An Anthology of Mariposa County High School baseball – 100 years and counting

Contributed by
Trace DeSandres
Former Coach, Athletic
Director and Teacher

PART ONE

Mariposa County High School (MCHS) opened its doors for the first time in October of 1914. Between 1914 and 1925 MCHS produced two yearbooks: The Pine Tag (1917-18) and a second yearbook during the 1924 – 1925 school year. Despite extensive research, there were no records found of baseball being played as a competitive sport at the high school level prior to the Spring of 1925.

It’s a virtual certainty that baseball was played in physical education classes in those early years. According to the 1925-26 yearbook, for the very first time, athletics were recognized as an important element of high school life.

While competitive basketball and football began a few years down the road, competitive baseball at MCHS began with an application to play in the Bi-Valley High School Baseball League. That request came from Clarence Hardebeck, who was the first baseball coach for Mariposa’s fledgling hardballers.

Hardebeck was also dedicated to improving the athletic fields and courts. In fact, he suggested the fields be worked on by students during one half of their physical education class, and also on Saturdays. Supervisor Grosjean (possibly the name’s sake of Grosjean Road) volunteered to use his tractor to assist with improving the fields. That work included enlarging the existing basketball court, primarily used for girls’ basketball, creating a volleyball court, and of course developing the all-important baseball field.

The basketball and volleyball courts were moved to the northwestern part of the field, so players were somewhat insulated from being struck by a batted ball. Those courts and the field were located where the Learning Center, weight room and the new high school wing exist today. A tennis court was added on the ground where the science and math buildings now stand. The original Mariposa County High School was located in the area that is now occupied by the Loyd Hobby Gymnasium.

For years and years, Mariposa played baseball on this field – in fact from 1925 into the 1980s! In the 1925 season, Mariposa played six games. The “Mountain Men” went 3-3 losing to Chowchilla, Raymond, and Madera. Mariposa defeated Raymond and then beat Le Grand twice. The following season (1926), Mariposa again played six games. There’s no record of whether or not MCHS became a member of the Bi-Valley League. At some point between 1926 and 1930, Mariposa did become a member of the Tri-Valley League which also included Le Grand and Raymond.

Between 1927 and 1929, yearbooks were not published. Unfortunately, player rosters and scores are lost forever since no information was recorded during that time period.

Beginning in 1930, yearbooks became a permanent part of the Mariposa High curriculum. Unlike football and basketball though, the yearbooks usually went to print before baseball season ended. The Mariposa Gazette had adequate coverage some seasons, and little to none in other years.

Coach Adolphus Thompson coached Mariposa baseball during the 1930 season. The “Mountain Men” or “Miners” as they were called then, fielded a team of 14 players. Games were played against Madera, Dos Palos, Los Banos, Raymond and Le Grand, but results for those contests aren’t to be discovered

From 1930 until 1939, MCHS employed four baseball coaches; Coach Thompson led the teams from 1930-1932, and in the 1932 season, Mariposa played Le Grand for the Class C pennant, but lost 8-6 in the title game. In 1933, under Coach Lewis Tromp, Mariposa went 2-4 overall, but won its first Tri-County pennant by defeating both Raymond and Le Grand.

John “Pop” Ryan coached baseball from 1934 through the 1937 season. In 1936, Mariposa won its second pennant. In 1937, Mariposa switched to the Valley League, which included league games with Madera, Los Banos, Merced, and Dos Palos as well as long-time rivals Raymond and Le Grand.

Mariposa also played a game with Fresno State College that year losing, 14-3. Despite not winning the Valley League title, the Grizzlies (the mascot the school adopted sometime between 1935 and 1937) defeated Le Grand and Raymond, while going 5-5-1 over the season. That was the largest number of games played in a single season to date.

Leroy Rust, a player on the 1937 team, became the postmaster in Yosemite Valley for many years. Another player that year, Keith Bertken, is honored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6042 in Mariposa. Dale Heinrich coached the Grizzlies during the 1938-39 seasons. Mariposa went 3-4 in 1938 and 1-6 in 1939.

Over a 15-year period between 1925 and 1939, many changes happened to Mariposa County High School. Field and court improvements for volleyball, basketball, football and most notably baseball were completed. A new high school was constructed in 1937.

Generational local names like Richards, Bondshu, McElligot, McGregor, Tedrow, Tresidder, Ashworth, Bertken, Hamlin, Sovulewski, Greenamyer, and Williams all were represented in the records of MCHS baseball.

With a second world war not far away, baseball at Mariposa County High School, would experience many trying times during the 1940s.

(Watch for PART II, coming soon.)