Akron Zips baseball
| Akron Zips | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1873 |
| University | University of Akron |
| Home stadium | Lee R. Jackson Field (Capacity: 1,500) |
| Nickname | Zips |
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1996 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| 1996 (MAC) | |
| Regular season conference champions | |
| 1954 (OAC), 1991 (MCC) | |
The Akron Zips baseball team was a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, United States. The team played in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) from 1993 until 2015. Home games were played at Lee R. Jackson Field from 1967 to 2015.
The program was established in early 1873 during the school's first academic year and played in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) from 1954–1966, the Ohio Valley Conference from 1981 through 1987, and the Mid-Continent Conference for the 1990, 1991, and 1992 seasons. The Zips began competition in the MAC in 1993 and were placed in the East Division when it was created in 2000. The team had one appearance in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which came in 1996 following their only MAC Tournament Championship. Additionally, the Zips won the 1954 OAC championship and the 1991 Mid-Continent Conference title.[2]
On July 10, 2015, Akron announced the baseball program would be eliminated, effective immediately, after having fielded the sport since 1873 and uninterrupted since 1947. The university cited budget problems as the main reason for ending the program. A group of baseball alumni formed in an effort to try to save the program.[3] Players were permitted to remain on scholarship to finish their degree, though most transferred to other schools to continue their playing careers.[4][5]
Major League Baseball
Akron has had 22 Major League Baseball Draft selections since the draft began in 1965.[6]
| Zips in the Major League Baseball Draft | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Round | Team |
| 1965 | Ray Glinsky | 47 | Cardinals |
| 1966 | Ray Glinsky | 2 | Tigers |
| 1966 | James Barton | 2 | White Sox |
| 1971 | Randy Richards | 2 | Pirates |
| 1981 | Randy Budd | 22 | Expos |
| 1982 | Mike Birkbeck | 11 | Cubs |
| 1983 | Mike Birkbeck | 4 | Brewers |
| 1985 | Pat Gliha | 22 | Braves |
| 1987 | John Massarelli | 8 | Astros |
| 1995 | Jim Putko | 23 | Cubs |
| 2000 | Mark Malaska | 8 | Devil Rays |
| 2003 | Aaron Gangi | 14 | Devil Rays |
| 2006 | Ross Liersemann | 18 | Marlins |
| 2007 | Tom Farmer | 20 | Twins |
| 2008 | Doug McNulty | 49 | Mets |
| 2008 | Tom Farmer | 47 | Twins |
| 2011 | Drew Turocy | 24 | Red Sox |
| 2011 | Chris Bassitt | 16 | White Sox |
| 2012 | Andrew Brown | 23 | Rockies |
| 2014 | Devan Ahart | 16 | Dodgers |
| 2015 | Joey Havrilak | 18 | Tigers |
| 2015 | JT Brubaker | 6 | Pirates |
References
- ^ The University of Akron Department of Athletics Brand Guide (PDF). June 19, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ "Akron Zips". d1baseball.com. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
- ^ "Save Akron Baseball". 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ^ "University of Akron to cut 215 jobs, baseball program to save $40 million". Akron Beacon Journal. July 10, 2015. Archived from the original on August 17, 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "University of Akron to lay off 215; eliminate baseball and take other measures to solve '$60 million financial problem'". The Plain Dealer. July 10, 2015. Archived from the original on August 17, 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "MLB Amateur Draft Picks who came from "University of Akron (Akron , OH)"". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.