June 10, 1956: New Hampshire nips Washington State for only College World Series win

The book has been closed on varsity baseball at the University of New Hampshire since the spring of 1997, when it was one of four sports eliminated for financial reasons.1

It seems likely, then, that the victory achieved by the UNH Wildcats on June 10, 1956, will remain the school’s baseball high-water mark. That season’s squad was the only team in UNH history to reach the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, and its 6-4 triumph over Washington State College (now University) is the only College Series game the school has ever won.2 Defeated by the University of Mississippi in its first game, UNH lost a heartbreaker to the University of Arizona in its third game to fall out of the double-elimination tournament.

The Wildcats were led by a campus legend nearing the end of an accomplished career. Henry “Hank” Swasey, who’d been a star multi-sport athlete at Amherst College in Massachusetts, had been coaching baseball at UNH since 1922 with a few seasons out during World War II.3 He also coached basketball, soccer, and hockey for the university at various times, and the school’s swimming pool was later named in his honor.4 Swasey served as a scout for several big-league teams, including the Milwaukee Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals.5

Swasey’s 1956 team didn’t produce any future big-leaguers and had played just 17 games coming into the College Series, compared to 34 for Washington State and 51 for the tournament’s most experienced team, Arizona. UNH posted a 12-5 record.6

New England’s spring weather—often cold, wet, and/or snowy—has always wreaked havoc on college baseball seasons, but the region’s teams could still beat fair-weather rivals in Omaha. The College of the Holy Cross won the College World Series in 1952, while Boston College won two games the following year; Holy Cross won two games in 1958.7 Still, one sportswriter warned that the Wildcats had their work cut out for them: “Should New Hampshire win out there it will be a fine feather in their hats. The going is going to be tough as they will find out.”8

UNH clinched its first trip to Omaha in a one-day, four-team New England district playoff on June 2. In the first round, sophomore right-hander Herb Adams9 threw a five-hit shutout to beat Boston University. In the deciding game, senior left-hander and staff ace10 Joe Kazura pitched a one-hitter against the University of Vermont through five innings. Vermont had the tying run at the plate in the sixth when torrential rain stopped the game and handed UNH a 2-0 win. It was UNH’s good fortune that future big-leaguer Jack Lamabe had started Vermont’s first game of the day and was not available to start the second. Lamabe pitched six innings of no-hit ball against the University of Massachusetts in Vermont’s first-game win.11

Some 2,250 miles away from UNH’s campus in Durham, New Hampshire, the Washington State College Cougars of Pullman, Washington, were led by their own local legend. Like Swasey, WSU’s Arthur “Buck” Bailey came to his college in the 1920s and stayed until the early 1960s, and both men earned spots in their schools’ athletic Halls of Fame.12 Bailey’s 603 wins ranked him second among Washington State coaches as of 2026, and the school’s baseball field is jointly named for him and a successor, Chuck Brayton.13

Unlike Swasey, Bailey and the Cougars had been to Omaha before. In 1950, with future big-leaguers Gene Conley and Ted Tappe on the roster, Washington State won four College Series games—including a semifinal against the University of Texas—before suffering a 3-0 loss to Texas in the final.14

Bailey’s Cougars won 15 straight games in 1956 en route to a 28-6 record.15 On June 1 and 2, Washington State won a pair of games against the University of Southern California—the district’s representative to the 1955 College Series—to seal their trip to Omaha.16 Catcher Bill Rich drove in all five runs in the clinching 5-4 victory. He was one of four Cougars named to an all-division team, along with second baseman Gordon Hersey, third baseman Bill Mashburn, and pitcher Jerry Bartow.17 Seven of the Cougars’ starters were seniors, and Bailey called his veteran team “a ball club that won’t beat itself.”18

Both teams suffered frustrating losses in their first College Series games on June 9. Through 6 ½ innings, UNH trailed Ole Miss 13-3. The Wildcats clawed back nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings but lost, 13-12. Against Bradley University, Washington State scored in the top of the ninth to pull into a 3-3 tie, then surrendered a walk-off RBI double in the bottom half.19

On Sunday, June 10, a crowd of 1,627 turned out in temperatures that reached the mid-90s to watch UNH and Washington State play the second game of a win-or-go-home afternoon doubleheader.20 Abrams pitched for the Wildcats, while Ron Aiken, who pitched the clinching win against USC and hadn’t been tagged with a loss all season, took the mound for the Cougars.21

