As part of Golden Bear baseball's 125th anniversary season, KU will be releasing its all-time greatest moments in program history. Moments will be released throughout the season at home games through PA announcements. After their release, all moments will be added to this page.

Top Moments

May 1894 - Kutztown State Normal School defeats the Penn Wheelmen 24-12 in first game as a varsity program under Coach Robinson. W.A. "Dan" Dreisbach strikes out 17 in the win. This marks the beginning of varsity athletics at the institution.

June 1894 - Kutztown State Normal School lost to West Chester on the road. The game was pushed back because West Chester scheduled the game too late for Kutztown to catch the last train on a Saturday afternoon.

1894 – Documented wins over Penn Wheelmen of Reading, Alerts of South Bethlehem and Wilhelm of Reading.

1905 - Future KU Athletic Hall of Famer Harry Hoch leads the team to a 10-1 record. He was the winning pitcher in the team's 11-10 win over the infamous Carlisle Indian School. He became the first alumnus to play in the major leagues, spending the 1908 season with the Philadelphia Phillies. After leaving baseball and earning a law degree, Hoch returned to the mound, playing for two seasons for the St. Louis Browns.

1906 - A covered grandstand is built at the home diamond of KSNS at a cost of $1,500. The facility is located on South Campus, roughly around the site of the current Golden Bear Plaza. Kutztown baseball would call South Campus home until the late 1980s, moving to a field behind the Kemp Building later in the century.

1906 - Famous local female pitcher Carrie Moyer takes the diamond for the Kutztown Normal team in an exhibition game against Leesport.

1908 - Hall of Famer George B. Ely finishes with a 23-4-1 record over three seasons as the first faculty coach and standout player for Keystone Normal School.

1913 - Under the guidance of Hall of Fame head coach Bert Bohler, the KSNS team goes 3-3 with wins over St. Stephens, Lehigh and the Lafayette Sophs.

1916 - KSNS posts a 6-3 record, playing its nine games between April 22 and June 10. Millersville Normal School remains a common opponent on the annual schedule, including a home and away split in 1916.

1917-19 - The team schedule is enhanced to include more college teams, despite travel challenges due to World War I and the railroads, which were nationalized by President Wilson, eliminating a significant amount of inessential travel.

1921 - Pete Pawling takes over for Bert Bohler as athletic director and head baseball coach and holds the post through the 1923 season.

1924 – John R. Bowman takes over the helm of KSNS Athletics.  Coach Bowman holds the title of physical director for boys.  Bowman and team captain Elwood Ortt lead the baseball team through a seven-game schedule, including two games with Shippensburg, and one each with Millersville and West Chester.  East Stroudsburg and Temple normal schools grace the all-normal school schedule of 1925.

1928 - Charles D. Vibberts takes over as head of the Department of Physical Education for men and head baseball coach for the 1928 and 1929 seasons. Interest grows, as 40 men show up for tryouts to represent the Maroon and Gold in 1928.

1930 - Future KU Athletic Hall of Famer Ernie Slessinger is hired as director of Physical Education. The team posts a winning record, as more men attend the newly named Kutztown State Teachers College due to the new four-year curriculum. Many of the team members continue to split their time between multiple sports.

1930 - Arlan Baver finishes his hall of fame career. Over two years, he finished 11-3 as a pitcher and team captain. He went on to play in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

1932 - Offensive fireworks highlight a 4-3 season. George Kressley hits two home runs and a triple, recording seven RBIs in Kutztown's 8-4 win over West Chester. Kutztown records 25 hits in a 21-8 victory over Trenton --- six hits were turned in by Al "Fat" Eppler.

1933 - Pitcher George Kressley strikes out 13 in a 14-3 win over Shippensburg. Kutztown posts a 3-2 record.

1934 - Pitching ace Chris McGee overcomes seven errors by his team, picking up a win on the mound and hitting a triple to record a 7-4 victory over Shippensburg. Kutztown finishes the season 5-4.

1935 - Future KU Athletic Hall of Famer James McGovern takes over the men's athletic program through 1943. Most noted for leading Kutztown to the conference championship in men's basketball in 1936, he would post a 19-10 record in his first four years as baseball coach. In addition, "Golden Avalanche" is used regularly as the nickname for KSTC teams, after first appearing in the Reading Times for men's basketball in 1934.

