Three Sun Devils For Life, with their Arizona State tenures spanning seven teams and nearly 50 years, were recognized for their on-field accomplishments this past week.
Sal Bando Receives Omaha Immortality
Sun Devil Baseball legend Sal Bando recently became the 13th member of the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame when the 2015 class was inducted on July 2 during a ceremony at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.
Bando was a standout third baseman for the Sun Devils from 1964-65 and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 1965 College World Series after he helped lead ASU to the first national championship in school history.
He guided the Devils to Omaha in both of his seasons in Tempe, was inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame in 1975 and the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Sun Devils honored his number in 1996. A two-time All-WAC performer, he was named to the College World Series Legends Team in 2010.
Bando anchored an offense that collected 419 RBIs en route to a then-national record 54 wins and a national championship in the 1965 season. The Sun Devils stormed through the 1965 College World Series behind Bando, who scored the game-winning run against Ohio State in the national championship game after reaching base on a triple. He hit .319 during his Sun Devil career, including .364 in 1964, and amassed 130 hits, 99 runs scored and 92 RBIs in two years at ASU.
Fellow Sun Devil Baseball legend Bob Horner, who led ASU to the 1977 National Championship, was part of the inaugural class in 2013 that also included Augie Garrido, Brooks Kieschnick, Robin Ventura and Dave Winfield.
The Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame has been established to celebrate college baseball’s rich history by recognizing legends who have made their mark in Omaha. Inductees into the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame were selected because of their outstanding contributions to college baseball, specifically through extraordinary performances on the game’s biggest stage: in Omaha. Finalists and winners were selected by a committee comprised of college baseball experts.
Jason Kipnis Adds To ASU’s All-Star Distinction
Sun Devil For Life and current Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis will be representing the Maroon and Gold in the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 14 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Click here for a list of every Sun Devil MLB All-Star
This marks Kipnis’ second All-Star appearance, making him the 10th Sun Devil to appear in multiple Midsummer Classics. Seventeen different Sun Devils have appeared in the All-Star Game, which ranks second among all NCAA schools behind USC with 22.
ASU has now had a total of 58 selections to the MLB All-Star Game, dating back to 1968 with Rick Monday of the Oakland A’s, which ranks as the second most among all NCAA schools behind USC with 70. In addition, ASU has had at least one representative in 40 All-Star Games.
Sun Devils With Multiple All-Star Bids
Sal Bando
Barry Bonds
Hubie Brooks
Andre Ethier
Reggie Jackson
Ian Kinsler
Jason Kipnis
Paul Lo Duca
Rick Monday
Dustin Pedroia
Kipnis hit .378 in his two seasons at Arizona State, earning Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year honors in 2008 and Pac-10 Player of the Year honors in 2009. He bashed 30 homers in his two seasons, recorded a .996 fielding percentage and stole 51 bases, and his .688 career slugging percentage is good for third best in school history. He was a Second Team All-American in 2008 and a unanimous First Team.
Jake Barrett Earns International Nod
Jake Barrett, a current minor leaguer in the Arizona Diamondbacks system, has earned a spot on the 2015 U.S. Pan American Men’s Baseball Team roster. The team will compete in the Pan American Games in Toronto, Ontario (baseball competition to be held in Ajax), July 10 to 19. The U.S. roster features 24 players not currently on Major League Baseball 40-man rosters.
Barrett played three seasons for the Sun Devils from 2010-12 and finished his career among the school’s top 10 in both saves with 13 and appearances with 73. He earned Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention recognition in 2012 after he tallied 11 saves with a .179 opponents’ batting average and a 1.62 ERA. He was taken by the D-backs in the third round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft and has spent parts of the past two seasons with the team’s Triple-A affiliate Reno Aces.
The Pan Am Team will first gather in Cary, N.C., at the USA Baseball National Training Complex where it will train from July 4 to 8. The U.S. will then depart for Toronto for the Pan American Games where it will look to win its first Pan Am gold since 1967. First round action kicks off on July 11, against Puerto Rico at the President’s Choice Ajax Pan Am Ballpark.