Washington State Cougar History
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WASHINGTON STATE Cougar History 2 0 0 7 COUGAR BASE B A L L 63 COUGAR BASEBALL history Cougar baseball is almost as old as Washington State University. BRAYTON’S MILESTONES Classes met for the first time Jan. 3-22-62: 1st win (and game), 9-4 vs. Gonzaga at Lewiston; 13, 1892, and in March of that 5-21-65: 100th win, 2-1 vs. Washington at Seattle; year the students organized a 3-27-69: 200th win, 8-0 vs. W. Washington at Lewiston; baseball team. It is only natural 4-15-72: 300th win, 5-0 vs. Washington at Seattle; that baseball should have been the 3-24-75: 400th win, 18-2 vs. Cornell at Riverside, Calif.; first organized sport at WSU, since 5-1-77: 500th win, 6-2 vs. Washington at Seattle; at the time the University was 3-16-80: 600th win, 9-7 vs. LCSC at Lewiston; 4-9-83: 700th win, 11-6 vs. CWU at Pullman; founded the game was immensely 4-30-83: 1,000th WSU game, 6-2 vs. Gonzaga at Pullman; popular all over the country. 5-1-85: 800th win, 10-4 vs. Whitworth at Pullman; The 1995 season marked a 3-16-88: 900th win, 6-5 vs. Clemson at Fresno, Calif.; special celebration in Cougar 4-11-90: 1,000th win, 14-6 vs. E. Washington at Pullman; baseball history. It was the 100th 3-7-93: 1,100th win, 9-6 vs. Gonzaga at Lewiston; year WSU had fielded a baseball 5-20-94: Last game, 11-9 vs. Portland at Pullman. team. Following the first season, 1892, play was discontinued When Bailey retired in 1961, one of and did not resume until 1896. After another his finest players returned to Washington brief interruption from play in 1897, baseball State to take over his squad. Chuck “Bobo’’ became a regular on the sports menu and has Brayton, three-time All-Northern player and been played every year since 1898. twice captain of the Cougars in the 1946-48 The first game played by the first Cougar era, when Bailey’s teams won two Northern “Bobo” Brayton, 1962-94 team is recorded as a 26-0 win over the Division titles, succeeded Bailey at Cougarville. Pullman Military College on March 12, 1892. Brayton coached at Yakima Valley College after The military school was located on what is now receiving his degree at Washington State in known as “Military Hill’’ in the northwest part 1950, where he became WSU’s first baseball of Pullman. The school was destroyed by fire All-American for his play at shortstop in 1947. in 1893. Brayton continued the winning tradition at Captains, chosen by the players, ran the Washington State, becoming the winningest early Cougar baseball teams. Between 1892 and coach in WSU athletic history, surpassing the 1900 the Cougars won 21 games and lost nine legendary Bailey. without benefit of a regular coach. When Brayton retired in 1994, he did so H. E. Lougheed is regarded as the first official not only as the winningest coach in WSU baseball coach at WSU. He served between history with 1,162 victories, but as the fourth 1901 and 1903, and his teams won 24 games winningest baseball coach in the history of while losing 18. Since then, the school has NCAA Div. I play. had regularly assigned coaches, some of them In January, 2000, the home of Cougar football coaches putting in time between baseball was re-dedicated in honor of both seasons, and in the World War I years of 1916- Bailey and Brayton. The complex is now known 20, athletic director J. Fred “Doc’’ Bohler took as Bailey-Brayton Field. over the task. Don Marbut is the third coach to direct WSU Baseball really came of age at WSU with baseball fortunes since Brayton’s retirement. the appointment of Arthur B. “Buck’’ Bailey Marbut took over in 2005 after one year as a in 1927. Buck came to Pullman with football Cougar assistant and four years as the head coach Orin E. “Babe’’ Hollingbery in the fall coach at Edmonds Community College. The “Buck” Bailey, 1927-42, 1946-61 of 1926. A famous football player at Texas Portland State graduate (1997) was 152-38 A&M and Bethany College and the captain and his Titan clubs won two State community of the West team in the first East-West Shrine college titles. Football Game ever played, Bailey also was a Steve Farrington (1995-2000) succeeded baseball player of note. From 1927 to 1942, Brayton after an outstanding career at Lower Buck coached Hollingbery’s line during the Columbia College. Tim Mooney (2001-2004), football season and ran the Cougar baseball after a great 14-year