The Way We Were: Hoopers On Previous LSU/Stanford/WFU CWS Squads
June 13th, 2023 - 21:52
Did you know MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Eppa Rixey (Virginia) and All-Star Game selections Joe Adcock (LSU) and Alvin Dark (LSU) were former college hoopers? In an era of specialization, two-way athletes are becoming a dying breed. In the "good old days," a surprising number of players appeared in College World Series after also participating in basketball for their school.
Overall top seed Wake Forest, outscoring the opposition 75-18 in CWS competition this year entering Omaha, had an All-ACC hooper hurl a shutout in 1955 when the Deacons captured the national championship. Sports history buffs might want to know that Wake and two of the other seven 2023 CWS participants - LSU and Stanford - had the following hoopers on previous CWS rosters:
| Baseball-Basketball Player | School (CWS Finish) | Baseball Summary | Basketball Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alton "Tunney" Brooks | Wake Forest (1949/2nd) | Catcher was two-sport captain hitting .333 two years later in 1951. | Averaged 5.2 ppg in 1948-49 before finishing runner-up to high-scoring Dickie Hemric in 1951-52 with 11.6 ppg. |
| Lowell "Lefty" Davis | Wake Forest (1955/1st) | Pitcher compiled a 10-1 record, hurling a shutout vs. Northern Colorado for NCAA champion. | Illinois native was second-leading scorer with 19.3 ppg as an All-ACC selection for the second of three times. |
| Don DeLong | Stanford (1953/T5th) | Two-year letterman. | Averaged 5.2 ppg under combo coach Everett Dean. |
| Charlie Kersh | Wake Forest (1949/2nd) | Described as center fielder who "glided across the outfield." | Averaged 4.1 ppg in 1948-49 en route to finishing career in 1950-51 with 7.6 ppg. |
| Ben McDonald | Louisiana State (1987/4th) | In what certainly ranks as one of the most dramatic endings in CWS history, Paul Carey hit an opposite-field grand slam in bottom of 10th inning off fellow freshman to give Stanford a 6-5 triumph. Two years later, McDonald allowed 11 earned runs in outings vs. Texas, giving him four defeats in CWS competition before becoming first overall pick in MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. | The 6-7 forward averaged 2.8 ppg in 1986-87 under coach Dale Brown, starting six outings with a high of 13 points vs. Auburn. He did not play hoops in 1988-89. |
| Lyle Mouton | Louisiana State (1989/T3rd, 1990/2nd and 1991/1st) | Named to All-Tournament Team in 1990 (DH) and 1991 (OF). Smacked two homers for eventual titlist in CWS opener vs. Florida in 1991. | Averaged 8.2 ppg and 3.2 rpg in 1988-89 as a sophomore, starting in backcourt with All-American Chris Jackson when LSU lost to UTEP in NCAA tourney West Regional. Did not play hoops in 1989-90 and 1990-91. |
| Alan Talboy | Stanford (1953/T5th) | Two-year letterman. | Appeared in five games under combo coach Everett Dean. |