Arizona State baseball appears likely to pull from its rich history for a new coach.
Willie Bloomquist, an ASU All-America in 1998 and 1999 and ASU Athletics Hall of Famer, is the leading candidate to replace Tracy Smith. His hiring could be official by the end of this week.
The 43-year-old Bloomquist had a 14-year major league career after three seasons (1997-99) at ASU. He has worked since 2016 in the Arizona Diamondbacks front office including his current position as special assistant to team president/CEO Derrick Hall.
Former Sun Devil Tim Esmay was ASU's coach from 2010-14 followed by Smith, hired from Indiana, for the past seven seasons.