Arizona State Sun Devils baseball

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Arizona State Sun Devils
Baseball current event.svg 2024 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team
Arizona State Sun Devils baseball logo.svg
Founded1959
University Arizona State University
Head coach Willie Bloomquist (3rd season)
Conference Pac-12
Location Tempe, Arizona
Home stadium Phoenix Municipal Stadium
(Capacity: 8,775)
Nickname Sun Devils
ColorsMaroon and gold [1]
   
NCAA Tournament champions
1965, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1981
College World Series runner-up
1972, 1973, 1978, 1988, 1998
College World Series appearances
1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2005, 2007*, 2009, 2010
*vacated by NCAA [note 1]
NCAA regional champions
1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2007*, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 * vacated by NCAA [note 1]
NCAA Tournament appearances
1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007*, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021
*vacated by NCAA
Regular season conference champions
1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1993, 2000, 2007*, 2008, 2009, 2010
*vacated by NCAA

The Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program at the Arizona State University (ASU) is part of the Pac-12 Conference. Since it became a member of the Pac-12, it had the highest winning percentage, at .681, of all schools that participate in Division I baseball within the conference. ASU's NCAA leading 54 consecutive 30 win seasons was the longest streak in the nation. The Sun Devils have had just four losing seasons in program history (1963, 2017, 2018, and 2022). [2] The Sun Devils had been nationally ranked during at least a part of every season of their 58-year history until 2017. The Sun Devils have finished 27 times in the Top 10, 22 times in the Top 5, and 5 times as the No. 1 team in the nation. [3]

Contents

ASU is one of the most successful college baseball programs in the country. The Sun Devils have won five national championships, the fourth-most by any school, and are 1st in total number of alumni to ever play in Major League Baseball. [4] Notable Sun Devil baseball alumni include Barry Bonds, Jim Palmer Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Dustin Pedroia, Andre Ethier, Bob Horner, Paul Lo Duca, and Rick Monday.

History

The Bobby Winkles years (1959–1971)

Arizona State University adopted baseball as a varsity sport in 1959. Under the guidance of coach Bobby Winkles, the Sun Devils finished their first season with a 28–18–1 record. In 1964, Coach Winkles led the team to a 44–7 record, winning the Western Athletic Conference title. They beat Utah twice in the WAC playoffs and then beat Air Force 6–1 and 7–6 to win District 7 and advanced to the 1964 College World Series. In their first game the Sun Devils were shut out 7–0 by the Missouri Tigers. The next day they beat Mississippi 5–0 before losing their next game two days later 4–2 to Maine. The following year the Sun Devils went 9–3 in the WAC to win back-to-back conference championships. In 1965, Rick Monday was taken first overall in the inaugural Major League First-Year Player Draft.

Their first game in the 1965 College World Series was a blowout win against Lafayette. The offense again exploded against St. Louis 13–3. They beat Ohio State 9–4, then beat St. Louis again 6–2 where they faced Ohio State. Arizona State lost the first game 7–3 but won the next game 2–1 to win their first national championship. The following season the defending national champions were unable to defend their title as they finished the season 41–11, finishing second in the conference, and failed to make the postseason.

In 1967 the Sun Devils were able to get back to the College World Series as they went 53–12 and made an appearance in the WAC championship losing the first game to BYU 3–0, before coming back to win the next two 6–3 and 4–3 to win the WAC championship. In the District 7 playoff series, they split the first two games of the series, winning 11–0 then losing 5–2. They were able to win the final game of the series 6–0 advancing to the 1967 College World Series. They opened winning two blowout games 7–2 and 8–1 against Oklahoma State and Boston College before winning a close one against Stanford 5–3. They were shut out in the next game against the Houston Cougars 3–0 before coming back to beat Stanford 4–3 and avenging the loss against Houston to win a blowout 11–2 to win their second national championship.

