Phoenix St. Mary’s has never won a state baseball championship in its long storied athletic history, but it has produced its share of players who not only got to the big leagues, but made an impact.

Jim Sanford, part of St. Mary’s athletics for the better part of 60 years, from his elementary school days to high school playing days to head baseball coaching days for much of the ’70s to athletic director days and now serving as an adviser, came up with a lineup card for me.

St. Mary’s all-time baseball lineup card

1. Bobby Chacon, LF, 1977

Sanford called him the greatest center fielder that he coached, not only because he got on base a lot but because of his glove and arm. Once in a game against Phoenix Moon Valley, Sanford recalled, Chacon, on successive plays, nailed two baserunners trying to go from second to home on ground balls up the middle, the first on one hop, the second on a line.

2. Tommy Nunez, SS, 1978

After a stellar high school career, this future NBA ref went on to start on Grand Canyon’s NAIA championship team in the early 1980s. He went out for second base at every stop but coaches always moved him to shortstop because he was such a good athlete.

3. Andre Ethier, CF, 2000

He hit for power and average and was able to spray the ball to all fields. He was magician at the plate with one of the purest batting strokes in state history. He starred at Arizona State and was an All-Star for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 and 2011. Tommy Lasorda came out for Ethier’s high school jersey retirement ceremony.

MORE LINEUP CARDS: Boulder Creek || Coronado || Hamilton

4. Larry Martin, Utility/DH, 1962

One of the greatest athletes ever to come through St. Mary’s, Martin, a star running back on the 1961 state runnerup football team, played third  base for the Knights. He was part of a national championship American Legion team that was managed by Jim Brock. He later played outfield on the Arizona State’s first College World Series championship team in 1965 that featured Rick Monday.

5. Terry Kennedy, RF, 1974

Because he was the team’s No. 2 pitcher his senior year, Sanford didn’t play Kennedy behind the plate, but in the outfield to protect his arm. Kennedy, left-handed hitter, didn’t hit a lot of home runs in high school. But that power took off at Florida State, where he was the Sporting News National College Player of the Year in 1976. He ended up having a 14-year major league career, mostly at catcher.

6. Nick Evans, 3B, 2004

Evans went straight from high school to the pros after being chosen by the New York Mets in the fifth round of the 2004 major league draft. He was called up from Double-A to the Mets early the 2008 season and in his first big-league game he hit three doubles. He was a natural first baseman.

7. Jeff Tipton, C, 1975

He was a year behind Kennedy, but, a terrific athlete, he started at catcher over Kennedy, whose arm was being preserved as the No.2 pitcher. He was a tremendous receiver who could hit and left the University of San Diego in 1979 with honors. He ended up playing in the Oakland A’s organization.

8. Chris Rideau, 2B, 1979

He came from a big baseball family. Rideau was outstanding at the plate and with the glove. He hit .424 his senior season and only committed on error (.976 fielding percentage).

9. Alan Whitaker, 1B, 1975

He saved a lot of errors, digging out bad throws, he was a great all-around athlete, who played tight end on the football team.

RELATED: Arizona-born MLB players

Right-handed pitcher

Alan Wirth, 1974

Ace of the pitching staff, he was in the same class as Terry Kennedy. An all-state pitcher, Wirth was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the third round out of high school. But he was traded four years later across the bay to the Oakland A’s, part of the deal that sent Vida Blue to the Giants.

Left-handed pitcher

Brian Matusz, 2005

After an all-state senior season, the big lefty went on to star at the University of San Diego and become the fourth overall pick of the 2008 major league draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

Relief pitcher

Jason Bond, 1993

Hard-throwing left-hander with great movement on his pitches, Bond, a 15th-round draft pick out of high school by the Montreal Expos, went on to pitch at ASU, before becoming a 17th round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 1996.

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-460-1710. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert.