DIAMOND HISTORY
PATROT LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 1997, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2009 MORE THAN A CENTURY OF TRADITION
ARMY’S 1928 BASEBALL SQUAD Football is not the only sport at the United States Militar y Academy owning a long and storied tradition. After celebrating its 100th anniversary in 1990, the intercollegiate baseball program at West Point thrives today, with a history that rivals any in the country. Not only was baseball the first organized sport at the Academy, but the game’s originator, Abner Doubleday, is an 1842 West Point graduate. Sometime during the Civil War, a sophomore cadet requested permission to purchase some baseball equipment in an effort to generate interest in the sport. Four years later, games were being played between the Academy’s four classes. The Black Knights began formally playing the sport in 1890, when a decision was made to adopt baseball as part of the athletic program at West Point. More than a century has passed, but the sport still thrives along the banks of the Hudson, as it has since that first historic game against the Riverton Club of Philadelphia, 120 years ago. Overall, Army teams have posted a 1,476-1,231-41 record (.545), with victory No. 1,000 coming in a 9-7 decision over Long Island University in 1989. The Black Knights played the 2,500th intercollegiate game in program history in 2005 and stand 24 victories shy of the 1,500-win barrier. When glancing through a list of the Academy’s former diamondmen, prominent names abound. Legends such as Omar Bradley, Louis Merrillat, Vernon Prichard, Robert Neyland and Elmer Oliphant all lettered in baseball while doubling as All-America members of Army’s football team. Earl “Red” Blaik, the winningest football coach in Army history, met with success on the baseball diamond as a
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cadet, while other notable athletes to leave their cleatmarks on Doubleday Field include Douglas MacArthur, Fred Franks, Ray Odierno, Shane Kimbrough, William Wood, Russell P. “Red” Reeder and John Roosma. An interesting sidelight is the fact that Christy Mathewson, one of the greatest pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball, served a brief three-week stint as an assistant baseball coach at the Academy in 1908. That marked the beginning of a long association between West Point and the big leagues with the Black Knights playing the first of 68 exhibition games against professional teams in 1914, hosting the New York Giants. No fewer than 16 men have worn the title of Army baseball head coach since 1895, when a cadet, Abraham Lott, served as both coach and captain. The first five Army teams were self-coached, as were the teams from 1897 to 1900. In all, six coaches have won more than 100 games during their tenure, including current field boss Joe Sottolano, who already stands second on Army’s career coaching victories list after just 10 years in charge. He enters this spring needing 11 wins to move past Dan Roberts atop the list. Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field, “The Home of Army Baseball,” is yet another source of historical nostalgia. Having undergone a major renovation project that added locker room accommodations and chairback seating for fans last decade, the pristine facility received a new natural grass playing surface in 2006. The multi-million dollar project included the addition of new lighted hitting tunnels, sparkling bullpen areas and a host of dugout improvements. Doubleday Field had its birth in 1909 when games were first contested on
its present site. Thirty years later, upon the centennial celebration of baseball, the playing field was named in honor of Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday, popularly known as the “Father of Army Baseball.” The stadium itself was dedicated in 1997 in honor of the family of Rupert H. Johnson (USMA ’21), whose generosity helped enable the Doubleday Society to give the then-87-yearold facility a grand new look. Army and Navy entered the Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League in 1948, joining the eight Ivy League schools as league members. Four Cadet teams won or shared the league title, three under the guidance of Eric Tipton. Army tied Princeton for first place in 1950, while garnering the title outright in 1960, 1965, and 1966. The Army diamond squad began a new era in 1993, gaining membership in the Patriot League. That association ended a 44-year relationship with the EIBL. After capturing a Patriot League divisional title in 1994, the Black Knights won their first Patriot League championship in 1997. En route to their first outright league crown of any kind since 1966, the Cadets equalled or surpassed 35 team and individual records and placed a total of 10 players on the Patriot League’s two all-star squads at season’s end. Army made further history in 2000, roaring through the Patriot League Championship Series as the No. 3 seed on its way to garnering the first NCAA Regional berth in school history. The “Cardiac Cadets” registered 18 comefrom-behind victories during the spring, with an amazing 12 of those wins coming during Army’s last at-bat. Despite losing twice in their initial NCAA showing, the Black Knights put forth a strong effort, falling by the scores of 4-3 and 3-1 to host and top seed Rutgers, and eventual regional champ Penn State, respectively. Army returned to the NCAA Regionals in 2004 after authoring what, at the time, rated as the most successful season in school history. The Black Knights, who fashioned a thenschool-record 37 wins (37-15), equaled or tied 84 team and individual, school and Patriot League standards on their way to capturing their second conference title in five years. Army put forth another strong showing at the NCAAs, losing to host and eventual regional champ LSU (9-0) and College of Charleston (2-1). The Black Knights received votes in the final National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll for their first end-of-season national recognition. For the first time in Patriot League history, a school swept all four of the conference’s major
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