UNH jumped out to a lead in the first inning thanks to second baseman Jerry Kenneally, who hit a two-out single. Catcher and team captain Fred Dauten moved Kenneally to third with another single, and Kenneally capped the rally by stealing home for a 1-0 lead.22 The Cougars loaded the bases against Abrams in each of the first two innings but could not score.23

UNH first baseman Hugh Marshall’s beefy build and hard hitting had earned him comparisons to Ted Kluszewski, then shredding National League pitching for the Cincinnati Reds.24 Marshall had gone 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles in the loss against Ole Miss.25 In the third inning against Washington State, a single, a walk, and a hit batsman brought Marshall up with the bases loaded. He cleared them with a double, putting the Wildcats ahead 4-0.26 Marshall wasn’t done: His third hit of the day, a fifth-inning single, drove in right fielder Dick Gleason from third base to pad New Hampshire’s lead to 5-0.27

The Cougars wouldn’t roll over, though. In the bottom of the fifth, with shortstop Ron Foisy on base, Rich belted a home run to left field—variously described as 343, 350, or 360 feet.28 Abrams walked third baseman Bill Mashburn, then got two outs on a force play and a strikeout. But first baseman Mo Winter hit a run-scoring double, and pitcher Aiken singled him in to bring the score to 5-4.29

In came Kazura, who’d been pounded in the loss to Ole Miss, surrendering all 13 runs before being pulled in the seventh.30 Kazura got second baseman Hersey to pop out, ending the rally.31 That was as close as Washington State would get. UNH added an insurance run in the seventh on singles by right fielder Ted Wright and shortstop Fran McLaughlin; Wright came in to score when Hersey made an error while trying to turn a double play.32

The Cougars showed their fangs one last time in the ninth. Mashburn reached on a leadoff single—one of only two hits allowed by Kazura—and center fielder Joe Trembly walked. With the tying runs on base, Kazura set down the next three hitters to wrap up a 6-4 win in 2 hours and 48 minutes.33 Kazura earned the win, while Aiken, who’d pitched the whole game, took the loss.

UNH’s celebration lasted one day. On June 11, Kazura took the hill once more against Arizona’s Ernie Oosterveen. Through eight scoreless innings, no runners from either team made it as far as third base. Leading off the top of the ninth, Kazura plunked first baseman Harry Messick, who took first base; Messick later confessed that the ball hadn’t hit him. The next two Arizona batters reached on bunts—one charged as an error on Kazura, the second safe when Kazura’s throw reached third base too late. One out later, catcher Glen Festin dropped a perfect squeeze bunt down the first-base line, scoring Messick with the run that eliminated UNH from its only College World Series.34

One of the three umps working the UNH-Washington State game, Frank Tabacchi, had made his American League debut about two months earlier; he remained an AL ump through 1959.35 Some players from that game had minor-league careers. Dauten joined the Cincinnati Reds’ organization, where he played a single season in the low minors. Rich signed with the Cleveland Indians.36 Washington State’s Foisy was briefly a Reds farmhand, while teammate Winter labored in the Milwaukee Braves’ organization. Aiken pitched two seasons in the organizations of the New York Yankees and Braves. Kazura pitched local baseball in the Canadian Maritimes, then became a biology teacher.37

As of 2026, Washington State had made it back to the College World Series twice, in 1965 and 1976. Well-known players who passed through included Ron Cey, Danny Frisella, John Olerud, and Aaron Sele.38 UNH produced Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk and big-league pitcher and coach Rich Gale before shutting down its varsity program.

Acknowledgments and photo credit

This story was fact-checked by Carl Riechers and copy-edited by Keith Thursby.

Photo of Henry “Hank” Swasey from the 1927 edition of the University of New Hampshire’s yearbook, The Granite: 216.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted the Baseball-Reference and Retrosheet websites for background information on seasons, teams, and players.

Baseball-Reference and Retrosheet do not provide box scores of college games, but the June 11, 1956, editions of the Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald and Portland (Maine) Press-Herald published a box score.

Notes

1 Associated Press, “UNH Cuts Baseball, Golf and Lacrosse Programs,” Concord (New Hampshire) Monitor, January 24, 1997: 1. The other three sports cut were men’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s golf. As of 2026, the university had a club (non-varsity) baseball team: “Baseball,” University of New Hampshire Campus Recreation website, accessed July 2026, https://campusrec.unh.edu/programs/sport-clubs/baseball.

2 “University of New Hampshire,” Baseball-Reference BR Bullpen, accessed July 2026, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/University_of_New_Hampshire.

