ALL-AMERICA | ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA | STATISTICAL ARCHIVE

The Bears baseball program--rich with tradition and history--continued its recent run of success, posting both its third straight 30-win season and NCAA tournament berth in 2007.   The Bears were 30-11 last year, a solid encore to its school record setting 34-7 mark 2006.   The squad has four thirty win seasons in team history, also going 32-10 in 2005 and 30-10 in 2002. Washington U. also boasts nine consecutive winning seasons.

The Bears made their sixth overall NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007, competing in the NCAA Regional round. In addition to continuing to achieve a high level of success as a team, WU also landed three players on the All-University Athletic Association (UAA) first team and one player on the ABCA All-America second team.

Guiding the Bears is legendary junior college coach Ric Lessmann, who, in 1995, became the 18th collegiate coach to win 1,000 or more career games. In 2007, Lessman recorded his 1,300th career win on April 5 against Westminster College. Under Lessmann, who is 339-190-1 (.641) in 14 years prowling the Bears' dugout, the Bears have won 20 or more games 10 times since 1994.

The history of Washington U. baseball goes all the way back to the first varsity team in 1946. The Bears went 17-11 that season and have continued those winning ways ever since. The Bears boast an all-time record of 1,067-839-9 for a winning percentage of .600. The Bears first won 20 games in 1974 and since the 1982 season, they have won 20 or more games 15 times in 25 years.

The Bears have totaled 38 all-Region citations since the award began in 1983, and 50 players have earned 75 all-UAA citations since the first championship in 1989. Additionally, four student-athletes have racked up seven Academic All-America awards.

Washington U. baseball lore extends into the professional ranks, as eight former WU players have signed pro contracts. The list includes: Henry Schmulbach (1943, St. Louis Browns), William Fries (1956, New York Yankees), Dal Maxvill (1960, St. Louis Cardinals), Tom Eckelman (1964, Cincinnati Reds), Steve Smith (1965, New York Mets), Mike Colin (1966, Minnesota Twins), Cornell Foggie (1988, Cleveland Indians), and Russ Chambliss (1997, New York Yankees).