On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on May 31 MLB Games

May 31st, 2015 - 11:24

Extra! Extra! Read all about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players! Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopsters had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a May 31 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

MAY 31

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) collected two homers and five RBI against the Chicago Cubs in 1956.

  • St. Louis Browns RHP Elden Auker (All-Big Six Conference first-five selection with Kansas State in 1931-32) registered his fifth straight win during the month in 1942. All of the victories were complete games.

  • St. Louis Browns RF Beau Bell (two-year letterman for Texas A&M in early 1930s) banged out four hits in an 11-10 triumph against the Detroit Tigers in 1936.

  • In 1979, Seattle Mariners 1B Bruce Bochte (starting forward for Santa Clara's NCAA playoff team in 1969-70) amassed three hits, three runs and five RBI in a 12-10 win against his original club (California Angels).

  • Kansas City Athletics LF Bob Cerv (ranked fourth on Nebraska's career scoring list in 1949-50 when finishing his career) clobbered a homer in back-to-back games for the third time this month in 1958.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Boo Ferriss (Mississippi State letterman in 1941) secured his sixth complete-game victory of the month in 1945.

  • Philadelphia Phillies 3B Gene Freese (captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team for West Liberty WV) whacked his fifth pinch homer of the 1959 season. Two years later with the Cincinnati Reds, Freese smashed two round-trippers in an 8-7 triumph against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1961.

  • Buttressed by nine doubles from Pittsburgh Pirates teammates, LHP Joe Gibbon (two-time All-SEC forward for Ole Miss was the nation's second-leading scorer as a senior in 1956-57) hurled a complete-game, 9-1 victory against the Atlanta Braves in 1961.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates SS Dick Groat (two-time All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) delivered five hits in a 4-3 victory against the Cincinnati Reds in 1960.

  • Boston Red Sox RHP Tom Herrin (Louisiana Tech letterman in 1947-48 and 1948-49) notched his lone MLB victory (20-10 decision over the Philadelphia Athletics in 1954).

  • First victory of the 1957 campaign for Chicago White Sox RHP Bob Keegan (Bucknell letterman in 1941-42 and 1942-43) was a four-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers.

  • New York Yankees LF Charlie Keller (three-year letterman with Maryland from 1934-35 through 1936-37) accumulated two homers and five RBI against the Cleveland Indians in 1947.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling a 35-3 record) had his 26-game hitting streak end in 2003, falling one contest short of the franchise record.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as a freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as a sophomore in 1965-66) stroked three doubles against the San Francisco Giants in 1979.

  • Boston Red Sox 1B Tony Lupien (Harvard captain in 1938-39) provided four hits against the St. Louis Browns in the nightcap of a 1943 doubleheader. Five years later with the Chicago White Sox, Lupien went 6-for-8 in a 1948 doubleheader split against the Detroit Tigers.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in the early 1920s) notched his fifth consecutive complete-game victory during the month in 1926.

  • Chicago White Sox RF Sam Mele (NYU's leading scorer in 1943 NCAA playoffs) smacked two homers against the Boston Red Sox in 1952.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Don Schwall (All-Big Seven Conference second-team selection led Oklahoma in rebounding in 1956-57) tossed his second shutout of the month in 1963.

  • Baltimore Orioles LF Larry Sheets (All-ODAC selection in 1981-82 and 1982-83 with Eastern Mennonite VA) supplied three doubles among his four hits against the Seattle Mariners in 1988.

  • San Diego Padres OF Will Venable (All-Ivy League first-team selection as junior and second-team choice as senior averaged 9.3 ppg under Princeton coach John Thompson III from 2001-02 through 2004-05) went 4-for-4 in a 4-2 win against the Chicago White Sox in 2014.

  • Washington Senators RHP Monte Weaver (played center for Emory & Henry VA in mid-1920s) posted his fifth triumph of the month en route to eight straight victories in 1934.