Varsity
Baseball 1953
Row
1: Shingler, Wright,
Quigley, Hoffman, Alexander; Row 2:
Dougherty, Bair, Price, Colban, Baseshore;
Row
3: Mgr. Malone,
Potteiger, Beistline, Kohlhaas, Davis, Mackey, Coach Seibert
In
the beginning
MHS
Veteran Nine to Meet Pioneers
With
the game against John Harris at Harris tomorrow afternoon, the
Wildcats will open their '53 baseball season.
The team is composed mostly of "seasoned
veterans," and there were few positions to be filled this
year. Coach Seibert's
one big problem is developing a winning pitching staff.
Last year's infield is intact, with the exception of
catcher's position. Bob
Enck, John Heath, Jim Colban and Jack Quigley are the returning
lettermen fighting to hold their infield positions.
Don Bair and Irvin Alexander are the veteran catchers,
while Jim Price and Brad Wright are the hurlers that led the
Wildcats the past year.
Last year's record of four wins and eight losses is not
very impressive; however, with few exceptions, it was a green team
that MHS fielded last season.
This spring the same boys, with more experience and
training, are a good bet to win most of their games.
1953 Torch
Season
Recap
Hampered
throughout the season by injuries, the '53 edition of
Mechanicsburg baseball was practically as dismal as the weather on
the opening day of the season.
If you remember the dreary day the Wildcats opened, you
will recall overcast skies and a third inning rain.
That was the pattern of the season as the Cats lost all but
one of their league games.
The first victory proved an exciting game as Jim Price and
Ken Herzog of Enola hooked up in a true pitchers duel.
The locals edged the Panthers by a 3-2 score.
The injuries mentioned earlier felled two of the team's
returning lettermen. John
Heath was unable to throw because of a football injury to his
shoulder, and Jim Colban also had arm trouble.
This knocked out the keystone combo from the previous year;
it also created an aperture in the M-Burg infield that was later
filled by players with only Junior Varsity experience.
Bob Enck was the leading hitter on the Wildcats nine as he
posted a .289 mark.
Jack Quigley was the leading pitcher percentage wise as he
scored a victory over Shippensburg in his lone decision.
Jim Price collected the other victory.
Don Seibert, now at
Middletown
, coached the team.
1953 Artisan
Seibert's
Varsity Nine Record 3-9 Season
A hard luck Wildcat varsity baseball team ended the season
with a record of three wins and nine losses.
The Mechanicsburg nine, coached by Don Seibert, lost only
one game by more than three runs.
Four games were decided by a single tally.
The West Shore Joint game was the nightmare of the season.
By collecting 15 runs and 15 hits from a variety of M-burg
twirlers, the
West
Shore
team ran roughshod over the Cats by a 15-2 counts.
In a wild melee at
Carlisle
, the Wildcats blew a six run lead in the late innings only to
build up another large margin, which was again overcome in the
eighth frame. Price
was the losing pitcher by an 11-10 score.
Wright drove in three runs with a pair of hits to pace the
M-burg nine.
Mechanicsburg traveled to Enola for the next contest, and
lost in the fifth frame when two singles coupled with a run
scoring steal sealed the game for Enola.
The final score was 4-3. Jack Quigley was the M-burg
moundsman.
In another close game at New Cumberland, the Wildcats held
command going into the final inning by a 6-5 score.
When Price faltered in the seventh, Dougherty was summoned
from shortstop to toe the rubber.
With the bases full, Dougherty threw one pitch to Stitzel,
the Tiger right fielder, who promptly belted it into center field,
scoring two runs and ending the game.
Mechanicsburg beat Shippensburg in a non-league game
by a 5-4 count. Jack
Quigley was the winning pitcher as Kohlhaas delivered two singles.
M-burg lost to West Shore Joint by a 6-4 tally as the MHS
defense fell apart by committing six miscues.
Jim Dougherty pitched the contest for the Wildcats.
Kohlhaas again slashed two safeties.
Next on the agenda was Camp Hill at the Lions' field.
