Memory game....

[maroonmania]

I'm trying to go by memory to see if I can remember the position players, weekend starters and closer for arguably the 2 best MSU baseball teams of all times 1985 & 1989. Here goes:

1985:

C - Roarke McDonald
1B - Will Clark
2B - Gator Thiesen
SS - Frank ?
3B - John Scott
LF - Rafael Palmeiro
CF - Dan Van Cleve
RF - Bobby Thigpen
DH - John Mitchell

P - Jeff Brantley
P - Gene Morgan
P - Steve King?
C - Bobby Thigpen

1989:

C - Barry Swinford
1B - Tommy Raffo
2B - Burke Masters
SS - Brad Hildreth
3B - Pete Young
LF - John Cohen
CF - Jody Hurst
RF - Tracy Echols or Ron Swinford or Richie Grayum?
DH - Tracy Echols or Richie Grayum?

P - Bobby Reed
P - Chris George
P - Tracy Jobes?
C - Pete Young

Both of those teams were awesome and I enjoyed watching both. 85 team definitely had the best individual players while the 89 team was the best we ever had up and down the lineup and I believe won 58 games. Can any of you walking MSU baseball dictionaries clear up my question marks? Some of the guys on the 89 team I believe did move around some between the OF and DH.

 

[maroonmania]

I'm trying to go by memory to see if I can remember the position players, weekend starters and closer for arguably the 2 best MSU baseball teams of all times 1985 & 1989. Here goes:

1985:

C - Roarke McDonald
1B - Will Clark
2B - Gator Thiesen
SS - Frank ?
3B - John Scott
LF - Rafael Palmeiro
CF - Dan Van Cleve
RF - Bobby Thigpen
DH - John Mitchell

P - Jeff Brantley
P - Gene Morgan
P - Steve King?
C - Bobby Thigpen

1989:

C - Barry Swinford
1B - Tommy Raffo
2B - Burke Masters
SS - Brad Hildreth
3B - Pete Young
LF - John Cohen
CF - Jody Hurst
RF - Tracy Echols or Ron Swinford or Richie Grayum?
DH - Tracy Echols or Richie Grayum?

P - Bobby Reed
P - Chris George
P - Tracy Jobes?
C - Pete Young

Both of those teams were awesome and I enjoyed watching both. 85 team definitely had the best individual players while the 89 team was the best we ever had up and down the lineup and I believe won 58 games. Can any of you walking MSU baseball dictionaries clear up my question marks? Some of the guys on the 89 team I believe did move around some between the OF and DH.

 

[Shmuley]

nm

 

[thrill1]

was the '85 shortstop.

 

[8dog]

grayum at DH. Ron Winford didn't play much.

didn't Shave get some time at 2B?

 

[Faustdog]

Didn't Echols have to sit out a year because of grades and then come back? Winford, Hildreth, and Hurst were childhood hero's that I haven't thought about in a long, long time.

 

[Coach34]

Didn't Echols have to sit out a year because of grades and then come back? Winford, Hildreth, and Hurst were childhood hero's that I haven't thought about in a long, long time.

</p>yeah he did. Tracy was never one to be motivated in the classroom, even when we were in elementary. I wished he had worked harder. He always had it so easy growing up, it became a detriment to him later on. He hit the longest HR off me in Little League baseball history

 

[maroonmania]

that's him, thanks.

 

[MagnificentBastard]

Shave came into to play 2nd when Pete Young moved to pitcher. Masters would move from 2nd to 3rd.

 

[maroonmania]

I think you are right. The primary 2B for the 89 team was Shave. Seems he got much more time there than Masters. I believe in 90, after Hildreth graduated, Shave played another year and moved to SS and Masters got full time 2B. At least that's the way I'm remembering it now.

 

[8dog]

Masters went to 3B and Scott Mitchell played 2B.

 

[FlabLoser]

At one time, I had a set of baseball cards for this team. Prolly still have it somewhere. Wonder what that would be worth.

