Former Arizona State baseball player and alumnus Willie Bloomquist was introduced as the new head coach for ASU Baseball in a press conference alongside ASU athletic director Ray Anderson with the local media on Friday. The once Sun Devil slugger and former MLB veteran was emphatic on resetting the culture and environment of the program so he is able to usher in a “new era” for Sun Devil baseball in the coming years.
“In order to get the program back, we have to give it back,” Anderson said. “We have to give the ASU baseball program back to our fans, former players, alums, and donors. I concluded with trusted colleagues that we needed to give the program back through the heart and soul of a new leader who himself has personally and passionately lived and loved ASU baseball on the diamond, in the dugout, in the classroom, and in the community, and that is Willie Bloomquist.”
“This is a new era, a new chapter. Whatever has happened in the past, we’re turning the page on and moving forward. “I’ve bled maroon and gold since I was a kid; I always wanted to come to Tempe and play for the Sun Devils. When I was 17, I came down here and put this jersey on for the first time, and I knew I was representing something very special.”
Bloomquist returns to Tempe to don maroon and gold for the first time since his playing days from 1997-1999, when he helped lead the Sun Devils to the finals of the 1998 College World Series. As a junior in 1999, Bloomquist earned Pac-10 Player of the Year honors, as well as garnering All-American honors in both 1998 and 1999.
Bloomquist’s time in maroon and gold came to an end after the 1999 season, when he was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 1999 draft. He went on to play 14 years in the MLB, playing for the Mariners, Royals, Reds, and Diamondbacks. He was the first Sun Devil to play for the Diamondbacks starting in 2011 and played a key role on that year’s team, which on the National League West title.
The new head coach takes the reins of an ASU squad that finished the 2021 season with a 33-22 record and a 16-14 mark in the Pac-12, good enough for a fifth-place tie with Oregon State. The Sun Devil were bounced from the Austin Regional for a fourth first-round exit in four appearances under former skipper Tracy Smith.
Smith’s teams went a collective 201-155 during his seven years in Tempe. The former coach also holds a .565 winning percentage, the worst among ASU head baseball coaches. Both Anderson and Bloomquist discussed the process of re-creating the winning culture and tradition of the ASU program.
“Winning has always been expected here at ASU; that hasn’t changed,” Bloomquist said. “My belief is if we create a good culture in that clubhouse and create accountability - doing things the right way - the wins are going to follow.”
Bloomquist has never served in a coaching capacity before but brings his rich MLB experience to the table as a tool for the necessary advice, lessons, and guidance that a coach presents. Off the field, the Port Orchard, Wash., native spent five years as the Special Assistant to Arizona Diamondbacks President & CEO Derrick Hall as a part of the front office. He assisted with various departments of the team on both the baseball and business fronts while working with players on-field at all levels of the organization.
Bloomquist also assisted with community events during his time in the D-backs front office and was the team’s 2012 Roberto Clemente award nominee for his work with Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Bloomquist enjoys giving back to others in the community, something he’s excited to do in a coaching format with Arizona State.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have very good teammates and coaches over the years that I’ve learned from,” the new coach listed. “I just can’t wait to give it back and pour it back into these kids and use the examples from both a physical and mental standpoint… I want to help them continue to press forward through adversity on this quest to become a great program.”
While Bloomquist may have to face the task of breeding a successful team and program back to its winning ways, he also has to address another aspect of the job: recruiting. The new hire has to not only work on creating a winning on-field product but must also help his players pursue opportunities at the next level, something he feels prepared to do.
“I’m living proof that this model works,” Bloomquist rationalized. “I went to Arizona State, played three years and got drafted and made it to the big leagues. I am living proof that an average, at best talented guy can go through the model and play a long time at the highest level.”
“I think understanding what the college game can bring to somebody, as well as what the pro game does, there are positives and negatives of both. Being that the college route, in my opinion, is far superior, especially at a younger age to help guys mature, I think that'll definitely help in the recruiting process.”
With Smith’s departure and Bloomquist’s arrival, the topic of assistant coaches and who Bloomquist will bring on to the ASU staff becomes relevant, especially pertaining to retaining some of the current coaching staff. Bloomquist said that he hasn’t had the chance to talk with pitching coach Jason Kelly, hitting coach Michael Earley and associate head coach Ben Greenspan but added that “there are several candidates from the previous staff that I’d be foolish not to take a look at.”
As far as Bloomquist’s ingratiation with the team, he mentioned that he met with them on Friday morning over Zoom and expressed desire to meet with each player individually over the coming days. He added that he’s built several relationships with players over the past few years after speaking with the team multiple times for motivational purposes.
Arizona State’s hiring of Bloomquist is rather unorthodox compared to previous hires considering the new coach’s lack of coaching experience, however, he fits the bill for Anderson’s goal of reaching back to the winning roots of ASU baseball from years past. After all, Bloomquist is a Sun Devil, through and through.
“I didn’t think I’d ever get to put the Sun Devil jersey back on again – fast forward 20 something years, and this opportunity presented itself, and it’s been surreal,” Bloomquist said, beaming. “It’s a dream come true. I cannot think of any other place in the country that I would rather go; this is where I would love to be for the rest of my life.”
“I’m a Sun Devil, man.”
