Player Bio: Pat Murphy

**2000, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Pac-10 Coach of the Year**

Pat Murphy became only the third head coach in Arizona State's modern baseball history when he was hired in August of 1994. Following in thefootsteps of legendary head coaches Bobby Winkles and Jim Brock, Murphy's 15-year tenure at the helm of the ASU program has been marked with great success. Since inheriting the Sun Devil program, Murphy has nurtured the tradition of excellence in Tempe, at the same time establishing himself as one of the top collegiate head coaches in the nation. Eight times in the past 13 years, ASU has finished in the Top 12 in the country. Over the past five years, Arizona State has four times finished in the Top 10, a feat only four other schools have matched. Three times in that same decade, Murphy has had teams finish in the Top 3 in the country; a feat matched by only ten other schools and no other major sports program in the state of Arizona. Murphy's ASU squads are always present in the national Top 25, including a streak of 100 consecutive weeks in the polls that lasted from 2000 until the middle of 2005. In 15 seasons at the helm of the Sun Devil program, Murphy is 629-284-1 and has led the Devils to the NCAA Tournament 10 straight years and 12 of the last 13. The 629 wins asa Sun Devil are the second most in school history. He owns an all-time 55-33 record in NCAA Tournament action as a head coach and is 46-25 in postseason play at ASU. His coaching accomplishments include becoming the youngest collegiate coach to reach 500 career victories. In over 25 years of coaching at the collegiate level, Murphy owns a career 1,000-457-4 record, averaging over 40 wins a year. With 15 more years of coaching, Murphy is on pace to break the all-time NCAA victories record by the age of 65. Before arriving in Tempe, Murphy took a virtually unknown Notre Dame baseball program from a non-fully funded sport into the national spotlight. His Notre Dame teams averaged over 45 wins a season during his seven years in South Bend.

THREE STRAIGHT PAC-10 TITLES AND TWO WORLD SERIES BERTHS

The 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons were three of the best in recent ASU baseball history. In 2007, Murphy guided the Sun Devils to a 49-15 mark, a Pac-10 title, a home Super Regional for the first time in school history and Arizona State's 20th College World Series appearance. He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the second time in his career and oversaw the development of Pac-10 Player of the Year Brett Wallace, Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year Eric Sogard and a total of 11 Sun Devils who earned All-Conference honors. Arizona State led the nation in fielding percentage and the pitching staff boasted three 10-game winners. Murphy's team went 19-5 in Pac-10 play, tying a record for most conference victories. 2008 was more of the same, as ASU again won the Pac-10 with Murphy repeating as Coach of the Year. Wallace won his second straight Player of the Year award, while Mike Leake was named Pitcher of the Year and Jason Kipnis earned Newcomer of the Year honors. The Sun Devils again hosted a Super Regional at Packard Stadium and once again led the West Coast in attendance. 2009 was perhaps Murphy's finest coaching job of his career, as he took a team with 17 newcomers and once again dominated the Pac-10, winning a third straight conference crown and compiling a 51-14 record. Murphy earned a third consecutive Pac-10 Coach of the Year Award, while Mike Leake took home Pitcher of the Year honors for the second straight year and Jason Kipnis was named Pac-10 Player of the Year. ASU went 21-6 in Pac-10 play, as the conference fielded 10 teams for the first time since 1981. The Sun Devils were dominant at home once again, compiling at 36-4 mark, including sweeps of both the Tempe Regional and Super Regional. Murphy and the Devils made their 21^st all-time College World Series appearance, taking home third place, their second Top Three finish in the last five years. It was the 16^th time in school history that the team topped the 50 win mark. Over the past three seasons, Murphy and the Sun Devils have totaled 113 wins against only 12 losses at home. All told, 15 Sun Devils earned All-American honors over the past two years, and 29 players had their names called in the Major League Baseball Draft, including three first rounders (Wallace, Ike Davis and Mike Leake).

