Baseball’s season comes to end in extra innings of Lincoln Regional

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Sun Devil Baseball’s run to the regional final in Lincoln came to a heartbreaking end in a 5-4 loss in 10 innings against Ole Miss on Sunday evening.

(Lincoln, NE)  No. 22 Sun Devil Baseball got a masterful effort from a depleted pitching staff but simply couldn’t find one more key hit in the team’s 5-4 loss in extra innings to No. 18 Ole Miss in the NCAA Regional Final in Lincoln, Neb., on Sunday evening – bringing the team’s 2026 campaign to an end. 

For the second time in three days, Arizona State (39-21) forced extra innings against the regional’s No. 2 seed. But, unfortunately also for the second time in three days, the Sun Devils couldn’t find the hit or bounce it needed on offense down the stretch.

After battling back from the elimination bracket to advance to the regional final, the Sun Devils piecemealed together an exceptional outing on the mound despite the team’s limited options while playing the second game of the day and fourth of the weekend (and second extra-inning one at that). 

Alex Overbay gave ASU 3.1 scoreless innings out of the pen to highlight the Johnny Wholestaff effort, striking out fiive. Eli Buxton went a career-high 2.1 innings of scoreless relief to send the Sun Devils into extra innings – retiring seven consecutive batters after walking the first batter he faced in the outing.

The staff struck out 13 Ole Miss players in the contest and stranded 12 baserunners, but also were undone by 10 walks and three of those would end up scoring – including the walk-off run for the Rebels in the 10th inning. 

Dean Toigo homered and finished with ASU’s only three RBIs in the game. ASU recorded just seven hits but drew seven walks of its own, but went just 2-for-17 with runners on the base path and 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. The team’s 1-for-12 effort with two outs largely contributed to that.

Inning by inning

First inning

Leading off for the first time this season, Dean Toigo launched a home run into left field, giving ASU a 1-0 lead. The Sun Devils got a two-out baserunner on a walk from Dominic Smaldino, but couldn’t scratch any more across.

Colin Linder took the mound for Arizona State, working around a one-out double to pitch a scoreless frame.

Second inning

Ky McGary singled with one out then stole second, and back-to-back walks from Brody Briggsand PJ Moutzouridis loaded up the bases. Toigo ripped a ball to right field that bounced out of the right fielder’s glove and brought in two runs, making it 3-0. A strikeout and fielder’s choice followed to leave two runners stranded as Arizona State extended its lead.

A leadoff single, followed by a walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Ole Miss, and a single to right drove in a run to cut ASU’s lead to 3-1. Linder was able to get a strikeout, and a sac fly brought in another run for the Rebels. A full count walk followed to load the bases once again, but Linder induced a groundout to end the inning.

Third inning

Arizona State couldn’t get anything started in the third, going down in order.

Ole Miss tied the game with a leadoff home run, and a walk to the next batter prompted Arizona State to go to the bullpen, bringing in Alex Overbay. Striking out the first hitter he faced, Overbay then issued a walk. A single to left field looked like trouble when the runner at second made the turn for home, but Ky McGary threw him out at home for the second out. Overbay then struck out the next hitter to keep the game tied at three.

Fourth inning

Leading off, McGary singled to center, then stole second. With one out, McGary moved to third on a wild pitch, then tried to score on a fielder’s choice from Moutzouridis, but was thrown out after replay review.

Moutzouridis, now on second, moved to third on an error by the second baseman, came home on a wild pitch to give ASU the 4-3 advantage. A walk from Contrades put two runners on, but Longo lined out to the shortstop, who made a jumping catch, for the third out.

After striking out the first two hitters, Overbay allowed a walk, but was able to get an inning-ending groundout to keep the Sun Devils ahead by one.

Fifth inning

Despite getting back-to-back one-out singles from Austen Roellig and Matt Polk, the Sun Devils couldn’t bring any runs across as a flyout and a groundout ended the frame.

Overbay returned to the mound, sending the Rebels down in order on a strikeout and two groundouts.

Sixth inning

A leadoff walk for Moutzouridis and a one-out walk for Contrades gave the Sun Devils two baserunners, but the next two batters both went down swinging.

After a leadoff walk, a stolen base, and a groundout that moved the runner to third, Overbay was relieved in favor of Sean Fitzpatrick. Facing the top of the order, Fitzpatrick delivered a strikeout before ASU intentionally walked Ole Miss’ No. 2 hitter. The move worked out, as the next hitter lined out to right for the third out.