Once again, the Sun Devils followed up their national championship season with a second place conference finish and failed to receive a postseason berth. In 1969 the Devils were able to return to the World Series winning the WAC championship against BYU, then swept Idaho 7–1 and 3–2 in the District 7 playoff. [5] [6] [7] They dropped their first game of the 1969 College World Series 4–0 to Texas, however they would win their next five games to win their third national championship in five years, winning the championship game 10–1 against Tulsa. This was the program's third national championship in the last five years.

After the 1971 season, Coach Winkles was hired by the California Angels. Bobby Winkles was ASU's first varsity baseball coach and maintained an impressive 524–173 record during his 13 years of coaching for the Sun Devils. A three-time NCAA Coach of the Year, Winkles took the ASU program from scratch and built it into one of the premier powerhouses in all of college baseball.

The Packard Stadium years

Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark, located in Tempe, was the home of Arizona State baseball from 1974 to 2014. Dimensions of Packard are 338 feet (103 m) down the lines, 368 feet (112 m) in the power alleys and 395 to straightaway center. The fence is 10 feet (3.0 m) high. Located five feet beyond the center-field wall is the "Green Monster," a 30-foot-high batting eye. The outfield wall is lined with orange trees and just beyond the left field fence lies the Salt River which winds its way through the Valley of the Sun.

The facility is the home of two national championship teams and 17 NCAA regional tournaments. Arizona State's all-time record at Packard is 1,035–272–1*, for a winning percentage of .792. In 2010, ASU went 36–3 at home and hosted a Super Regional for the fourth straight season, clinching a berth in the College World Series on their home field for the third time in four seasons. Since 2007, the Sun Devils have an astounding home record of 146–15*. [8]

A 2003 coaches survey published in Baseball America ranked ASU's baseball facilities among the Top 15 in the nation.

The final game played at Packard Stadium was on May 20, 2014, where ASU defeated Abilene Christian 4–2. The Sun Devils opened the 2015 season at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. [9]

Head coaches

[ when? ]

TenureCoachSeasonsRecordPct.
1959–1971 Bobby Winkles 13524–173–1.751
1972–1994 Jim Brock 241,099–441–1.713
1995–2009 Pat Murphy 15629–284–1.689
2010–2014 Tim Esmay 5201–94–1.681
2015–2021 Tracy Smith 7201–155.565
2022–present Willie Bloomquist 258–55.513
Total6 coaches652712–1201–4.693

Former and current players in MLB

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 On December 15, 2010, the NCAA announced sanctions that forced Arizona State to vacate 44 wins from its 2007 season after a number of recruitment violations.

Related Research Articles

Bobby Brooks Winkles was an American baseball player and coach. After an eight-year career as an infielder in the minor leagues, he became the acclaimed college baseball coach at Arizona State University (ASU) in 1959. Then, 13 years later, he returned to professional baseball as a manager, coach, front-office executive and broadcaster in the major leagues.

The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The mascot was adopted in 1946; earlier nicknames were the Normals and later, the Bulldogs. The Sun Devil mascot, Sparky, was designed by former Disney illustrator Bert Anthony. ASU's chief rival is the University of Arizona Wildcats, and both universities' athletics departments compete against each other in the Territorial Cup Series.

Packard Stadium was a college baseball park in the southwestern United States, located in Tempe, Arizona, a suburb just east of Phoenix. It was the home field of the Arizona State Sun Devils of the Pac-12 Conference from 1974 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team</span> American college football season

The 2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's coach was Dirk Koetter who was fired after the season. It played its home games at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona State Sun Devils football</span> Football team of Arizona State University

The Arizona State Sun Devils football team represents Arizona State University in the sport of American college football. The Sun Devils team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Arizona State University has fielded a football team since 1897. The Sun Devils are led by head coach Kenny Dillingham and play their home games at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils have won seventeen conference titles.

Jim Brock was the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team for 23 seasons from 1972 until his death in 1994.

