Kent State Golden Flashes Baseball - History

History

The team was established in 1914 as part of Kent State Normal School President John Edward McGilvrey's intramural sports program. It began intercollegiate competition that year as the "Normal Nine" coached by school custodian Alexander Whyte, though no records exist of that season. The team's first recorded season was 1915, where the team played only four games, going 1-3. Alf Lovall would coach the team to a 1-2 record in 1916 and Paul Chandler would coach the team to a 3-0 record in 1922. The records for the 1917-1921 and 1923-1925 seasons are incomplete, though it was during the 1923 season that the various Kent State Normal College teams began being referred to as the Silver Foxes. In 1926, the current Golden Flashes name debuted and Merle Wagoner, who also coached the football team from 1925-1932, would become the Flashes first long-term coach from 1926-1933 leading Kent State to a record of 27-34 in his eight seasons. During the 1932 season, Kent State began play in the Ohio Athletic Conference, where they would compete through the 1951 season. The Flashes would be coached by Gus Peterka for the 1934 and 1935 seasons, Donald Starn for the 1936-1938 seaons, and John Starrett for the 1939-1942 seasons leading up to World War II. During the war years, 1943-1945, Kent State did not field any varsity athletic teams, but resumed in 1946. Wesley Stevens would coach the team for 1946 and 1947 before Matt Resnick would take over in 1948. He would serve as Kent State's coach for the longest tenure to date, from 1948 through the 1961 season compiling an overall record of 132-100-1 and 50-50 in the Mid-American Conference.