History

History of El Dorado High School Baseball

The first season on record for El Dorado High School was highly successful. In fact, 1901-1902 is the only undefeated season in school records at 3-0. All were one run wins, 3-2 over Potwin, 10-9 over Brumback Academy and 8-7 against the El Dorado Athletic Club. Team members were Cliff Mabie (C), Mabie (CF), Harry Tolle (RF), Benson (P), Dean Stevenson (SS), Edward Crook (1B), Hayward Morrison (2B) and Logan Thayer (3B).

There are no records for the following school year, but in 1903-1904, El Dorado went 2-1-1. The Wildcats swept Eureka and posted one win and one tie with Douglass. It is not known whether the tie was called on account of weather or darkness since there were no lighted fields in those days.

It is known that El Dorado had a team from 1931-1935, but unknown what other years that El Dorado fielded a team until Jim McDonald resurrected the program in the 1944. According to the 1935 school yearbook, the Wildcats went 11-2 in 1935 and, in a change from recent practices, the players were awarded varsity letters. The only losses were to Wichita East, but the Cats also beat East twice as well as sweeping a pair from Wichita North.

Kansas had a State High School Tournament from 1945-1947 but dropped it in 1948. Jim McDonald persuaded the Kansas High School Activities Association to reinstate the State Tournament in 1949 and hold it in El Dorado. It was held here from 1949-1968, 1970-1974, 1976 and 1978-1995.

The Wildcats made their first State Tournament appearance in 1950 and would become a fixture in the tournament in that decade. The only year that El Dorado did not qualify for State was 1956. The first year, EHS lost in the opening round to Topeka High 1-0. In 1951, El Dorado progressed to the semi-finals beating KC Wyandotte 6-3 before falling to Wichita East 10-1.

The 1952 team is enshrined in the Hall of Fame and made it to the Championship Game, losing to Wichita North 7-5. In 1953, the Wildcats again made the semi-finals besting Garden City 2-1 in 14 innings before losing to Newton 3-1. The 1954 squad lost a squeaker in the opening round to Dodge City 3-2.

In 1955, El Dorado again advanced to the semi-finals. In the opener, EHS downed Wichita East 1-0 behind the pitching of Lou Talliaferro who struck out 7 and walked 1. This was El Dorado's first win over East since the program was revived in 1944. El Dorado fell to Dodge City in the semi-finals 2-1. Both Dodge City runs scored on errors as Dick Orndorff allowed only 2 hits while striking out 15.

The 1957 squad had the misfortune of facing Kansas City Ward in the opening round with future Major Leaguer Ray Sadecki on the mound. Sadecki fanned 11 Wildcats (8 in a row at one stretch) as Ward won the game 10-2. In 1958, El Dorado would again be matched against KC Ward in the opener and lost 4-2 as Sadecki came on in relief for the win. Ward went on to win the championship with Sadecki getting the win in the Championship Game against defending champ Wichita East.

In 1959, the Wildcats again made it to the semi-finals, beating Dodge City 5-2 before falling to Wichita West 3-0. El Dorado would have to wait 20 years before reaching State again in 1979 when the Wildcats took 3rd place. The 1979 team also has a plaque in the Hall of Fame.

EHS came close to reaching the State Tourney in 1989 losing a close game to eventual State Champion Augusta in the Regional Finals. 1989 was the first year that El Dorado didn't have to compete with the largest schools in the state as the KSHSAA split the 32 largest schools into a separate tournament.

The next year, the Cats claimed their first and, so far, only State Championship. Then in 1991, El Dorado made it to the Championship Game again before losing a close contest to Ark Valley League rival Campus. In 1992, the Wildcats were 24-0 and nationally ranked going into the semi-finals of the State Tournament before suffering their only loss of the season. The Cats recovered to claim another 3rd place trophy.

After El Dorado dropped down to the third largest classification, the Wildcats qualified for one more State Tournament in 2000, losing in the first round to eventual State Champion Wamego.