3 Wartime travel restrictions and other issues led the university to play a few seasons of what it called “informal baseball”—akin to fielding a club team, rather than a varsity team. “Baseball,” University of New Hampshire The Granite yearbook, 1946 edition, accessed July 2026, https://scholars.unh.edu/granite_yearbook/37/: 170.

4 “Hank Swasey Winds Up Coaching Career,” Concord Daily Monitor and New Hampshire Patriot, May 24, 1962: 28; “Henry Swasey” (obituary), Biddeford (Maine) Journal Tribune, June 3, 1980: 2; “Swasey Pool,” University of New Hampshire athletics website, accessed July 2026, https://unhwildcats.com/sports/2015/7/1/GEN_0701150306.

5 “Braves Tryout Camp to Be Held at White Park Tomorrow and Friday,” Concord Daily Monitor and New Hampshire Patriot, June 20, 1956: 16; “The Dodgers Take Over” (photo and caption), Bangor (Maine) Daily News, June 25, 1946: 10; “White Hose Scout Seeking Material,” Saint John (New Brunswick) Evening Times-Globe, July 7, 1950: 11; “Henry Swasey.”

6 “1956 College World Series,” Baseball-Reference B-R Bullpen, accessed July 2026, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/1956_College_World_Series. Games played by Washington State and Arizona verified by checking each team’s 2026 baseball record book (Washington State’s at https://wsucougars.com/documents/45c72537-9f4e-449c-a5fe-f6901a6292f1.pdf; Arizona’s at https://static.arizonawildcats.com/old_site/pdf/m-basebl/10-m-basbl-mg-history.pdf?db_oem_id=30700.) New Hampshire’s 12-5 record following its qualification for the College World Series is also mentioned in Ernie Roberts, “N.H. Beats Vermont in NCAA Playoff Final, 2-0,” Boston Sunday Globe, June 3, 1956: 61.

7 As per the Baseball-Reference B-R Bullpen pages for the 1952, 1953, and 1958 College World Series, accessed in July 2026. As of 2026, Holy Cross in 1952 remained the only New England college to win the College World Series.

8 Fred W. Griffin, “Diamond Dust,” Springfield (Vermont) Reporter, June 5, 1956: C3. Incidentally, Griffin also reported in this column that Colby College of Maine backed out of the NCAA playoffs because they conflicted with final exams; that the University of Vermont took their place; and that Holy Cross did not apply for consideration for the playoffs “because they did not care to play in that set of games.”

9 Al Nettle, “Baseball Team Moves Closer to Title,” The New Hampshire (Durham, New Hampshire), May 24, 1956: 5, https://scholars.unh.edu/tnh_archive/1754/. The New Hampshire was the student newspaper of the University of New Hampshire.

10 “Pitching Depth Behind Kazura Key to UNH Baseball Chances,” (West Lebanon, New Hampshire) Valley News, April 10, 1956: 7.

11 Kazura’s class year and left-handedness from “State University Nine Ends Season Against Maine Rival,” Concord Daily Monitor and New Hampshire Patriot, May 25, 1956: 12. Information on the season-ending tournament from Roberts, “N.H. Beats Vermont in NCAA Playoff Final, 2-0,” and “UVM Loses NCAA Finale, 2-0 to New Hampshire,” (Burlington) Vermont Sunday News, June 3, 1956: 12. Lamabe pinch-hit in the championship game against UNH, collecting a single just before the game-ending rain arrived.

12 Swasey was named to UNH’s hall of fame in 1983, while Bailey was honored by Washington State in 1978. “Hall of Fame,” University of New Hampshire athletics website, accessed July 2026, https://unhwildcats.com/sports/2015/7/23/Development_0723150850; “WSU Hall of Fame,” 2021 Washington State University baseball record book, accessed July 2026, https://wsucougars.com/documents/45c72537-9f4e-449c-a5fe-f6901a6292f1.pdf: 2.

13 “Career Coaching Records,” 2021 Washington State University baseball record book: 8; “WSU Hall of Fame.”

14 “1950 College World Series,” Baseball-Reference BR Bullpen, accessed July 2026, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/1950_College_World_Series.

15 “1956,” 2021 Washington State University baseball record book: 7; “Season Results,” ibid.: 10.

16 “1955 College World Series,” Baseball-Reference BR Bullpen, accessed July 2026, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/1955_College_World_Series.