 

[Dawgslife]

My senior year at State. I remember Dan Van Cleve as the leadoff guy and Will and Raffy swapping the 3 and 4 spot. I also thought Bubby batted 5th. I have a lineup from the World Series that year somewhere. I also had a set of those baseball cards, but my 14-year old son stole them from me.

 

[maroonmania]

for the list to indicate batting order. Just trying to go around the positions and name who was the primary player at each position for what I consider the two best MSU baseball teams ever. I believe those 2 teams are still the only MSU teams to win 50 or more games in a season. There may have been one year since that we've done that but I don't think so.

 

[bulldogcountry1]

i always thought he'd surface as a head coaching prospect eventually.

 

[swdawgfan]

Did it break a car window. If it did then I saw it. I was playing minor league ball at the time. Tracy and my older sister grew up together.

 

[Goat Holder]

and I think Jim Robinson was the catcher, but that may have been in '90. Along with David and Scott Mitchell in the lineup. I've still got the signed baseball cards of all them boys.

My most memorable is '90 and '97.

 

[Goat Holder]

nm

 

[8dog]

You are thinking of Chuck Holly. Robinson was the 90 catcher, but not the 89 catcher. The Mitchells didn't crack the lineup until 90.

 

[swdawgfan]

nm

 

[Stansfield]

I remember in 1927 during prohibition when Greg Freehauser was playing ss and they moved Dan Shinklebreaker to 3B which replaced Billy McShuckles to 1b. We were roasting a suckling pig in the back of our model T and I remember coach Hefferjohns took three steps to the left at exactly 3:07 P.M. and that's when Mike Johanson from the Louisiana Aggies hit a grounder past 2B Kevin Dohardy. The ball took a 47 degree trajectory and the wind was blowing from the south west at 12 knots. The moon was in the quadrant of saggitarius. They charged an error to Dohardy and our era was 4.987. Our pitcher, Jack "Bully" Handlebaum went on to strike out the rest of the batters. His moustache had a wingspan of 6 inches. We were such great fans that everyone of us in left field lounge gave each blade of grass on the field a nickname. Since there was no "legal" alcohol allowed we made our own hootch out of potatoes that we grew where the right field deck is now. I can't tell you what I had for lunch yesterday, but I can still tell you the batting average of every player on that 27' team. Those were the good ole days.

 

[Goat Holder]

getting autographs in 1990 during a regional or something, falling off the dugout. Whole team signed a ball and gave it to him if I remember correctly. I hated that kid and didn't even know him.

Oh yeah, thanks LT or NCAA or whoever for not letting kids on the dugout anymore!!

 

[Shmuley]

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[Coach34]

Did it break a car window. If it did then I saw it. I was playing minor league ball at the time. Tracy and my older sister grew up together.

</p>He hit it over the tree in CF, over the road, and into the middle of the YMCA pool parking lot. I was 10, he was 12, and we had known each other awhile. I was giving him the the unitentional intentional walk with the bases loaded to force in a run to get the next guy. My dad screams out of the dugout for me to pitch to him. The next pitch became legendary for a 12 yr old. Last hit he ever got off me.

Facing him and Pete Young when they played for the 96'ers was no picnic either.

 

[Shmuley]

pitches by me in the South State Tourney at McComb that I never saw. The fastest at bat in the history of the tournament.

Echols hit a bomb off my best friend that is the farthest hit HR I witnessed in person. Estimated to be 500 feet.

 

[Coach34]

I got to face them twice the summer before they went to State. They played for the 96'ers, I was on the Jr team. Not sure why, but Pete got offended when I called him the "300 pound shortstop". I was closing, Tracy led off, Pete batted 3rd. Got tracy, but Pete almost took my damn head off with a line drive, missing it by about 6 inches. He was talking **** from first after it. I got the last laugh with the save though.

But damn Pete could swing the bat. It was impressive to watch.

 

[CuzDawg]

and 8dog is correct, Masters moved to 3b in '90

 

[lake3dawg]

nm