Pressure Mounting Quickly on ASU's Willie Bloomquist

The Sun Devil alum has seen his squad drop into the NCAA Tournament bubble in recent weeks.

Arizona State manager Willie Bloomquist calls for a replay against Ohio State during the first inning at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Feb. 16, 2025. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- An Arizona State baseball season that started with so much promise has gone to the wayside a bit - even with a shutout win over Brigham Young on Friday night.

The Sun Devils now stand at 27-13, with wins over Oklahoma, TCU, West Virginia, and others - but have also suffered inexcusable losses that point to another season firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

ASU Sun Devil head caoch Willie Bloomquist stands in the dugout during their game against the New Mexico State Aggies at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on March 25, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The recent slip-ups have brought the future of head coach Willie Bloomquist into full focus, with Jacob Rudner of Baseball America providing a damning report on the status of the sixth-year lead man on Friday.

"Barring an imminent turnaround, ASU is shaping up to be a bubble team again despite [Landon] Hairston emerging as the leading College Player of the Year candidate. Multiple sources have told Baseball America that a tournament miss would almost certainly lead to change atop the Sun Devil program."

Feb 28, 2026; Arlington, TX, USA; Tennessee Volunteers against Arizona State Sun Devils during the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Arizona State on SI explores the recent collapse and areas of the program that have resulted in inconsistent output below.

ASU's new head baseball coach, Willie Bloomquist, speaks to the media during ASU Baseball's first official media day ahead of practice on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. Uscp 7jhekn8lulv1l7ugfyge Original | Alex Gould/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Arizona State's Recent Losses Have Been Inexcusable

As mentioned above, the Sun Devils have suffered several losses that saw the team's RPI sink from mid-20s to the 50s in the matter of just a few weeks.

Dropped games to Arizona, UNLV, Utah, and BYU have been horrible for their tournament profile, which has now made the tournament the argument rather than hosting a regional as a top-16 seed.

ASU Sun Devil Landon Hairston (3) takes a base on a walk during their game against the New Mexico State Aggies at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on March 25, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Many of the issues that have plagued the Sun Devils over the last few seasons have remained in 2026 - those are explored below.

Arizona State's Issues Have Been Constant Under Bloomquist

While Arizona State has one of the more potent offenses in the country (Dean Toigo and Nuu Contrades complement Hairston well), there are roster-building issues that have plagued them this season that aren't new.

Cole Carlon's rise into a legitimate MLB prospect has been incredible, but the pitching staff around him has unfortunately been all too up-and-down. Pitchers such as Alex Overbay have struggled mightily and, more often than not, played into results like the 19-9 defeat at the hands of BYU on Thursday.

Feb 28, 2026; Arlington, TX, USA; Tennessee Volunteers against Arizona State Sun Devils during the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

While Bloomquist is an astute baseball mind and has an unrequited passion for the Sun Devils, some of his roster-building decisions, as well as his hesitance to fully buy into the NIL era, have hampered his efforts at different times. Arizona State certainly needs to make the tournament cut for the university alum to receive a seventh season in the role.