17 Associated Press, “Cougars Win PCC Baseball Crown,” Everett (Washington) Daily Herald, June 4, 1956: 17; Associated Press, “Four Cougars Are All-Stars,” (Olympia, Washington) Daily Olympian, June 6, 1956: 10.

18 “Bailey Selects Squad for Cougar Trip to Nationals,” Everett Daily Herald, June 6, 1956: 25.

19 Robert Phipps, “Arizona, Minnesota Cop Series Openers,” Omaha (Nebraska) Sunday World-Herald, June 10, 1956: C1.

20 “Hot Weather Will Continue in Nebraska,” Omaha World-Herald, June 11, 1956: 1; Robert Phipps, “Arizona Staggers Minnesota Club, 3 to 1,” Omaha World-Herald, June 11, 1956: 11. The first game of the afternoon doubleheader pitted the University of Wyoming against New York University; Wyoming won 8-2 to eliminate NYU.

21 “Cougars Win PCC Baseball Crown”; “Cougars Bounced in NCAA Tourney,” Spokane (Washington) Spokesman-Review, June 11, 1956: 10.

22 “UNH Wildcats Claw Washington State, 6-4,” Portland (Maine) Press-Herald, June 11, 1956: 11; “Captains of Spring Sports” (photos and caption), The New Hampshire (Durham, New Hampshire), May 24, 1956: 5.

23 “UNH Wildcats Claw Washington State, 6-4.” “Cougars Bounced in NCAA Tourney” has Washington State loading the bases in the second and third innings, rather than the first and second; in any event, they did not score.

24 Wally Provost, “In the Days of Meehan,” Omaha Evening World-Herald, June 11, 1956: 21. Kluszewski hit at least 40 home runs each year from 1953 to 1955, topping out with an NL-leading 49 in 1954. He hit 35 more in 1956, his last great power season.

25 Box score accompanying “Rebels Subdue Wildcats, 13-12,” Portland (Maine) Sunday Telegram, June 10, 1956: 4B.

26 Robert Phipps, “Undefeated Minnesota, Rebels Collide in Key Contest Tonight,” Omaha Evening World-Herald, June 11, 1956: 21. This story does not specify which of the hitters preceding Marshall collected the hit, the walk, and the hit-by-pitch, and newspaper box scores do not list any hit batsmen.

27 “UNH Wildcats Claw Washington State, 6-4.” Gleason’s first name was omitted from this story; he is identified in full in “Pitching Depth Behind Kazura Key to UNH Baseball Chances.” Game coverage does not specify how Gleason, who batted three spots ahead of Marshall, got to third base; he went 1-for-5 on the day.

28 “UNH Wildcats Claw Washington State, 6-4”; “Cougars Bounced in NCAA Tourney.” As of July 2026, Newspapers.com had two different versions of the latter story—one listing Rich’s homer as 350 feet, the other as 360 feet.

29 “Cougars Bounced in NCAA Tourney” and “UNH Wildcats Claw Washington State, 6-4” have slightly different descriptions of the fifth-inning rally. The latter summary mis-attributes Winter’s double to teammate Jack Hardman.

30 Associated Press, “Rebels Take NCAA Opener,” New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 10, 1956: 6:2.

31 “UNH Wildcats Claw Washington State, 6-4.”

32 “UNH Wildcats Claw Washington State, 6-4.” Game accounts do not specify whether Hersey’s error was throwing or fielding.

33 “Cougars Bounced in NCAA Tourney.”

34 George McLeod, “After 3 Years—Oosterveen Makes Good,” Tucson (Arizona) Daily Citizen, June 12, 1956: 17; Abe Chanin, “Suicide Squeeze Gives Cats Win,” Tucson (Arizona) Daily Star, June 12, 1956: 1.

35 Tabacchi’s presence at the College World Series is confirmed in “Men’s College World Series Umpires,” NCAA 2009 College World Series guide, accessed July 2026, http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_cws_RB/2009CWSfull.pdf: 152.

36 “New Platter Manager” (photo and caption), North Platte (Nebraska) Telegraph-Bulletin, June 21, 1956: 13.

37 Paul Janssens, “Sports Extra,” Fredericton (New Brunswick) Daily Gleaner, August 2, 1966: 12; “Area Trio to Attend Institute,” Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Herald, June 17, 1967: 2.

38 “Washington State University,” B-R Bullpen; “WSU Hall of Fame.” Cey, Frisella, Olerud, and Sele are all members of Washington State’s athletic Hall of Fame; Olerud’s father, who played minor-league ball, is also a member.