A Legacy Forged in Baseballs: The History of Catawba College Baseball
Catawba College boasts a rich athletic tradition, and baseball stands as one of its cornerstone programs. From its early days in Newton, North Carolina, to its current home in Salisbury, baseball has consistently been a source of pride and accomplishment for the college.
Conference Alignments: A Historical Overview
Catawba College's athletic journey began in the North State Athletic Conference, also known as "The Little Six." In 1930, the North State Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was formed when the original six schools, along with new member Appalachian, decided to separate from the North Carolina Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
After the 1960 season, Catawba and the other NSAC members transitioned to a new banner: the Carolinas Conference. During this period, the Carolinas Conference experienced both growth and attrition. Western Carolina joined in 1933, followed by East Carolina in 1947, Pfeiffer in 1960, Newberry in 1961, and Presbyterian in 1964, along with Mars Hill. East Carolina resigned in 1962 to join the Southern Conference, and Appalachian and Western Carolina followed suit.
From 1971 to 1981, women's sports at Catawba participated in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), an organization created to provide female athletes with high-level competitive opportunities. In 1975, Catawba joined the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) for football only. The SAC-8, as it was known, consisted of Carson-Newman, Catawba, Elon, Gardner-Webb, Lenoir-Rhyne, Mars Hill, Newberry, and Presbyterian.
In 1989, Catawba left Conference Carolinas to become a member of the SAC, which then became a multi-sport conference. The league maintained its National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) status for several seasons, rendering it ineligible for NCAA postseason play. In 1993-1994, the SAC gained NCAA sanctioning and now offers 20 championship sports.
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Early Successes and Consistent Performance
Baseball has been a mainstay at Catawba since the early days of athletics when the college was located in Newton. As one of the original sports, baseball has experienced its share of success. The team won its first conference championship in 1931 and continued its winning tradition with solid teams in the 1940s and as one of the school's most successful programs in the 2000s.
The Gantt Era: A Tradition of Winning
Since the summer of 1996, Coach Jim Gantt has continued the tradition of baseball success at Catawba, leading talented players and posting 20 straight, 30+ win seasons, including nine 40-win seasons since 2004.
Championship Moments and National Recognition
Catawba Baseball claimed its second regional title in 2015 and advanced to the National Finals Championship Game, finishing runner-up in NCAA II. In 2024, the team again claimed the Southeast Regional crown and appeared in the semifinal round of the Division II National Finals. The team finished with a 46-17 record, including a program-record 32 wins at home.
Newman Park: A Baseball Landmark
Founded in 1926, Newman Park has been a staple of Catawba College for decades. Students and community members alike have enjoyed countless hours watching the Catawba Baseball Team rack up victories. Catawba has posted an 834-405 record at home, a winning percentage of 67.3%!
Newman Park is known for the flagpole in dead center. That unusually cozy center field area makes for exciting American Legion baseball, but college pitchers don’t have the luxury of making any mistakes.
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The Genesis of Newman Park
Dr. Newman coaches the 1926 Catawba baseball team, with the assistance of Dr. Newman also serves as team doctor for Catawba, free of charge. Dr. Newman organizes and energizes the Salisbury community, obtains donations of lumber and helps start the construction of a baseball stadium around Catawba’s existing field. He is credited with leading the effort to get the stadium built at 498 Summit Ave. Today, it’s one of the oldest baseball parks still in use. The grandstand area is constructed at Newman Park. A.L. Jarrell and Sons of Spencer build it with tubular steel trusses. The same company builds Catawba’s football stadium and the baseball grandstands for App State and East Carolina. Dr. Catawba’s ballpark is named for Dr.
