Sun Devils sticking with Smith as baseball coach

Since the elephant is still in the Arizona State baseball room, let’s address that first.

ASU coach Tracy Smith is returning for a sixth season in 2020.

ASU Vice President for Athletics Ray Anderson confirmed that Tuesday after meeting with Smith to review a 38-19 season, up from 23-32 in 2017 and ‘18.

“I meet with Tracy Smith on a regular basis regarding the health and welfare of our Sun Devil baseball program,” Anderson said. “We met again today upon his return from the NCAA regional.

“After a season-long, exhaustive evaluation of the entirety of the program I informed Tracy that he will remain as head coach under his current contract. We do expect continued improvement in all aspects of the program moving forward as we do in every sport.”

Smith’s cumulative record is 155-129 since coming to ASU from Indiana, where he was national Coach of the Year in 2013. His first two and fifth teams made the NCAA Tournament but did not advance beyond a regional. The others missed out on the postseason in the first consecutive losing seasons in modern school history.

Anderson made it clear after last season that he expected improvement expected improvement, especially in pitching and defense, after 2018.

With a more seasoned team, the Sun Devils bolted to a 21-0 start – tied for second best in school history – and were 25-1 through March. They slipped to 13-18 against tougher competition over the final two months including a 1-2 showing at the Baton Rouge regional that ended with a thud in a 13-12 walkoff loss (after a 10-2 lead).

“We were asked to show considerable improvement, and in my mind we’ve done that,” Smith said. “It’s almost a 30-game turnaround (from nine under .500 to 19 over). That’s probably an indication we moved the needle a little bit.”

Not enough, though, for Anderson to extend Smith’s contract beyond the two years he has remaining through the 2021 season. That keeps the elephant around and raises the stakes for 2020 when either an extension or a coaching change almost has to prevail for recruiting sake alone.

ASU returns at least six starting positions players including its entire infield. First baseman Spencer Torkelson needs nine home runs as a junior to pass Bob Horner as the school career record holder, eminently do-able since he averaged 24 in his first two seasons. Torkelson will contend to be the No. 1 overall major league draft pick like Horner was in 1978.

But current first-round draft pick Hunter Bishop and second-rounder Alec Marsh must be replaced (presuming both sign), leaving a hole in center and in the starting pitching rotation.

If ASU is to make another step forward next season -- perhaps to host a regional for the first time since moving to Phoenix Municipal Stadium in 2015 -- the pitching staff has to become deeper and more reliable.