Buffalo Bulls baseball

Last updated
Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo Bulls logo.svg
Founded1894 (1894)
Defunct2017;7 years ago (2017)
University University at Buffalo
Conference Mid–American
East Division
Location Amherst, New York
Home stadium Amherst Audubon Field (2001–2017)
Dunn Tire Park (2000)
Nickname Bulls
ColorsRoyal blue and white [1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
1971, 1973
Regular season conference champions
1980 [2]

The Buffalo Bulls baseball team was a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University at Buffalo in Amherst, New York, United States. [3] From 2001 to 2017, the team was a member of the Mid-American Conference East division, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level. The Bulls played their home games at Amherst Audubon Field on the UB campus. [4] The Bulls were coached by Ron Torgalski for the program's final 11 seasons, from 2007 through 2017. At the conclusion of the 2017 season, the program was eliminated by the university. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Contents

History

The year 1949 is considered the official inaugural season of UB varsity baseball. But baseball’s start at UB goes back much further. There are newspaper accounts of a UB team from as early as 1894. From 1914–1917, several good UB teams took to the diamond playing some of the best teams in the country including Pitt, Army, Michigan State and Syracuse. [9] [10] [11] [12] The Bulls qualified for the NCAA Division I baseball tournament in 1971 and 1973.

Year-by-year results

Statistics overview
SeasonCoachOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Records unavailable (1914–1917)
No program (1917–1948)
Records unavailable (1949–1987)
No program (1988–1999)
Independent (2000)
2000Bill Breene 12–35
Mid-American Conference (2001–2017)
2001 [13] Bill Breene 11–395–237th (East)
2002 [14] Bill Breene 16–286–176th (East)
2003 [15] Bill Breene 16–375–216th (East)
2004 [16] Bill Breene 15–394–186th (East)
2005 [17] Bill Breene 19–30–15–14–16th (East)
2006 [18] Bill Breene 15–376–216th (East)
2007 [19] Ron Torgalski 16–3511–163rd (East)
2008 [20] Ron Torgalski 14–387–196th (East)
2009 [21] Ron Torgalski 20–356–206th (East)
2010 [22] Ron Torgalski 23–299–185th (East)
2011 [23] Ron Torgalski 14–383–226th (East)
2012 [24] Ron Torgalski 20–3610–164th (East)
2013 [25] Ron Torgalski 33–2419–72nd (East)
2014 [26] Ron Torgalski 26–2613–134th (East)
2015 [27] Ron Torgalski 16–357–206th (East)
2016 Ron Torgalski 13–286–156th (East)
2017 Ron Torgalski 17–348–165th (East)
MAC:304–568–1130–296–1
Total:

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Bulls in Major League Baseball

The first Buffalo alumnus to appear in Major League Baseball was Bill Schuster, who debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1937. The most notable Bull from the pre-draft era was Eddie Basinski, who picked up 147 hits in 203 games with the Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1944 and 1947. [28]

Since the Major League Baseball Draft began in 1965, Buffalo has had 33 players selected. [29]

Joe Hesketh, a 1980 draftee of the Montreal Expos, accumulated a 9.0 WAR over eleven seasons as a left-handed pitcher from 1984 to 1994. [30] Pitcher Steve Geltz played for the Bulls and was undrafted in 2008. He made his Major League debut in 2012 for the Los Angeles Angels.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University at Buffalo</span> Public university in Buffalo, New York

The State University of New York at Buffalo is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. The university was founded in 1846 as a private medical college and merged with the State University of New York system in 1962. As of 2022, it is one of two flagship institutions of the SUNY system, along with Stony Brook University. As of fall 2020, the university enrolled 32,347 students in 13 schools and colleges, making it the largest public university in the state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University at Buffalo Stadium</span> College football and track stadium

UB Stadium is a stadium in Amherst, New York on the campus of the University at Buffalo. It is primarily used for football, soccer, and track and field events, and is the home field of the Buffalo Bulls. The Stadium hosted the athletics events and the closing ceremonies of the 1993 World University Games held in July of 1993. The first football game was held between the Bulls and Maine Black Bears on September 4, 1993.

The Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team represents the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, United States. The team currently competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. Buffalo began play in 1915 and joined the MAC in 1998. They won their first MAC East Division title in 2009, and won a third MAC East Division title in 2015 along with their first outright MAC Regular-Season championship and first MAC Tournament title to earn the program's first bid to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The Bulls also have six appearances in the NCAA College Division Basketball Championship between 1957 and 1965 and two appearances in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Their head coach position was filled on March 30, 2023 when Buffalo hired Villanova associate head coach George Halcovage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Bulls</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University at Buffalo

The Buffalo Bulls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University at Buffalo (UB) in Buffalo, New York. The Bulls compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division, having joined the conference in 1998. Buffalo sponsors teams in seven men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level for college football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Hesketh</span> American baseball player (born 1959)

Joseph Thomas Hesketh is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1984 through 1994 for the Montreal Expos (1984–90), Atlanta Braves (1990) and Boston Red Sox (1990–94). Listed at 6' 2", 170 lb., Hesketh batted and threw left-handed. He was selected by the Expos in the 1980 draft out of the State University of New York at Buffalo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Bulls football</span> Football team for the State University of New York at Buffalo

The Buffalo Bulls football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University at Buffalo located in the U.S. state of New York. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Mid-American Conference. Buffalo's first football team was fielded in 1894. The team plays its home games at the 31,000 seat UB Stadium on University at Buffalo's north campus in Amherst, New York. The Bulls are coached by Pete Lembo.

Amherst Audubon Field is a baseball field located on the campus of the University at Buffalo in Amherst, New York, United States. The field was built as the home of the Buffalo Bulls baseball team, which competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) until 2017.

