Paul "Duck" Stanley - The Ace of the Pitching Staff
“Duck was not too tall, and you could describe him as portly. He kind of waddled like a duck, so he got stuck with that nickname about the time he showed up on campus” (Batista). This is how Paul Batista described Paul Stanley, the Tiger’s ace and quite possibly the greatest pitcher in Tiger baseball history. According to Batista, many people on campus did not even know Duck’s real name. Despite his unassuming stature, the New Braunfels product was the leader of the pitching staff for some of Trinity’s best seasons and for those reasons his name is riddled in the record books. His name is in the top five of almost every single statistical category, but the most impressive stat is his all-time best career earned run average of 1.92. No other Trinity pitcher has kept their career ERA under 2.20, showing just how much of a standout pitcher Duck was. Stanley was also the elder statesman of the staff, graduating in 1973, so the younger arms in the rotation looked up to him as an example. Duck was a confident and poised pitcher, as described in a San Antonio Express article from 1972 that said, “Stanley came in with one out and the bases full and he calmly struck out the final two men” (SA Express). Duck tossed two no-hitters in his career as well, one in 1972 against then rival Pan American, and the second in 1973 against Southwestern. While Paul “Duck” Stanley may not have been the most imposing adversary on the mound, he was likely the most important player on some of Trinity’s best teams.