After amassing a 13-3 score, the M-burg team fell apart at
the seams in the seventh inning.
The CHHS rally was quelled by a nice catch of a fly ball in
right field by John Mackey to end the game in M-burg's favor.
Brad Wright, who appeared in the last varsity game, was the
winning pitcher.
May 28, 1953
Torch
1953
Varsity Scores
|
MASH
|
Game
|
Opponent
|
Record
|
|
3
|
Enola
|
2
|
1
0
|
|
2
|
Carlisle
|
5
|
1
1
|
|
4
|
Lemoyne
|
15
|
1
2
|
|
3
|
New
Cumberland
|
4
|
1
3
|
|
4
|
Camp
Hill
|
7
|
1
4
|
|
10
|
Carlisle
|
11
|
1
5
|
|
3
|
Enola
|
4
|
1
6
|
|
6
|
New
Cumberland
|
7
|
1
7
|
|
5
|
Shippensburg
|
4
|
2
7
|
|
4
|
Lemoyne
|
6
|
2
8
|
|
13
|
Camp
Hill
|
9
|
3
8
|
|
4
|
Hanover
|
9
|
3
- 9
|
Letter
winners: Brad Wright,
James Price, John Heath, James Colban, Don Bair, Irvin Alexander,
Robert Enck, James Dougherty, Richard Shingler, Don Potteiger,
Jack Quigley, Carl Kolhaas
Leading
Hitters:
Batting
Average: Enck - .289;
Dougherty - .248
Doubles:
several tied with 1
Triples:
Alexander, Dougherty, Enck, Shingler all tied with 1
Home
runs: none
RBI's: Bair,
Enck, and D. Potteiger all tied with 7
Leading
Pitchers:
Wins: Wright,
Price and Quigley all tied with 1
Innings pitched: Wright
- 23.66
Earned runs: Wright
- 16
K's: Price - 18
(in 21.66 innings)
1953
Junior Varsity Baseball
Mr. Martin's pride and joy, the M'Burg JV baseball team,
posted a good record as he completed his first season at the helm
of the Babycats.
The team played good ball throughout the season, especially
considering the conditions they had to overcome.
The rainy season of spring was a terrific hindrance to the
boys as they tried to play the full schedule.
Except for the New Cumberland game in which they were
routed, the Junior Varsity played competitive baseball with that
never-say-die spirit which accounted for many of their close
games.
Top individual honors in the hitting and pitching
departments went to Bill Brandt and Ed Harne respectively.
Brandt sewed up the hitting contest with a .368 mark.
Harne was the little "big man" while on the mound
for the Junior Cats as he posted a 3-1 won and lost record.
Perhaps the
high point
of the season was the
Camp
Curtin
game at home when the Wildcats defeated the
Harrisburg
team by a score of 6-1 in a game featured by daring base running.
Brandt stole home in a surprise move late in the contest
and Danny Wentz gave the partisan crowd a thrill as he moved
around the bases in a series of actions consisting of a steal, a
run-down play, and an error.
The 1953 Jayvees had a reasonably successful season and
produced many promising ballplayers.
1953 Artisan
1953
Junior Varsity Scores
|
MASH
|
Game
|
Opponent
|
Record
|
|
8
|
Carlisle
|
5
|
1
0
|
|
4
|
New
Cumberland
|
9
|
1
1
|
|
5
|
Carlisle
|
9
|
1
2
|
|
7
|
New
Cumberland
|
2
|
2
2
|
|
6
|
Camp
Curtin
|
1
|
3
- 2
|
Mr.
John Martin is pictured with prospective hurlers during preseason
practice in the gym. Left
to right are Aaron Potteiger, Jim Dougherty, and Jim Price.
1953
J.V. Baseball Team
Row
1: Myers, Coover,
Houck, Neisly, harne, Shettel; Row 2:
Baker, Brandt, Stone, Knitz, Bitner; Row 3:
Coach Martin, Wentz, Dietrich, Fisher, Smith, Mgrs.
Gochenour, White
|
