Former Arizona State baseball star Stan Holmes, who led Arizona State to the 1981 College World Series title, died Feb. 28 in California.
Holmes played for the Sun Devils from 1979 to 1981, appearing in 166 games and finishing with a .345 career average. He hit 36 career home runs, drove in 171 runs and finished his ASU career with 210 hits.
A first team All-Pac-10 performer in 1980, Holmes etched his name in Sun Devil lore a year later during his final season in Tempe. He batted .366 with 14 homers and 82 RBI, but it was his performance in Omaha at the College World Series that stodd out.
In the opening game of the series, Holmes went 5 for 5 in an 11-2 win over Texas, driving in six runs. He later added a seven-RBI game against Oklahoma State and finished the Series with a .464 average (13 for 28) with 17 RBI and eight runs scored as the Sun Devils won their fifth national title. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Series.
He was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 8th round of the 1981 MLB Draft. He is survived by his wife, Karen.
