Visiting Nebraska this weekend. He’s gonna get dropped.

Kenny Dillingham kicks off the podcast, yours truly, starting at the 34:17 mark

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Coastal Carolina: 20.2%
In 1995 Coastal Carolina hired a baseball coach who played at Coastal by the name of Gary Gillmore. He was the only person in all of baseball that believed he could build a program that could compete with Clemson and South Carolina. By 1997 he had just finished his second season at CCU and no longer believed he could do it. He interviewed to leave coaching and become an elementary PE teacher. With his signed elementary school teacher contract in hand, he drove to accept the job. On the way he found his car pulling into his church parking lot to talk with his friend and preacher. 2 hours later the contract was torn up and Gillmore went to his office (a FEMA trailer you'd see on a construction site) and went to work building the Chanticleers. Decades later he not only competed with his in state rivals, he won a National Championship over the Arizona Wildcats. He's now retired and the torch has been passed to fellow Coastal Alum Kevin Schnall who has CCU back in Omaha in year 1. Kevin Schnall not only played at CCU but has been an assistant there for 15+ years and was a part of that National Championship coaching staff. They say really good leaders win a lot and great leaders build a program that can win after they leave. This season cements Gary Gillmore as a great leader.

Oregon State: 13.3%
Referred to as a "New Blood" the Beavers have had tremendous success in the internet era. I would have died on the hill of Oregon State falling after losing legendary head coach Pat Casey and pitching coach Nate Yeskie but here they are. Anchored by program all time HR and RBI leader LF Gavin Turley (Chandler, AZ), RF Easton Talt (Sunrise Mt, AZ), and 2B AJ Singer (Mt Ridge, AZ) it's not difficult to see how the rise of Oregon State in some ways has coincided with the drop-off in Tempe. Like Gillmore at Coastal, Pat Casey spent 10 years building Oregon State before he became an overnight success winning 3 NCs. Like Gilmore, he has been replaced by an alumnus with a NC ring. Mitch Canham having won 2 as a player in 06' and 07'.

LSU: 13.7%
The clear Blue Blood of the field. With 7 championships and 20 CWS appearances they are elite. Even more impressive, everyone of those appearances have happened after ASU's last championship in 1981. Current head coach Jay Johnson won a national championship with LSU in 2023 riding the arm of Paul Skenes. Some may know that before Skenes went to LSU he was actually committed to Willie Bloomquist and ASU for a short time before his dad stepped in and helped LSU. Many of us remember Gorilla Ball in the late 90s when LSU ignored a traditional lineup and recruited as many clean up hitters as they could find on their way to championships. They start with Arkansas in what might be the most expensive ticket for the week.

Arkansas: 23.4%
There might not be a fan base in college sports that needs a championship more than Arkansas Baseball. In 128 years they've never ended their season with a win in Omaha. 12 CWS appearances, 8 since 2004 the "Omahogs" are hungry. They have one of the best head coaches in Dave Van Horn, a golden spikes finalist, a huge fan base, loads of NIL money, a picturesque ball park, unlimited energy, and momentum from knocking off last year's national champion in Supers. They are a dangerous mix of resource royalty and an underdog role of never having won it. Starting with the best odds in the field, the winner of the Arkansas v LSU game becomes the easy favorite for what that's worth.

Arizona: 3.9%
Does any program in America punch above their weight in the post season more than those pesky Wildcats? With 4 National Championships, 4 runner up, and 19 CWS appearances there is no denying that this program is a blue blood. I wasn't around for those early seasons but in my 40 years I don't think UofA has ever looked like a power in April. Somehow they sure get hot at the right time. This season is a perfect example. I didn't see them as an Omaha team in April. I didn't see them as an Omaha team in the B12 tournament. I didn't see them as an Omaha team after getting dominated on the road in the UNC Super Regional, but here they are. An Omaha team. Like Oregon State and Coastal Carolina, the Wildcats are managed by an alumnus who won a ring with the program before eventually becoming the coach. And like Oregon State and Coastal they are in Omaha after losing a National Championship caliber coach. UofA has the worst odds in the field.

