This is the seventh in a series of articles profiling ASU's 12 Hall of Fame inductees. Up next: Pearl Sinn, women's golf.
If anyone ever questioned the statement "Hitting wins games, but pitching wins championships," former Sun Devil left-hander Jeff Pentland proved doubters wrong during his three-year career in Tempe.
The starting pitcher, who captured a national championship as a member of the 1967 Sun Devils, will be one of the 12 people inducted into the school's athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 26.
Pentland threw a complete game against Houston in the 1967 College World Series. He struck out 11 batters and allowed just six hits.
But Pentland suffered from a lack of run support and dropped the decision, 3-0. ASU bounced back in the title game by tacking on 11 runs in a lopsided victory over Houston to capture its second national championship.
"It was a great experience," Pentland said. "It seemed to happen very quickly because you played the whole thing in one week. But it's something I'll always remember."
Despite his misfortune at the College World Series, Pentland was a key ingredient to the rotation in 1967. He threw 12 complete games and compiled a 14-5 record with a 2.05 ERA.
Pentland hurled a no-hitter against Wyoming on April 8, 1967. He is one of only seven players in school history to accomplish the feat.
"I knew in the fifth or sixth inning that something special would happen, and I was fortunate that it did," Pentland said.
Pentland accumulated a 2.24 ERA in 256.2 innings pitched at the collegiate level, ranking eighth all-time in Sun Devil history. He finished with a 32-12 career record.
Pentland returned to ASU in 1983 as an assistant for former head coach Jim Brock. He tutored the likes of Barry Bonds, Mike Kelly and Fernando Vina.
Pentland made his first appearance in the major leagues as a hitting coach for the Florida Marlins in the second half of 1996 season. He later latched on with the Chicago Cubs. Pentland has instructed several all-stars, including Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Fred McGriff and Edgar Rentaria.
"Certainly, those guys are great players and their level of expectations as players are off the charts," Pentland said. "They knew they could hit, and they proved it. It made my job easier, and it was fun coaching them."
Pentland played in a time in which ASU was on the rise and was slowly gaining recognition throughout the country. Thanks to players like Pentland, Sun Devil head coach Pat Murphy not only has a team on the map, but also has one of the nation's top programs.
"When I got there, ASU was just starting as far as being a powerhouse in college baseball," he said. "But (former head) coach (Bobby) Winkles established a solid foundation, and better players came in every year."
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
