Varsity
Baseball 1963
Row
1: D. Bossi, B.
Houser, J. Skillen, M. Bowen, D. Lehmer, A. O’Donovan, T. Reed,
M. Faust
Row
2: Mr. Freed, coach,
R. Holderbaum, P. Wentz, H. Jones, G. Miller, S. Sauve, R.
O’Donovan, J. Kennedy, B. Runkle; Row 3: S. Seeley, D. Dixon, N.
Berlin, H. Wimberly, R. Koch, R. Gipson, Coach Cassell
In
the beginning …
Lettermen
Give Baseball Team Hopes for Trophy
Although
Coach Bill Freed has the best team he's had in his four years as
head baseball coach, there is one basic problem.
Significant improvement will have to be made over last
year's play. Hard work
during practices will make the difference.
In order to exceed last year's 7-6 record, playing in cold
weather must improve.
Most of last year's lettermen are back for the 1963 season.
There will be few changes in position pertaining to the
pitching staff and infield. If
various improvements are made, a conference championship is
clearly in sight for Mechanicsburg.
February
20, 1963 Torch
Experienced
Baseball Team Opens Tomorrow Against
Dover
Foe
With
the first varsity baseball game tomorrow at
Dover
and preliminary practices out of the way, the strengths and
weaknesses of the team have shown themselves.
Little practice has been accomplished because of bad
weather conditions, but the problems the team faced as the season
started are nearly all erased.
The team's strongest point seems to lie with the pitching
staff. Seniors Rod
Koch, Dick O'Donovan, and Dick Hess, along with junior letterman
Rob Gipson, should do very well.
Steve Sauve, the best receiver in the conference, will
handle the catching chores.
The infield has experience and skill.
Paul Wentz has the third base position nailed down.
Senior Denny Bossi and juniors Glenn Miller and Bob
Holderbaum will take their positions at second base and shortstop,
alternating between the two positions.
First base will be handled for the fourth year by Barry
Houser.
Terry Reed, John Kennedy, Mike Faust, and Harold Jones will
wield the outfield to round out a top-notch team.
April 1, 1963 Torch
Nine
Wins First Championship Outstanding 11-1 League Record
Mechanicsburg
High School
started off the West Shore Baseball League season
with high hopes. The
team ended its 12-game circuit with a championship.
The
Wildcats had to come from behind to defeat the CV Eagles in the
first league game. Three
runs in the sixth inning helped insure the victory.
Successive walks to Barry Houser and Paul Wentz started the
rally. An error, balk,
and a single cemented the win for Mechanicsburg.
Rodney Koch picked up the decision by a score of 4 – 2.
In the second game, the Wildcats made fast work of Cedar
Cliff. In the first
inning, Terry reed walked, Bob Holderbaum sacrificed and Steve
Sauve and Houser singled, scoring the two needed runs.
Rob Gipson pitched brilliantly, fanning 13 and allowing
only one run.
In the next contest Mechanicsburg again had to come from
behind. In the fourth
inning, Glenn Miller and Gipson singled.
Mike Faust walked, followed by two more singles by Koch and
Reed. This accounted
for the winning runs scored to defeat
Carlisle
5-1. Koch went the
distance to record his second win of the season.
The Wildcats had some trouble in defeating Camp Hill.
Because of a tie with the Rams, the game had to be
replayed. Singles by
Koch, Reed, and Holderbaum, plus a two-run triple by Sauve
produced the winning runs for Mechanicsburg in the replay.
The final score was 6-3, with Koch picking up his third
straight victory.
In the second round of conference play, the Wildcats again
defeated CV, this time by a score of 5-0.
The MHS nine capitalized on Eagle errors to score their
runs. Dick O'Donovan
got the win, pitching a shutout for the victors.
Mechanicsburg suffered its first and only loss in league
play against Cedar Cliff in the following game.
The 'Cats couldn't come up with enough runs to back up
pitcher Houser, as the Colts won 3-1.