Pat Murphy Position: Head Coach Alma Mater: Florida Atlantic '82

- 1998 National Coach of the Year - Has coached 7 Pac-10 Players of the Year, two Pac-10 Pitchers of the Year, two Pac-10 Newcomers of the Year and a Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year -Has coached 52 First Team All-Pac-10 players, 45 All-Americans, a National Player of the Year, and three Golden Spikes Award Semifinalists -17 NCAA Tournament Appearances in 22 seasons as Division I coach (12 in 15 seasons at ASU) -Has had more players drafted by Major League Baseball since 1995 than any other coach in the nation -110-12 home record since 2007

GIVING BACK

In 2006, Pat Murphy made an unprecedented gesture, donating $100,000 back to the Arizona State University baseball program to help fund facility improvements. The donation will be used to fund the "Tillman Room" in honor of brothers Pat and Kevin Tillman. Kevin was a member of the Sun Devil baseball team from 1997-99. During those years, Murphy and Pat became close, as Pat would frequently attend baseball games and practices in support of his younger brother, Kevin. The sports medicine room inside the baseball clubhouse will carry the theme of the "Tillman Room" and serve as an area to inspire and pay tribute to these American heroes.

SUCCESS IN THE PAC -10

Since the 2000 season, no other Pac-10 school has won as many games as ASU, both overall and conference games. A model for consistency within the conference, ASU has an overall record of 441 wins and 175 losses (.716) since 2000 and a conference record of 160 wins and 67 losses (.705) in that same period. Murphy is also second among active Pac-10 coaches in conference victories behind only Stanford's Mark Marquess (535 in 32 seasons). Murphy has totaled 233 in his 15 years. Arizona State has also dominated the conference awards during Murphy's tenure, as Sun Devils have earned six Player of the Year awards, two Pitcher of the Year awards, two Newcomer of the Year awards and a Defensive Player of the Year honor. Murphy has also won four Coach of the Year awards in the past 10 years. 41 Devils have earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors since 2000, tops in the conference.

INSTANT IMPACT

Overcoming challenges has always been Pat Murphy's forte. When he took over the ASU job in 1995, Murphy was faced with the task of replacing a legend in the late Dr. Jim Brock. After resurrecting the Notre Dame baseball program and building it into a national contender, Murphy welcomed the opportunity and privilege that came with taking over the ASU baseball program. The 1997 team finished a pitch away from Omaha while in 1998, Murphy nearly won the National Championship, falling to USC in the title game. The 2000 team won the school's 17th conference championship and set the stage for some impactful recruiting classes to leave their mark on the program. In 2003, ASU got off to a 28-1 start and cruised to a Super Regional match up with #3 Cal-State Fullerton. The #5 Sun Devils battled the #3 Titans for a spot in Omaha, while two unranked teams faced off in another Super Regional. The 2004 team was awarded a #1 national seed heading into the postseason, but was sent on the road to face-off with eventual National Champion Cal-State Fullerton in the first round of the NCAA regionals. In 2005, the Sun Devils returned to Omaha after two seasons of being frustratingly close. All said, the 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2004 teams were all National Championship caliber and missed the opportunity to represent ASU in Omaha by mere pitches.

THE ZANY SIDE OF MURPH

With a reputation that precedes him, anyone familiar with the ASU baseball program will tell you that the Pat Murphy you hear about and the Pat Murphy you get to know are two totally different people. With his stoic concentration and intense attention to detail during games, many judge Murphy on game day behavior alone. However, spend just a few minutes with him or speak to someone that has played for or coached with "Murph" and you'll see the real representation of Pat Murphy. The consummate player's coach, Murph is well known for his knowledge of the game and ability to help student-athletes maximize potential -both on the field and in the classroom - but also to provide an environment to keep his team loose and enjoying the opportunity to represent the maroon and gold. Called Omaha's Favorite Coach at the 2009 College World Series, Murph has been known to sing in the dugouts, play the harmonica during team meetings, have his teams dress in shirt and tie in order to maintain a "business like" approach to practice, and box a priest for charity. Murph also has a tattoo on his back that carries the names of several people influential in his life and that motivate him to be the same influential source for others. Close friends Harvey Dorfman and Pat Tillman, children Kai and Keli and personal heroes Bruce Springsteen, Muhammad Ali and Ara Parseghian are all represented on the tattoo.

