On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make News on June 15 MLB Games

June 15th, 2020 - 8:17

Extra! Extra! If spittin' mad regarding COVID-19 season postponement and ineffectual negotiations commencing campaign, 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.

Darrell Evans, a former J.C. hooper for Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian, owned this date in MLB games with outstanding offensive outputs for the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers. Ex-Washington State hoopers Gene Conley and Jack Spring also made news as MLB pitchers. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 15 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 15

  • Los Angeles Angels 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) homered in his fourth consecutive contest in 1964.

  • LF-1B Harry Anderson (averaged 7.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg for West Chester PA in 1951-52) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Cincinnati Reds in 1960.

  • LF Morrie Arnovich (Wisconsin-Superior hooper in early 1930s) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Cincinnati Reds in 1940.

  • OF Frankie Baumholtz (MVP in 1941 NIT and first player in Ohio University history to score 1,000 points in career) traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Chicago Cubs in 1949.

  • In 1935, Cleveland Indians 2B Bosey Berger (Maryland's first hoops All-American led Southern Conference in scoring in league competition in 1930-31) provided two extra-base hits, triggering a 16-game hitting streak.

  • Cleveland Indians SS Lou Boudreau (leading scorer for Illinois' 1937 Big Ten Conference co-champion) supplied three extra-base hits against the St. Louis Browns in 1945. Two years later in the midst of his career-high 19-game hitting streak, Boudreau doubled in fourth consecutive contest in 1947.

  • RHP Ben Callahan (two-time All-Carolinas Conference selection for Catawba NC averaged 16.7 ppg from 1976-77 through 1978-79) traded by New York Yankees to Oakland Athletics in 1983.

  • 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman for Morehouse GA) traded by the Montreal Expos to the New York Mets in 1969. Four years earlier with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Clendenon hammered two homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1965 outing.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) manufactured four hits against the Detroit Tigers in a 1930 contest.

  • Cleveland Indians RHP Vince Colbert (averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg for East Carolina in 1966-67 and 1967-68) tossed a five-hit shutout against the California Angels in 1972.

  • Boston Red Sox RHP Gene Conley (All-PCC first-team selection led North Division in scoring in 1949-50 as Washington State sophomore) fired a six-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers in 1962.

  • In 1931, the St. Louis Cardinals, in a move making room for Pepper Martin, traded CF Taylor Douthit (California hoops letterman from 1922 through 1924) to the Cincinnati Reds for OF Wally Roettger (Illinois hoops letterman in 1921-22 and 1922-23) in a swap one day after Douthit stroked seven straight hits in a doubleheader sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • San Francisco Giants 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) socked three homers for six RBI in a 7-1 triumph against the Houston Astros in 1983. Two years later in a 1985 outing with the Detroit Tigers, Evans went 5-for-5 against the New York Yankees. In 1973 as an Atlanta Braves 3B, Evans homered in his third consecutive contest.

  • Detroit Tigers OF Hoot Evers (hoops starter for Illinois in 1939-40) had his 19-game hitting streak snapped by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1950.

  • C-OF Joe Ferguson (hooper for Pacific's 1967 NCAA playoff team) traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1976.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Boo Ferriss (Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1941) toiled 14 innings to improve his mark to 9-1 in 1945.

  • INF Jake Flowers (hooper for 1923 "Flying Pentagon" championship squad for Washington College MD) awarded on waivers from the Brooklyn Robins to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1931.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie 1B Dick Gernert (Temple hoops letterman in 1948-49 when averaging 2.7 ppg) launched a decisive homer in a 3-2 triumph against the Chicago White Sox in the nightcap of a 1952 twinbill.

  • Cleveland Indians 1B Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State hoops letterman) stroked three doubles against the Minnesota Twins in a 1980 game.

  • 1B Gary Holle (Siena's scoring and rebounding leader in 1974-75 and 1975-76) traded by the Texas Rangers to the Chicago White Sox in 1979.

  • Atlanta Braves RF David Justice (Thomas More KY assists leader in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg) jacked two homers against the Colorado Rockies in a 1994 contest.

