ASU is coming off a series split against No. 13 Oklahoma. They run-ruled the Sooners in seven innings on Tuesday, winning 15-3 before dropping the two-game series finale in heartbreaking fashion, 4-3, getting walked off after leading the entire game.<\/p>\n ASU’s ace junior Cole Carlon<\/a> will look to start the weekend strong against undefeated Mississippi State, facing an opposing Bulldog offense sporting a 1.049 OPS in the young season.<\/p>\n Leading the fray for the Bulldogs is 2026 No. 18 draft prospect, according to MLB.com<\/a>, Ace Reese. The junior is hitting an astounding .514 with three home runs and 15 RBIs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Opposing Carlon will be sophomore Ryan McPherson<\/a>, who struck out 11 in his last start against Delaware.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Stay relentless each pitch,” Carlon said, as a key to performing at a high level against tough competition. “That’s a big word for me that I like to use to say to myself.”<\/p>\n Saturday morning’s matchup will pit ASU against the new-look Tennessee Volunteers, led by their first-year head coach, Josh Elander.<\/a><\/p>\n The Vols are the lone opponent entering the weekend without an undefeated record, as they are coming off back-to-back losses to Kent State, dropping the series in Knoxville.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE: ASU baseball stays perfect with sweep over St. John’s<\/a><\/p>\n The expected matchup on the bump will be sophomore Landon Mack for Tennessee, looking to continue his hot start. The righty is tied-fourth in the nation with 20 strikeouts to start the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Redshirt junior Colin Linder<\/a> looks to elevate from his first two outings for the Sun Devils, where he has a 2.08 ERA in 8.2 innings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Closing out the weekend Sunday night for ASU will be a matchup against undefeated Texas A&M.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Aggie lineup features three top 30 MLB draft prospects, according to MLB.com<\/a>. Juniors <\/a>Caden Sorrell and Gavin Grahovac are among those names, but the status of junior <\/a>Chris Hacopian is unclear, as he has missed the past six games with back stiffness, according to College Station Today. <\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Sunday starter for the Aggies has been sophomore <\/a>Aiden Sims, who has struck out 17 in 13 innings with a 1.38 ERA.\u00a0<\/p>\n We will wait to see who gets the ball for ASU, as sophomore Easton Barrett<\/a> has struggled to start the season in the Sunday role.\u00a0<\/p>\n Head coach Willie Bloomquist<\/a> hinted at a potential change in that role, saying, “We’re going to have to take a peek at that and see what ultimately is going to be best for us moving forward.”<\/p>\n Despite the early success, this series will serve as a measuring stick for who ASU truly is in 2026. Facing top-tier competition will reveal just how far the Sun Devils can go this season.<\/p>\n “We’re going to get challenged,” Bloomquist said. “These things we have to get cleaned up will rear their heads a lot more against better teams like that. We can’t afford to have mental lapses.”<\/p>\n Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Jack McCarthy and Pippa Fung.<\/p>\n Reach the reporter at eapache3@asu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n Like The State Press<\/a> on Facebook and follow @statepress<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n Continue supporting student journalism and donate<\/a> to The State Press today.<\/p>\n