Wagner College - Kallista Yearbook (New York, NY)

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Entering inter-collegiate competition for the first time since pre-war days, Wagner tennis team enjoyed a great season. The Seahawk racquetmen, al- though participating on an informal basis, posted a record which showed seven victories and only one setback in eight matches against strong metropolitan and Eastern teams. The team ran roughshod over six straight opponents before bowing finally to a strong City College squad. Bouncing back from that defeat, the Hawks scored their most impressive and thrilling victory of the year, a hard- fought 5-4 win over the Redmen of St. John's. This match was decided in the early twilight, as the doubles team of Pete Landis and Hank Clifford downed their St. John's adversaries in two spirited sets. Included among the earlier victims of the Green and White were Upsala, Pratt, Brooklyn Poly, Brooklyn College, Pace, and Susquehanna. The last mentioned was met and defeated, 7-2, at Selinsgrove, Pa., on the team's only long trip of the year. Highlighting the season were the fine play of number one man, Ralph Powelson, who met some of the best players in the East, the top-notch doubles team of Powelson and Pete Landis, the steady, dependable performances of Milt Grosz and Barney Jensen, the former seven times single winner, the latter unbeaten in eight singles matches, and the colorful if unorthodox style of Ray Whalen, whose antics on the court more than once upset his opponents. Rounding out the team were Ray Adams, Don Drown, Stan Terkelsen, Tom Lennox, and Hank Clifford. Paul Guertler was team manager. Tennis Team Record Wagner... .. . .v,.. 5 Upsala .... . Wagner ,... ......... 7 Pratt A,,.,.....,.. Wagner .... .....,.,. S Brooklyn Poly,.... Wagner ..,,... .,.,,, 5 Brooklyn College Wagner..- ,,.... 3 Pace ...........,, Wagner... .. ..... 7 Susquehanna -.. Wagner .... ...... 2 City College ...... Wagner . ..... 5 St. John's ..... ..

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The l949 edition of the Wagner College baseball team, recovering from a dismal start during which seven contests out of the first eight resulted in losses, finally righted itself and closing with a rush, completed the season with a respectable record of eight wins against eight losses. The disappointing start of the Seahawks was due mainly to the defects of a porous infield, which in the early portion of the season, allowed the oppo- sition to score a disconcerting number of unearned runs. After the infield gap had been plugged by the shifting of Bucky Hall to third and Al Frohlander to shortstop, the club righted itself and showed to better advantage. Even so, the Hawks finished the season with a record of having committed fifty-five errors in sixteen games, which is too much, even for college ball, Of the regulars, Phil Qualben, Bucky Hall, and Mike Petosa, had the highest batting averages, hitting 333, 308, and .298 respectively. Two mem- bers of the pitching staff turned in excellent earned run averages, Ziggy Wachsmuth allowing a miserly l.85 runs per nine innings, while Bob Penna- macoor, used mainly in relief, yielded an average of only l.98. All these ballplayers, with the exception of Petosa, are returning this sea- son along with most of last year's club, so the Hawks will be able to field a veteran club with a minimum of the experimentation which hampered the team so much last year. Most conspicuous last season, was the lack of an outstanding long ball hitter on the Hawk squad-only one home run and three triples were hit in sixteen games. If Coach Sutter can uncover a slugging outfielder or two this year, the prospects for a banner season would indeed be bright. l34