THE STREAK

One of the NCAA's most impressive statistical streaks came to an end in 2004 when the Sun Devils were shut out for the first time in 506 games. With a 6-0 loss to NCAA Tournament participant Oklahoma on Feb. 15, 2004 at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz., ASU endured its first shutout since April 7, 1995 (at USC). The Sun Devils combined to go 338-167-1 during the nine-year streak and averaged 9.4 runs per game. ASU broke the NCAA record (previously 349 set by Coastal Carolina) on April 7, 2001, exactly six years to the day when the Devils last endured an offensive shutout. Notable pitchers the Devils faced during the streak include Mark Prior (USC), Barry Zito (USC), Jeremy Guthrie (Stanford), Kirk Saarloos (CS Fullerton), Jason Young (Stanford), Ben Diggins (Arizona), Adam Johnson (CS Fullerton), Ryan Drese (Cal), Jeff Weaver (Fresno State), Jered Weaver (Long Beach State), Jeff Niemann (Rice), Chad Hutchinson (Stanford), Abe Alvarez (Long Beach State) and Adam Pettyjohn (Fresno State).

THE INTERNATIONAL STORY

Throughout his illustrious career, Murphy has earned accolades in the international ranks as well, as he led the Dutch Olympic Baseball Team in the Sydney 2000 Games. In the 2000 Olympics, Murphy returned to the international baseball scene, helping lead the Dutch National team to their best showing in international competition with a 3-4 record in the Sydney games. The Netherlands placed fifth with wins over Australia, Cuba and their rival Italy. The Dutch's 4-2 victory over Cuba was the first loss in Olympic play at the time for the international power, a span that covered 21 games. The win by Murphy's squad was noted by nbcolympics.com as one of the top four upsets in Olympic team competition. The Dutch went on to finish fifth in the Olympic tournament. In a pre-Olympic tournament, Murphy beat Team USA and their famous manager Tommy Lasorda. No stranger to international baseball, his ties to the Dutch team stretch back more than a decade. In the summer of 1987, Murphy led Holland to the European Championship, a victory that qualified the squad for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He was asked to coach Holland in the Seoul Olympics, but declined so he could return to the University of Notre Dame, where he had recently been named head coach.

THE FACILITY BUILDER

Murphy has helped to keep a tradition alive that has seen ASU record 49 straight seasons with at least 30 wins. Murphy's Sun Devil squads have averaged almost 42 wins per season and have advanced to the NCAA tournament in 12 of the last 13 seasons. After building Eck Stadium at Notre Dame - a dream of his that people said would never happen - Murphy is also overseeing the renovation of ASU's facility, Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. The facility is undergoing a complete overhaul and has already seen the additions of a new practice infield, hitting facility, playing field, clubhouse and entrance since Murphy's arrival.

ALWAYS ALIVE

Since Murphy became a Division I college coach in 1988, the final game of the season has always his teams in a position to compete for the national championship. Posting a career 55-33 (.625) record in postseason play - placing him within the Top Ten of active coaches for postseason wins - Murphy's NCAA playoff repertoire also includes a niche for carrying out the upset victory. On five separate occasions his teams have defeated the regional host team, while nine of the last 13 Murphy-coached squads to make the playoffs have reached the "Sweet 16" or better. These accomplishments have come despite the fact that his teams have been sent to play the No. 1-ranked team seven times in regional play (1992 at Miami, 1993 at Florida State, 1994 at Clemson, 1997 at Miami, 1998 at Wichita State, 2001 at Cal State Fullerton and 2006 at Rice). The 2009 season marked the 10th straight year ASU advanced to the Tournament and the 12th out of the last 13.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

Murphy's squads continue to demonstrate excellence in the classroom as well, as ASU boasted more First-Team Academic All-American selections (three) in 1999 than any other program in the nation. It was the most selections by an Arizona State baseball team in the history of the school. Former Devil Casey Myers (1998-2001) was a three-time selection to the Academic All-American team and twice the Academic All-American of the Year. In 2009, Mike Leake joined Casey Myers as Sun Devils to be named Academic All-American of the Year. Leake also earned Academic All-Pac-10 twice in his career at ASU. In all, ASU has had seven selections to the Academic All-American team since 1999, and 54 Devils have earned All-Pac-10 academic acclaim under Murphy's guidance since 1995. During Murphy's tenure, the baseball squad has an overall 2.60 GPA. It has steadily risen since he arrived in 1995, improving the 2.31 GPA from 1991-95.

