On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on May 9 MLB Games

May 9th, 2015 - 8:46

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 9 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

MAY 9

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) clobbered two homers against the Chicago Cubs in 1961.

  • In his final game with the California Angels, DH Bruce Bochte (starting forward for Santa Clara's NCAA playoff team in 1969-70) collected four hits in a 5-3 win against the Kansas City Royals in 1977.

  • New York Giants 2B Andy Cohen (Alabama letterman in 1924 and 1925) cracked a leadoff homer but they wound up losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2, in 1929.

  • Houston Astros LHP Danny Coombs (Seton Hall's third-leading scorer and rebounder as sophomore in 1961-62) tossed his lone MLB shutout (two-hitter against the Montreal Expos in 1970).

  • St. Louis Cardinals CF Taylor Douthit (California letterman from 1922 through 1924) stroked four hits against the Boston Braves in 1930.

  • Hall of Fame C Rick Ferrell (played for Guilford NC in mid-1920s) traded by the St. Louis Browns to the Boston Red Sox in 1933.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 3B Lee Handley (Bradley letterman from 1932-33 through 1934-35) banged out four hits against the Boston Braves in 1938.

  • Cleveland Indians 1B Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State letterman) supplied five RBI against the Oakland Athletics in 1982.

  • Atlanta Braves RF David Justice (led Thomas More KY in assists in 1984-85) collected two homers and five RBI against the Colorado Rockies in 1993.

  • St. Louis Cardinals CF Lynn King (All-Missouri Valley Conference second-team selection with Drake from 1928-29 through 1930-31) collected a career-high three hits against the Chicago Cubs in 1936.

  • Wally Moon (averaged 4.3 ppg with Texas A&M in 1948-49 and 1949-50) reached base in his first six pinch-hit appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1965.

  • C Cal Neeman (Illinois Wesleyan's leading scorer in 1947-48 and 1948-49) purchased from the Philadelphia Phillies by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1962.

  • INF-OF Mel Roach (averaged 9.3 ppg in 1952-53 in Virginia's final season prior to helping form ACC) traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the Chicago Cubs for OF-INF Frank Thomas in 1961.

  • In his first game outside of New York City, Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) collected two hits and scored two runs in a 6-5 loss at Philadelphia in 1947.

  • RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Missouri in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) homered for the Cleveland Indians in the nightcap of a 1965 doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Eric Stults (played for 1999 NAIA D-II Tournament runner-up and 2000 NCCAA Tournament titlist with Bethel IN) fired a four-hit shutout against the San Francisco Giants in 2009.