Eastern Michigan Athletics
Baseball Set to Welcome Back 1975 and 1976 Teams Friday Night
5/10/2016 5:17:00 PM | Baseball
The teams recorded back-to-back College World Series appearances
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Members of 1975 and 1976 Eastern Michigan University baseball teams which advanced to the College World Series are scheduled to return to campus this weekend and be honored prior to the Eagles' game against Northern Illinois University on Friday, May 13, at 6 p.m. inside Oestrike Stadium. Admission to the game is free.
The anniversary celebration is slated to feature at least 12 members from those teams including: Craig Fraser, Glenn Gulliver, Jerry Keller, Michael Lauerman, James Luckhardt, John Martin, Bob Owchinko, John Schmeling, Danny Schmitz, Jay Traver, Jeffery Washington and Bob Visthum.
Prior to Eastern Michigan's runs to the College World Series in 1975 and 1976, only two other Mid-American Conference schools (Ohio University and Western Michigan University) had ever advanced to the national tournament. Kent State's trip to the Super Regional and CWS in 2012 marked the first time a MAC team has made into that phase of the tournament since the NCAA introduced the format in 1999.
Besides the special pregame ceremonies on May 13, a variety of other events will take place during the weekend. On Friday, the team will host its annual golf outing with an 8:30 a.m. start at the Polo Fields-Washtenaw. Then on Saturday, May 14, EMU baseball will be doing its military appreciation game with a 3 p.m. first pitch. Rounding out the weekend, will be Senior Day festivities on Sunday prior to the 1 p.m. scheduled first pitch against the Huskies.
For more information about the anniversary reunion or any of the weekend events, contact EMU Baseball Director of Operations Derrick Vergolini at dvergoli@emich.edu or call 734.487.1985.
The 1976 Eagles steamrolled their opponents to the tune of a 46-16 record and a 12-3 ledger for first place in the MAC. That season, the Green and White featured a lineup full of major-league talent including the pitching duo of Owchinko and Bob Welch. Owchinko and Welch alone combined for 23 wins against just six losses. Both hurlers ended up becoming first-round draft selections, as Owchinko was the No. 5 pick by the San Diego Padres in 1976 and Welch the 20th by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977.
Seven additional members of the College World Series squad were taken in Major League drafts from 1976-78 including Gulliver (eighth round, 1976), Keller (10th round, 1976), Thomas Boutin (39th round, 1976), Ted Dasen (20th round, 1977), Schmitz (20th round, 1977), Bud Yanus (24th round, 1978; 25th round, 1979) and Martin (27th round, 1978).
Gulliver achieved NCAA Division I All-American status to become the fourth player in EMU history at that time to receive the accolade. In 1976, the Eagles' shortstop paced the team with a .392 batting average and added 10 homers, seven triples, three doubles, 55 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Gulliver still holds the school record for career walks with 140.
Owchinko, a 1976 NCAA Division I Academic All-American selection, led the Eastern Michigan pitching staff with a sparkling 14-3 record and a 1.99 ERA. In 16 starts, Owchinko amassed 13 complete games for a total of 135.2 innings. His 309-career strikeouts are tops at EMU and his 29-career wins are second in EMU annals.
Welch, the 1990 National League Cy Young award winner with the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitched his way to a team-best 1.82 ERA in 1976 along with a 10-3 record. He posted eight complete games in 12 starts and recorded five shutouts to lead an Eagles team which boasted a 3.38 ERA and 10 shutouts. Welch pitched a no-hitter in a 4-0 win over Central Michigan University, April 23, and a perfect game against the University of Detroit Mercy, May 23.
As a team, the Eagles put four members on the All-MAC first team and a pair on the Academic All-MAC squad. EMU players broke or tied 30 school career or single-season records.
Following a successful 1975 season in which legendary Head Coach Ron Oestrike's club placed fifth at the College World Series, the Eagles were poised for another run at a national title. EMU cruised through the regular season with a 40-13 record and trounced MAC opponents by a combined score of 98-46 over 15 games. The Green and White also went a combined 8-0 in games against the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
As the top seed entering the Mid-East Regional, Eastern Michigan opened the postseason on its home turf at Oestrike Stadium. Game one's opponent was a familiar foe in the Wolverines. As they had all season, the Eagles handled Michigan to the tune of a 6-0 score. Dasen knocked in a trio of runs and Owchinko won his 11th game of the year. EMU then faced a formidable Illinois State University squad in the second contest. The game was scoreless until the Eagles scored three times in the top of the ninth to get past the Redbirds, 3-0.
Looking for a sweep in the Regional, EMU once again took on Michigan. This time, the Wolverines put up a fight with a six-run ninth inning to break up a 3-3 tie. The 9-3 defeat set up a winner-take-all situation. In the final game, the Eagles shut the door, 6-0, as Owchinko continued his mastery over Michigan and propelled his team back into the World Series with a three-hit shutout performance.
The 1976 College World Series opened, June 11, in Omaha, Neb. where the Eagles edged out a 3-2 triumph over the University of Maine. Owchinko and Welch combined to limit Maine to two runs on seven hits, while a 3-for-4, two-run day from Schmitz led EMU to the win. The Eagles then won a second 3-2 game, this time in 10 innings, over Clemson University and another against Arizona State University by a score of 2-1 to put Eastern Michigan in the finals against the University of Arizona.
