MANSFIELD – History was made twenty years ago today on May 30, 1992 when the Mansfield University baseball team took on the University of Tampa for the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Mansfield advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series in Montgomery, Alabama after winning 21 of its last 23 regular season games before capturing the PSAC Championship with three straight wins in the conference tournament.
The Mountaineers then beat Longwood University, with star infielder and future Major Leaguer Michael Tucker, 12-9 in the opening game of the North Atlantic Regional at Shippensburg before besting the home-standing Red Raiders in two of three contests including a 16-5 victory in the regional title game to earn a trip to the World Series.
Harry Hillson was in his sixth season as the head coach of the Mountaineers and was assisted by Bruce Peddie who later made trips to Montgomery as the head coach of Shippensburg.
Mansfield, which led the nation in fielding and finished second in hitting with a .379 team batting average that season, created a buzz in Montgomery with a 4-1 win over Livingston behind pitcher Steve Micknich. The sophomore right-hander scattered six hits and struck out seven in the opening ceremonies game. Micknich was signed by the Florida Marlins two years later.
The Mountaineers followed the opening win by stunning then No. 1 ranked Cal-Poly SLO 11-8, three days later. Sophomore righty Brad Crills gave up a remarkable 17 hits but went the distance. Al Probst went 3-5 with a home run and four RBI's while Andy McNabb belted a grand slam. Crills signed with the Baltimore Orioles two years later while Probst was drafted in the 17th round by the Houston Astros that June.
The two teams met again two days later, this time with Cal-Poly getting revenge with a 9-3 win and setting up a third straight meeting between the two schools the next day.
Micknich returned to the mound and was brilliant, striking out nine and walking just one over 7.2 innings before giving way to closer Jim Beck who struck out three in 1.1 innings. Shortstop Steve Brown singled in the winning run in the top of the sixth as the Mountaineer advanced into the title game the next day.
Tampa hadn't lost a game throughout the regionals or at the World Series. The Spartans, who scored 39 runs in their four games at Montgomery, had played just twice over the last four days while Mansfield would playing its fourth game in a five day span.
The National Championship game started at 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time in Paterson Field. Ironically a Mountaineer had played there before. Mansfield's Tom Brookens, currently the first base coach for the Detroit Tigers and 12-year Major League veteran, played his first two seasons of professional baseball at the same field after being the fourth overall draft-pick in the first round of the 1975 amateur draft.
Tim Fausnaught, who was named to 1st Team All-American honors earlier in the week, led off the game with a screaming single to center and later scored the first of four runs in the inning.
Crills, who had thrown 160 pitches in his complete game win three days earlier, gave up three runs in the bottom of the inning and Tampa took a 9-4
advantage after four innings.
Mansfield, which outhit Tampa 15-14 in the game, chipped away with two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to close the gap to 9-7. But Tampa added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to increase its lead to 11-7.
The Mountaineers got a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Probst and really made things interesting in the top of the ninth. Brian Shuler singled to open the inning and McNab added another single to give Mansfield runners at first and second with no outs.
Freshman Mike Felix, who was named the PSAC Rookie of the Year, lofted a fly ball to center for the first out and another fly ball to center by Brown brought the Mountaineers to their last out.
Freshman Tom McCauley, who would later become a two-time All-American and appear in three World Series, then pitch-hit for Matt Butler. McCauley had a hulking frame and drove the second pitch he saw deep into centerfield. The crowd of 2500 rose to its feet as the ball looked like it had the distance to clear the fence 400 feet away.
But it wasn't meant to be as centerfielder Eric Foster back peddled and, with his back against the wall, made the game-ending catch.
Mansfield finished the season with a then school-record 39-12 record. Andy McNab batted .563 during the World Series to be named to the All-Tournament Team as were Al Probst (.450), Tim Fausnaught (.455), and Steve Micknich (2-0, 1.80 ERA, 16 K, 1 BB).
Tony Galucy, who earned All-American honors for the season, had a 26-game hitting-streak – then the third longest in NCAA Division II history – come to a close after going hitless against Tampa.
A school-record four players, Tim Fenton, Fausnaught, Galucy and Probst earned All-American honors.
Mansfield, which won 30 of its last 35 games, became the first Pennsylvania school to play in an NCAA National Championship game since Penn State lost 1-0 to California in the 1957 Division I National Championship game.
The coach of the Nittany Lions that season was Joe Bedenk who was a standout in football and baseball for the then Mansfield State Normal School in the 1920's before becoming a Walter Camp All-American at Penn State. He also served as head football coach for the Nittany Lions in 1949 before giving way to Rip Engle and Joe Paterno the following year.
Mansfield Starting Lineup 1992 National Championship GameRF Tim Fausnaught
3B Tim Fenton
C Al Probst
2B Tony Galucy
1B Brian Shuler
LF Andy McNab
DH Mike Felix
SS Steve Brown
CF Lonnie Myer
P Brad Crills
Attention all members of the 1992 team. Our 20 year reunion is Saturday, October 13, 2012. Steve McCloskey needs your current address so he can send you a letter about the event. Please send your current address to smcclosk@mansfield.edu