The Wildcat nine bounced right back with its second victory
against
Carlisle
. The big blow was a
two-run double by Miller. O'Donovan
picked up his second win in relief.
Sauve, Houser, and Dean Fisher slugged home runs as the
Wildcats picked up seven runs on ten hits to defeat Camp Hill 7-2.
Koch posted his fourth mound victory.
In the final round, the Wildcats clobbered
Cumberland
Valley
, 14-4, picking up 19 hits along the way.
Gipson, the winning pitcher, needed relief from O'Donovan
and Dick Hess. Sauve
had the best individual effort of the game collecting four hits.
Revenge proved sweet as Mechanicsburg shut out Cedar Cliff
7-0. Sauve and Houser
each batted in two runs as the Wildcats recorded the victory.
In doing so the team won the first undisputed conference
championship in 12 years. Not
since 1951 has a Mechanicsburg team been able to take the coveted
baseball title. In
1959, the Wildcats and the Camp Hill Lions shared a
co-championship.
Four days after being assured the league trophy,
Mechanicsburg met the Carlisle team at
Carlisle
. At the end of five
innings, with the Wildcats winning, the game was postponed because
of rain. The following
Monday, the two teams met again.
Dick O'Donovan went all the way on the mound as MHS won
18-2. Houser recorded
two home runs, and Reed had one.
This was an impressive victory over the team's arch
baseball rival.
May 27, 1963 Torch
1963
Varsity Scores
|
MASH
|
Game
|
Opponent
|
Record
|
|
5
|
Dover
|
6
|
0
- 1
|
|
5
|
C.V.
|
3
|
1
- 1
|
|
3
|
Cedar
Cliff
|
1
|
2
- 1
|
|
5
|
Carlisle
|
1
|
3
- 1
|
|
5
|
Camp
Hill
|
5
|
3
- 1 - 1
|
|
6
|
Camp
Hill
|
3
|
4
- 1 - 1
|
|
5
|
C.V.
|
0
|
5
- 1 - 1
|
|
1
|
Cedar
Cliff
|
3
|
5
- 2 - 1
|
|
5
|
Carlisle
|
4
|
6
- 2 - 1
|
|
7
|
Camp
Hill
|
2
|
7
- 2 - 1
|
|
14
|
C.V,
|
4
|
8
- 2 - 1
|
|
7
|
Cedar
Cliff
|
0
|
9
- 2 - 1
|
|
18
|
Carlisle
|
2
|
10
- 2 - 1
|
|
2
|
Camp
Hill
|
2
|
11
- 2 - 1
|
League
Record: 11 - 1 - 1
Overall
record: 11 - 2 - 1
Letter
winners: Steve Sauve,
Barry Houser, Paul Wentz, John Kennedy, Terry Reed, Rodney Koch,
Richard O'Donovan, Harold Jones, Richard Hess, Glenn Miller,
Michael Faust, Robert Holderbaum, Robert Gipson
Head
coach: William Freed
Assistant
Coach: Kenneth Cassell
Leading
Hitters:
At
bats: Terry Reed - 50
Runs:
Steve Sauve - 20
Batting
Average: Sauve - .568
Hits: Sauve
- 21
Stolen
Bases: Sauve - 9
RBI's: Houser
- 21
Leading
Pitchers:
Innings pitched: Koch
- 43; O'Donovan - 24.33
ERA: Koch - 0.63; O'Donovan - 1.49
K's: Koch - 31
(in 43 innings); O'Donovan - 21 (in 24.33 innings)
1963 Seniors: Four
seniors who have been with the team since
their freshman year are
Paul Wentz, Barry Houser, Rodney Koch,
and Steve Sauve.
Front
row: J. Kennedy, D.
Bossi, R. Koch, H. Jones
2nd
row: R. O’Donovan,
S. sauve, B. Houser, T. Reed, P. Wentz
|
