(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
Arizona State Vice President for University Athletics and Athletic Director Ray Anderson announced that ASU head coach Tracy Smith has been fired.
Smith met with Anderson on Monday when the team returned from Austin, Texas after its 1-2 record in the NCAA Regional Tournament.
A contract extension was given to Smith in early February before the season began. He would’ve been given a $40,000 bonus if ASU reached the College World Series this season.
Anderson spoke to the media Monday on the state of the ASU Baseball program since Smith’s hiring in 2015.
“The program is in the same place as it was; it’s mediocre,” Anderson said. “It’s one of the reasons we’re making the change this time. We are not moving the needle enough in the performance of the program and we have not made enough progress.”
Smith won 201 games in his seven seasons with the program but had a winning percentage of just .486 against Pac-12 opponents.
“I looked at the full body of work and I did not have confidence that the program was going to elevate forward,” Anderson said.
Anderson said they will announce a new hire when they “feel comfortable”.
“There’s going to be interest in this job at every level from established and aspiring coaches,” Anderson said. “We can’t compete salary wise with other big schools going after coaches due to their budgets compared to ours.”
Anderson said that he will meet with the rest of the coaches on the current staff on the state of the program in their eyes. He said they will consider members of the current staff for the head coach position.
About two-thirds of the at-bats taken this season by the Sun Devils were by freshmen. With most of them returning, Anderson feels it will be a big appeal to anyone interested in the position.
“We have some great student-athletes with this team,” Anderson said. “They’re very young but have great potential. The talent on our roster will be attractive to our next head coach.”
Going forward, Anderson says that the team’s expectations need to be in the top three in the Pac-12 and in position to be in the top 15 in the nation.
“We want someone to instill discipline, focus, accountability and have an intensity that we think is necessary to win and to meet the expectations of ASU Baseball,” Anderson commented. “We want someone to re-energize our team, donors, alums and fan base.”