AN OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE

Murphy coached teams have come to be known for their offensive firepower. Since Murphy took over in 1995, Arizona State has combined to hit .329 and average 8.9 runs per game. They have won the Pac-10 batting title eight times in the past 10 seasons. Over the past three seasons, the Pac-10 batting statistics have been littered with Sun Devils. In 2007, five Arizona State players finished in the Top 10 in batting average, including Brett Wallace, who won the batting title with a .404 average. Five Sun Devils were in the Top 10 in on-base percentage, which has become a staple of the Arizona State offense. The top three names in 2007 were from ASU, led by Petey Paramore's .500 OBP. The Sun Devils also held top spots in runs scored, hits, RBI, home runs, total bases and walks. The trend continued in 2008, as Brett Wallace won the Triple Crown for the second straight year and was one of four Devils to finish in the Top 10 in Pac-10 batting average. ASU again dominated in on-base percentage, as five ASU players finished in the Top 10, led by Brett Wallace at .526. 2009 was no different, as Carlos Ramirez led the conference with 75 RBI, while Jason Kipnis led in hits (91), runs scored (76) and stolen bases (27.) No other Pac-10 team has come close to matching Arizona State in on-base percentage in the recent past. Last season, the Sun Devils finished with a team OBP of .418. Oregon State was the next closest, finishing at .392.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Grooming players for the major league amateur draft has become Murphy's forte. In fact, in 25 seasons as a head coach, only three players have been drafted lower after playing for Murphy than he was out of high school or junior college - and those circumstances are widely injury related. During the Murphy era, 119 players have been selected in the annual MLB Draft, leading all NCAA schools. The 2008 draft had an NCAA -record 15 Devils selected, including Brett Wallace and Ike Davis going in the First Round. 2009 saw another Sun Devil go in the first round, as Mike Leake was selected #8 overall by the Cincinnati Reds. Several of Murphy's former players have appeared in the major leagues, including Craig Counsell (Milwaukee Brewers), Willie Bloomquist (Kansas City Royals), Jeff Duncan (New York Mets), Jon Switzer (Tampa Bay Devil Rays), Chris Duffy (Pittsburgh Pirates), Andre Ethier (Los Angeles Dodgers), Dustin Pedroia (Boston Red Sox), Travis Buck (Oakland A's), Mike Esposito (Colorado Rockies), Ian Kinsler, (Texas Rangers), Jeff Larish (Detroit Tigers), Brooks Conrad (Oakland A's), Dennis Sarfate (Baltimore Orioles), Chris Michalak (Cincinnati Reds), Mitch Jones (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Mel Stocker (Milwaukee Brewers). Pedroia was named the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL Most Valuable Player.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Community outreach has been a signature of Murphy's teams, who are taught to give back to their communities and be positive role models. In 1995, Murphy created a non- profit organization called PTM Programs For Youth. The organization was originally referred to as the Guadalupe Project and provided baseball instruction and life skills lessons to underprivileged youth from Guadalupe, Ariz., a small town within the metro Phoenix area. Now known as the Sandlot All-Stars and open to a broader group of children in the East Valley, the program provides year-round mentoring for kids ages 5-9 by Arizona State coaches and student-athletes. The primary goal of the program is to build leadership skills, self-esteem, encourage academic success and explore career opportunities. With help from the Tempe Diablos, Murphy has also instituted the Diablo Youth Clinics, held at ASU's Packard Stadium for kids aged 7-12. More than 250 kids took part in the program's inaugural clinic in 1999. In January 2000, along with the ALS Arizona Chapter, Murphy and ASU baseball sponsored the first 5K Fun Run to Beat Lou Gehrig's Disease. ASU baseball student-athletes have also participated in events with the Phoenix Children's Hospital and Susan G. Komen Foundation. For his constant community service and giving back to the greater Phoenix area, Murphy was awarded the 2001 March of Dimes Leadership Award.

