WHEELING – West Liberty University has a rich baseball tradition.

One of the brightest moments in the sparkling Hilltopper diamond history played out 30 years ago.

It was in 1990 that West Liberty captured the WVIAC/NAIA District 28 Tournament crown en route to gaining a NAIA World Series berth. Coach Bo McConnaughy’s charges had to work extra hard to pocket that conference championship, doing so by winning six straight tourney contests.

The Toppers capped their conference run with a 7-6 nod over West Virginia Wesleyan. It marked the sixth consecutive NAIA District 28 title for the Black & Gold.

The Hilltoppers punched their ticket to the World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, with a 9-8 extra-inning win over homestanding USC Spartansburg in Spartanburg, S.C., in the NAIA Area 7 championship game. George Yanchak, a Brooke High product, delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 10th.

It was the Hilltoppers’ school record 15th straight win.

“Coach (Bo) had been in that tournament many times before. He deserved to go to Idaho. Personally, I think he had some teams that were more talented than the group we had. But one thing our group did was play for each other. We pulled for each other and only wanted success for not only us, but the man who led us,” Yanchak recalled. “After celebrating, I remember seeing the ball in the outfield and going and getting it as it laid against the outfield wall. I brought it outside the dugout and threw it up to my Dad and Mom in the stands. It would be the last game they ever saw me play. I remember thinking of the times our group had been here in the past and those that led us to get back there.”

Wintersville’s Rob Lucas was selected as the Area 7 tourney MVP. He delivered seven hits while making several dazzling plays at shortstop.

“We felt confident going into the season. We had a good group back and some promising younger players,” McConnaughy said.

“We had a team where if one player wasn’t getting it done, someone else picked them up. Everyone contributed…even the bench.

“A funny thing about that season. Midway through we were on the bubble of making the tournament,” he added. “We lost the second game of a doubleheader with Bluefield. So I had a little talk with the team…it lasted an hour. The next thing you know, we won 15 straight games.”

Bo’s Hilltoppers boasted a heavy local flavor in 1990. The Black & Gold roster featured 17 players from OVAC schools.

They were Yanchak, Joe Puskarich and Jack Shaffer from Brooke; Shane Glass, John Hawkins and Jamie Clegg from Magnolia; Sean Jamison, Tim Auber and Rob Bauer from Wheeling Park; Matt Morrison and Jason Jenkins from Steubenville; Mike Mattern and Brian Perkins from East Liverpool; Rich Moffo from Buckeye South; Pat Colson from Jefferson Union, Mike White of Toronto and Lucas.

“Our team was a group friends. We worked hard, played hard and enjoyed the game. Whatever coach Bo said, we listened and responded. It seemed like we had a new hero every game, and everyone just loved being part of this great season,” Puskarich said.

The Hilltoppers were the recipients of a tough draw at the World Series. They were pitted against Auburn-Montgomery which featured three All-Americans. WLU fell by an 8-4 count.

That loss dropped West Liberty into an elimination game against perennial power Dallas Baptist. The Black & Gold suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 setback, ending their dream season.

“They treated us great (at the World Series). We had a country club dinner event to kick it off. Then MLB American League President Dr. Robert “Bobby” Brown was the guest speaker. He spoke of work ethic and building strong character. Each head coach spoke about their team,” Puskarich said. “I remember how Bo spoke highly of our team’s character and how we won as a team. It was a top notch event that made all of us feel like we accomplished something great – and we did.

“During the opening ceremony, fans lined up for autographs which was a great experience. The talent was top tier. Grand Canyon and Dallas Baptist are now good NCAA D1 programs,” he added. “The games were tight. We played well and if a few breaks go our way we would have advanced. Overall, it was a great experience that I will never forget.”

Morrison, who went onto a stellar career coaching at Toronto (including a state title), boasted a big bat for the Toppers that spring. He also relished the team’s achievement in 1990.

“It is easy to win but for some reason we struggled annually in the regional tournament. It was a magical ending to the season. We had to win our last eight league games and barely snuck into the tournament,” Morrison noted. “Then we won seven straight to go to the World Series. We were so happy for coach Bo. He was a hell of a coach who knew how to push our buttons. We had great teams from 1985-1990. It was an Era of Champions for sure.”

