BYU Outduels Arizona State in Big 12 Tournament Opener

The 5th seeded Arizona State Sun Devils and the 12th seeded Cougars from BYU opened Big 12 Tournament Play at 9 AM local time on Wednesday.  Notably, the West Coast flavor represented a shift not only in the demographic of the league, but the location of its postseason in years to come.  Earlier in the week, the Big 12 announced the league’s tournament was set to be played in Surprise, AZ beginning in 2026. 

As the league has welcomed the present Sun Devils and Cougars along with fellow pacific-time zone counterparts, Arizona and Utah, speculation surrounding the location of each of the league’s major tournaments has brewed.  So, at 7 AM Pacific Time, when ASU and BYU took the field at 9 AM central time in Arlington, Texas, Big 12 fans muffled their confusion and potential frustration and tuned in.  

BYU, despite being the 12th ranked of 12 teams competing at Globe Life Field, didn’t balk at the circumstances.  Against Sun Devil ace and All Big 12 Second-Teamer Ben Jacobs, the Cougars applied pressure early.  Jacobs labored in his first two innings of work, throwing 51 pitches to retire six BYU batters.  With labor, came sacrifice, as BYU’s patient yet aggressive approach plated the first run of the afternoon in the top half of the 2nd.  Crew McChesney lined a double into the right-center abyss of the Texas Rangers, plating Keoni Painter.

With Jacobs forced to throw the kitchen sink, BYU starter Justis Reiser was able to present a ‘ying’ to his offense’s ‘yang’.  “We want to see the strikes and make their team work and throw a ton of pitches”, BYU Head Coach Trent Pratt said.  Still recognizing, the gameplan requires follow through on both sides of the ball.  “We have to do a better job of capitalizing when we have the chance to score”. 

While the BYU bats persisted on patience, it was Reiser who pounded the Arizona State strikezone, working in favorable counts against a Sun Devil lineup that led the league in runs batted in with 436 this season.  

Reiser recognized the magnitude of the contest, in a do or die scenario in a big league stadium no less.  “It was a big game, a lot at stake and obviously playing in this environment it’s kind of easy to let the game get out of control”.

The BYU offense tacked on their second run of the morning in the 5th when a hit-by-pitch, single and walk loaded the bases for Bryker Hurdsman.  Hurdsman promptly celebrated ball four from Sun Devil reliever Cole Carlon that had doubled the slim Cougar lead.  Jacobs’ day came to an end earlier in the inning following his 96th pitch of the young contest.  The Junior Southpaw finished with six strikeouts, walking two and giving up three hits across his 4.1 innings of work. 

BYU joined Arizona State in handing the ball to the bullpen in the 5th as Pratt handed the ball to Ashton Johnson.  The left-handed reliever was able to mimic the efforts of the starter, Reiser, setting the Sun Devils down 1-2-3 in the home half. 

The Cougars threatened Carlon in the 6th, drawing three walks in the inning, though the 6’5 lefty worked out of the scare, abandoning the 8th, 9th and 10th BYU baserunners of the day.   Following Carlon’s no-hit relief effort, ASU Head Coach Willie Bloomquist turned to bullpen pieces Sean Fitzpatrick and Jonah Giblin in the 7th.  After Fitzpatrick retired Vest swinging, Giblin’s entrance marked the first appearance by a right-handed pitcher of the morning.  

Meanwhile, Johnson continued to efficiently keep Arizona State at bay, although two baserunners in the Sun Devil half of the 8th proved to create tension.  Johnson was able to force a flyout, holding the 2-0 Cougar lead.  Johnson returned for the ninth inning, allowing one more Sun Devil to get aboard before slamming the door and celebrating an upset in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.  

Of the pitching efforts from Reiser and Johnson, Arizona State second baseman Kyle Walker gushed, stating “they did a tremendous job, you know, pitching us backwards, especially throwing two lefties against our lefty dominant lineup… got to tip your cap to that.”  

Still, though, Arizona State celebrated success of their own.  The Sun Devils set a new Big 12 Tournament record with 18 strikeouts recorded on Wednesday.  Bloomquist commended his team’s approach both on the mound and at the plate, but sees “at the end of the day, we came up short”.

Short in the Big 12 Tournament, comes with feelings of uneasiness for the league’s fifth place team.  Ahead of the NCAA Tournament, Arizona State might find themselves on the dreaded bubble.  “I think 18 wins in a very, very, competitive conference and we were going into our last weekend with a chance to win our conference… you know that’s how competitive our conference is.” Bloomquist defended his team’s resume.  “I would ask other coaches across the country if they want to play us in the regional, I would bet not, but I’m confident in our body of work that we’ve done all year”.

It wasn’t just the Sun Devil skipper standing up for Arizona State, though.  Pratt communicated his belief in Arizona State as an NCAA Tournament team, “They have a lot of good arms and that offense is scary and Willie does a great job, that’d be a scary team to play for sure.”

Up next, BYU will take on Arizona in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday.  Arizona State will wait to hear their NCAA Tournament fate on Selection Monday.