Arizona State baseball head coach Tim Esmay has stepped down after four seasons leading the program. Jeff Metcalfe of AZ Central was first with the news on Twitter.
Tim Esmay resigns as #ASU baseball coach with 1 year remaining on contract ... search for new coach begins
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) June 9, 2014
Esmay was the Arizona State assistant head coach under Pat Murphy from 2005-09 and was then named interim head coach on Dec. 3, 2009. He took over the full time head coaching position on Feb. 19, 2010 leading the Sun Devils to a 52-10 mark, a regular season Pac-10 title and a College World Series appearance in his first season as the Sun Devils' skipper.
The 2011 season saw the maroon and gold advance to the super regional round followed by a post season ban in 2012. Arizona State has continued a downward trend over the past two seasons making only the NCAA regional round in 2013 and 2014. Esmay leaves Arizona State with an overall head coaching record of 201-94-1.
Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson said last week on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that he had met with Esmay following the Sun Devils loss to Sacramento State in the San Louis Obispo regional and that, "We are evaluating the position and we should come to a determination in a few days."
Anderson spoke briefly with the media after the news broke early Monday afternoon. He said that the search will begin immediately and will consider collegiate coaches as well as people from around the minor and major leagues. He added that he considers Arizona State a "top 5 destination" for college baseball and that he will be looking for a coach that will lead and help athletes succeed academically.
Esmay's resignation comes after the last season in the history of Packard Stadium and as the program looks to build momentum moving into Phoenix Municipal Stadium beginning next season. Arizona State has now begun the search for its fifth coach in school history.
We will update this story as more information becomes available