Hall of Fame
While it is not unusual in college baseball for players to pitch and hold a regular position, it is unusual to have them do both at a level that far exceeds the norm. For four years in the mid-to-late 1980s, that's exactly what Dave Psenicska did for head coach Bob Babb and the Blue Jays. Psenicska was a four-year standout for the Blue Jays as he helped lead Hopkins to a four-year record of 111-40 (.730), three MAC Southeast Championships and one MAC Championship. The Blue Jays also advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1986.
On the mound Psenicska posted a 25-11 career record, including an 8-0 mark in 1986 when he helped lead the Blue Jays to the NCAA Tournament. He still ranks among the top 20 in school history in career victories (25), strikeouts (178), complete games (20) and games started (30).
Psenicska's exploits as a pitcher were surpassed only by his efforts as an everyday player, which were nothing short of sensational. He finished his career with a .388 batting average and 124 hits. He struck out just 10 times in 360 career plate appearances and capped his career with one of the finest statistical seasons in school history as he hit .434 with a .524 on-base percentage as a senior. He earned First Team All-MAC honors and was named the MAC Most Valuable Player as a senior in 1988. He had previously been named to the 1986 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional All-Tournament Team and a 1987 Regional All-American.
A long-standing tradition of the Blue Jay baseball program under Babb has been the team's trips abroad and Psenicska and his teammates may have enjoyed the greatest of these experiences. Psenicska pitched a complete game against the Cuban Junior National Team in Havana in 1986 and later became the first American pitcher to throw a pitch against the Russian National Team in Moscow (1988).
