|
Locals named to list of WNY Baseball HOF
Two former Cheektowaga-league players will soon see their names etched into the Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame directors recently announced the 2006 inductee list, which includes former Cheektowaga Travelers pitcher Mike Wagner and ex-Sloan Bruin and Cheektowaga Classic Leaguer Dale Tepas.
The two will make up part of a 15-member class that will be elected into the Hall on September 20 at Fontana's Banquet Center on 2440 Clinton Street in West Seneca.
Wagner attended and played baseball at St. Mary's of Lancaster High School from 1976-78, winning 135 games from 1982-95 for the Travelers, earning a gold medal at the Empire State Games and winning more than 50 games as coach of the Lancers' varsity baseball team since 2000.
The former Cheektowaga resident said he was quite pleased with being elected into the Hall.
"It's something I'm proud of and something I feel as though I've earned," said Wagner, who currently resides in Clarence.
Wagner listed his favorite AAA MUNY League memories as pitching a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts in 1988, as well as hurling 13 innings in a tournament game against a Canadian team in 1995. He also pitched for Clarence in the
Suburban League, winning back-toback all-around playoff titles and Rechlin Cup as a runner-up.
"I've had a bunch of good memories," said Wagner, who coached St. Mary's to a Monsignor Martin League title series appearance against Bishop Timon-St. Jude in 2003. "I wasn't able to carry on to a pro career because of other factors, but I still enjoyed playing the game enthusiastically."
Tepas played in the Cheektowaga Classic and MUNY leagues from 1964-74 and was a member of the AAA MUNY team from 1967-73, winning titles from 1970-71. His team also reached the NABF World Series finals in 1969.
A graduate of St. Joe's, he also pitched for Sloan along with Kenmore resident and HOF inductee Jim Klein and was a member of the Painters Union MUNY title-winning squad in 1974. Tepas was a four-year varsity baseball veteran at St. Joe's and was named to the All-Catholic League Team as a senior. Rounding out his baseball career were four years pitching for the American Legion Shamrocks, where he won two district titles and one league title (1968 in the AAABA).
| 
