Orange Coast College

Baseball: Pirates to honor first-ever team on Saturday

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

COSTA MESA -- The current will celebrate the past as the Orange Coast College baseball team will recognize the school's first-ever baseball team prior to Saturday's noon baseball game between the Pirates and the Fullerton College Hornets.

OCC's inaugural team celebrated its 60th anniversary this year and members from that 1948-49 squad will be in attendance on Saturday. A pregame announcement, honoring these pioneers to Coast baseball will commence prior to the first pitch between the Pirates and Hornets.

"One of the best qualities OCC has is its ability to not only remember the past, but to celebrate the past," Pirates head coach John Altobelli said. "Hopefully, these former players for Coast will share some stories with our current players so they can get a perspective on how much this college and its baseball team meant and still means to them after all of these years."

That first year, the 1948-49 baseball team was predicted by several to reside near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. With just 13 players, expectations were low, but coach Wendell Pickens inspired this overachieving squad throughout the season. After beating conference kingpin Fullerton in the first round of EC play on the road, the Pirates made it 2-for-2 against the Hornets, beating them in the last game of the regular season at OCC for the Eastern Conference championship.

MEMBERS OF THE 1948-49 PIRATES

Wendell Pickens -- Head Coach
Jim Combs -- Manager
Howard Henning -- Pitcher, Shortstop
Kenny Moats -- Catcher
Bill Ramsey -- First Base
Ralph "Frog" Freitag -- Second Base
Floyd Parsons -- Third Base
Jule "Bunky" Marshall -- Shortstop, Pitcher
Eddie Savin -- Left Field
Boyd "Boggie" Horrell -- Center Field
Bill "Dutch" Van Horn -- Right Field
Harlo Le Bard -- Outfield, catcher
Bob Nettles -- Third Base, Shortstop, Pitcher
Dan Day -- First Base
Ernie Kimer -- Pitcher