run at Albertson College, program in the spring. He took three years off took over for Farrington and spent four seasons during World War II, then returned to boss at WSU before resigning after the 2004 season. the diamond teams here from 1946 until his Washington State draws more fans to retirement in 1961. its games than any other conference team. Bailey was baseball and baseball was Bailey Crowds average between 1,000 and 2,000 on at Washington State. Buck gave the Cougars the weekends of important conference games. their most consistent winner in any sport, and Bailey Field was relocated in 1980, giving WSU he did it with such flair that Washington State one of the finest collegiate baseball facilities was almost as popular on the road as at home. on the West Coast, complete with seating for In 32 seasons, Buck’s Cougars won 11 Northern nearly 3,500 fans and an electronic scoreboard. Division titles and finished second an equal A $250,000 lighting project was completed number of times. His greatest team—the 1950 during the 1984 season. In 2004 FieldTurf was squad—posted a mark of 32-6 and finished installed throughout the field giving WSU a second in the College World Series in Omaha, nearly-rain proof facility. The only dirt in the Nebraska. field is home plate and the pitcher’s mound. Jack Friel, 1943-45 64 2 0 0 7 COUGAR BASE B ALL COUGAR BASEBALL history In 1950 there were no aluminum bats, and baseball was played the old- fashioned way with wood and leather. College baseball was not a marquee sport, but that year it permanently placed its name on the sports map by moving the College World Series to its present site in Omaha, Neb. Fifty years later in 1999 at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, the College World Series celebrated its golden anniversary. The University of Miami out- lasted Florida State University for a 6-5 victory in the title game to give the Hurricanes their third national championship. Joining in the festivities at the 50th College World Series in Omaha were players from the first title game in 1950, featuring the University of Texas and Washington State University. Former Cougar players Bob McGuire, Clayton Carr, Gene Camp, Sonny Galloway, and Leland Dolquist, along with Cougar coaching legend Bobo Brayton and former Athletic Director Rick Dickson, returned to Omaha to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the College World Series. 2 0 0 7 COUGAR BASE B A L L 65 RECORD SETTERS/TOURNAMENT history At the conclusion of his four-year Washington State career in 2006, outfielder Jay Miller BANANA belt TOURNAMENT WINNERS had established himself as the Cougars W-L WSU W-L WSU all-time leading hitter with 307 career hits. Year Winner Record Record Year Winner Record Record Miller’s accomplishment not only broke Mike 1950 WSU 4-0 4-0 1976 L-C State 5-1 5-1 Kinkade’s (1992-95) 11-year old record of 1951 WSU 3-1 3-1 1977 WSU 5-1 5-1 304, but is marked the ninth-best hits total 1958 OSU 2-1 1-2 1978 L-C State 5-1 5-1 in Pacific-10 Conference history. Entering his 1959 OSU 3-0 2-1 1979 WSU 6-0 6-0 senior season the native of Bellevue, Wash., 1960 OSU 2-0 2-1 1980 WSU 6-0 6-0 had shown his consistency with three straight 1961 WSU 2-1 2-1 1981 L-C State 3-2 5-1 seasons of at least 72 hits. His senior year, 1962 Idaho 2-0 2-1 1982 WSU 5-1 5-1 however, proved to be his finest. He hit .361, 1983 L-C State 4-0 2-2 leading the team with 88 hits, fifth all-time 1963 WSU 4-0 4-0 1984 L-C State 3-0 2-1 at WSU, and 28 doubles. His doubles total 1964 WSU 5-0 5-0 1988 WSU 3-0 3-0 led the Pac-10 and was third nationally. He 1965 WSU 5-0 5-0 capped his final season by being named 1966 WSU 5-0 5-0 1990 WSU 4-1 4-1 a third team All-American by Collegiate 1967 Seattle 4-1 4-1 1991 L-C State 5-0 2-2 Baseball Newspaper and was a 17th round 1968 Seattle 5-0 4-1 1992 L-C State 5-1 2-3 draft pick by the Philadelphia Phillies. 1969 WSU 4-1 4-1 1993 L-C State 5-0 3-2 1970 WSU 5-0 5-0 1997 OSU 4-1 2-3 1971 WSU 5-0 5-0 2003 L-C State 3-1 2-2 1972 Puget Sound 3-0 3-1 2004 WSU 4-0 4-0 CASEY KELLEY SHATTERS 1973 WSU 4-2 4-2 2005 WSU 3-1 3-1 2006 WSU 3-1 3-1 SCHOOL HOME RUN RECORD 1974 Gonzaga 4-1 4-1 1975 WSU 5-1 5-1 Totals 142-38 In 1998 junior Casey Kelley Wsu finished second in 1959, 1960, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1974, (Ellensburg, Wash.) etched his 1976, 1978,1983 and 1984; third in 1958 and 1981.