1936 - Full season stats appear for the first time in the Keystonia yearbook. KU Athletic Hall of Famer Fiorindo "Beauty" DeMatteo, known mostly for his work on the gridiron, leads the team with a .538 batting average, going 14-of-26 with nine runs scored. Hall of Famer Russell Stoudt posts a .423 average. Kutztown finishes 4-2, including a 7-2 upset over undefeated state champion Bloomsburg in front of 1,000 fans at Kutztown.

1937 - Three-sport star Russell Stoudt completes his hall of fame career. He was the team captain as a senior for the baseball squad.

1943 - With World War II well underway, Coach McGovern is granted a senior grade lieutenancy in the U.S. Navy. He is replaced by Eddie Guilan, who has been granted a leave of absence from Shippensburg. Guilan will concentrate on the 380 Army Air Corps trainees at the college and some intramural sports, since Kutztown will have little if any varsity competition in any sports. Baseball is impacted the most, shutting down for four seasons, 1942-45

March 8, 1944 – Four-sport standout Hank Trenchard dies in a fighter plane accident during World War II. A 1941 graduate, Trenchard was a standout pitcher on the diamond during his time at Kutztown.

1946 - Baseball returns to campus. Under future KU Athletic Hall of Fame coach Walter Risley, the Golden Avalanche had 18 men turn out for an 11-game schedule.

1949 - Don Mascheri hits .409 and ace pitcher Harry Frantz goes 4-1 to lead Kutztown to a 4-4 record, including splits with Millersville, West Chester and Rider.

1949 - Leroy "Liz" Heckman completes a hall of fame career. As a baseball player, he was a three-year letter winner, hitting .388 as a freshman.

1951 - The Korean War takes a toll on the Kutztown baseball program, as many players are drafted into military service, forcing Coach Risley to develop new players for his squad. The team averages 8.7 runs per game, but allows 11.4 per game en route to posting a 2-6-1 mark.

1957 - The Kutztown baseball program rebounds from a tough stretch of seasons, including a winless 1954 campaign, to finish 6-4 and contend for the conference crown, which slipped away in the season finale. Outfielders Bob Steidle and Gene Kerschner hit .395 and .375, respectively.

April 26, 1958 - Jim Miller strikes out 13 in an 8-3 win over Millersville.

1960 - The college changes its name to Kutztown State College.

April 20, 1960 - Terry Deck strikes out 17 in a 9-4 victory over National Agricultural College.

1961- Pitcher Art Seiger hurls a no-hitter, giving up an unearned run, in a 2-1 win over East Stroudsburg in the first game of a doubleheader. Heading into the final game of the season, a 7-4 loss to Trenton, Sieger is third in the NAIA with a 1.06 ERA (Kutztown committed eight errors in the loss to Trenton, in which Sieger was the losing pitcher). It will be the last academic year the sports teams compete as the Golden Avalanche. The maroon and gold colors remain the same, but the sports teams become the Golden Bears in the summer of 1961.

May 11, 1964 – Kutztown turns a triple play during an 11-10 win over East Stroudsburg.

April 20, 1966 - Pete Riffle struck out a school-record 19 in a 12-2 win over Philadelphia Textile.

1966 - Kutztown wins its first PSCAC title since league's inception in 1952, qualifies for its first postseason appearance, finishing as NAIA Area 8 Runners-Up.

1967 - H. John Landis is named team MVP, completing an eventual hall of fame career. He hit .340 that season, a year after catching every inning of the conference championship season in 1966.

1968 - A two-time All-PSAC selection, first baseman Denny McKernan finishes a hall of fame career. He went on to sign with the A's organization.

1968 - Peter "Lefty" Riffle finishes his career with 22 school records. In the 1966 title season, Riffle set records for wins, strikeouts and strikeouts/start. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves.

1969 - Hall of Famer John Cresswell wraps up his career on the diamond. He was a three-time All-PSAC selection and led the team in RBI three seasons. He was the starting short stop on the 1966 title team.

1970 - Outfielder Frank Orlando closes the books on the careers of the storied 1966 PSAC championship team. The hall of famer hit over 350 in each of his four seasons.

May 7, 1970 - Dave Dietrich hits a 3-run walk-off home run to beat Bloomsburg, 8-5, in game one of a doubleheader at Kutztown.

