Bio

The 1962 Missouri Valley College baseball team was coached by Richard Brown and assistant student-coach Ray Stecina. This team marked the revival of the baseball program at MVC. The program was resurrected after a 29-year absence, and was composed of a team of seven-seniors, four-juniors, six-sophomores, and 11-freshmen none of which were recruited to MVC specifically for their baseball talent.

Despite the obstacles that faced the 1962 Viking baseball team, Coach Brown led the team to an MCAU championship with a conference record of 11-5. In addition to winning the 1962 conference title, the Vikings were one of 16 teams to qualify for NAIA postseason play. This team defeated the defending conference champion team, William Jewell College, in three of four games.

Volney Ashford, who was athletic director at the time, is given credit for bringing back the baseball program to MVC, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the program being reinstated. In an article in the May 16, 1962 edition of the Daily Democrat-News, Jerry Arnett writes “With the national pastime lying dormant in the athletic closets of MVC for nearly three decades, few boosters of Vikings envisioned that a team fielded for the first time this year could conceivably make off with all the laurels. But those following the team from the onset could soon sense the desire and determination being instilled by Coach Richard Brown in his players, many of whom are top flight, experienced performers who felled as a team.”