1953 Houston Cougars baseball team

The 1953 Houston Cougars baseball team represented the University of Houston during the 1953 NCAA baseball season. The team won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship, and advanced to participate in the College World Series.[2][3] It was Houston's first appearance in the College World Series. The team was coached by fourth-year head coach Lovette Hill, and played its home games at Cougar Field.

1953 Houston Cougars baseball
Missouri Valley Conference Champions
College World Series, First Round
Conference	Missouri Valley Conference
1953 record	15–11 (6–2 Missouri Valley)
Head coach	Lovette Hill (4th season)
Home stadium	Cougar Field

1953 Missouri Valley Conference baseball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Houston  ‍†‍‍^y	6	–	2		.750			15	–	11		.577
Oklahoma A&M  ‍‍‍	4	–	2		.667			13	–	4		.765
Tulsa  ‍‍‍	4	–	2		.667			11	–	6		.647
Detroit  ‍‍‍	2	–	1		.667			11	–	7		.611
Saint Louis  ‍‍‍	1	–	2		.333				–			–
Wichita State  ‍‍‍	0	–	6		.000				–			–
† – Conference champion y – Invited to the College World Series As of June 30, 1951[1]; Rankings from Coaches' Poll

Showing a sluggish start to the season, Houston lost six out of their first seven games, but then went on a seven-game winning streak that eventually propelled the team to a conference championship.

Roster

1953 Houston Cougars baseball
Roster
Pitchers 13 Ronnie Zeller 18 Bobby Clatterbuck 20 Ken Lile 22 Bobby Vickers Catchers 8 Frankie Peters 11 Claude Arrington		Infielders 3 Doug Osburn 4 Jackie Reed 7 Carlton Hanta 14 Billy Savarino		Outfielders 8 Foy Boyd 9 Gene Russell 12 John Dean 15 Allen Shipley		Head Coach Lovette Hill

Schedule

1953 Houston Cougars baseball game log
Regular Season
Regular Season Date Opponent Score Overall Record Missouri Valley Record March 9 vs. Baylor 3–4 0–1 – March 10 vs. Baylor 6–11 0–2 – March 13 vs. Sam Houston State 2–4 0–3 – March 18 vs. Lamar 12–2 1–3 – March 23 vs. Texas A&M 3–5 1–4 – March 25 vs. Minnesota 2–6 1–5 – March 26 vs. Minnesota 4–5 1–6 – April 2 vs. Louisiana 5–4 2–6 – April 3 vs. Louisiana 13–6 3–6 – April 4 vs. Louisiana 7–4 4–6 – April 10 vs. Wichita State 10–3 5–6 1–0 April 10 vs. Wichita State 9–4 6–6 2–0 April 14 vs. Lamar 6–4 7–6 – April 20 vs. Sam Houston State 10–7 8–6 – May 1 vs. Tulsa 6–8 8–7 2–1 May 2 vs. Tulsa 18–14 9–7 3–1 May 8 vs. Oklahoma State 4–6 9–8 3–2 May 9 vs. Oklahoma State 3–2 10–8 4–2 May 12 vs. Texas A&M 3–2 11–8 – May 22 vs. Detroit 6–3 12–8 5–2 May 22 vs. Detroit 10–2 13–8 6–2
Postseason
District 5 Tournament Date Opponent Score Overall Record May 26 vs. Oklahoma 4–7 13–9 May 27 vs. Oklahoma 8–7 14–9 May 27 vs. Oklahoma 5–3 15–9
College World Series Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Overall Record June 11 vs. Boston College Rosenblatt Stadium 1–4 15–10 June 12 vs. Stanford Rosenblatt Stadium 6–7 15–11

References

1. "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1953". BoydsWorld.com. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
2. "5,303 See Michigan Win Title" (PDF). Omaha World-Herald. June 17, 1953. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
3. "1953 College World Series". Omaha.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.