ALWAYS A TOP RECRUITING CLASS

The Syracuse, N.Y., native and his coaching staff have assembled some of the finest recruiting classes in the nation during each of the past 15 years. His 1995 class was ranked No. 1 in the nation, with names such as Phill Lowery, Andrew Beinbrink and Ryan Mills. The 2009 class was also rated #1 in the country, the same season in which the team made up of mostly newcomers finished third in the nation. Year after year, Murphy gets commitments from several of the nation's top prep players to become Sun Devils. For the past 13 seasons, ASU has had a recruiting class ranked in the Top 15. Despite a current trend that sees many teams reload with just top prospects, Murphy also brings players in to mold into a scrappy and hustling player. As Baseball America proclaimed in its annual recruiting class review in reference to Murphy's and ASU's unique and successful style of recruiting, "if you don't understand it, then you're not a Sun Devil." Murphy and the ASU program don't just look for talent on the field, they look for a special breed of player who can play the Sun Devil way.

THE SUN DEVIL YEARS

The 2004 campaign marked yet another successful season for Sun Devil baseball. ASU recorded a 41-18 record, marking the fourth 40-win season under Murphy. Compiling a 28-7 record against the top-ranked non-conference schedule in the nation, the Sun Devils earned the national No. 7 seed while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year. Despite suffering a disappointing exit from the NCAA Tournament at the hands of eventual National Champion Cal State Fullerton, ASU earned a final ranking of No. 20 in the nation (Sports Weekly/ESPN) and spent the entire season ranked in the national polls. Fourteen Sun Devils earned All-Pac-10 honors, including first-team selections for Travis Buck, Dustin Pedroia and Jason Urquidez. Pedroia led ASU hitting .393 (96-for-244) and earned first team All-America honors. Urquidez led the Pac-10 with 12 victories, marking the most by a Sun Devil starter since 1993. Buck earned a spot on the USA Baseball National Team after hitting .373 with nine home runs and a team-leading 58 RBI. ASU once again led the Pac-10 in hitting with a .325 team batting average and averaged nearly eight runs per game. In addition to finishing in the top 10 in the NCAA in the four major statistical categories (scoring, batting, pitching, fielding), the 2003 season also brought about a number of entries into the ASU single-season record books. Murphy's squad ranked second in fielding percentage (.973), third in runs scored (682), sixth in hits (858), fifth in doubles (160), second in RBI (630), third in walks (406), tied for third in batting average (.347), fifth in pitching shutouts (10) and third in ERA during the aluminum bat era (3.32). The 54 wins are the most by a Sun Devil squad since the 1988 team finished with 60 victories. ASU also set an NCAA record with 14 grand slams. Individually, several Sun Devils also had record-breaking seasons. Shortstop Dustin Pedroia became only the 22nd player with 100 hits and the 16th player to hit .400. He set an ASU and Pac-10 record with 34 doubles. Sophomore first baseman Jeff Larish had a breakout season entering his name into the record books in several categories, including ranking fifth with 95 RBI and second with 78 walks. He broke the school record with four grand slams and tied the single-game records with nine RBI and four doubles. Murphy led the 2002 Sun Devils to a 37-21 record overall, placing third in the Pac-10 with a 15-9 record. ASU hosted the NCAA Mesa Regional at Hohokam Park, going 2-2 before losing to No. 1 seed Houston. Dustin Pedroia, Andre Ethier and Jeremy West all earned first team All-Pac-10 honors, while Pedroia became ASU's seventh player to compete for Team USA. The 2001 Sun Devils posted a 37-20-1 record en route to yet another NCAA Tournament bid. Led by All-Americans Casey Myers and Andy Torres and a crop of seven freshmen All-Americans, the Devils placed third in the Pac-10 and finished ranked 22nd in the nation. Myers repeated as the Academic All-American of the Year and became only the third player in Pac-10 history to repeat as the Pac-10 Player of the Year. Since the Pac-10 joined the North and Six-Pac in 1999, ASU has won three of the four Pac-10 Player of the Year awards. The 2000 edition of Arizona State baseball finished with a 44-15 record, and made its third postseason appearance in four years. Finishing within the Top 12 in the nation, the Sun Devils also captured their first Pac-10 Championship since 1993 with a 17-7 conference record, earning the league's automatic bid by virtue of tiebreakers against both Stanford and UCLA. Murphy's 2000 Devils once again made a dent on the NCAA record books, leading the nation in scoring (10.97 runs/game), second in batting average (.346), fifth in fielding (.971), seventh in home runs (1.46 HR/game), second in slugging percentage (.561) and first in triples (0.63 per game). Senior outfielder