The 1970 Arizona State Sun Devils football team was an American football team that represented Arizona State University in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. In their 13th season under head coach Frank Kush, the Sun Devils compiled an 11–0 record, won the WAC championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 405 to 151. ASU was picked as the overall #1 team for the 1970 College Football season by Poling System. Poling was a mathematic system used to rank college football teams. It was considered a "National Champion Major Selector" by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The Arizona State Sun Devils softball team represents Arizona State University in NCAA Division I College softball. The team competes in the Pac-12 Conference, and plays its home games at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Clint Myers, former head coach of the Sun Devils, guided the team to the Women's College World Series in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013. The Sun Devils team won the National Championship in 2008 & 2011.

The 1977 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team represented Arizona State University in the 1977 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Sun Devils played their home games at Packard Stadium. The team was coached by Jim Brock in his 6th season at Arizona State.

The 1969 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team represented Arizona State University in the 1969 NCAA University Division baseball season. The team was coached by Bobby Winkles in his 11th season at Arizona State.

The 1967 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team represented Arizona State University in the 1967 NCAA University Division baseball season. The team was coached by Bobby Winkles in his 9th season at Arizona State.

The 1965 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team represented Arizona State University in the 1965 NCAA University Division baseball season. The team was coached by Bobby Winkles in his 7th season at Arizona State.

The 1974 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. In their second season under head coach Jim Young, the Wildcats compiled a 9–2 record, finished in second place in the WAC, and outscored their opponents, 263 to 174. The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

The 1975 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. In their third season under head coach Jim Young, the Wildcats compiled a 9–2 record, finished in second place in the WAC, were ranked No. 18 in the final AP Poll, and outscored their opponents, 330 to 169. The team played its home games at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

The 1979 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third and final season under head coach Tony Mason, the Wildcats compiled a 6–5–1 record, lost to Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, and outscored their opponents, 244 to 243. The team played its home games on campus at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

The 1980 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Larry Smith, the Wildcats compiled a 5–6 record, finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10, and were outscored by their opponents, 275 to 215. The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

The 1962 Arizona State Sun Devils football team was an American football team that represented Arizona State University in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1962 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth season under head coach Frank Kush, the Sun Devils compiled a 7–2–1 record, finished in second place in the WAC, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 304 to 126.

The 1963 Arizona State Sun Devils football team was an American football team that represented Arizona State University in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. In their sixth season under head coach Frank Kush, the Sun Devils compiled an 8–1 record, won the WAC championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 249 to 122.

The 1967 Arizona State Sun Devils football team was an American football team that represented Arizona State University in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1967 NCAA University Division football season. In their tenth season under head coach Frank Kush, the Sun Devils compiled an 8–2 record, finished in second place in the WAC, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 350 to 210.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona–Arizona State baseball rivalry</span> College baseball rivalry

The Arizona–Arizona State baseball rivalry is a college baseball rivalry between the University of Arizona Wildcats and the Arizona State University Sun Devils. Both programs are two of the most storied and successful in college baseball history, combining for a total of 9 College World Series championships, 40 College World Series appearances, 82 NCAA tournament appearances and 27 conference regular-season championships. Since Arizona State founded a baseball program in 1907 the teams have met 489 times.

References

  1. "Sun Devil Athletics Brand Identity Guidelines" (PDF). Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  2. "Lilek抯 Complete Game Leads Devils To Win Against No. 2 UCLA, 2–1". TheSunDevils.com.
  3. "Sun Devil Baseball - 2013 Fullerton Regional" (PDF). Arizona State University. Archived May 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "College Baseball Players Who Made it to a Major League Baseball Team – Sorted by College Quantity". baseball-almanac.com.
  5. Spokesman-Review – Vandals Arizona-bound – May 29, 1969 – p. 13
  6. Spokane Daily Chronicle Vandals seeks to rebound – May 31, 1969 – p. 11
  7. Spokesman Review – ASU ekes out 3–2 win over Idaho – June 1, 1969 – p. 2-sports
  8. "Arizona State University Official Athletic Site :: Arizona State University". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  9. "Baseball Notches Historic Win in Packard Stadium Finale". TheSunDevils.com. Arizona State Athletic Communications. May 20, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.