The sweeping changes in college athletics over the last few years are nothing short of unprecedented. Now with the ability to profit off their name, image, and likeness, motivations of prospective NCAA competitors have shifted to a majority monetary nature.
For one of the country’s most prestigious college baseball destinations, that won’t earn you an invitation.
“This is Arizona State. It’s one of the greatest programs in college baseball history,” Arizona State Baseball’s Director of Player Development Sean McSheffrey told me recently. “We want the tough kids who understand Arizona State is the greatest place in the world to be.”
The Arizona State Sun Devils have collected five national championships and made 10 trips to the College World Series in their illustrious history on the diamond. No American university has had more of its players hear their name called in the MLB draft than that of ASU. Yet, such a vast history would seem unimportant to the now legal recruiting and retaining processes of schools around the country today.
McSheffrey has seen the difficulties of roster building from nearly all sides of the college baseball spectrum. In a career that included previous stops in Division III and junior college ranks, McSheffrey found himself on staff at Division I mid-major Florida International before securing his current position as one of Arizona State’s leading recruiters.
“At places like Florida International, you’re trying to get yesses,” McSheffrey said. “At Arizona State, it’s easy to get a yes. So many more people want to come to an Arizona State. But, you have to really do your homework and make sure you talk to all the right people about who the kid is and if he’s a good enough ballplayer to play right away.”
Recruiting young men who are as good of people as they are ballplayers is essential to Arizona State’s approach, the old-school train of thought in an era where several schools hand over the money and turn a blind eye.
“The NIL has created opportunities for kids to make money,” McSheffrey said. “That’s great, but we want the kids who are living, dying, and breathing to come to Arizona State.”
Name, Image, and Likeness laws have allowed college athletes to make a profit since 2021 and have reshaped the entire landscape of college athletics regardless of sport. The lack of regulations has created an unequal playing field for larger state universities with loyal donors compared to the small, regional campuses nationwide.
For a while, Arizona State was caught in the middle. While situated in a major metropolitan area with a large alumni base, outside financial support was hard to come by at ASU in the post-natal years of NIL per head coach Willie Bloomquist. Regardless of its compensation capabilities, Sun Devil baseball has not lowered its standards in recruiting, even as the program’s play on the field has dipped in recent years.
Despite its longest postseason-less stretch in 60 years from 2022-2024 and middling financial support, the Sun Devils brought in a top-15 recruiting class between high school and transfer players for the 2025 season. And they got them in maroon and gold in their way: the right way.
“It’s easy to see the guys that are about the wrong stuff,” McSheffrey noted. “Without the NIL, you might not have never known some guys were about the wrong stuff. We’ve had several kids who have been waiting on offers, that tells us they don’t want to be here. We want the tough kids who understand Arizona State is the greatest place in the world to be. “
“ASU was once the most feared program in college baseball. That’s what Willie Bloomquist is bringing back. We want the best of the best and the toughest of the tough. We will continue to work toward being the best program in the country.”
