Murphy Su’a

TRANI AWARD

Coach Murphy Su‘a has dedicated his life to the game of baseball, using the sport as a powerful platform to teach discipline, resilience, and character. With more than four decades of experience as a player, coach, scout, mentor, and program builder, he has made an impact on athletes at every level—professional, college, high school, youth, and international.

Raised in Southern California, Su‘a’s playing career began at the age of ten at Mid-Pacoima Little League. At Poly High School (Sun Valley), he gave up baseball to pitch in Men’s Fastpitch Softball City Leagues. Su‘a then attended LA Valley College, where he returned to baseball and captained the team before transferring to Brigham Young University. At BYU, he was again named captain and became a standout performer, earning NCAA Division I First-Team All-American (third base) honors and BYU’s prestigious Cameron Tuckett Award in 1979. Su‘a set numerous offensive records for the Cougars and was among the nation’s top hitters in multiple categories.

His collegiate success led to a professional career with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers organizations from 1979 to 1984. In 1979, he was a Pioneer League champion with the Lethbridge Dodgers, and in 1983, an Appalachian League champion with the Paintsville Brewers. A versatile player—competing as a catcher, infielder, and outfielder—he was selected to the 1983 Midwest League All-Star team and the Arizona Fall Instructional League. He later transitioned into player-coach and interim managerial roles within the Brewers’ minor league system. Su‘a also served as an associate scout for the Kansas City Royals from 2014 to 2021.

From 2001 to 2014, Su‘a served as an assistant coach under head coach George Wing and later head coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills. He built the program into a nationally ranked NCAA Division II team, recruiting and developing 21 MLB-drafted players, including Kevin Pillar (NCAA DII record holder with a 54-game hit streak), Ryan Sherriff (2020 World Series, Tampa Bay Rays), Brennan Bernardino, Bubby Rossman, and Japan’s NPB player Josh Corrales. Additionally, he produced 18 MLB-affiliated free-agent signees and numerous others who signed independent professional contracts. His players earned 7 All-American honors, 4 regional and 2 national Gold Gloves, 34 All-Conference selections, 21 All-Region honors, and multiple Conference and Regional MVP awards. Notably, Jon Alia was named ESPN The Magazine NCAA DII Male National Scholar-Athlete of the Year under Su‘a’s leadership.

In 2023, Su‘a coached at Cal State LA under head coach Vince Beringhele. As the infield coach, CSLA led the nation (DII) in total double plays turned and double plays per game, finishing #2 among all NCAA Division I programs in that category.

In 2001, Su‘a founded the South Bay Saints Summer Collegiate Baseball Club to support the development of college athletes. Initially composed of players from the PAC-10, Big West, and WCC, the Saints expanded to include athletes from across the nation and internationally including Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and American Samoa. The Saints Collegiate teams have competed in the NBC World Series in Wichita, KS. The Saints Pro Team also played exhibitions against Korean professional teams before spring training. Notably, the roster included Phillies MLB All-Star LHP Randy Wolf, among other current, future, and former Major League players.

At the junior college level, Su‘a was an assistant coach under Al Cone at East Los Angeles College (1991), where two players were drafted and several others earned scholarships. From 2017 to 2020, Su‘a was the head coach at West Los Angeles College, where he coached three All-Americans and helped over 40 players transfer to four-year institutions. He also made history by rostering Luisa Gauci, the first female baseball player in California Community College Athletics Association history—now a hitting instructor in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Su‘a also served as an assistant under Roger Hill. He will assist at Los Angeles Harbor College during the 2025–26 academic year.

At the high school level, Su‘a coached at West Torrance High School (1984–2002) under legendary coach Harry Jenkins. In 1998, four WTHS players were drafted, and in 2000 the team finished 30–2 and ranked #1 in the nation. Su‘a also served as head coach at Palos Verdes High School (2016) and Lawndale High School (2025), leading both programs to CIF playoff appearances.

Internationally, Su‘a coached the American Samoa National Baseball Team (1998–2011) under President and head coach Ben Solaita. The team performed well at the 2000 Sydney Olympics qualifier but lost to Guam in the quarterfinals. He also led the team in the 2001 NBC Collegiate World Series, competing against Mexico, Japan, and the U.S. Later that year, he coached a combined Samoa & American Samoa team in the World Baseball Challenge in Canada, facing Chinese Taipei, Russia, and the host nation, Canada. Su‘a also served as head coach for the MLB/Urban Youth Academy High School All-Star team in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, and coached three tours with the Goodwill Series, taking youth teams to Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane (Australia), and Auckland (New Zealand). He has participated in and conducted camps around the world.

Su‘a coached his three children Justin, Tasha, and Travis, in baseball and softball in local youth leagues, national tournaments, and international events. Justin was a baseball Freshmen All-American at BYU in 2000 and later became and Mental Skills/Performance coach for the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Rays, NFL, NBA, NHL, WWE, PGA, LPGA, WTA, etc., teams and individuals. Tasha was a scholarship athlete for track and field at BYU, and Travis played baseball, football, basketball, wrestling, and soccer.

Beyond the diamond, alongside his wife, Nina, he co-founded Diamonds In The Rough Sports Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting underserved students through sports and education. He continues to mentor high school athletes through the college recruiting process and currently works as a baseball/softball instructor at the Hit Factory Los Angeles in Torrance, California.