Russ Antracoli, Rick Arucan, Bob Buck, Bob Carruesco, Dan Flores, Steve Franceschi, Jeff Friestedt, Nick LaPlaca, Ralph Manfredi, Terry Maple, John Nilmeyer, Mike Normoyle, Bernie Phipps, Barry Potthoff, Dave Scatena, Robbie Sperring, John Strohmayer, Glenn Van Winkle. Head Coach Tom Stubbs, Assistant Coach Dennis Pilati, Manager Don Russell
The 1968 Pacific baseball team re-wrote the Pacific record book when it went on a late season streak that propelled it to 16 wins in its last 18 games. The 1968 Tigers broke 27 school records and tied another five to clearly claim the position of best team in school history up to that point in time.
With an overall record of 32-15 that year, the 1968 Tigers set a then-school record for most wins in a season, and the team’s .681 winning percentage still rates among the best-ever recorded by a Pacific baseball team. The Tigers finished in second place during their first season in the West Coast Athletic Conference with a 14-6 league record.
Among the records set by the 1968 baseball team were 32 wins, 331 hits, 13 home runs, 445 total bases, 177 RBI’s, and 179 walks. Defensively, the team turned 36 double plays, while pitching 22 complete games with 363 strikeouts and a 3.21 Team ERA.
Quite a few outstanding players emerged during the Tigers’ remarkable 1968 season, and five went on to play professionally, including two in the major leagues. Steve Franceschi pitched a perfect game against Cal State Hayward on the Pioneers’ home field, then went on to play professional baseball for the SF Giants organization in the 1970s. John Strohmayer went on to pitch in the major leagues for the Montreal Expos from 1970-73 and the NY Mets from 1973-74. As a Tiger, Strohmayer won eight games in 1968, recording complete games in each of his eight victories. He pitched 105 innings and struck out 114 over 13 starts. Strohmayer and first baseman Terry Maple were co-captains on the 1968 team and Maple was second with three triples. Robbie Sperring went on to play in the major leagues for the Chicago Cubs. He was an inductee into the Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987, and Strohmayer was inducted into the Tigers’ Hall of Fame two years later. Infielder Ralph Manfredi and left-handed pitcher John Nilmeyer both played for the Baltimore Orioles organization. Manfredi had 46 hits and 10 doubles in 1968. Manfredi and infielder Bob Buck tied for the team lead with 23 RBI’s. Glenn “Rip” Van Winkle had a single-season record with eight triples in 1968 and still ranks second on the Tigers’ all-time triples list with 12. The hard-hitting catcher had 22 RBI’s and played in 48 games without an error. Dan Flores had a .288 batting average and 20 RBI’s, and drew a school record 27 walks.
The 1968 Tigers were coached by Dr. Tom Stubbs, who was inducted into the Tigers Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. Stubbs led the Tigers from 1964-71 and again from 1978-81, compiling 410 wins against 384 losses for a .516 percentage, highest of any more-than-one-season Tigers baseball coach.
The team was inducted into Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000 and presented the University with $26,000 to start the Tom Stubbs Baseball Scholarship. In 2018 the team raised $50,000 to have the Pacific Baseball home locker room named the Tom Stubbs Locker Room.
