TEMPE, Ariz. -- The opening weekend of the college baseball season will be an emotional one for Sun Devils baseball coach Tracy Smith. ASU opens with a four-game series against Miami (Ohio).
Smith was a four-year letterwinner as a pitcher and an infielder for the RedHawks. He met his wife, Jaime, there. In nine years as the RedHawks coach, he amassed eight straight 30-win seasons and Miami advanced to the Mid-American Conference Tournament finals six times. He was inducted into the Miami's Cradle of Coaches in 2015 and current RedHawks coach Danny Hayden played for Smith in 2004.
"Miami is a huge part of my life," Smith, 51, said. "For me, this weekend reminds me how time flies. I literally remember setting foot on that campus at 18 years old."
Smith is older and wiser now, and much of that wisdom was gleaned on the field and on the job at Miami. It is that wisdom that buoyed him through a tough 2017 season in Tempe in which the Sun Devils went 23-32. It is that wisdom that keeps him committed to the process he put in place in spite of the cacophony of opinions that accompanies this storied program.
"You have to have the conviction and belief that it is going to work, and I have learned that the system does work," Smith said. "It takes time, and patience is a part of it, but I wouldn't feel as comfortable as I do right now if I didn't have those past experiences.
"You're trying to build something, and I know that's an unpopular term when you're saying at Arizona State that you're trying to build something because clearly the starting point is not the same at Miami as it is at Arizona State. We weren't on the baseball map at Miami at that time and Arizona State has been on the baseball map since the inception of the program, but I do see a lot of similarities from Miami and from Indiana to here. When you're talking about building, it's still the same process. It's just a different expectation."
In the early years at Miami, Smith was trying to establish a modicum of success, but his approach set in motion the forces that led to two NCAA Regional appearances, including a 2000 appearance in Tempe where Miami advanced to the second round before falling to eventual champion Texas.
Smith understands Sun Devil fans were frustrated by last season, and he does listen to some of the external input when he feels it is warranted. When former Sun Devil, Major League Baseball player and MLB executive Sal Bando reached out to express his support, empathy and advice, Smith was all ears.
"He's been in situations of building teams and he said, 'man, I get it. I know what you're going through,'" Smith said. "He does get it, so I really listen to his opinion because there's context to what he's saying."
"Listen, we're not trying win a championship to shut everybody up. We're trying to win a championship because that's what we set out to do. Every decision that is made is made for those 35 guys in that locker room. That hasn't changed from Day 1 and it won't."
Smith is feeling confident about the Sun Devils after a second straight top-five national recruiting class further stocked his cupboards. He still has questions about his pitching, but not about the approach of his team.
"What I do is I assess where this team stacks up with other teams I've had that have had national success," he said. "I feel good about this one. I love the culture in the locker room.
"Having said that, the reality is we haven't played anybody yet. There's so many new guys, albeit talented, but they haven't played a game of college baseball yet, so the true measure of us will come when we face some adversity."
The tests begin this weekend where Smith will have between eight and 10 former RedHawks teammates in attendance at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
"We have not all been together for 30 years," he said. "It will be a cool weekend but rest assured, I'll be locked in, not thinking about my alma mater. That's an enemy in the dugout and we're going to try to beat them."
Smith isn't planning any favors for his former teammates, either -- even if they are attending as his guests. He understands their allegiance.
"They've got to root for their old school," he said. "I just won't feed them."
Smith was a four-year letterwinner as a pitcher and an infielder for the RedHawks. He met his wife, Jaime, there. In nine years as the RedHawks coach, he amassed eight straight 30-win seasons and Miami advanced to the Mid-American Conference Tournament finals six times. He was inducted into the Miami's Cradle of Coaches in 2015 and current RedHawks coach Danny Hayden played for Smith in 2004.
"Miami is a huge part of my life," Smith, 51, said. "For me, this weekend reminds me how time flies. I literally remember setting foot on that campus at 18 years old."
Smith is older and wiser now, and much of that wisdom was gleaned on the field and on the job at Miami. It is that wisdom that buoyed him through a tough 2017 season in Tempe in which the Sun Devils went 23-32. It is that wisdom that keeps him committed to the process he put in place in spite of the cacophony of opinions that accompanies this storied program.
"You have to have the conviction and belief that it is going to work, and I have learned that the system does work," Smith said. "It takes time, and patience is a part of it, but I wouldn't feel as comfortable as I do right now if I didn't have those past experiences.
"You're trying to build something, and I know that's an unpopular term when you're saying at Arizona State that you're trying to build something because clearly the starting point is not the same at Miami as it is at Arizona State. We weren't on the baseball map at Miami at that time and Arizona State has been on the baseball map since the inception of the program, but I do see a lot of similarities from Miami and from Indiana to here. When you're talking about building, it's still the same process. It's just a different expectation."
In the early years at Miami, Smith was trying to establish a modicum of success, but his approach set in motion the forces that led to two NCAA Regional appearances, including a 2000 appearance in Tempe where Miami advanced to the second round before falling to eventual champion Texas.
Smith understands Sun Devil fans were frustrated by last season, and he does listen to some of the external input when he feels it is warranted. When former Sun Devil, Major League Baseball player and MLB executive Sal Bando reached out to express his support, empathy and advice, Smith was all ears.
"He's been in situations of building teams and he said, 'man, I get it. I know what you're going through,'" Smith said. "He does get it, so I really listen to his opinion because there's context to what he's saying."
"Listen, we're not trying win a championship to shut everybody up. We're trying to win a championship because that's what we set out to do. Every decision that is made is made for those 35 guys in that locker room. That hasn't changed from Day 1 and it won't."
Smith is feeling confident about the Sun Devils after a second straight top-five national recruiting class further stocked his cupboards. He still has questions about his pitching, but not about the approach of his team.
"What I do is I assess where this team stacks up with other teams I've had that have had national success," he said. "I feel good about this one. I love the culture in the locker room.
"Having said that, the reality is we haven't played anybody yet. There's so many new guys, albeit talented, but they haven't played a game of college baseball yet, so the true measure of us will come when we face some adversity."
The tests begin this weekend where Smith will have between eight and 10 former RedHawks teammates in attendance at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
"We have not all been together for 30 years," he said. "It will be a cool weekend but rest assured, I'll be locked in, not thinking about my alma mater. That's an enemy in the dugout and we're going to try to beat them."
Smith isn't planning any favors for his former teammates, either -- even if they are attending as his guests. He understands their allegiance.
"They've got to root for their old school," he said. "I just won't feed them."