In game one against the Wildcats, EMU scored a run in the seventh inning to tie the game, 6-6. That score held until the eighth inning, when Arizona broke out for five runs and held on for an 11-6 victory. Needing a win in the second game to extend the best-of-three series, Eastern Michigan could not muster enough offense to stay competitive with an Arizona team which carried a 7-0 lead into the ninth inning. EMU scored one run in its last at-bat, but fell, 7-1, to claim second place.
The anniversary celebration is slated to feature at least 12 members from those teams including: Craig Fraser, Glenn Gulliver, Jerry Keller, Michael Lauerman, James Luckhardt, John Martin, Bob Owchinko, John Schmeling, Danny Schmitz, Jay Traver, Jeffery Washington and Bob Visthum.
Prior to Eastern Michigan's runs to the College World Series in 1975 and 1976, only two other Mid-American Conference schools (Ohio University and Western Michigan University) had ever advanced to the national tournament. Kent State's trip to the Super Regional and CWS in 2012 marked the first time a MAC team has made into that phase of the tournament since the NCAA introduced the format in 1999.
Besides the special pregame ceremonies on May 13, a variety of other events will take place during the weekend. On Friday, the team will host its annual golf outing with an 8:30 a.m. start at the Polo Fields-Washtenaw. Then on Saturday, May 14, EMU baseball will be doing its military appreciation game with a 3 p.m. first pitch. Rounding out the weekend, will be Senior Day festivities on Sunday prior to the 1 p.m. scheduled first pitch against the Huskies.
For more information about the anniversary reunion or any of the weekend events, contact EMU Baseball Director of Operations Derrick Vergolini at dvergoli@emich.edu or call 734.487.1985.
The 1976 Eagles steamrolled their opponents to the tune of a 46-16 record and a 12-3 ledger for first place in the MAC. That season, the Green and White featured a lineup full of major-league talent including the pitching duo of Owchinko and Bob Welch. Owchinko and Welch alone combined for 23 wins against just six losses. Both hurlers ended up becoming first-round draft selections, as Owchinko was the No. 5 pick by the San Diego Padres in 1976 and Welch the 20th by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977.
Seven additional members of the College World Series squad were taken in Major League drafts from 1976-78 including Gulliver (eighth round, 1976), Keller (10th round, 1976), Thomas Boutin (39th round, 1976), Ted Dasen (20th round, 1977), Schmitz (20th round, 1977), Bud Yanus (24th round, 1978; 25th round, 1979) and Martin (27th round, 1978).
Gulliver achieved NCAA Division I All-American status to become the fourth player in EMU history at that time to receive the accolade. In 1976, the Eagles' shortstop paced the team with a .392 batting average and added 10 homers, seven triples, three doubles, 55 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Gulliver still holds the school record for career walks with 140.
Owchinko, a 1976 NCAA Division I Academic All-American selection, led the Eastern Michigan pitching staff with a sparkling 14-3 record and a 1.99 ERA. In 16 starts, Owchinko amassed 13 complete games for a total of 135.2 innings. His 309-career strikeouts are tops at EMU and his 29-career wins are second in EMU annals.
Welch, the 1990 National League Cy Young award winner with the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitched his way to a team-best 1.82 ERA in 1976 along with a 10-3 record. He posted eight complete games in 12 starts and recorded five shutouts to lead an Eagles team which boasted a 3.38 ERA and 10 shutouts. Welch pitched a no-hitter in a 4-0 win over Central Michigan University, April 23, and a perfect game against the University of Detroit Mercy, May 23.
As a team, the Eagles put four members on the All-MAC first team and a pair on the Academic All-MAC squad. EMU players broke or tied 30 school career or single-season records.
Following a successful 1975 season in which legendary Head Coach Ron Oestrike's club placed fifth at the College World Series, the Eagles were poised for another run at a national title. EMU cruised through the regular season with a 40-13 record and trounced MAC opponents by a combined score of 98-46 over 15 games. The Green and White also went a combined 8-0 in games against the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
As the top seed entering the Mid-East Regional, Eastern Michigan opened the postseason on its home turf at Oestrike Stadium. Game one's opponent was a familiar foe in the Wolverines. As they had all season, the Eagles handled Michigan to the tune of a 6-0 score. Dasen knocked in a trio of runs and Owchinko won his 11th game of the year. EMU then faced a formidable Illinois State University squad in the second contest. The game was scoreless until the Eagles scored three times in the top of the ninth to get past the Redbirds, 3-0.
Looking for a sweep in the Regional, EMU once again took on Michigan. This time, the Wolverines put up a fight with a six-run ninth inning to break up a 3-3 tie. The 9-3 defeat set up a winner-take-all situation. In the final game, the Eagles shut the door, 6-0, as Owchinko continued his mastery over Michigan and propelled his team back into the World Series with a three-hit shutout performance.
The 1976 College World Series opened, June 11, in Omaha, Neb. where the Eagles edged out a 3-2 triumph over the University of Maine. Owchinko and Welch combined to limit Maine to two runs on seven hits, while a 3-for-4, two-run day from Schmitz led EMU to the win. The Eagles then won a second 3-2 game, this time in 10 innings, over Clemson University and another against Arizona State University by a score of 2-1 to put Eastern Michigan in the finals against the University of Arizona.
In game one against the Wildcats, EMU scored a run in the seventh inning to tie the game, 6-6. That score held until the eighth inning, when Arizona broke out for five runs and held on for an 11-6 victory. Needing a win in the second game to extend the best-of-three series, Eastern Michigan could not muster enough offense to stay competitive with an Arizona team which carried a 7-0 lead into the ninth inning. EMU scored one run in its last at-bat, but fell, 7-1, to claim second place.
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