A Stage for All Levels of Baseball
Coach Kirkland pilots the first Salisbury American Legion team ever to play at Newman Park, starting a long summer of tradition. Interest in baseball is high in Salisbury after Gastonia won the World Series in 1935. Dr. The Salisbury Giants play North Carolina State League games at Newman Park (1939-42). Dr. Newman Sr. Scary flamethrower Rocket Ron Necciai, whose fastballs break the ribs of hitters, pitches for the Salisbury Pirates at Newman Park, mostly without distinction. Dr. Newman Sr. The Salisbury ROCOTS (ROwan COunty’s Team of Salisbury) competed in the Tar Heele League at Newman Park in 1953 and were affiliated with the Boston Red Sox. Coach Ferebee’s Salisbury Legion team changes baseball forever in Rowan County with area, sectional and regional championships and a trip to the World Series in Minnesota. Tiny southpaw Tom Eaton pitches almost every game and becomes a legendary figure. Salisbury had a minor league baseball void from 1954-59, but the Salisbury Braves, an independent team made up of players with local ties, played in the Western Carolina League in 1960 and won the championship. The Salisbury Braves were a Class D affiliate of the National League’s new Houston franchise and played in the Western Carolina League. Salisbury’s Aaron Pointer, a Black player from San Francisco, batted .402 that season. Pointer, who was 19 when he played for Salisbury in 1961, had 14 triples and scored an incredible 117 runs in 93 games. Salisbury minor league baseball enjoys its most successful run at Newman Park as the Salisbury Dodgers in 1963-64. The 1964 Salisbury pitching staff included future L.A. Salisbury’s minor league affiliation was back with Houston in 1965. Fred Stanley played shortstop for Salisbury in 1966 as an 18-year-old. Rowan County Legion is state runner-up. After having no pro baseball at Newman Park in 1967, Salisbury made a comeback and was affiliated with the Washington Senators in 1968. Unfortunately, the Salisbury Senators were 34-87 and had the distinction of being one of the worst teams in minor league history. In the six-team Western Carolinas League, they finished 20 games out of fifth place. Rowan County Legion wins the state championship. The final season for Coach Ferebee at the helm of the Rowan Legion team. Rowan County Legion wins the state championship, maintaining a remarkable streak of a state title in every decade. Newman Park is also the home for high school baseball in the 1990s. Salisbury High played many home games there before it got an on-campus facility. Former Catawba third baseman Jim Gantt is named as Catawba’s head baseball coach. Rowan Legion doesn’t win the state championship, but it hosts the Southeast Regional at Newman Park and wins the regional. That means a trip to the World Series in Oregon, the first World Series adventure for the local program since 1955. The last season for Coach DeHart with Rowan Legion. Rowan is the Area III champion. It also the first year of the double-elimination, single-site state tournament bringing together every Area champion and runner-up. The first one is in Caldwell County. A new covered batting cage is added down the right-field line at Newman Park. Rowan Legion loses an elimination game in the Southeast Regional in Shelby and finishes with a 43-2 record. A new 18-foot high outfield wall is erected at Newman Park. Catawba’s David Thomas scores 84 runs, the school record for a single season. Tim Smith sets a Catawba record for wins in a season with 13. Jimbo Davis gets the last of his school career record 235 RBIs for Catawba. Catawba’s David Thomas establishes a school record for career hits with 344. His No. Rowan County Legion wins a number of championships, including area, state and region. Catawba’s Craige Lyerly gets a base hit 39 straight games in a streak he started in 2009. Rowan Legion player Patrick Snider dies of cancer. His memory is honored with his No. Catawba’s Jim Gantt coaches his second team to the D-II National Championship Tournament in Car,y and the Indians finish runner-up. Rowan County Legion wins the state championship played at Wingate, the first time Rowan ever has won back-to-back state championships. Rowan County also wins the regional in Asheboro. Rowan makes a trip to the World Series in Shelby and is runner-up. Catawba wins 47 games, tying the school record. Catawba is ranked second nationally in Division II when the pandemic brings a halt to the college baseball season. Catawba was 19-3. Gant has 853 career wins as Catawba head coach. Legion baseball is canceled by the national committee because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is still summer baseball at Newman Park.
Catawba College: An Overview
Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its current home of Salisbury in 1925. Catawba College still holds loose ties with the successor to the Reformed Church, the United Church of Christ. It offers over 70 undergraduate degrees.
Catawba College was founded by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in the United States in 1851. The years following the opening of the college were years of growing prosperity for the school, but the Civil War changed this as funds and students became less available. During the war years, the college became an academy, operating as Catawba High School from 1865 until 1885, whereupon it resumed operations under its original charter as Catawba College. Catawba became coeducational in 1890. Even with the addition of women to the student body, the college struggled to overcome the depletion brought on by the war.
Catawba College offers over 70 fields of study in a variety of disciplines. For working adults, Catawba's School of Evening and Graduate Studies offers the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.). In conjunction with the Department of Teacher Education, the Bachelor of Arts in education (B.A.E.) degree may be earned with a major in Birth-Kindergarten Education; at the graduate level, the Master of Education degree in elementary education is also offered. Most classes are instructed by more than one professor, each providing input from their specific field of study. The program includes travel abroad opportunities (i.e. Greece, Germany, Britain, Arizona, and more destinations both nationally and internationally). Students can be invited into the program as incoming freshmen, or students can apply any time during their education at Catawba.
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The school of business was named after Ralph W. Ketner, who was the co-founder and former CEO of Food Lion. The school of business provides students with a curriculum in many different areas of the business world. These areas are Accounting, Economics and Finance, Entrepreneurship, Integrated Marketing Communication, Communication Arts with concentrations in communications and sports communications, and Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting, Communications, Economics, General Management, Information Systems, International Business, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship. The school also offers the Center for Entrepreneurship and Experimental Development (CEED) and the Institute of Business and Accounting.
Catawba created the West Scholars Program in 2006. The program offers a scholarship for North Carolina residents, in addition to "leadership seminars, community, service, scholarly researched presentations" and various other benefits.
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