On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make News on May 31 MLB Games

May 31st, 2020 - 9:46

Extra! Extra! If spittin' mad regarding COVID-19 season postponement, you have time to read news 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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Current SEC members Louisiana State (Joe Adcock and Lyle Mouton), Mississippi (Joe Gibbon), Mississippi State (Boo Ferriss), Missouri (Sonny Siebert) plus Texas A&M (Beau Bell) featured former hoopers providing significant MLB performances on this date. 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 a 1956 contest.

  • 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 hoops 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.

  • San Francisco Giants 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered in his third consecutive contest in 1983.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Boo Ferriss (Mississippi State hoops 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 LHP Bill Henry (hoops letterman for Houston's 1947 NAIA Tournament team featuring co-captain Guy Lewis) hurled his second of two MLB shutouts (nightcap of 1954 doubleheader against Philadelphia Athletics) before becoming a reliever majority of career.

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

  • St. Louis Browns SS Billy Hunter (multi-sport athlete for Indiana PA post-WWII) went 7-for-9 in a 1953 doubleheader split against the Chicago White Sox.

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

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

  • 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 freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach to Washburn KS) stroked three doubles against the San Francisco Giants in a 1979 outing.

  • Boston Red Sox 1B Tony Lupien (Harvard hoops captain in 1938-39) provided four hits against the St. Louis Browns in the nightcap of a 1943 twinbill. 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 a 1952 game.

  • OF Lyle Mouton (starter in Louisiana State's backcourt with All-American Chris Jackson for 1989 NCAA playoff team) mashed two homers for eventual NCAA champion in 1991 College World Series opener against Florida.

  • New York Giants RF Dave Robertson (one of two reserves on North Carolina State's first basketball team in 1911) went 5-for-7 in 1915 twinbill split against the Brooklyn Robins.

  • 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 hoops selection in 1981-82 and 1982-83 with Eastern Mennonite VA) supplied three doubles among his four hits against the Seattle Mariners in a 1988 contest.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Missouri in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) hurled his second of back-to-back five-hit shutouts in 1974.

  • 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.

  • RF John Wathan (averaged 3.7 ppg in 11 games for San Diego in 1968-69) put the Kansas City Royals in front to stay with a three-run, inside-the-park homer in a 6-4 win against the Chicago White Sox in 1980.

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

  • Chicago Cubs RHP Zip Zabel (premier hooper for Baker KS from 1913 to 1915) hurled a five-hit, complete-game victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. He was in midst of compiling a 0.95 ERA in eight-game span covering 47 1/3 innings following his 1914 season debut.