Jerry Jones Kansas Wesleyan Coyote Athletic Hall of Fame
The Kansas Wesleyan Baseball Team won the 1972 KCAC Championship with a 7-1 record in conference play and finished the season with a 17-11 overall record. Tommy Abrado and Rich Troiano, who are both inducted into the KWU Hall of Fame, led the pitching staff. Abrado had a 1.58 ERA and a 6-1 overall record on the hill. Troiano was 6-0 in the regular season with a 1.88 ERA. Abrado led the team with four homeruns and 30 RBI with a .390 batting average. Steve Sokolski, also a Hall of Fame Inductee, led the team with a .481 batting average, ranking among the Top 10 in the country. Steve Shrader also hit over .400 with a .412 average and as a team, KWU hit .320, ranking amongst the top of the NAIA. KWU played against some of the best teams in the Midwest, carrying an 8-6 record into KCAC play. After an early loss to Bethany in KCAC play, the Coyotes won six in a row to take the title. Abrado, Troiano, Sokolski, Steve Shrader and Terry Thomas were named All-KCAC, George Ibach was Honorable Mention All-KCAC. Abrado and Sokolski were named All-NAIA District 10 and Troiano was Honorable Mention All-NAIA District 10.