Here are the West Liberty baseball statistical leaders for 1990:

¯ At-bats: Sean Jamison, 131;

¯ Runs: Ryan Lucas, 31;

¯ Hits: Rick Bubash, 50;

¯ RBI: Matt Morrison, 36;

¯ Walks: Matt Morrison, 28;

¯ Singles: Rick Bubash/Ryan Lucas, 30;

¯ Doubles: Rick Bubash, 16;

¯ Home runs: Matt Morrison, 4;

¯ Stolen bases: Ryan Lucas, 13;

¯ Average: Rick Bubash, .403;

¯ ERA: Jack Shaffer, 2:10;

¯ Innings: Mike Mattern, 64.1;

¯ Appearances: Mike Mattern, Rich Moffo, 10;

¯ Complete Games: Mike Mattern, 7;

¯ Saves: Rich Moffo, 3;

¯ Strikeouts: Mike Mattern, 47.

“After knocking at the door for five straight seasons, I can’t explain the feeling after we won the area tournament. No one thought we could do it,” McConnaughy said. “The World Series was a tremendous experience. The only bad part was the travel. We had to take two planes to get everyone there.

“They treated us like kings. One of the nicest things was one of the coaches there told us you (West Liberty) definitely deserved to be there,” he continued. “We earned their respect.”

Bill Pardini served as the WL assistant. The Hilltoppers set a school record with 33 wins that spring.

OGDEN IRONMAN

PAT CRONN is an Ironman. The Bethlehem resident is one of the six remaining Ogden Half-Marathon Classic Ironmen. While the 44th edition of the classic was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cronin opted to tackle the course once again this past Saturday.

While his training was virtually confined to a treadmill, Cronin was quite pleased with how his 13.1-mile jaunt played out. His time was comparable to last year’s clocking as he ran the trail instead of Wheeling Hill, a course once used in previous Ogden races due to mudslides.

Cronin was joined in his run by veteran racer Becky Droginski, who has competed in 40 of the Ogden Classics. Joe Foster, again carrying the American flag, and other members of Team RWB also tackled the course.

Cronin, age 66, noted the weather cooperated and that he felt “pretty good” after the run. He also plans to resume training on the roads soon.

BUBBA’S BITS

¯ TWO MORE all-star games have fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic. The West Virginia North-South football game as well as the North-South basketball contest were both officially canceled this week.

¯ THE MARTINS Ferry Chamber of Commerce is holding a Fall Chamber Banquet on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the Martins Ferry Rec Center at 6 p.m. Featured speaker will be Rich Donnelly. The Steubenville native has coached at the Major League Baseball level for several teams, and owns a World Series ring while assisting Jim Leyland with the Florida Marlins. He also has authored a best-selling book – “The Chicken Runs at Midnight.” In conjunction with the banquet, the Martins Ferry Chamber is selling copies of that book at a reduced price. For more information on the banquet or the book, call the chamber office at 740-633-2565. Donnelly’s current coaching gig is manager for the New York Mets’ Class A-advanced affiliate farm team in Port St. Lucie (Fl). He coached the Pittsburgh Pirates with Leyland from 1986-96.

¯ WEST LIBERTY University head wrestling coach Danny Irwin has announced several changes to the Hilltoppers’ summer camp schedule due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. Irwin said the original camp scheduled for June 14-18 inside the ASRC has been canceled but other options have been created for area wrestlers later in the summer. Irwin and his coaches will now oversee a three-day mini-camp from Aug. 7-9 inside the ASRC. Open to wrestlers of all ages, the mini-camp will feature technique instruction and drills demonstrated and taught by the WLU coaching staff and members of the current Hilltopper mat squad. Campers will be able to put those lessons into practice with 10.5 hours of live wrestling action over the course of the weekend. Irwin is also in the process of putting together a one-day tournament at the ASRC on Aug. 30. More information on that will be provided once all details are finalized. For additional information, email Irwin at daniel.irwin@westliberty.edu.

¯ WITH THE best Ohio Valley prep baseball teams and players now put to rest, several readers have already clamored to do the same for football. That will come once we reach the gridiron season…hopefully a season which starts on time. We already had some nominations from our readers for best player such as Martins Ferry’s Lou Groza, Warwood’s Chuck Howley, Bellaire’s Lance Mehl and St. Clairsville’s Tim Spencer.

¯ THE 83RD edition of the All-American Soap Box Derby set for July 25 in Akron has been canceled because the coronavirus pandemic. It marks the first time the event has not been run since 1945.