Mitch Jones, who Murphy lured to ASU just one year earlier as a junior college transfer, set the ASU record for home runs with 27. ASU, playing "old school" college baseball, avoided being swept by an opponent in 2000. The Sun Devils also led the Pac-10 in attendance, averaging more than 2,600 fans at each home game. Mitch Jones, Casey Myers and Jon Switzer earned All-America honors. Adding to his credentials, Murphy was voted the 2000 Pac-10 Coach of the Year by his peers. During the 1999 season, Murphy assembled one of the most prolific offensive teams in ASU history. Concluding the year with a 39-21 overall record, the 1999 Sun Devils led the nation in batting average (.356) and scoring (11.32 runs per game). Their .356 team average tied the top single-season mark in ASU history, set by the 1981 National Championship Team. The Devils had the remarkable offensive season despite playing the first 17 games of the season with wood bats. In addition, the Sun Devils led the conference in virtually every offensive category. Arizona State had more players drafted in the 1999 Major League Amateur Draft (10) than any other school in the Pac-10 Conference. The 1999 season also produced a Sun Devil Pac-10 Player of the Year and current Kansas City Royal utility player Willie Bloomquist. Murphy and his coaching staff led the 1998 Sun Devils to the pinnacle of collegiate baseball, the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. It was Murphy's first trip to the big show, and it would be a memorable one. Earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, Murphy's squad was once again tested by being sent to play the No. 1 team in the nation. Traveling to Wichita, Kansas, the Devils started a journey that would eventually land them in college baseball's premier showcase, becoming ASU's 18^th team to play in the annual College World Series, and only the second to play for the national championship without having hosted a regional tournament. The Devils finished regional play 4-1, notching wins over nationally ranked Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State and Wichita State along the way to advance to Omaha. Advancing through the CWS bracket without a loss, ASU faced Pac-10 foe USC in the championship game. In a record-breaking game, ASU came up short, falling to the Trojans 21-14. ASU finished second in the nation with a 41-23 overall record and a third-place finish in conference play (18-11). After storming through the postseason, falling just one win short of a national championship, the Sun Devils concluded the season with a consensus No. 2 ranking and a total of six players earned All-America status. In addition, 10 Sun Devils were taken in the 1998 MLB Amateur Draft, including Ryan Mills, the sixth pick overall by the Minnesota Twins. In just his fourth season at ASU, Murphy became the second fastest Pac-10 coach to reach the CWS championship game, behind only former Sun Devil Coach Jim Brock. For his efforts, he was named the Baseball America National Coach of the Year. Only two years into his ASU coaching career, Murphy took the program back to where it belonged, in postseason play. Murphy guided the Devils to their 16th regional appearance, taking his team across the country to face No. 1 seed Miami in Coral Gables. The `97 Sun Devils came within one out of making an 18th trip to Omaha, bowing out in the championship game of the Atlantic Regional to host Miami in dramatic fashion. After defeating the No. 1 Hurricanes 10-3, ASU dropped a pair of one-run games to Miami to fall short of a trip to Omaha. ASU finished with a No. 11 ranking by Baseball America and a 39-22 overall record. The Sun Devils fell short of the NCAA Tournament in 1996, despite finishing the year ranked 25th by Baseball America and posting 35 Division I wins, with eight of those coming against top 25 teams. The 1996 squad posted the fourth-best team batting average (.338) in ASU history, and led the Pac-10 Southern Division in seven offensive categories including batting average, runs and hits. The Devils recorded a 35-21 record, despite being without pitching aces Phill Lowery, Kaipo Spenser and Ryan Mills for most of the year. Murphy graduated 11 players from the 1996 team to the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Inheriting an average team in 1995-at a school where average is unacceptable-with only two returning starters and without the benefit of his own recruiting class, Murphy's first ASU squad posted 34 wins in 1995. Always a flare for the big game, nine of those victories came over Top 10 foes such as College World Series participants USC, Stanford and Florida State. During one stretch of games in mid March, Murphy led the Devils to six consecutive wins over eventual CWS participants Oklahoma, USC and Stanford. Despite being ranked in the top 25 all season and the numerous big wins, the Devils fell short of a trip to the NCAA Tournament, but the foundation was laid for the Devils to remain as one of the powers in college baseball.