UCLA: 12.9%
John Savage is in his 21st season at UCLA. In his 20th season, some began to wonder if the game had passed him. When UCLA hired him in 2005 from Irvine, the Bruins had been playing baseball since 1920 and been to only 2 CWS. Existing in the shadow of cross town rival USC as well as ASU and UofA the Bruins just didn't break through. By 2010 Savage started a dominant 4 year stretch with 3 CWS, 1 national runner up, and 1 National Championship. Then followed 10 seasons with only 1 Super regional and was capped off last season by missing the post season all together. But, Savage quietly stacked his roster last season with a super freshman class that took their lumps and is now in Omaha as super sophomores. He's still got it and with his entire roster scheduled to return next season including Golden Spikes and #1 overall draft pick favorite Roch Cholowski (Chandler Hamilton, AZ) expectations will be high in Westwood. Their game against Murray State is as close to must win as a game 1 can be in Omaha. If they lose they would face the loser of the Ark v LSU game and need to run the table in a crazy bracket. If they beat Murray State then they would advance in the winners bracket to face a beat up SEC team.

Murray State: 5.6%
A season for the ages. The Racers had not won a single post season game since 1979. They've never been to a Super Regional and they find themselves in Omaha. They've only been to the post season 2 times.... ever. The head coach at Coastal Carolina was clear when he said that his team was not a Cinderella, they are a national power. Well, Murray State doesn't really have a choice. They are the ultimate Cinderella. It would be like NAU Basketball making the Elite 8. Truly a great story. Head Coach Dan Skirka is in season #6 and his arch looks similar to what we are seeing from Bloomquist.

Louisville: 7%
In 98 baseball seasons before hiring head coach Dan McDonnell the Cardinal had been to Omaha exactly 0 times. He's now taken them there 6 times. Before being hired he was an assistant coach for 14 seasons at the Citadel and Ole Miss. He must have interviewed well because there was nothing special about his resume. He's been a home run hire though. In 2 of their first 3 games this season Louisville beat Texas and run ruled UofA. They also took series from North Carolina and Florida State so they are battle tested.

That's what Lindy's football magazine is predicting for our Sun Devils this next season...

They have us winning the Big-12 and making the playoffs with a bye in the first round only to have to face Ohio St in the quarterfinals...

We will be the #4 seed like last season with Ohio St #5 and, as a result, the Buckeyes will have to play a team like #12 seed Boise St...

So, we would have a match-up in the Rose Bowl against Ohio St like we did in 1997...

They also have us ranked #14 in the country...the highest ranked team in the Big-12 with Texas Tech at #18, K-State at #20, BYU at #21, Iowa St at #22 and Baylor at #25...

Both Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson are highly rated with Sam deemed the 8th best QB in the land and Jordyn the 3rd best WR in the land...

So, what do you think as we have some real star power and a lot of experience returning at just about every position, along with some depth at those positions...

The magazine concludes that the Devils were in a lot of dogfights last year that they won and that trait should bode well for them in this upcoming season...

I don't know about all of these glorified expectations for our next football season, although I'm confident that we are not going back to those 3-9 days, either...

All I know is that it would be great to continue being a Top 25 team each and every year...

Go Devils!!!

"They’ve earned this, and there were multiple in-state guys who earned that this cycle." Dillingham says that the Golden Ticket campaign generated the intended reaction with the local 2027 recruits, as it emphasized the value system of the program

The focus turns to 2026:

Entered:
Jax Ryan
Brayden Barnes
Jake Neely
Alec Belardes
Manny Garza
Christopher Gory

Added:
Colby Guy

Quick recruiting update

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On this episode, Jason and I discuss reigniting Sun Devil Nation, the good reason why spelling doesn’t matter as much as it did, the 2025 tight ends, strengthening local recruiting relationships, and more.

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Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = What's Special About ASU ?

For me, when I first set foot on the campus in Tempe over 50 years ago, it was sports...

