Bedford High School - Epic Yearbook (Bedford, OH)

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 WE WERE DIS- TRICT SEMI-FINAL- ISTS...SHOULD'VE TAKEN THE GCC,' ' CHRIS LIOTTA Close play First baseman Scott Ridgway sets him- self for a pick-off play from pitcher Bob Konopa The base runner was one of two Parma players to reach first base during Bedford's 2-0 victory in the opening sectional game A One Man Show We were district semi-finalists, but we could have taken the GCC , remi- nisced Chris Liotta. Both the Cleve- land Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Press picked Bedford to capture the GCC crown for the 1979 baseball sea- son. But Euclid and Mayfield did not believe all they read as the varsity hardballers finished 7-7, a distant third place. At the beginning of the season, six out of seven non-conference games were rained out. These tune up games were never rescheduled, so many reserves lost the opportunity to play commented Mario Bienvenue. As the diamond men began their quest for the state crown, ace right-hander Bob Konopa pitched five of the six tournament games. Because of his ab- sence in the regular rotation, the team dropped five of the eight regular GCC contests. We had a one-man team...Bob Konopa, said relief pitcher Terry Toth. The superarm of the team, Konopa, pitched his way to a record of 7-1. He had an outstanding strike-out record, whiffing 102 men in 52 in- nings. Bob's victory over Mentor highlighted the season. He struck out the first 16 men he faced, and when the game was over, 19 out of the 21 opposing players never touched first base. In addition to his pitching ability. Bob led the team in hits with 26, RBI's with 16, and a .433 batting average. Konopa has a good shot at the big league, commented Coach Loeffler. Major league scouts constantly watched Bedford's pitching sensation in action. They were impressed by his fast ball which had been clocked at 86.9 m.p.h. The Minnesota Twins se- lected Konopa in the third round of the high school draft, and sent him to their triple A farm that spring. BOTTOM ROW: Stuart Hall. Scott Ridgway, Mario Bienvenue. Chris Liotta. Rich Konik, Joe Globokar. John Gerstenberger. Garry Check! TOP ROW Dave Nagy. Joe Kanyok. Scott Jaros. A.J. Wagner. Bob Konopa. George Gaspare, Paul Tomcufcik. Terry Toth. VARSITY BASEBALL 23

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Following through. Garry Checki hits a grounder down the third base line during the sectional game against Parma. Also a relief pitcher, Checki was Konopa's personal catcher. Fan hall. Tim White beats out a bunt down the first base line. He carried a .333 overall batting average, and led the team with eight walks and 13 strike-outs. 1979 VARSITY BASEBALL BHS OPP 4 Willoughby 1 0 Euclid 1 1 Mayfield 7 5 Eastlake 4 12 Maple 1 2 WRA 2 3 Brush 0 6 Garfield 2 5 Brecksville 0 14 Solon 10 3 Eastlake 6 6 Willoughby 8 1 Euclid 0 7 Shaw 0 4 Mayfield 11 2 Parma 0 0 Mentor 2 1 Normandy 2 2 Maple 3 4 Mentor 0 2 Brush 1 WON 12 LOST 9 Coaching tips. Bob Loeffler gives the hit and run sign to the batter and first base runner. This strategy paid off as Bedford scored the go- ahead run in the fifth inning against Eastlake North. Throwing smoke. Bob Konopa warms up before pitching a no-hitter against Euclid. During the course of the game. Bob drove in Bedford's only run in the 1-0 victory over league champion Eu- clid. VARSITY BASEBALL 22

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Pre-game jitters. Pat Lefty George nervously eyes the practicing pitchers. At the completion of the school year. Coach George left BHS to coach Baldwin-Wallace's baseball team 1979 JUNIOR VARSITY BASEBALL BHS OPP 5 Willoughby 15 8 Euclid 20 9 Mayfield 3 5 East lake 7 11 Maple Heights 5 16 W.R.A. 2 4 Brush 3 12 Eastlake 6 6 Willoughby 3 2 Euclid 1 4 Mayfield 6 4 Mentor 0 7 Maple Heights 9 5 Mentor 3 WON 9 LOST 5 Perfecting skills. Craig Koteles. the leading hitter, warms up before adding to his season total of 16 hits. Although he struck out 13 times. Craig's 390 batting average was the best of the junior varsity Bearcats. Narrow escape. After getting the hit-and-run sig- nal from Coach George, Pat Collins successfully avoids a tag by Maple's third baseman The lead- ing RBI man with 13, Pat's .333 batting average was the third best on the team. JV BASEBALL 24