Conclusion: 1972 and 1973 Shaped Trinity Baseball

1972 and 1973 will always be remembered as the beginnings of high-level success for Trinity University baseball. Led by a historic coach in Houston Wheeler, great sluggers like Billy Daffin and Tommy Crumrine, and an all-time great pitching staff that featured three future major leaguers as well as the best pitcher in Tiger history, the Tigers in the early ‘70s were able to compete against some of the best teams in the nation. They proved that smaller schools could stand toe to toe with the baseball powerhouses of the country. Unfortunately, a potential golden age of Trinity baseball was cut short by the timing of the university’s Simon Pure decision, which ended the use of athletic scholarships at Trinity. While Trinity’s run of excellence was derailed for that time being, I believe the 1972 and 1973 teams had and immense impact on modern day Trinity baseball by instilling the competitive culture of excellence that has lived on and helped Trinity become a top program at the division three level today. Paul Batista described his team as, “A group of guys where everybody got along, it was a fun time. We all enjoyed playing ball, we enjoyed each other, and it was fun to go to practice and games every day” (Batista). This team laid the cultural groundwork for Trinity teams to come, passing down knowledge, tradition, and experience to each class below them, leading the program to where it is today.