Hall of Fame
The 1971 Griffon Baseball team finished with an overall record of 33-8 and won the NAIA District 16 Championship.
At the plate, the Griffs were solid offensively tallying 343 hits, 245 runs, 49 doubles, 26 triples and 12 home runs. The Griffons averaged over six hits and eight runs per game. They had seven players bat over .300 including Ralph Sauceda’s team-high .358 in 134 at bats.
The team had multiple double-digit win margins during the season and in the Area Four Playoffs, it defeated Winona State and Loras College by scores of 8-5 and 3-2 respectively before falling in the elimination round.
On the mound, the Griffon pitching staff was stingy giving up just 236 hits and five home runs on the year. The team’s ERA was 2.52 and all seven starting pitchers finished with a winning record. Greg Kastner led the way with a perfect 7-0 record while Steve Hagan finished 7-1.
This team produced four individual MWSU Hall of Fame members including; Head Coach Doug Minnis, pitchers Greg Kastner and Tom O’Brien and infielder Ralph Sauceda.
