Two former teammates of Mikel Moreno, whose allegations spurred an internal investigation into ASU's top-ranked baseball program, said remembering their playing days under coach Pat Murphy offers no cause for the team being under scrutiny.
The University hired a law firm in January to investigate Moreno's claims, which included academic fraud and recruiting violations.
Moreno served as a graduate manager under Murphy in 2007 before leaving the program. He also played for the Sun Devils from 1995-98, which included an appearance in the College World Series during his senior season.
Andrew Beinbrink, Moreno's former teammate for three seasons, said Moreno would not purposely denigrate ASU baseball.
"He got put into a position where he got questioned, almost under oath," Beinbrink said. "He's the type of guy who answers honestly so he can look himself in the mirror.
"I really hope this doesn't derail the program in any way and jeopardize their competitive play. There are two sides to this, and Mikel and Murphy are both good people."
Beinbrink played under Murphy from 1996-99 and batted .402 his senior season. A seventh round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999, Beinbrink played six minor league baseball seasons.
Mark Ernster, a Sun Devil from 1997-99, said he believes Moreno is a "strong willed person who believes in fairness."
Ernster, too, was drafted in 1999, as a sixth-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers.
And as an alumnus, Ernster said he fears allegations could tarnish the school.
"They have a tradition-rich program. I definitely don't want to see any black marks," he said. "I don't think Murphy would do anything like what's being mentioned intentionally."
But Ernster, now the head coach of the baseball team at Liberty High School in Peoria, and Beinbrink, who now lives in San Diego, admitted they do not have the same access to ASU baseball that Moreno did as a graduate manager in 2007.
"As an alumni and former player, I know that boosters have no idea of what goes on behind those four walls," he said. "A competitive, Pac-10 program has a lot going on — recruiting, preparing for games and scheduling good games."
Beinbrink said he knows of no cause for such direct and loaded allegations.
"No, absolutely not," he said. "There wasn't anything I witnessed that would lead me to believe anything illegal went on."
Beinbrink said an ASU baseball employee and a former teammate contacted him, asking if he had heard anything related to the probe's focus.
The internal investigation is likely more concerned with recent events, which took place while Moreno was an employee and not during his playing days.
The East Valley Tribune reported Wednesday that ex-Sun Devil Brandon Macias started an online quiz on behalf of then-teammate sophomore Jason Jarvis, whose eligibility has been in question since he arrived in 2006.
Beinbrink, a graduate of ASU's W.P. Carey School of Business and CEO and co-founder of TheSportsTV.com, scoffed at the allegations of academic fraud.
When Murphy came to ASU from Notre Dame in 1995, Moreno's first collegiate season, the coach wanted to improve the school's academic reputation, Beinbrink said.
"We were always told not to miss classes, to sit in the front rows and do the studying," he said.
Beinbrink also said his former coach, like Moreno, "lives and breathes ASU baseball."
"I know he really cares about his players," he said. "I know how much he's grown. I definitely see the evolution of a coach learning to deal with players."
And while Beinbrink said he respects both parties, he knows of no reason why the baseball program is under the scrutiny it is.
"There are people pursuing victory in questionable ways," he said. "But in my four years at ASU, we pursued victory with integrity."
Reach the reporter at: apentis@asu.edu.
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