Ray Anderson was forced to let ASU Baseball head coach Tracy Smith go after he led the traditional “blueblood” level baseball program to historic lows. Smith ended his tenure with the lowest winning percentage in school history (.565), and he also had an overall losing record in Pac-12 play. Tracy Smith was also never able to reach a Super Regional, something his predecessor Tim Esmay was able to do in 2011. When Esmay resigned as head coach, Ray Anderson described Esmay significantly better record, better Pac-12 play, and better postseason record as: “We expect to be at a higher level; we should be a higher level,” Anderson said. “That’s where we’re going, and that will be our way forward in terms of what we’re looking for in a new head of our baseball program.”
Once again, Ray Anderson described his hire Tracy Smith as a personal friend: “Tracy and I are friends, it’s personal,” Anderson said. “We came in together very confident we could advance the program and bring back some of the glory days of old. When you come to the realization that it’s not working at the level you anticipate, it’s very disappointing.”
Source:
Tim Esmay resigns as ASU baseball coach (azcentral.com)
Tracy Smith Dismissed As Arizona State Baseball Coach (sports360az.com)
Arizona State baseball parting ways with Tracy Smith after 7 seasons (azcentral.com)