You can follow Kendall Rogers on Twitter @KendallRogersPG and can join the Perfect Game College Baseball Facebook page. Fansalso can subscribe here to receive the college baseball ultimate ticket.
Like the college baseball content we provide at Perfect Game? If so, get the ultimate college baseball experience by subscribing to the College Baseball Ticket for just $7 monthly or$60 annually ($24 yearly savings). If you're interested in subscribing to the CBT, Click Here
---
The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee denied Arizona State’s appeal against a one-year postseason ban, effectively making the Sun Devils ineligible to reach the NCAA postseason in 2012.
The appealed postseason ban was one of many parts to a lengthy NCAA infractions report on the baseball program and athletic department. In addition to the postseason ban, the Sun Devils also appealed a three-year probation and argued three violations committed were secondary rather than major. The only violation that was reduced from major to secondary was the use of Athletes Performance -- an on-campus athletic training facility -- by Arizona State baseball players.
Parts of their punishment the Sun Devils chose not to appeal includes the loss of two scholarships for one year, limited coaching duties during practice, limited recruiting practices, and the vacating of a College World Series appearance and 44 wins in ’07.
"Obviously we are disappointed that we will not be able to participate in the postseason in 2012," said Tim Esmay, ASU's current head baseball coach. "The goals for this program will not and have not changed. We will take the same approach towards every practice and every game, non-conference and Pac-12, that we have always taken. Our goal to be the best team in the Pac-12 remains our focus. Sun Devil Baseball is and will remain one of the premier collegiate baseball programs in the nation and we will continue to provide an elite student-athlete experience at Arizona State University."
He continued, "I am glad that this program can finally put an end to this chapter. This has been a five-year process and now we can move forward and put this behind us. Arizona State has a rich and wonderful baseball tradition that I am proud to have been a part of both as a student-athlete and a coach. This coaching staff and the 2012 team will do everything that we can to help continue the legacy of Sun Devil Baseball."
Arizona State’s banishment from the postseason comes as no surprise. Officials originally declared the programs’ infractions as major and dismissed former head coach Pat Murphy without cause as a result. The NCAA was expected to come down hard on the Sun Devils for a lack of institutional control despite being a repeat infraction offender. ASU is subject to repeat offender penalties should another major infraction surface over the next five years.
“We have exercised institutional control over all of our athletic programs and will continue to do so,” Love said. “We took a number of actions as a result of our own investigation into these issues, including the purchase of a recruiting and compliance product to support our athletic staff’s compliance with NCAA legislation as it pertains to both prospective student-athletes and current student-athletes, expanding our compliance staff and realigning the athletic compliance function to the Office of the Senior Vice President and General Counsel."
Former Arizona State head coach Pat Murphy, who currently is the manager for the Eugene Emeralds in the San Diego Padres farm system, was outspoken about the NCAA's rejection of the Sun Devils' appeal.
"I'm hurt that many players, many of my former players, can't play in the postseason in 2012," he said. "It doesn't seem like it was the NCAA's intent to harm the players, but they did so because ASU is a repeat offender for lacking institutional control."
"I've had a chance to get two jobs since I left ASU. I maintain there was no dishonesty or cheating on my part," he added. "I learned a great deal from this ordeal and I've paid a high price. Enough is enough, though, and I can't let people think I was a cheater. That simply wasn't found to be true in this instance."
With the Sun Devils ineligible for the postseason, an impact will be felt. ASU is one of the nation’s most historic programs with 35 NCAA appearances, 22 College World Series appearances and five national titles. Arizona State last missed the NCAA postseason in 1999.
The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee's decision could affect the statuses of some student athletes. When USC's football program was banned from competing in bowl games for two seasons, juniors and seniors were allowed to transfer without penalty. Sources say in Arizona State's case, since the ban includes just one year, seniors have the ability to transfer without penalty. That isn't the case with juniors. Pitcher Kyle Ottoson is the only senior to have transferred, doing so to Oklahoma State this past summer. Ottoson is expected to be eligible for the Cowboys in 2012.
Arizona State finished the 2011 season with a 43-18 overall record, reaching an NCAA Super Regional against Texas.
Kendall Rogers is the college baseball managing editor for Perfect Game USA and can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org