1975 - KSC baseball finishes 5-11 overall, but 5-5 in the PSAC East, a half-game out of first place under coach Steve Tibbits. John Zielinski leads the Golden Bears with a .381 batting average.

1976-78 - Bill Jones fills in as head coach for one year, posting a 5-11 record. Men's soccer coach and future KU Athletics Hall of Famer Lee Hill serves as head coach in 1976, followed by James Peters in 1978. Playing in NCAA Division III, Kutztown wins 13 games over the three years, but upsets Division II Lehigh and 10th-ranked Mansfield in 1978.

1979 - Improving to 9-16 on the season, the Kutztown baseball program makes its first spring trip south. The Golden Bears also beat West Chester for the first time since the 1966 championship season, outslugging the Division I Golden Rams, 17-13. Scott Schlechter leads the team with a .370 batting average. Senior pitcher Earl Weaver finishes with a 2.80 ERA, attracting the attention of seven MLB teams. He is selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round of the June MLB draft and plays five seasons in the minor leagues.

1982 – Future KU Athletic Hall of Famer Bill Sassaman leads the Golden Bears in nine offensive categories, including a .383 batting average, 38 extra-base hits, and 30 stolen bases.

1983 - Kutztown State College becomes Kutztown University, and a member of the State System of Higher Education. KU Athletics and Golden Bear baseball continues to compete in the PSAC, which in 1980, moves up to NCAA Division II.

1984 - Bill Sassaman completes a hall of fame career. Hitting over .400 in each of his final three seasons, Sassaman still holds the career record with 89 stolen bases.

1986 - While continuing its production at the plate, the struggles on the mound persist as the Golden Bears finish 12-26, 6-14 in the PSAC East. Third baseman Fred Tomasko is named All-PSAC East after hitting .312 with 31 RBIs.

1987 - Under first-year head coach Mitch Hettinger, KU posts a winning campaign in the PSAC East, placing third with a 12-8 record. The Golden Bears win 10 of their last 12 to finish 12-12 overall.

1987 - Pete Kasturas hit .443, had an on-base percentage of .567 and slugged .743, all school records at the time. Kasturas' slugging percentage record stood for 23 years.

1988 - Todd Greenawault hit a school-record .473 in his junior year - a record that stands 34 years later. He closed his career in 1989 with a .377 batting average, fourth all-time.

1988-90 - KU baseball moves all but two of its home games to Legion Field in Kutztown Park in 1988. The team would split home games between Kutztown Park and Owls Field in West Lawn, Pa., in 1988-89, before returning to campus in 1991.

1989 - Pitcher Greg Lund is drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 24th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He played three seasons in the minor league system.

1991 - North Campus Field, the new home of Golden Bear baseball, opens in time for the fall non-traditional season. The field is adjacent to the new Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, and part of a complex that will include a home field for KU softball, and new restrooms and storage facilities. Dimensions for the new field are 335 down the lines, 380 to the power alleys and 405 to center field.

1991 - Lee Stewart finishes his career as a Golden Bear as a two-time All-PSAC first team selection, and the program's first-ever ABCA All-Atlantic Region selection (second team as a junior). Stewart still holds the school record with a .395 career batting average (1988-91) and finished with the career homerun record (15).

1992 – Shortstop/third baseman Ronald Kratz is drafted in the 38th round of the MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

1993 - Future KU Athletic Hall of Famer Matt Royer is hired as head coach during the summer. Royer, a Pennsylvania native, begins in a part-time role and improves the team's win total by 15 in the 1994 season. Royer would turn the fortunes of KU baseball around completely, finishing with a record of 270-174 in nine seasons before taking the head job at Division I Liberty. Under his watch, the Golden Bears capture three PSAC East titles, two PSAC titles and two North Atlantic Regional crowns. The team would also earn two trips to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championships.

1995 - The Golden Bears finish the season 28-19 overall, posting the program's first winning season since 1967.

1996-98 - In addition to Coach Royer, the team roster features up to four players who are future KU Athletic Hall of Famers: outfielder Jim Gerner (1993-96); pitcher/third baseman Ryan Vogelsong (1996-98), pitcher/first baseman Eric Clemmer (1996-99), catcher John Rozich (96-99) and pitcher Steve Fitch (97-00). Vogelsong, Rozich and Fitch would be drafted by Major League Baseball.

