The Arizona-ASU baseball matchup in Phoenix on Tuesday night might be even spicier than usual.
UA sophomore outfielder Brendan Summerhill said the quiet part out loud about the ASU game after the Wildcats completed a sweep of Stanford on Sunday at Hi Corbett Field.
“We want to score 100 and give up zero,” Summerhill said. “We want to beat them. They beat us here this year. So we're gonna go out there and play our butts off and beat them as bad as we can.”
The ASU-Washington series finale was still going when Summerhill spoke to reporters. Phoenix media relayed the comments to Sun Devils coach Willie Bloomquist, who took them in stride.
“Good luck, kid. Bring it. Let’s go,” Bloomquist said with a grin. “We ain’t gonna back down from anybody. That’s good that they’re that confident. So are we. So this’ll be a fun one.”
No. 17 Arizona (29-17) sits atop the Pac-12 standings with a 17-7 league record. ASU is 26-23, 14-13. The Sun Devils took two of three from the Wildcats at Hi Corbett Field in mid-March.
ASU and shortstop Ethan Mendoza, left, will square off against Arizona and Brendan Summerhill in a nonconference matchup Tuesday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium (6:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
Asked what he expected the atmosphere to be like at Phoenix Municipal Stadium for Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. matchup (also being broadcast on Pac-12 Networks), Bloomquist said:
“I would anticipate it’ll be a pretty good one. I’m excited for it. I know our guys are excited for it. There’s obviously the history. Don’t need to bring that up. But it’ll be a fun one. I think our guys will be ready to go.”
Finally, Bloomquist was asked if Summerhill’s comments might serve as bulletin-board material for his team — if such a thing even exists in today’s digital world.
“There’s been enough stuff happen in this series that’s bulletin-board material. That’s just whatever,” said Bloomquist, who played for ASU in the 1990s. “You can say what you want to say. We’ll be ready to play.
“At the end of the day, we want to beat them by a hundred as well. And if we get the opportunity, we won’t stop.”
The last time the two teams met in a nonconference game, Arizona defeated ASU 20-0 on April 19, 2023, in Tucson. The Sun Devils swept a three-game series between the two earlier that season.
