In 1969, the ASU baseball team won the College World Series.
That squad will return to Omaha this weekend to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its NCAA Championship. And as an added bonus, those former players will get the chance to watch the 2009 Sun Devils (49-12) go for their own national title.
ASU honored the 1969 team — led by legendary coach Bobby Winkles and National Player of the Year Paul Ray Powell — in April, which allowed the current Sun Devils to bond with members from the past.
“Up until like three minutes before the game, we were in [the media room] talking and laughing,” ASU coach Pat Murphy said. “Anytime Bobby Winkles is around, it’s fun. This is about total program, and it’s pretty cool. [It’s] a neat connection.”
And this weekend, the two teams will cross paths again in America’s Heartland with the program’s sixth national championship up for grabs.
“The last thing they said to me [in April was], ‘Now, we’ll see you in June, right?’” Murphy said. “And I figured, ‘Well, I’m on the [NCAA] Committee, maybe I’ll see you because the committee has to go. But I hope we can take this team [to the College World Series].’”
The No. 5 Sun Devils will depart for Omaha on Wednesday and will first take on No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday at 11 a.m. Arizona time.
Reach the reporter at gina.mizell@asu.edu
