Arizona State RHP Jack Martinez Dominates in 3-1 Win Over Gonzaga

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Arizona State defeated Gonzaga 3-1 on Saturday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in the second game of their three-game home series.

With the Papago Buttes and Phoenix Mountains serving as a backdrop, Arizona State starter Jack Martinez pitched lights out and rifled through the Gonzaga lineup. The senior right-hander struck out 10 in seven dominant innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while throwing 110 pitches—78 for strikes.

“There was a lot of times early in counts that I started offspeed and that helped me get ahead to utilize the zone, alongside using the heater that keeps the hitters off balance, while able to use pitches outside the zone that resulted in a lot of swing and misses, which helped my ability to have a terrific performance,” Martinez said during the post game press conference. 

Arizona State relievers Cole Carlon and Derek Schaefer combined for two innings, allowing one earned run, two walks and three strikeouts. 

“I’m proud of how catcher Josiah Cromwick played well tonight behind the dish and got some pitches back there with receiving well and blocking great. Jeremy Accardo has been outstanding as our pitching coach and our pitching staff have really bought into what he knows during his first season with the program,” Arizona State head coach Willie Bloomquist said during the post game press conference. 

The Gonzaga University Bulldogs of the West Coast Conference dropped to 2-10 with the loss, while the Arizona State Sun Devils, in their first year in the Big 12 Conference, improved to 11-4. Both programs have yet to play a conference game this season.

Bloomquist, a former Major League infielder and Sun Devil standout, is in his fourth season leading the program. Gonzaga’s Mark Machtolf, now in his 22nd year, has guided the Bulldogs to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Sun Devils have won five national championships in program history, their last in 1981, and have reached the College World Series 21 times. Gonzaga has won the WCC tournament in 2009 and 2018 and has made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 2022 as an at-large selection.  

Martinez struck out five of the first six batters he faced, ending the bottom of the second inning by getting Payton Knowles to chase.

Just your casual five strikeouts through six batters.

Jack Martinez rolling early.

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— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) March 9, 2025

 

The Sun Devils offense nearly scored in the bottom of the third, when junior center fielder Isaiah Jackson laced a lead off double down the left field line for the first hit of the game. With second baseman Kyle Walker at-bat, Arizona State attempted a double steal with runners on first and third. Jackson broke for home as catcher Rece Shuerman threw down to shortstop Yukumoto. Yukumoto fired an on-the-money throw back to the plate for the out. Shuerman, then tried to throw out DH Jonathan Hernandez at second but was unsuccessful. Machtolf challenged the call at second base, but after review, the play was upheld.

Just your average 2-6-2 CS????

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— Gonzaga Baseball (@ZagBaseball) March 9, 2025

Arizona State finally broke through in the sixth when left fielder Brandon Compton drove a two-run single to center, scoring Hernandez and Walker to give the Sun Devils a 2-0 lead.

Devils break through!

B-Comp gets just enough of this one to plate two runs.

2-0, good guys. Bases still loaded with one out ion the sixth as the Bulldogs go to the pen.

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— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) March 9, 2025

“With one out in that situation I was trying to get that ball in the air and get some runs, and I was able to do that to help out my team,” Compton said during the postgame. 

With one down in the sixth, and two runners on, Machtolf signaled to his penang called on reliever Finbar O’Brien to replace Gosztola. 

Gosztola threw 5.1 innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, two walks, and four strikeouts while facing 22 batters and dicing 78 pitches for 46 strikes. 

Arizona added their third run of the game when third baseman Nu’u Contrades hit a ground ball to BullDogs third baseman Josh Hankins, allowing shortstop Matt King to score and extend the lead 3-0. 

Gonzaga recorded their first hit in the seventh when DH Mikey Bell narrowly beat out a grounder that third baseman Contrades backhanded.

Bloomquist sent Cole Carlon to the mound for the ninth inning, but he issued a leadoff walk to pinch hitter Max Coupe, followed by a single through the right side by second baseman Hudson Shupe. Carlon struggled with command, striking out Vincent Temesvary but then walking Tommy Eisenstat, prompting Bloomquist to make the call to the bullpen for Derek Schaefer to record the final two outs.

Gonzaga scored its only run when Bell grounded out to first baseman Jacob Tobias, allowing Coupe to cross the plate and cut the deficit to 3-1.

Schaefer ended the game by striking out Sam Stem swinging on an 0-2 count, securing Arizona State’s 3-1 win in the second game of the series.

Gosztola and O’Brien combined for eight innings for the BullDogs, allowing five hits, one earned run, four walks, and six strikeouts in Saturday’s loss. 