The Buffalo Bulls softball team represents the University at Buffalo in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The team plays its home games at Nan Harvey Field located on the university's campus.

The Buffalo Bulls wrestling team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University at Buffalo in Amherst, New York. The team is a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays their home matches at Alumni Arena in Amherst, New York. The Bulls are coached by Donnie Vinson.

The 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 21, 2013, at Bronco Stadium on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. The seventeenth annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, it featured the Buffalo Bulls of the Mid-American Conference against the San Diego State Aztecs of the Mountain West Conference. It began at 3:30 p.m. MST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. San Diego State defeated Buffalo, 49–24.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Buffalo Bulls football team</span> American college football season

The 2014 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led for the season's first seven games by fifth-year head coach Jeff Quinn before his midseason firing on October 13, and by interim head coach Alex Wood for the remainder of the season. The team played their home games at University at Buffalo Stadium and competed as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. They fished the season 5–6, 3–4 in MAC play to finish in third place in the East Division. They only played 11 games due to their November 19 game vs Kent State being canceled due to inclement weather. The failure to reschedule that canceled game cost the Bulls a chance at bowl eligibility.

Buffalo Bulls baseball represents the University at Buffalo in college baseball at the NCAA Division I level.

Justin Trevon Moss is an American professional basketball player for the Nalaikh Bison of The League. He played college basketball with the Buffalo Bulls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Buffalo Bulls football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Lance Leipold, the Bulls compiled an overall record of 5–7 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, placing fourth in the MAC's East Division. The team played their home games at University at Buffalo Stadium in Amherst, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Licata</span> American football player and coach (born 1992)

Joe Licata is an American football coach and former quarterback. He played college football at Buffalo. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Greene</span> American athletics director

Claude Allen Greene IV, is the director of athletics at the University of Pittsburgh, a position to which he was named on October 18, 2024. He previously served as the director of athletics for Auburn University from 2018 to 2022, and for the University at Buffalo, and as assistant athletic director for the University of Mississippi and the senior deputy athletics director and chief operating officer at the University of Tennessee. Greene attended college at the University of Notre Dame, and was a two-year starter on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team. He was a ninth-round draft pick of the New York Yankees in the 1998 Major League Baseball draft, and went on to a four-year career in the minor leagues for the Yankees, playing for the Oneonta Yankees, Greensboro Bats, Tampa Yankees, and Elmira Pioneers. He grew up in Bellevue, Washington and attended O'Dea High School in Seattle, playing baseball and basketball, graduating 1995.

The 2016 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulls were led by second-year head coach Lance Leipold. The team played their home games at University at Buffalo Stadium and competed as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 2–10, 1–7 in MAC play to finish in last place in the East Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Buffalo Bulls football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulls were led by third-year head coach Lance Leipold and played their home games at University at Buffalo Stadium as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls finished the season 6–6, 4–4 in MAC play to finish in a tie for third place in the East Division. Despite being bowl-eligible, the Bulls did not receive an invitation to a bowl game.

Blake Ellis Hamilton is an American professional basketball player for APOEL of Cyprus Basketball Division 1. He played college basketball at Buffalo.

Rotary Field is a field and former athletics stadium in Buffalo, New York, on the South Campus of the University at Buffalo. It was the home field for the Buffalo Bulls football teams from 1920 to 1942, and again from 1955 to 1984.

References

  1. ↑ "University at Buffalo Color Palette" . Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  2. ↑ "1980 Final Baseball Standings" (PDF). SUNYAC . Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  3. ↑ "Buffalo Bulls". d1baseball.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  4. ↑ "BASEBALL FIELD: AMHERST AUDUBON FIELD". BuffaloBulls.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  5. ↑ "University at Buffalo to cut four teams in move projected to save $2 million". Record-Courier . Associated Press. April 3, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ Gaughan, Mark (April 3, 2017). "UB will drop four sports teams in athletics budget cutback". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  7. ↑ Gaughan, Mark (April 3, 2017). "UB community feels pain as athletic department cuts four teams". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  8. ↑ Gleason, Bucky (June 8, 2017). "How UB's decision to cut baseball affected the final season – and everyone involved". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  9. ↑ "1914 Buffalo Baseball Archived 2016-08-03 at the Wayback Machine ," University at Buffalo Digital Collections – March 19, 2014.
  10. ↑ "1915 Buffalo Baseball Archived 2016-12-20 at the Wayback Machine ," University at Buffalo Digital Collections – February 5, 2015.
  11. ↑ "1916 Buffalo Baseball Archived 2016-08-03 at the Wayback Machine ," University at Buffalo Digital Collections – July 11, 2013.
  12. ↑ "1917 Buffalo Baseball Archived 2016-07-01 at the Wayback Machine ," University at Buffalo Digital Collections – April 30, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Buffalo Bulls Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  14. ↑ "Buffalo Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  15. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. 2003-05-27. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  16. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. 2004-05-23. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  17. ↑ "Univ. at Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. 2005-05-22. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  18. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. 2006-05-20. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  19. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  20. ↑ "BUFFALO – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  21. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. 2009-05-18. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  22. ↑ "BUFFALO – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. 2010-05-22. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  23. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  24. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  25. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  26. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  27. ↑ "Buffalo – Season Statistics – Buffalo". Ubbulls.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  28. ↑ "University at Buffalo, State University of New York Baseball Players". Baseball-Reference.com . Sports Reference . Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  29. ↑ "MLB Amateur Draft Picks who came from "University at Buffalo, State University of New York (Buffalo, NY)"". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  30. ↑ "Joe Hesketh Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com . Sports Reference . Retrieved 14 June 2016.
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