On This Date: Former College Hoopers Providing MLB Headlines on April 25

April 25th, 2023 - 8:27

Extra! Extra! Instead of analyzing departures of cable TV anchors Tucker Carlson (Fox News) and Don Lemon (CNN), you can read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Small colleges from seven different Southern states (three from North Carolina) - Campbell NC, Centenary LA, Fayetteville State NC, Guilford NC, Morehouse GA, Spring Hill AL, Thomas More KY, Virginia Union and West Liberty WV - supplied former hoopers making MLB news on this date. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 25 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 25

  • New York Yankees P Jim Beattie (Dartmouth's top rebounder in 1974-75 when selected basketball team MVP and honorable mention All-Ivy League) won his MLB debut in 1978 (4-3 against Baltimore Orioles).

  • Chicago Cubs 2B Glenn Beckert (three-year hoops letterman for Allegheny PA) banged out four hits against the Houston Astros in a 1970 game.

  • Texas Rangers RHP Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC backup player and brother of UCLA All-American Henry Bibby) tossed a four-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox in 1974.

  • Detroit Tigers 2B Frank Bolling (averaged 7.3 ppg for Spring Hill AL in 1950-51) collected four hits and four RBI against the Cleveland Indians in a 1954 contest.

  • In a 1969 game, Montreal Expos 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman with Morehouse GA) contributed four hits against his original team (Pittsburgh Pirates).

  • Two weeks after helping the Boston Celtics capture the 1961 NBA title, RHP Gene Conley (All-PCC first-team selection led North Division in scoring in 1949-50 as Washington State sophomore) earned his first A.L. victory (6-1 for Boston Red Sox over Washington Senators).

  • Cleveland Indians RF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union team winning 1943 CIAA title) tied MLB record by striking out five times in a single game (at Detroit in 1948).

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Tommy Herr (hooper with Delaware's freshman team in 1974-75) stroked a triple in his fourth consecutive contest in 1981.

  • LF David Justice (led Thomas More KY in assists in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg) twice went deep for the Cleveland Indians as they hit a team-record eight homers in an 11-4 triumph over the Milwaukee Brewers in 1997.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Fred Kipp (two-time all-league selection as four-year hoops letterman for Emporia State KS from 1950 through 1953) won his first MLB start (5-3 against St. Louis Cardinals in 1958).

  • New York Giants CF Hank Leiber (Arizona hooper in 1931) supplied five RBI against the Boston Braves in a 1936 contest.

  • Only 14 games into the 1982 season, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner fired manager Bob Lemon and replaced him with Gene Michael (Kent State's leading scorer with 14 ppg in 1957-58), the man Lemon succeeded the previous September.

  • 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) put the Minnesota Twins ahead with a three-run pinch homer in the eighth inning but they wound up losing at Chicago, 6-5, in 1969.

  • RHP Joe Niekro (averaged 8.9 ppg and 3.8 rpg for West Liberty WV from 1963-64 through 1965-66) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the San Diego Padres in 1969.

  • Minnesota Twins RHP Jim Perry (averaged more than 20 ppg in late 1950s for former juco Campbell) fired a four-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox in 1972.

  • RHP Dick Radatz (center on Michigan State's freshman hoops squad in 1955-56) traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be designated in 1967.

  • En route to hitting safely in seven of his first nine pinch-hit appearances with the San Diego Padres, utilityman Gary Sutherland (averaged 7.4 ppg with USC in 1963-64) socked a homer against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977.

  • Atlanta Braves RHP Cecil Upshaw (Centenary's leading scorer as junior in 1962-63) secured his fifth relief victory in the first month of 1971 campaign.

  • St. Louis Browns LHP Tom Zachary (hoops letterman for Guilford NC in 1916) went 3-for-3 at the plate in 1926 game against the Cleveland Indians.