(Left to right) Former ASU athletes Amy LePeilbet, Andre Ethier, Maggie Germaine Ethier, Grey Ruegamer, Kara Brun and Lisa Aguilera pose for a picture on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 at the Phoenix Country Club. The group was inducted into the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday. (Photo by Ben Moffat)Each member of the 2014 ASU athletics Hall of Fame class followed their own path to be speaking at a podium full of ASU dignitaries, high profile donors, former coaches, and family.
Soccer star Amy LePeilbet dealt with several hardships and trials, working her way back after being cut from different teams on her way to winning a gold medal in 2012 with Team USA.
Lisa Aguilera endured a grueling training regimen and the mental torture of long distance running in the desert heat en route to becoming a eight-time All-American as a cross country and track athlete.
But perhaps none is more special than that of local product, Andre Ethier.
The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder began his journey when he grew up in the neighborhood near Phoenix Country Club, where the event was held Friday afternoon.
Ethier said in his remarks to those gathered at the luncheon that he is "proud to be a downtown Phoenix guy" and that "ASU was put in his blood." He shared stories of his father bringing him to sit in front of the lower bowl at Sun Devil Stadium, and eventually going to games at Packard Stadium.
"I got a phone call from (senior associate athletic director) Don Bocchi," Ethier said. "It's cool to be the first couple to be inducted together, and it solidifies our time at ASU, and the hard work we've done throughout our lives. I think our boys will be able to appreciate how their mom and dad first met, and were first together at ASU."
Andre's wife, Maggie Germaine, said that the two first met at an ASU athlete orientation as freshman, and a mutual connection between their roommates who she says "hit it off," which enabled Andre and Maggie to develop a friendship.
"It was a unique start, but after summers abroad doing baseball, there was something special we saw in each other," she said. "Baseball's such a hard sport because you have to be okay with failing a lot."
The dynamic of the Ethiers' relationship enables Maggie, while not still an athlete in practice like her husband, to still act as a confidant and an emotional supporter of Andre throughout the grind of the Major League Baseball season.
"She's able to help me handle certain mental anguishes, whether it's a situation with a teammate or a coach," Ethier said. "I don't always listen, but it's nice to have her perspective."
Ethier is confident that he's done his part to preserve ASU baseball's legacy.
Former ASU baseball player Andre Ethier speaks at an awards luncheon on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 at the Phoenix Country Club. Ethier, along with five other former standout Sun Devil athletes, was inducted into the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday. (Photo by Ben Moffat)
"It's a long history, it's proud, and pro teams acknowledge that and respect that," Ethier said. "There's been a lot of good ones before me, and many more will come after me."
Ethier's dream in high school was always to sport maroon and gold under the lights at Packard Stadium, even though it wasn't as easy as he pictured it might be.
"I remember coming home and getting letters in the mail from some other schools, but I always waited for the ones from ASU," Ethier said.
He shared a story in which he mentioned former ASU baseball coach Pat Murphy, Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, and new athletic director Ray Anderson, all of whom were in attendance Friday.
Murphy told Ethier before the start of the 2001 season that his best shot at continuing to play baseball was to transfer to Chandler-Gilbert Community College, located near of the Santan Freeway in a farm community.
Ethier mused about some of the struggles at playing junior college ball, saying that the team's baseball field had become farmland, and that the "gym" was squeezed inside an old classroom.
But then came the 2003 MLB Amateur Draft, when Ethier was selected by the Oakland Athletics. Murphy came calling, and this time, it was good news: he chose to "follow his heart" and return to suit up for the Sun Devils, where he played alongside Pedroia and current Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler.
Completing the full circle analogy, after being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the morning of May 2, 2006, Ethier got a phone call.
Thinking he'd been traded, he was discouraged, but he kept his ear pressed to the phone, and learned that he was going to join the big-league club in Phoenix, a fitting homecoming for the kid who grew up near 12th Street and Osborn Road.
As far as Ethier's two sons go, he said when it comes to in-state schools, "there's no other choice" for them but ASU. "They'll be in their maroon and gold pajamas tonight before the big game tomorrow, and it's the way it is with our family."
Former ASU softball player Kara Brun speaks at an awards luncheon on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 at the Phoenix Country Club. Brun, along with five other former standout Sun Devil athletes, was inducted into the ASU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday. (Photo by Ben Moffat)
Brun's leadership takes youth softball to next level:
Kara Brun, one of four women inducted to the ASU athletics Hall of Fame, said that each of the inductees shared certain characteristics. Among the words she chose were competitiveness, commitment, dedication, discipline, and work ethic.
It was a surprise that she didn't include modest, or humble, but both would have worked equally well to describe Brun's personality and her mindset upon accepting the Hall of Fame honor she's earned.
"It's overwhelming," Brun said. "It makes me reflect on all the help I had to accomplish what I did."
Brun said she's appreciative of the opportunity she's had since her ASU career ended, finishing third all-time in home runs (14) in program history, and 10th in RBIs. After starting a family of her own, she's now coaching elite high school softball players who have gone on to play at multiple Division I programs.
Brun has found a way to give back to thank those who she believes were instrumental in her growth as an athlete: her coaches, teammates, family, and friends. Brun coaches a club softball team, the Arizona Storm, with her father, Greg.
It's often difficult for athletes to come to the realization that it's time to hang up their spikes. But Brun is thrilled she's able to contribute in a coaching capacity. Her organization has helped more than 40 high school girls receive athletic scholarships, good for about $1 million.
"We love our sport, we love our game, and it's just a calling," Brun said. "I've stayed in the game, and that's my level of involvement, how I stay with softball."
Reach the assistant sports editor at smodrich@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @StefanJModrich
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