A Season That Ended in Sun Devil Dominance
Houston Baseball opened the 2026 season finale with a quick strike, capitalizing on a sacrifice fly by Xavier Perez to take an early lead over Arizona State.
The Sun Devils answered in the fourth, tying the game before seizing the advantage in the fifth, and they never looked back, adding four runs in the sixth and single tallies in the seventh and ninth.
Freshman right-hander Caden Cooper took the loss for Houston, allowing two runs over four innings, while Arizona State’s Jaden Alba earned the win with 5.2 innings of work and seven strikeouts.
Offensively, Perez contributed a hit, an RBI and a sacrifice fly, while Tyler Cox added a single and a run, and Cade Climie doubled and collected a hit.
Riley Jackson recorded his 45th hit of the campaign, and Xavier Perez logged his 60th hit of the season, also throwing down his seventh outfield assist of the year.
Despite a late rally that cut into the deficit in the bottom of the ninth, Houston’s comeback fell short as the Sun Devils closed out an 8-3 victory.
What Lies Ahead for the Cougars
The team will look to build on the experience of players like Perez, Cox and Climie as they transition into the next chapter of their collegiate careers, hoping to translate this season’s lessons into future success.