Seventh inning

The Sun Devils went down in order in the seventh with three straight groundouts.

A leadoff hit by pitch gave the Rebels a baserunner, but Fitzpatrick was able to wipe the runner off the basepaths with a pickoff. However, after a walk to the next batter and a strikeout, a double off the left field wall allowed a run to score and tied the game at four.

Eli Buxton was called in from the bullpen and seemed poised to get out of the inning with one pitch, as the batter lifted a foul ball that was easily catchable. However, it was dropped by a sliding Contrades, and a walk to the batter gave Ole Miss two baserunners.

A wild pitch put both into scoring position, but Buxton was able to escape the jam with a strikeout, keeping the score 4-4.

Eighth inning

Two groundouts and a flyout were all ASU could do in the eighth.

Returning to the mound, Buxton faced the top of the order and tossed a 1-2-3 frame, complete with a strikeout, flyout, and groundout.

Ninth inning

A leadoff walk from Contrades was the only baserunner that the Sun Devils could muster, as three groundouts followed.

Buxton went back out for the ninth and sent down the three hitters he faced in order, sending the game to extra innings.

Tenth inning

Briggs reached on a two-out single, but was left stranded as a strikeout ended the frame.

Derek Schaefer was called in for the Sun Devils, striking out the first hitter he faced. A walk to the next hitter followed by a wild pitch put the winning run in scoring position for Ole Miss, and a single past a diving Moutzouridis advanced the runner to third. A sac fly to left center drove in the winning run for Ole Miss.

Quotables

Head Coach Willie Bloomquist

Opening statement

“I can’t put into words how proud I am of our guys. They left everything on the field. They played their best baseball on the biggest stage they’d played on all year.

We’d always kind of wondered what it looked like if we clicked on all cylinders, and we did this weekend, and we played our guts out. They left everything on the field. I couldn’t ask for anything more of any single one of our guys, and I think when you look around after the game and see the emotions of our players, this was special for them, and to me, that makes me feel good as a head coach, that this matters that much to them as it does me.

There are no regrets, and each and every one of them, I’m super proud of them. I love each and every one of these guys. Wouldn’t change a thing about how they perform and how they played. 

Certainly, you’d like to come away with the win, but man, these are two heavyweights that went at each other this weekend, two great games against Ole Miss. Congratulations to them for moving on. They’re going to be tough in the next round, obviously, but at the end of the day, I just … I can’t express how proud I am of these guys, not only these two next to me (Dean Toigo and Sean Fitzpatrick), but just our entire team. They just.. they left everything out there, and you can’t ask for much more.”

On the departing players

“Each team leaves a little imprint on your soul, and these guys are probably a little deeper than any other team I’ve had. These guys just come together.

Sometimes when you play the transfer portal dance, you never know what you’re going to get, really, till these guys step on campus. We hit it right with the personality of these kids. The guys that we brought in from the transfer portal are just super young men who molded into our program, represented our program in the best light possible.

Then I can’t say enough about my returners, guys that have been here for two, three years. (Cole) Carlon, (Nu’u) Contrades, (Sean) Fitzpatrick, they’ve left everything they could for this program, and for me, for the people that really truly follow this program, and they’re really invested in it. I feel like they should appreciate the efforts that these kids have put into this program, and the imprint that they’ve left, because it’s been very special.”

On this team, setting the standard for the program

“I think you can see how difficult it is to get to Omaha. Ask the number one seeds across the country how difficult it is to get out of a regional, and we’re playing against a Nebraska team, a South Dakota State team, and an Ole Miss team that are very good.

Hopefully, what this standard sets is just how we play the game more than anything. That again, we can sit here and wish and hope that we moved on, and of course we would have liked two more wins here to move on, but at the end of the day, the standard of how we go about it hopefully is set, and again, I know the fans at Arizona State, like me, like everybody wants, wants to get back to Omaha. And of course everybody else too, but I think the way that our guys went about it this year, from an effort level, a style of play, and how we go about it has started to break through on where we want to get to, and again, the type of kids that we want to bring in, we want the hard-nosed, tough kids that play the game the right way, that want to buy into this type of program, and leave their emotions on the field, like these guys have. Those are the type of kids we’re after.

I think if we continue to go down that path, and yes, they need to be talented, but obviously keep going down the path of bringing in the right type of kids that represent this school and university and program the way it should be will continue to progress and continue to improve each year, and you know we have, we’ve done that so far every year that I’ve been here, and we look to continue to do that move forward.”

Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes 

 

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