The best of UConn baseball

[huskymedic]

 

[dvegas]

And you've got Nick Ahmed the gold glover on ESPN now, Dbacks @ Padres..

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Steve UConn72]

I started following them in the 70's as well. Larry Panciera was a great coach and Colin McLaughlin was the fireballer who I believe got them to the World Series where they lost to Greg Swindell and Texas.

When I went to UConn, I spent much time at WHUS and got to broadcast some really good games - especially the late night win against Georgetown at Muzzy Field the night before graduation. I got to see Frank Viola and St Johns play Seton Hall who had Craig Biggio and Mo Vaughn.

I was the lead broadcaster for Husky baseball on WHUS in 1971-72, including the trip to Omaha for the '72 CWS. That team, which played only 24 games (going 20-4 as I recall) was loaded (Jim Jachym, John Slosar, Keith Kraham, Charlie Horan, Brad Linden, John Ihlenburg, Augie Garbatini and Brian Herosian), but other than Herosian (All CFL in the '70's), there was not much professional success. A number of players signed pro contracts, but to my knowledge, none got much above single A. Some of my favorite memories from Omaha included Ihlenburg's bases loaded triple in the 10th inning to give the Huskies a huge 3-0 upset win over Texas in the opening game; Herosian taking a no-hitter into the 5th (?) inning against heavily favored USC (Ron Dedeaux's team), a game the Huskies lost 5-4 on a misplayed fly ball, lost in the lights; the fans in Omaha, as they always did, adopting the unheralded, underdog team (the Huskies this year) as their favorite; and 10 year old Mike Panciera (Larry's son), with whom I was sharing an elevator the day of the Texas game, saying "Oh, here come some of tonight's losing team" as three rather burly members of the Texas team got on the elevator. "Who, me? Never saw this kid before. Honest!" But one of the nicest was getting a copy of a letter written by an elderly couple who were in Omaha as USC fans. They stayed in the same hotel and complimented the team, not only on their performance on the field, but their comportment in the hotel. I think I still have a copy of it somewhere.

 

[hardcorehusky]

I was the lead broadcaster for Husky baseball on WHUS in 1971-72, including the trip to Omaha for the '72 CWS. That team, which played only 24 games (going 20-4 as I recall) was loaded (Jim Jachym, John Slosar, Keith Kraham, Charlie Horan, Brad Linden, John Ihlenburg, Augie Garbatini and Brian Herosian), but other than Herosian (All CFL in the '70's), there was not much professional success. A number of players signed pro contracts, but to my knowledge, none got much above single A. Some of my favorite memories from Omaha included Ihlenburg's bases loaded triple in the 10th inning to give the Huskies a huge 3-0 upset win over Texas in the opening game; Herosian taking a no-hitter into the 5th (?) inning against heavily favored USC (Ron Dedeaux's team), a game the Huskies lost 5-4 on a misplayed fly ball, lost in the lights; the fans in Omaha, as they always did, adopting the unheralded, underdog team (the Huskies this year) as their favorite; and 10 year old Mike Panciera (Larry's son), with whom I was sharing an elevator the day of the Texas game, saying "Oh, here come some of tonight's losing team" as three rather burly members of the Texas team got on the elevator. "Who, me? Never saw this kid before. Honest!" But one of the nicest was getting a copy of a letter written by an elderly couple who were in Omaha as USC fans. They stayed in the same hotel and complimented the team, not only on their performance on the field, but their comportment in the hotel. I think I still have a copy of it somewhere.

Steve - thank you for sharing - I must have been listening to you on those nights in Omaha. When the teams were winning, it was so much fun at WHUS- the road trips especially.

 

[Steve UConn72]

Steve - thank you for sharing - I must have been listening to you on those nights in Omaha. When the teams were winning, it was so much fun at WHUS- the road trips especially.

Several of the players' families drove from their homes in Massachusetts until they could pick up the paltry WHUS signal and sat in their cars to listen to the CWS games that year. I think the FM signal was something like 1700 watts, and the AM side could only be heard in the dorms, as I recall.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Several of the players' families drove from their homes in Massachusetts until they could pick up the paltry WHUS signal and sat in their cars to listen to the CWS games that year. I think the FM signal was something like 1700 watts, and the AM side could only be heard in the dorms, as I recall.

I lived 30 minutes away from campus and listened on FM. I could get WHUS in my house crystal clear.