(Photo: Sam Polgreen/WCSN)
PHOENIX — On Friday night, Arizona State baseball fans watched as a statue commemorating the late ASU coach Bobby Winkles was unveiled in the concourse at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The maroon cover was lifted off by his family, revealing a bronze depiction of the godfather of Sun Devil baseball sitting atop a stone mound.
Attached to the front of the mound, was a plaque displaying the achievements of Winkles. These achievements included three College World Series championships and a career record of 524-173. On the right side, there was a plaque listing Sun Devil letterwinners who played for the 2006 College Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and funded the statue.
Over his tenure from 1959-1971, Winkles set a standard of excellence that head coach Willie Bloomquist has aimed to replicate with ASU’s current team. Friday night’s game was a reminder that the Sun Devils have a long road ahead of them if they want to return to that peak, as ASU (15-19, 6-10 Pac-12) was outmatched in all facets by Utah (22-10, 8-5 Pac-12) in a 10-0 shutout loss.
“The Bobby Winkles tribute was the best thing about tonight,” Bloomquist said. “We did not honor him the way we were supposed to.”
Bloomquist’s vision of the program returning to this peak, annually competing for Omaha, currently resembles a fantasy as evidenced by the team’s performance, on Friday. ASU is now four games below .500 and a lackluster 6-10 in conference play. The Sun Devils have lost each of their last five games, with three being decided by five or more runs. To rub salt into the wound, many members of ASU’s College World Series title teams were in attendance.
“I appreciate (the alumni) coming out and enjoying the ceremony,” Bloomquist said. “As far as the game is concerned, (the alumni) deserve better than what we showed tonight.”
One key aspect of Bloomquist’s vision for this team was the identity being built on the bats. On Friday night, the offense showed that this part of the vision hasn’t materialized. By hitting a mere 3-28 (.107), the lineup showed that the hits being left on the ball leave much to be desired. Utah starter junior lefty Bryson Van Sickle threw a complete game in just 82 pitches.
“It’s just the cycle of winning baseball versus losing baseball,” Bloomquist said. “You make plays when you need to to win, and you don’t make plays when you lose.”
After the game, an unprompted sentiment was echoed by both catcher Ryan Campos and Bloomquist; a lost sight of fundamentals. Both, as with likely many in the clubhouse, share the belief that this is crucial towards the team’s success.
“Just focusing more on the details, preparation, commitment to what we’re trying to do, it’s kind of important, ” Campos said. “It’s just all the little things.
“We have to stop the bleeding and get back to doing the basic fundamental stuff,” Bloomquist said, agreeing with his starting catcher. “If we can focus on doing the fundamental things better, then the results will take care of themselves.”
Despite the underwhelming record, Bloomquist doesn’t believe that the team’s issues stem from a lack of talent. In fact, the talent on the roster is why Bloomquist has high expectations for the team. Bloomquist emphasized that his confidence in the team hasn’t deterred, even after this loss.
“I will refuse to ever give up on these guys,” Bloomquist said. “I expect more of our guys, and if that makes me wrong, then I guess I’m not the guy here.”
