Greg Hansen's top 10 high school baseball pitchers in Tucson history
- Updated
Tucson High's Tavo Alvarez, who posted a 29-4 career record with the Badgers, tops the list.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Editor’s note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today’s list: The top 10 Tucson high school baseball pitchers of all-time.
Vernon Davis was surely Tucson’s prep athlete of the 1960s, a football, baseball and track star of the highest level, who signed a letter of intent to play football for the powerful Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1969.
The Tucson High School sprinter/pitcher/tailback might’ve been at his best at baseball. In 1969, he was the state pitcher of the year, 10-2 with an 0.25 ERA, allowing just two earned runs while striking out 116. In his Badger pitching career, he was 22-6 and was twice the Star’s Player of the Year.
“He’s another Bob Gibson,’’ said THS coach Ray Adkins. “He throws BBs. He’s going to make it in the big leagues as a pitcher or an outfielder if he doesn’t get hurt playing football.’’
Davis got hurt playing football. After voiding his letter-of-intent to Nebraska, he enrolled at Arizona but never again played at his top form.
Selecting a Top 10 list of high school pitchers from Tucson is possibly the most difficult of all the Top 10 lists we’ve published. From 1939-48, as THS won nine state baseball titles, the Badgers had what seemed to be a never-ending surplus of big game pitchers: Eddie Jacome, Brad Tolson, Joe Valenzuela and on and on.
But few kept or published high school baseball statistics in the 1940s, so the impact of what those young pitchers accomplished is somewhat lost in time.
Those of the last 60 years, however, have the numbers to back up their historic performances. Here is our top 10 list:
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Not only did he help the Badgers to 1988 and 1989 state championships, the tall right-hander went 13-1 in 1990 and was the state’s pitcher of the year with a 0.90 ERA. He was drafted in the second round by Montreal and reached the big leagues two years later. His THS career record, 29-4, is believed to be the best in Tucson history.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
His final two seasons as a Lancer lefty, 11-0 with an 0-75 ERA in 1978 and 9-2 with a 0.70 ERA in 1979, made him the top pitching recruit in the Pac-10 that season. He helped Arizona to the 1980 College World Series championship and pitched professionally for seven MLB teams until he was 40.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
As a combination hitter-pitcher, Moskau is probably one of the top three or four players in Tucson prep history. In 1971-72 at Rincon he went 17-4. In the state semifinals and finals in 1971, won by the Rangers, Moskau pitched 11 2/3 innings, struck out 23 and gave up just one hit, a bunt single.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Numbers of Kellner’s epic amateur pitching career –he turned pro at 16, after his final Panther season — are unavailable. But the big lefty pitched four no-hitters his senior season and was a MLB All-Star by 1950.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
He was so dominant that he won 12 games as a junior with 101 strikeouts.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
As the Badgers reached the state title game, Scott allowed just 14 hits all season, going 14-2 with a 0.98 ERA and 11 consecutive victories.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Going 13-1, Fregoso had an almost hard to imagine 155 strikeouts in 77 innings and was drafted in the eighth round by the Baltimore Orioles.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The Badgers’ 25-0 state championship team of ’72 was so dominant that Castro went 13-0 and won three state tournament games in one week.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The towering left-hander, 6-feet 5 inches, 210 pounds, went 11-3 for the Titans, and later pitched seven years in the big leagues.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The future Yavapai College national champion and ASU College World Series standout went 10-1 with a 1.46 ERA for the ’73 Rangers, winning three post-season games.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
It’s a long one, headed by Sahuaro’s Kevin Dukes, Rincon’s Jason Jacome, Palo Verde’s Tyler Fallwell, Rincon’s Jim Crawford, Palo Verde’s Andy Hassler, CDO’s Ryan Schroyer, Tucson’s Dave Baldwin and the Kellners: Joey, Frank and Walt.
Editor’s note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today’s list: The top 10 Tucson high school baseball pitchers of all-time.
Vernon Davis was surely Tucson’s prep athlete of the 1960s, a football, baseball and track star of the highest level, who signed a letter of intent to play football for the powerful Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1969.
The Tucson High School sprinter/pitcher/tailback might’ve been at his best at baseball. In 1969, he was the state pitcher of the year, 10-2 with an 0.25 ERA, allowing just two earned runs while striking out 116. In his Badger pitching career, he was 22-6 and was twice the Star’s Player of the Year.
“He’s another Bob Gibson,’’ said THS coach Ray Adkins. “He throws BBs. He’s going to make it in the big leagues as a pitcher or an outfielder if he doesn’t get hurt playing football.’’
Davis got hurt playing football. After voiding his letter-of-intent to Nebraska, he enrolled at Arizona but never again played at his top form.
Selecting a Top 10 list of high school pitchers from Tucson is possibly the most difficult of all the Top 10 lists we’ve published. From 1939-48, as THS won nine state baseball titles, the Badgers had what seemed to be a never-ending surplus of big game pitchers: Eddie Jacome, Brad Tolson, Joe Valenzuela and on and on.
But few kept or published high school baseball statistics in the 1940s, so the impact of what those young pitchers accomplished is somewhat lost in time.
Those of the last 60 years, however, have the numbers to back up their historic performances. Here is our top 10 list:
Not only did he help the Badgers to 1988 and 1989 state championships, the tall right-hander went 13-1 in 1990 and was the state’s pitcher of the year with a 0.90 ERA. He was drafted in the second round by Montreal and reached the big leagues two years later. His THS career record, 29-4, is believed to be the best in Tucson history.
His final two seasons as a Lancer lefty, 11-0 with an 0-75 ERA in 1978 and 9-2 with a 0.70 ERA in 1979, made him the top pitching recruit in the Pac-10 that season. He helped Arizona to the 1980 College World Series championship and pitched professionally for seven MLB teams until he was 40.
As a combination hitter-pitcher, Moskau is probably one of the top three or four players in Tucson prep history. In 1971-72 at Rincon he went 17-4. In the state semifinals and finals in 1971, won by the Rangers, Moskau pitched 11 2/3 innings, struck out 23 and gave up just one hit, a bunt single.
Numbers of Kellner’s epic amateur pitching career –he turned pro at 16, after his final Panther season — are unavailable. But the big lefty pitched four no-hitters his senior season and was a MLB All-Star by 1950.
He was so dominant that he won 12 games as a junior with 101 strikeouts.
As the Badgers reached the state title game, Scott allowed just 14 hits all season, going 14-2 with a 0.98 ERA and 11 consecutive victories.
Going 13-1, Fregoso had an almost hard to imagine 155 strikeouts in 77 innings and was drafted in the eighth round by the Baltimore Orioles.
The Badgers’ 25-0 state championship team of ’72 was so dominant that Castro went 13-0 and won three state tournament games in one week.
The towering left-hander, 6-feet 5 inches, 210 pounds, went 11-3 for the Titans, and later pitched seven years in the big leagues.
The future Yavapai College national champion and ASU College World Series standout went 10-1 with a 1.46 ERA for the ’73 Rangers, winning three post-season games.
It’s a long one, headed by Sahuaro’s Kevin Dukes, Rincon’s Jason Jacome, Palo Verde’s Tyler Fallwell, Rincon’s Jim Crawford, Palo Verde’s Andy Hassler, CDO’s Ryan Schroyer, Tucson’s Dave Baldwin and the Kellners: Joey, Frank and Walt.
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