1997 - The Golden Bears win the PSAC East with an impressive conference record of 18-6 (33-18 overall). KU advanced to the PSAC playoffs for the first time since 1972, claiming its first title of any kind since 1966. Junior pitcher Andy Bausher, a first-team All-PSAC selection, was drafted in the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The lefty finished his college career with a school record 18 wins and 18 complete games.

1998 - Junior pitcher Ryan Vogelsong is drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball draft, KU's highest ever draft choice. Vogelsong led NCAA Division II with a 1.41 earned run average in 1998 while tying his own school record with nine wins. That year, Vogelsong was a second-team All-American, North Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, PSAC East Player of the Year, first-team All-Region and all-PSAC East and the KU Male Athlete of the Year. Vogelsong finished his college career with nine school records.

1998 - Ron Chiavacci was drafted in the 44th round by the Montreal Expos.

1999 - Eric Clemmer's walk-off hit by pitch in the bottom of the 11th inning capped a thrilling tournament in the PSAC Championship game, giving the program its first conference title in 33 years. KU played two extra-inning games and had to erase a 3-run deficit in the ninth inning of the championship to force extra innings. The team set then records for wins (36), PSAC East wins (19) and rankings of 15th nationally and first regionally, advancing to the NCAA North Atlantic Regional playoffs.

1999 - John Rozich was drafted in the 18th round of the MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished his KU career setting or tying 15 school records, including PSAC records for career RBI.

2000 - Steve Fitch was named the PSAC East Player of the Year, setting five career records. He was drafted in the 34th round of the MLB draft by Cleveland.

2000 - Pat Lancianese sets a program record hitting in 24 consecutive games. His 49 walks that season were a school record and one shy of the conference mark.

2001 – KU claimed its first-ever North Atlantic Regional title after hosting the tournament for the first time at North Campus Field.  KU avenged a championship game loss in the PSAC tournament by defeating Slippery Rock to win the regional crown.  With the victory, KU advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series for the first time in program history.

2001 - Tim Bausher had a record-breaking season, setting three single-season pitching records and earning All-PSAC, All-Region and All-America honors. He was drafted by Seattle in the 27th round.

2002 - Kutztown swept its way to the 2002 PSAC Championship at Boyertown's Bear Stadium. The final out in KU's championship winning 4-3 win over Lock Haven was caught by right fielder Chris Lauwers, the final holdover from the 1999 championship team four years earlier.

2002 - After failing to score any runs in its first NCAA Championship appearance in 2001, the Golden Bears erupted for seven runs in the first inning of its first game in 2002, an 11-7 win over Florida Southern. KU finished fifth in the tournament, its best-ever placing.

2002 - The Golden Bears repeat as the North Atlantic Regional champions, defeating Shepherd in the championship game at North Campus Field.

2002 - Glenn Woolard is named the Rawlings NCAA Division II Player of the Year, American Baseball Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year, first-team All-America, North Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Year, first-team All-Region and All-PSAC East. He has set school and PSAC records for wins and strikeouts in a season, while setting the school and PSAC career record for strikeouts (316). He has also set KU's career marks for innings pitched (265.1) and tied the record for wins (28). He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 10th round.

2003 - Chris Blum is named head coach after the departure of Matt Royer. Blum goes on to win a program record 504 games, three regional titles and three PSAC titles over 17 seasons at the helm.

2003 - KU recorded its ninth-straight season of 25 or more wins and its third-straight appearance in the NCAA North Atlantic Regionals, where the Golden Bears placed third.

2004 - KU wins its third North Atlantic Regional title in four seasons, this time winning at Shippensburg. Matt Keller was named the tournament MVP after earning the win in each of KU's extra inning victories. The Golden Bears placed seventh at the NCAA Championships.

2005 - Head Coach Chris Blum earns his first PSAC title with his 100th career win in the title game of the conference championship. Clay Kuklick is named MVP after going 8-for-15 in the tournament.

2005 - Kyle Sadlowski is drafted in the 34th round of the MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

2006 – Winning a school record 44 games, the Golden Bears bid for a fourth trip to the NCAA Championship falls one-game short in the regional title game. 

2006 - Matt Maradeo is signed by the Chicago Cubs.

