College Baseball Trivia

1) This 1964 All-American shortstop was the first of three generations to play at his alma mater. After a 16-year Major League playing career, he was later head coach at his alma mater for six years. Can you name him?

Answer

Don Kessinger was named first team All-America shortstop by both The Sporting News and the ABCA. After a 16-year big league career, he was later head coach at Ole Miss from 1991-96. His sons Keith and Kevin played at Ole Miss, and grandson Grae Kessinger was the 2019 recipient of the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation's top shortstop.

2) This Super Bowl-winning quarterback once appeared in the College World Series as an infielder for his Big Ten school. Who is it?

Answer

Earl Morrall was an infielder for the 1954 Michigan State College World Series team. He later quarterbacked the Colts in Super Bowls III and V, winning Super Bowl V over the Dallas Cowboys, 16-13.

3) Two-part question:

A. Name the two players who won a recognized national player of the year award (Golden Spikes, Sporting News Nat'l Player of the Year, Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, etc.), were named Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series and played for College World Series champion all in the same year.
?

Answer

Terry Francona - Arizona, 1980 & Mark Kotsay - Cal State Fullerton, 1995

B. Three others have won all three of the above in their careers, but not in the same year. Name them.

Answer

Bob Horner was the 1977 College World Series Most Outstanding Player for the national champion Arizona State Sun Devils and won the Golden Spikes Award in 1978.

Dansby Swanson was the 2014 College World Series Most Outstanding Player for the national champion Vanderbilt Commodores and won the Golden Spikes Award in 2015.

Adley Rutschman was the 2018 College World Series Most Outstanding Player for the national champion Oregon State Beavers and won the Dick Howser and Golden Spikes Awards in 2019.

4) This "dodger" was captain of the 1965 Naval Academy baseball team. Name him.

Answer

In addition to winning the 1963 Heisman Trophy, Roger "The Dodger" Staubach was a three-year baseball letterwinner at Navy. In 1961, his one year at New Mexico Military Institute, he was named a third-team NJCAA All-American.

5) This former MLB manager/current MLB coach finished second in the Big 12 in batting in 2003. Can you name him? Hint: He also only struck out nine times in 273 plate appearances, and in his career once reached in 16 consecutive plate appearances.

Answer

Former Padres manager Jayce Tingler left Missouri the career leader in hits, walks and runs scored.

6) This current SEC head coach was named to the All-Tournament Team in 1980 at the NJCAA World Series. Name him.

Answer

Arkansas manager Dave Van Horn played 3rd base and led McLennan Community College to the 1980 and 1981 JUCO World Series in Grand Junction.

7) Can you name the current MLB manager who was a 1977 first-team All-America outfielder at Mississippi State, where he set a school record with a single-season batting average of .459? Hint: In college, he went by the first name of "Nat."

Answer

Buck Showalter played two years at Chipola Junior College before transferring to Mississippi State. He didn't get the nickname of "Buck" until his time as a player in the Yankees organization.

8) This current Big 12 head coach pitched a complete game shutout on March 14, 1989, to fuel Pan American to a 10-0 win over Miami (Ohio) and win No. 1,000 for head coach Al Ogletree. At the time, Ogletree was only the 4th coach in college baseball history with 1,000 wins. Can you name this head coach?

Answer

Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson went 8-5 for the Pan American Broncos in 1989.

9)?This Minnesota Gopher shortstop is the only player to hit for the cycle at the College World Series. He led his team to the CWS title that year and later won three College World Series titles as a head coach. Name him.

Answer

Jerry Kindall hit for the cycle against Ole Miss in 1956 and later coached the Arizona Wildcats to CWS titles in 1976, 1980 and 1986.

10) This 1984 inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame was a baseball letterwinner at Ohio State in 1960 & '61.

Answer

John Havlicek was a 1st baseman for the Buckeyes.