With the new “Sun Devil Baseball" sign behind them in center field, the ASU baseball team held its first spring practice on Jan. 23, 2015, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. (J.Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)Freshman outfielder Coltin Gerhart, a football redshirt, appropriately christened a new era Phoenix Municipal Stadium at Friday afternoon's practice – the first official workout of the spring – in a way that only a former ASU slugger, two sport athlete, and Hall of Famer could appreciate, with a line-drive home run over the fence in left-center in an intrasquad scrimmage.
That would be Reggie Jackson, the first college player to ever hit a home run at Phoenix Muni.
Though the ASU baseball team spent the latter part of the fall getting used to its new home up the road on East Van Buren Street, as the regular season draws nearer, Phoenix Municipal Stadium is starting to resemble the environment that made its predecessor, Packard Stadium, one of the most desirable collegiate baseball destinations in the country.
Phoenix Muni's undergone a bit of a makeover: pic.twitter.com/ENwNwWzcbq— Stefan Modrich (@StefanJModrich) January 23, 2015
Several pro scouts in attendance at @ASU_Baseball's first spring practice: #Angels, #Giants, #Rays, #WhiteSox among teams represented.— Stefan Modrich (@StefanJModrich) January 23, 2015
It's come full circle for senior left fielder Jake Peevyhouse, who ended 2014 with a 23-game streak of reaching base safely.
“It’s starting to feel like home now,” Peevyhouse said. “They’re putting everything up, and once they put up the banners and the retired numbers, and all the little touches, it will feel complete.”
Of course, the unique opportunity to return to a park that ASU did in fact call home in the 1960s and 1970s is something that has crossed players' minds when making the transition from Packard Stadium.
“I think it’s cool being a part of history,” Peevyhouse said. “How many people can say that they closed out a historic stadium and then moved into a new one?"
Maroon and gold is everywhere at Muni: on the concourse, in the bleachers, on top of the dugouts and even the scoreboard. But the Sun Devil baseball program underwent more than just a paint job in 2014 by hiring a brand new coaching staff, headed by former Indiana head coach Tracy Smith.
With the new “Inferno” student seating section on the third baseline, the 2015 Sun Devils practice for the first time of the season on Jan. 23, 2015, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix. (J. Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)The sense of perennial optimism that comes with the beginning of the baseball season has become such an ingrained ritual that it almost feels cliché. But veterans like Peevyhouse and junior left-hander Brett Lilek welcomed the change in leadership brought on by new athletic director Ray Anderson, who influenced Tim Esmay's resignation following an early exit from the 2014 postseason.
“(The coaches) are holding people more accountable, taking responsibility, and it’s showing,” Peevyhouse said. “People are working hard because you have to be accountable for for everything, and that’s the biggest difference. I’m really excited these guys came in, and I love what we’re doing here.”
Lilek, the No. 1 in the 1-2 punch with returning junior Ryan Kellogg, knows it wasn't long ago that he was a young gun with aspirations of cracking the rotation.
Even Ryan Kellogg isn't exempt from pitch logs/radar gun duty: pic.twitter.com/6xy7SrBc4q— Stefan Modrich (@StefanJModrich) January 23, 2015
“It gives you more room to run around,” Peevyhouse said. “I like it. We have to play a little deeper, but we’ve got speed in the outfield, so I think it helps us. Instead of balls being fence-scrapers at Packard, we can run them down here easily.”
Though there's no shortage of young talent with the 2015 recruiting class, as some upperclassmen ponder their options beyond college ball, knowing their days in maroon are numbered, the goal seems clear – Omaha, or bust.
6'-3", 218 pound left-hander Reagan Todd— a freshman — is putting in work on the mound. Breaking ball is pretty raw, but potential is there.— Stefan Modrich (@StefanJModrich) January 23, 2015
“I feel (the sense of urgency) a lot now,” Lilek said. “It’s now or never. We’ve got the talent, we’ve got the chemistry, we’ve got the coaching staff."
Tracy Smith was absent from Friday's practice, attending his own Hall of Fame induction at Miami (Ohio) where he was the head coach for nine seasons.
If Lilek's assessment is any indication, Smith's vision and poise seem to be just the fit for a team with lofty postseason aspirations.
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Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or on Twitter @StefanJModrich
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