THE NOTRE DAME YEARS

Prior to arriving at Arizona State, Murphy spent the previous seven seasons as head coach at the University of Notre Dame, where he guided the Irish to a consistent level of success unmatched in the history of the program. Building the program from the ground up with the support of only four full scholarships, Murphy guided the Irish to a 318-116-1 (.732) record in South Bend, including consecutive trips to NCAA regional finals in 1992, 1993 and 1994, a streak matched only by Texas. He built Irish Baseball into a Top 25 program, laying a strong foundation that still exists today. Under Murphy's guidance, the Irish averaged more than 46 wins per season and rejuvenated the pride in the program to the point where a new 3,000-seat stadium was built on the campus in the fall of 1993. Murphy's 1994 Notre Dame squad finished 46-16 and came within one win of a trip to the College World Series. The Midwestern Collegiate Conference Champions advanced to the finals of the NCAA East Regional in Clemson, S.C., knocking off the host and No 1-ranked Tigers along the way. Notre Dame finished the season ranked 18th by Collegiate Baseball and 20th by Baseball America. Current Milwaukee Brewer Craig Counsell and Texas Rangers pitcher Chris Michalak are just two of Murphy's products from ND who have excelled at the Major League level. Murphy began his Notre Dame tenure in 1988, taking over a team that posted a combined 65-80 record in the three previous seasons. With a nucleus of players who finished 15-29 in 1987, and had never enjoyed a winning season at Notre Dame, Murphy began revamping the program and promptly led the Irish to a 39-22 mark. The following six campaigns saw the Irish garner national rankings, conference titles, NCAA tournament appearances, 45-win seasons and more. Murphy's efforts were rewarded in just two years, as in 1989 the Irish posted a school-record 48 wins and logged their first NCAA tournament appearance in 19 years. Murphy guided the program to its first national ranking as the Irish were rated that year as high as 16^th in The Sporting News, 23rd in Baseball America, and 24th in the Collegiate Baseball polls. Later, the Irish would earn their first MCC title by winning the final four games of the conference tournament in a span of 23 hours as Murphy snared his first MCC Coach-of-the-Year honor. That season was followed by two more 45-win seasons. The 1990 Irish squad put together a 46-12 record, which ranked fourth in the nation. Over the last 29 games of the season, Notre Dame achieved a 25-4 mark to bring Murphy another MCC Coach-of-the-Year award. In 1991, Notre Dame overcame a schedule that saw the Irish play their first 27 games on the road to post a 45-16 record. Included were wins away from home over national powers Texas and Miami as well as eventual national champion LSU and a midseason 18-game win streak. In 1990, Murphy began a baseball tournament hosted by Notre Dame that was held in Seattle's Kingdome. The 1992, 1993, and 1994 seasons added emphasis to Murphy's status as one of the nation's top coaches, as his Irish teams grabbed MCC titles and in each year beat regional hosts to come within one game of a trip to Omaha for the College World Series. It's no wonder why the Irish were labeled in 1992 by Baseball America as "the nation's fastest rising program." In fact, Murphy shunned the University of Miami's attempts to lure him away from Notre Dame and accept the Hurricanes' head job in 1992. When he left Notre Dame for ASU in 1995, he became the first Irish head coach of any sport to leave South Bend for another job.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

ASU'S OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION UNDER MURPHY

PAT MURPHY YEAR-BY-YEAR RESULTS