  • In 1969, Chicago Cubs SS Don Kessinger (three-time All-SEC selection for Ole Miss from 1961-62 through 1963-64 while finishing among the nation's top 45 scorers each year) established a N.L. record with his 54th consecutive errorless game to start a season.

  • Cleveland Indians 1B Ray Knode (hooper for Maryland in 1918-19) contributed four hits against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1925 outing.

  • OF Joe Lahoud (New Haven CT hoops letterman in mid-1960s) purchased from the California Angels by the Texas Rangers in 1976.

  • SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF Gino Cimoli in 1961.

  • Oakland Athletics 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) collected three extra-base hits and seven RBI against the Toronto Blue Jays in a 1983 contest.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in early 1920s) notched his ninth straight complete-game victory in 1927. Lyons' two-run triple in the eighth inning broke a 4-4 deadlock against the Philadelphia Athletics.

  • OF Bake McBride (averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg in 21 games with Westminster MO in 1968-69 and 1969-70) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1977. McBride went on to hit .339 the remainder of the season for Philly.

  • Chicago White Sox RF Danny Moeller (captain of Millikin IL hoops squad in 1905-06) delivered four hits against the Cleveland Indians in a 1914 game.

  • RHP Gary Neibauer (collected 13 points and 9 rebounds in 16 games for Nebraska in 1964-65 under coach Joe Cipriano) traded by the Atlanta Braves to Philadelphia Phillies in 1972.

  • Chicago Cubs RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD hoops guard for two years in mid-1930s) stroked two triples against the Boston Braves in a 1940 contest.

  • INF Johnny O'Brien (two-time All-American with Seattle was first college player to crack 1,000-point plateau in a single season when scoring 1,051 in 37 games in 1951-52) traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with 3B Gene Freese (hoops captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team for West Liberty WV) to the St. Louis Cardinals for SS Dick Schofield and cash in 1958.

  • LHP Joe Ostrowski (led Scranton PA in scoring with 15.1 ppg in 1942-43) traded by the St. Louis Browns to the New York Yankees in 1950.

  • RHP Dick Radatz (center on Michigan State's freshman hoops squad in 1955-56) purchased from the Detroit Tigers by the Montreal Expos in 1969.

  • RHP Steve Renko (averaged 9.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg as Kansas sophomore in 1963-64) traded by the New York Mets to the Montreal Expos in 1969.

  • Detroit Tigers RHP Jeff Robinson (two-time NAIA All-District 3 honoree in early 1980s left Azusa Pacific CA as school's No. 9 all-time scorer) won his seventh straight decision with a five-hit shutout against the Baltimore Orioles in 1988.

  • Minnesota Twins rookie LHP Garry Roggenburk (Dayton scoring leader all three seasons from 1959-60 through 1961-62 grabbed school-record 32 rebounds in his third varsity game en route to pacing Flyers in rebounding first two years) lost his first MLB start in 1963 after going scoreless in previous eight outings as a reliever.

  • OF Richie Scheinblum (averaged 6.1 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 1962-63 and 1963-64 with LIU-C.W. Post) traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the California Angels for two players to be designated in 1973.

  • RHP Don Schwall (All-Big Seven Conference second-team selection as sophomore in 1956-57 when leading Oklahoma in rebounding) traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Atlanta Braves for P Billy O'Dell in 1966.

  • In 1959, Detroit Tigers RHP Dave Sisler (All-Ivy League second-team selection for Princeton's first NCAA Tournament team in 1952) posted his fourth save in as many relief appearances in a nine-day span.

  • RHP Jack Spring (freshman hooper for Washington State in 1951-52) traded with OF Lou Brock by the Chicago Cubs to St. Louis Cardinals in 1964.

  • 2B Wayne Terwilliger (two-year letterman for Western Michigan averaged 5.6 ppg in his final season in 1947-48) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Brooklyn Dodgers in an eight-player swap in 1951.

  • 1B-OF Preston Ward (second-leading scorer for Southwest Missouri State in 1946-47 and 1948-49) traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Kansas City Athletics in 1958.

  • C Sammy White (All-PCC Northern Division first-five selection for Washington in 1947-48) purchased from the Boston Red Sox by the Milwaukee Braves in 1961.