Former Arizona Wildcats pitcher Steve Powers, the MVP of the 1976 College World Series, died Sunday of a heart attack in Tucson. He was 70.
Powers, inducted into the UA Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, famously pitched Arizona over No. 1 Arizona State in the semifinals of the 1976 World Series, a complete-game four-hitter that enabled the Wildcats to play in and win the championship a day later.
In that title game against Eastern Michigan, Powers went 2 for 3 as a designated hitter with a two-run homer. He hit .364 in the CWS and also was 2-0 as a starting pitcher over 17 innings.
Powers, from Monterrey, California, pitched for Arizona from 1973-76 and was a first-team All-WAC pitcher in 1975. He was later drafted in the eighth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He won 27 games as a Wildcat, still No. 11 in career victories. His career ERA of 2.14 remains No. 7 in school history.
In 1976, he was a second-team ABCA All-American and played two years of minor league baseball before returning to Tucson and working for UPS for about 40 years.
