1950 & 1952 Baseball Teams

The 1950 varsity men's baseball team, led by head coach Alton Haun, won the school's first ever state championship and is the only undefeated baseball team in school history with a record of 11-0. The 1950 team finished the season as Class B state champions.

With the help of Ted Patterson's 4-hit pitching performance and Ed Smith's home run, the 1950 team defeated Gridley in the fifth inning 7-0 to advance to the semi-finals of the Class B state baseball tournament. Washburn Rural then ousted Peabody 13-5 thanks again to Patterson's performance to earn their spot in the final against Isabel. The "Junior Ich's" triumphed over Isabel 6-4 with Patterson again proving his pitching excellence and completed the season undefeated. This victory awarded the first state championship in any sport to Washburn Rural before a crowd of 500 spectators in Peabody.

Two years later, the 1952 varsity baseball team, also led by head coach Alton Haun, won the school's second ever state championship and only had one loss during the season to Topeka High (4-1), finishing their season with a 12-1 record.

The 1952 team beat Rose Hill in the semi-finals 5-4 in the eighth inning of a scheduled seven inning game. Lyle Armstong's double in the eighth inning allowed Marvin Bonjour to score the winning run, which advanced the "Little Blues'' to the state final against the defending champion Berryton. During the final Bob Shirley pitched a near-perfect 2-hitter, while Lyle Armstrong continued with his strong hitting performance leading the team to a 4-0 win in the Class B state championship. This triumph earned coach Alton Haun his second state trophy.

Both of these teams are more than deserving of being inducted into the Hall of Fame as they were the first two state championships in Washburn Rural history over 70 years ago and they started a legacy of athletic excellence at the school.