ASU draws No. 3 Seed in Lincoln Regional, set for Nebraska-led challenge

Arizona State did not land where projections suggested it would, but it ended up in a spot that will immediately reveal what this roster is made of.

The Sun Devils are the No. 3 seed in the Lincoln Regional, joining host and No. 13 national seed Nebraska, No. 2 seed Ole Miss, and No. 4 seed South Dakota State. Most national projections, including D1Baseball and Baseball America, had ASU as a No. 2 seed, making the final placement less a surprise than a subtle slide that only raises the stakes in a stacked regional.

“The last place we probably thought we’d be going would be Nebraska based on all the ‘expert’ predictions,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “But at the end of the day we’re stoked to go there.”

Still, the assignment is clear. Win through one of the most balanced regionals in the field, where every team brings a different kind of pressure.

Nebraska is the headliner and the home-field anchor. The Cornhuskers sit at 42-15, finishing second in the Big Ten, with an impressive 23-1 record in Lincoln. Ole Miss represents the SEC at 36-21, good for ninth in the conference, but has played tough games in the deepest conference in all of college baseball. The fourth-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits represent the Summit League, with a 242 RPI, which can be scary only because they do not have pressure associated with them.

For ASU, the positioning fits a familiar theme. Not quite favored. Not quite dismissed. Somewhere in the middle, carrying enough talent to change the bracket but still searching for postseason consistency.

“I think we don’t really mind who we play,” sophomore catcher Brody Briggs said. “We’re just going to play our game regardless. It’s cool to go play Nebraska, play somewhere different, and just go compete.”

That tone defined ASU immediately on Selection Day. There was no surprise in the room, only adjustment. Since a stretch that included four straight losses to SEC competition and an Amergy Series spotlight in which Bloomquist acknowledged the roster still wasn’t ready, the focus has been simple: get there. Turn talent into a postseason-ready identity before it matters most, in an environment where small mistakes carry immediate weight.

It is ASU’s second consecutive tournament appearance under Bloomquist, coming after three seasons away from postseason play that saw them re-enter the tournament in 2025. Last year’s return came with celebration, but also an early exit in the Los Angeles Regional that still lingers as context for this group.

ASU opened that 2025 regional with a win over UC Irvine, then dropped games to UCLA and UC Irvine in an exit that exposed pitching depth issues and momentum swings that spiraled quickly. That experience has become a reference point inside the program rather than a defining outcome, but it is not forgotten.

“We just didn’t finish it the way we wanted,” sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston said. “We know what that feels like now.”

The roster entering 2026 looks different, especially at the top.

Junior left-hander Cole Carlon shifts from bullpen weapon to Friday night starter, a power arm with swing-and-miss stuff and MLB Draft buzz. He made the transition smoothly, posting a 3.51 ERA over 77 innings, and is expected to start Game 1 against Ole Miss. His presence immediately reshapes the regional.

“I just want to go out there and compete,” Carlon said. “We’ve been in big games all year, so it’s just about executing.”

That has fit a season defined by both dominance and uncertainty. Carlon ranks fifth in the nation with 124 strikeouts, but late-season availability has become a storyline after a bout of dead arm in a start against Houston two weeks ago. He also worked under a pitch count in the Big 12 Tournament against West Virginia, underscoring how closely ASU must monitor his workload. 

Asked directly about the Game 1 assignment against Ole Miss, Carlon was even simpler.

“I want the ball.”

Offensively, ASU is driven by one of the most dangerous hitters in the country in Hairston. He broke the program’s single-season home run record with 28, led the nation with a 1.415 OPS, and earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors while also being named a Golden Spikes semifinalist, emerging as the centerpiece of a lineup that no longer depends solely on depth.

“No matter where they put us our offense stacks up good,” Hairston said. “We’ve got all the talent in the world to show for it. We’re looking forward to it.”

Hairston’s presence at the top of the order changes at-bats immediately. Pitchers are forced into execution mode from the first pitch of the game, knowing one mistake can alter a regional.

Behind him, Briggs returns for his second NCAA Tournament, tasked with managing both the pitching staff and game tempo in environments that will tighten quickly, especially in Nebraska’s home stadium. He has thrown out a career-high 17 runners this season, and while his impact rarely shows up in headlines, it becomes central when innings start to swing.

“Can’t take any pitches off,” Briggs said. “Every pitch is just as important as the last, right? It doesn’t matter if you’re up by 10 or if you’re down by five, or in a tight game. Every single pitch is super important.”

ASU also gains something it did not have last season in junior infielder Nu’u Contrades, who missed the 2025 NCAA Tournament due to injury. His return adds both production and stability to the infield after a career year in which he homered 17 times, finishing atop the national leaders at his position while providing veteran presence as a four-year Sun Devil in a lineup that is more balanced than last year’s group.

“This place means a lot to me,” Contrades said. “We just want to go out there, play hard, and have fun together.”

That mix of returning experience and new leadership forms the backbone of ASU’s postseason identity, a group confident it is better than its seed but still shaped by last year’s exit in Los Angeles, where bullpen swings and defensive lapses cut the run short.

“We just have to handle the baseball,” Bloomquist said. “Minimize free bases and play our game. If we do that, we can compete with anybody.”

This theme has been passed on into this season, with Bloomquist’s program aiming to make the leap from perception to performance. However, now that he boasts what many consider to be his best group yet, the challenge will be more than just getting into postseason play, but rather making a serious run.

The route at Lincoln won’t be easy, but ASU enters with a lot of tough SEC competition out of non-conference play, along with an intense Big 12 schedule. This season, it will be all about how the pitching develops behind Carlon, and if the lineup keeps their same identity.

“We just go out there with a clear head,” Hairston said. “And play our game.”