Having been a jock in HS, I really appreciated what Kush, Wulk and Winkles then Brock were putting on the table in the Big-3 sports at the school...

That was the Golden Ticket for me and it had nothing to do with the academic side of things, although I enjoyed most of my classes there...

Sports, at a championship level, was a huge morale boost and motivator for me as I attended the school in Tempe...

For I always had something to look forward to that kept me optimistic and positive about things...

The summers were really hot and I attended some summer classes so I could get out of there in four years but that was no big deal as football was just around the corner...

Summer dreams consisted of looking forward to Camp T and our next season in the WAC which we dominated...

Along the way, I got to know Frank Kush, Ned Wulk and Jim Brock personally, as well as many of the players in each sport...

And, when opportunities came knocking that would involve leaving the state for places like Chicago and LA after college, I just said no as I didn't want to be far away from my Sun Devils...

And, I've stayed in Arizona ever since and have no regrets whatsoever...none...

That said, I understand why kids want to leave home and go to school elsewhere just like I did when growing up in NJ...

I was born in the Rocky Mountains and that is where I was headed, come hell or high water, when considering where to go after HS...

Go West young man, so that is where I was headed and I choose Arizona over Colorado, due to desert technicolor skies and women sunning themselves in bikinis...

Plus, attending ASU was cheaper than attending Rutgers in NJ at the time...

But, I digress, as it was the sports at ASU that kept me going on a high while trying to learn a bunch of stuff on campus...

Things have changed a lot at ASU over the years but my love for Sun Devil athletics hasn't diminished much during that time...

And, now we have a football coach who seems to know what he is doing in order to elevate our football program to a consistent championship level once again...

And, if I don't miss my guess, we will have a new basketball coach after next season and, maybe, a new baseball coach, as well, although with 34 scholarships to give, perhaps, Willie will finally be able to elevate our baseball program to a championship level...

Rossini doesn't appear to be a Lisa or Ray clone, although he was hired by president Crow just like they were so we shall see how that turns out moving forward...

He seems to be pumped by having a new ASU athletic model with which to help elevate our top sports, and it will be interesting to see how this all turns out in the transfer portal and NIL realities that have transformed college athletics these days...

Will he be up to the task at hand..??

I sure hope so as I would love to have another golden age within Sun Devil athletics before I pass on to the great Maroon and Gold mountains in the sky...

I'm also looking forward to seeing what Dilly will be selling about ASU with his Golden Ticket idea in his attempt to attract the top elite talent in the state to come and play ball at ASU...

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

"I was just grateful getting it (the Golden Ticket) and the hometown team making me a top priority. It's, for real, a moment of gratitude." Local 2027 recruits react to receiving the Golden Ticket from ASU

In all the hoopla of Golden Ticket Day, I didn't want to forget to wish Happy Father's Day to the dads in the Huddle! Hope y'all pampered on your special day

"My back's against the wall. I've loved my time here at Arizona State, and I value that greatly." Following the lowest number of victories during his Tempe tenure, Bobby Hurley wishes to prove the critics wrong, entering a campaign filled with low expectations

A lot written about many others sports but hockey has been quiet. Any news on transfers in/out and where the roster is headed for 25-26 season?

Pinning this thread too

"It's not like your average coaching staff because these guys not only actually care for their players, but they actually pour into each and every one of them." strong relationships with Brain Ward and AJ Cooper pave the way for Rashad McKenzie's arrival at ASU

Ohio St has decided to use the new settlement revenue sharing on just four sports...football, men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball...

Oklahoma has decided to use that money on six sports...football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, and ladies gymnastics...

I wonder what our Sun Devils will end up doing...Go Devils!!!

“You’re going to see some special things going out to a select few guys in the state." Determined to be more effective in landing prospects from their backyard, ASU is about to embark this Sunday on a different approach to the 2027 recruiting class

"It was about the culture, the coaching staff, and the players because they all made me feel like it was home." Knowing you will play in college just six miles away from your high school was appealing, but Sinei Tengei's ASU pledge was based on the bonding he had with the staff and players too