April 30, 2007 - Kutztown's baseball program becomes the first team in school history to be ranked No. 1 in Division II, when the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper weekly poll has the 43-3 Golden Bears at the top.

2007 - Mike McCardell named first-team all-region, by both Daktronics and the ABCA, and earned first-team All-PSAC East honors. He was named the ABCA North Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year and the ABCA/Rawlings Golden Glove pitcher for the region. He became KU's third-highest drafted player, when he was selected in the sixth round of the MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins.

2007 - Jason Mills is drafted in the 48th round of the MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

2007 - Regional Tournament MVP Ryan Loper finishes his career with 226 games played, the most in PSAC history. Loper would go on to be named the 2007 KU Male Senior Athlete of the Year, as well as numerous All-PSAC and All-Region awards.

2007 - With a four-game sweep in the North Atlantic Regional at North Campus Field, the Golden Bears set a program and PSAC record with 49 wins and advance to Montgomery, Ala., for the Division II Championship for the fourth time since 2001.

2008 - KU sweeps West Chester to win the PSAC Championship at Lancaster's Clipper Magazine Stadium. Tournament MVP Chad Lightcap scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning of the championship game. It is KU's fifth PSAC title since 1999.

2008 - Philip Rummel was selected by the Houston Astros in the 31st round of the 2008 MLB Draft.

2009 - Kutztown completes a decade of dominance with its ninth-straight appearance in the Division II regionals.

2009 - All-American Darin Gorski is drafted in the seventh round of the MLB draft by the New York Mets. He holds KU's career record with an ERA of 2.37.

April 18, 2010 – Nate Reed threw a no-hitter in a 13-0 win over Bloomsburg at North Campus Field. Reed had a season-high nine strikeouts, while the final out was recorded by a diving catch at third base by Shayne Houck. It was KU's first no-hitter since 2004 and earned KU its 30th win for the seventh consecutive season. Reed went on to earn All-PSAC and All-Atlantic Region First Team honors in 2010.

April 27, 2012 - Shayne Houck broke the PSAC's home run record with the 44th of his career in a win at Mansfield's Shaute Field, breaking a 15-year record. It was the final home run of Houck's career, who closed his career as one of the best, and most decorated hitters in school history. Houck was a two-time PSAC Athlete of the Year, 2010 ABCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year and 2010 NCBWA All-America First Team selection. He graduated with 13 school records and was inducted into the KU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

2012 - Ryan Vogelsong and the San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in the 2012 World Series. Vogelsong became the first former Golden Bear to win a World Series title. Vogelsong played an integral role in two World Series Championships with the Giants in 2012, and 2014. In four starts in the 2012 postseason, Vogelsong held an outstanding 1.09 ERA by allowing just three runs in 24.2 innings. He held a 3-0 record on the hill and was arguably the MVP of the postseason for the Giants. Vogelsong was an MLB All-Star selection in 2011 and would later be honored with the KU President's Medal, the PSAC Award of Merit and have his KU #14 jersey retired.

May 3, 2014 - Brandon Shimo pitched a complete game shutout to lift the Golden Bears to a 1-0 win over Millersville and the 2014 PSAC Championship. KU became the first No. 4 seed to win the PSAC Championship. It was Kutztown's seventh PSAC Championships in program history and first since 2008.

2020 - Eric Folmar began his tenure as the new head coach of the Golden Bears. Folmar won seven of the team's first 11 games, matching the previous season's total, before the remainder of the season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

March 7, 2020 - Senior left-hander Doug Conrad struck out 10 batters and yielded just a lone walk in Kutztown's first no-hitter since 2014 in the Golden Bears' 4-0 game one victory at Salem. The start was Conrad's final one of 2020, as the season was cancelled six days later due to COVID-19.

March 5, 2021 - Kutztown returned to the diamond after a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19. Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge) hit a three-run homerun to lead KU to a 10-7 victory at Frostburg State. KU won 17 games and 11 PSAC games in 2021, both improvements from its last full season.

Feb. 26, 2022 - Kutztown starting pitchers combined for a no hitter in a 4-0 victory over Alderson Broaddus. Only two batters reached base safely for the Battlers, as Kutztown starter Dominic Proietto and relief pitcher Paul Moretski silenced their bats for the entirety of the game.