Martinez in his last start against the University of Minnesota Gophers on March 1 at home, threw 5.2 innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, one walk and struck out 11 batters, prior to his first collegiate game throwing over a hundred pitches. 

Arizona State, in its first Big 12 season, travels to face in-state rival Arizona on March 11 at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson. The Wildcats, last year’s Pac-12 champions, meet the Sun Devils at 9 p.m. EDT. Arizona State concludes the Gonzaga series at home on March 9 at 4 p.m. EDT.

Oklahoma State University is the only ranked program from the Big 12 Conference at No. 25. 

TCU and Cincinnati were the recent programs that dropped out of the Top 25 from the previous week. 

Arizona and Arizona State are the only programs that are both in their first season in the Big 12 Conference for 2025. 

Gonzaga will travel to St. George, Utah after their final game of their three game series in Phoenix and will play Utah Tech University at 8:05 p.m. EDT on March 11 at Bruce Hurst Field. 

Looking Into The Young Talent To Blossom With Major League Baseball Organizations

Gonzaga has one player ranked on MLBPipeline.com’s Top 100 Draft Rankings, right-handed pitcher Payton Graham at No. 48.

Graham, 21, was born in Vancouver, Wash., and is in his junior season at Gonzaga.

Arizona State has two players ranked on MLBPipeline.com, outfielder Brandon Compton at No. 54 and left-handed pitcher Ben Jacobs at No. 72.

Jacobs, 20, was born in Fountain Valley, Calif., and is in his junior season and second year with the Sun Devils after transferring from UCLA.

Compton, a 21-year-old left-handed slugger from Glendale, Ariz., is in his sophomore season at ASU.

“It’s cool being on the pipeline, but now for the spring season I’m just willing to help my teammates out so we can have a better stretch of results heading into conference play,” Compton said. 

Top 100 Draft Prospects MLBPipeline.com Outlook Stats 

Gonzaga’s Payton Graham has made just one start in 2025, throwing five innings against UC Davis on February 14. He allowed no earned runs, two hits, two walks, and struck out seven but has not pitched since due to arm soreness, according to the Gonzaga Bulletin.

In Graham’s three seasons at Gonzaga, he has a 2-8 record with a 9.51 ERA in 30 appearances (four starts). He has recorded one save, thrown 65.1 innings, allowed 89 hits, 69 earned runs, 16 home runs, 45 walks, and 74 strikeouts, with a 2.051 WHIP.

Graham’s fastball velocity increased from 93-94 mph in 2024 to 95-97 mph last fall, consistently sitting at 94 mph. Scouts grade his fastball at 55, curveball at 60, slider at 50, changeup at 50, and control at 45, with an overall grade of 50.

ASU outfielder Brandon Compton, No. 54 on MLBPipeline.com, entered Saturday’s game hitting .333 with a .515 on-base percentage and .667 slugging percentage in 14 games. He recorded 15 hits, six doubles, three home runs, 14 RBI, four stolen bases, 19 walks, and 11 strikeouts in 66 plate appearances.

During Compton’s two seasons with the Sun Devils, he has played in 66 games, hitting .350 in 279 plate appearances, with 82 hits, 22 doubles, 17 home runs, 65 RBI, seven stolen bases, 42 walks, 65 strikeouts, and a 1.110 OPS before Saturday’s game.

Arizona State left-hander Ben Jacobs, ranked No. 72 on MLBPipeline.com, started Friday night against Gonzaga in an 11-1 win, recording his first victory of the regular season. Jacobs threw six innings, allowing one hit while striking out six, with seven flyouts and five groundouts on 91 pitches.

Jacobs now has a 4.71 ERA in four starts, throwing 21 innings, allowing 15 hits, 11 earned runs, five home runs, five walks, 26 strikeouts, and a 0.952 WHIP. In three collegiate seasons, he has an 8-4 record with a 4.97 ERA in 31 appearances and 15 starts. He has logged 92.1 innings, allowing 83 hits, 51 earned runs, 21 home runs, 50 walks, and 134 strikeouts with a 1.440 WHIP.

Jacobs’ fastball sits between 92-94 mph, occasionally touching 95-96. In 2024, it generated a 33 percent miss rate. He also features a slider that ranges from 78-83 mph and a changeup between 80-83 mph.

Three other Big 12 players who rank among MLBPipeline.com’s Top 100 Draft Prospects include Arizona shortstop Mason White at No. 82, Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill at No. 10, and Oklahoma State right-hander Gabe Davis at No. 63.

Photo: Tyler Martin, Sun Devil Athletics