1970 Baseball Team
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- Induction Year:
- 2019
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- Sport:
- Baseball
Coach Richard “Dick” Groch entered the 1970 baseball season optimistic about the Skippers based on two important areas of the game: pitching and defense.
Groch was right, as the Skippers posted a 28-9 record with divisional, state and district championships. SC4 qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament in Grand Junction, Colorado, for the first time in school history. The Skippers finished fifth at the tournament.
The Skippers relied on the 1-2 pitching punch of sophomores Dennis Queen, who was drafted by the Cleveland Indians, and Brian Lieckfelt.
Queen compiled a 10-1 record with an 0.58 ERA. He allowed seven earned runs with 158 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched. His accomplishments earned him NJCAA First Team All-American honors. Lieckfelt, an All-Division and All-District selection, went on to play at Michigan State University.
Defensively, the experienced infield was solid behind sophomores Bruce Mierkowicz (first base), Dennis Primeau (shortstop), Butch Kapp (third) and Joe Rembisz (second).
Primeau, who went on to play for the Oakland Athletics, was the team’s leading hitter with a .415 average. Mierkowicz (Western Michigan University) and Kapp were second and third in batting average at .352 and .333, respectively.
Tom Kuzava, the son of former major league pitcher Bob Kuzava, and freshman Rick Horstman handled a majority of the time behind the plate.
Freshmen Bruce Vida, Mike Roberts and Dale Bullocks provided pitching depth. Others who contributed to the Skippers’ success were freshmen Jack Plas, Larry Swick, Tom Wilkins — a Port Huron High School grad (.309 batting average), Chuck Sanzone and Andy Switanek.
