Arizona State rallies to beat California Baptist 31-9 in Tempe
Sun Devils won eight straight bouts after falling behind early; three technical falls and multiple ranked wins paced the comeback.
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State defeated California Baptist 31-9 on Feb. 13 at Desert Financial Arena, rallying from an early 9-0 deficit to win eight straight bouts and secure the dual.
California Baptist opened the night with back-to-back victories, including Jesse Vasquez’s pin of Pierson Manville at 141 pounds and Paul Kelly’s 12-0 major decision at 149, which put the visitors ahead 9-0. Those early results gave Cal Baptist the initial edge before the Sun Devils reversed momentum.
Kaleb Larkin’s 6-0 decision at 157 provided the first point for Arizona State and proved to be the turning point. Larkin, listed No. 5 at 157, scored an escape and an immediate takedown in the second period that created a multi-point swing and ignited ASU’s run.
Arizona State extended its advantage with a string of bonus-point wins. Nicco Ruiz, listed No. 15 at 165, finished by technical fall, 22-7, after a second-period surge that included a takedown late in the stanza and a two-point nearfall. Cael Valencia followed with a 21-5 technical fall at 174, and Shay Addison closed out the stretch with an 18-1 technical fall at 184.
Colton Hawks provided a dramatic finish at 197, edging Eli Sheeren 6-4. Sheeren tied the match with a third-period takedown with 18 seconds left; Hawks answered with a two-point reversal with 4 seconds remaining to reclaim the lead and hold on for the decision.
An’ee Vigil closed the dual for Arizona State with a 14-3 major decision at 125. Vigil added late third-period takedowns that widened the margin and produced the major decision.
Arizona State’s heavyweight David Szuba also contributed a 5-2 decision at 285, a match decided in the second period when Szuba escaped, recorded a takedown and added a later escape that formed the margin.
The meet featured several ranked matchups and ranked victories for both teams. Kyler Larkin, listed No. 5 at 133, won 7-2 to cap ASU’s scoring, and Vasquez’s pin was noted by California Baptist as a ranked win in his return to Tempe.
The dual came amid program changes at Cal Baptist: the visiting school announced earlier this year it will discontinue its wrestling program at the end of the 2025-26 season. The matchup in Tempe was reported as likely the teams’ final meeting.
Arizona State’s run of eight consecutive wins after the early deficit produced the bulk of its team points, including three technical falls that provided bonus scoring and allowed the Sun Devils to separate on the team scoreboard.
The teams meet no further in the provided schedule; Arizona State’s home result improved the Sun Devils’ recent record in Big 12 duals and supplied multiple ranked wins for the roster.