There have only been 7 head coaches for EHS since baseball was resumed in 1944. The longest tenured and most successful has been Brad Long. Coach Long's teams made 4 State Tournament appearances claiming the school's only State Championship, one runner-up and two 3rd place trophies. In addition, his teams claimed the only league championships in school history with 8 in all. The first 6 came in the always tough Ark Valley League with the last 2 in Division 3 of the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League.

Brad stepped down as the skipper of the Cats after 30 seasons following the 2012 campaign. He posted a career record of 324 wins against 299 losses for a .520 winning percentage. Long also served 7 seasons as an assistant coach in between head coaching stints. In his last 4 seasons as head coach, the Wildcats finished as Regional Runner-up 3 times.

The man responsible for resurrecting baseball at El Dorado High School, Jim McDonald coached for 26 seasons with 9 State Tournament appearances. Those State Tournaments resulted in one second place finish and four ties for third place as there was no third place game in those days. Mac's career record was 141-131-1 for a .518 winning percentage.

The coach with the best career winning percentage was Jim Seymour. Seymour only coached for 2 years between McDonald and Long, posting an overall record of 19-11 for a winning percentage of .633.


El Dorado High School Coaching Career Records

Coach W-L Record Winning Pct. Years
Jim Seymour19-11.6331970-1971
Brad Long323-300.5181972-1981
1986-1996
2004-2012
Jim McDonald141-131-1.5181944-1969
Joe Palmer33-48.4071982-1985
Stan Ruff32-53.3761997-2000
Scott Camien23-40.3652013-2015
Lowell Hargrove12-50.1942001-2003



High School Yearly Records
Year Coach Overall League Place
1902Unknown3-0  
1903Unknown3-0  
1904Unknown2-1-1  
1935Unknown11-2  
1944Jim McDonald2-2  
1945Jim McDonald4-4  
1946Jim McDonald2-5  
1947Jim McDonald3-2  
1948Jim McDonald3-6  
1949Jim McDonald5-5  
1950Jim McDonald7-7  
1951Jim McDonald4-3  
1952Jim McDonald9-4  
1953Jim McDonald8-5  
1954Jim McDonald8-5 2nd
1955Jim McDonald8-4  
1956Jim McDonald3-8  
1957Jim McDonald3-5  
1958Jim McDonald2-10  
1959Jim McDonald7-6  
1960Jim McDonald4-6  
1961Jim McDonald5-5  
1962Jim McDonald2-8  
1963Jim McDonald6-6  
1964Jim McDonald6-6  
1965Jim McDonald8-4-1  
1966Jim McDonald9-5  
1967Jim McDonald8-1  
1968Jim McDonald9-3  
1969Jim McDonald6-6  
1970Jim Seymour10-5  
1971Jim Seymour9-6  
1972Brad Long10-10  
1973Brad Long13-7  
1974Brad Long12-86-4 
1975Brad Long12-87-3 
1976Brad Long13-77-31st
1977Brad Long10-116-4 
1978Brad Long11-117-31st
1979Brad Long15-98-21st
1980Brad Long5-16  
1981Brad Long7-112-85th
1982Joe Palmer9-134-64th
1983Joe Palmer9-135-53rd
1984Joe Palmer5-13 
1985Joe Palmer10-9 
1985Joe Palmer10-9 
1986Brad Long4-15
1987Brad Long2-191-96th
1988Brad Long7-133-96th
1989Brad Long10-104-64th
1990Brad Long18-68-63rd
1991Brad Long20-412-21st
1992Brad Long24-114-01st
1993Brad Long9-67-31st
1994Brad Long9-124-107th
1995Brad Long12-98-63rd
1996Brad Long8-135-96th
1997Stan Ruff11-107-74th
1998Stan Ruff4-152-128th
1999Stan Ruff9-122-108th
2000Stan Ruff8-164-106th
2001Lowell Hargrove2-190-148th
2002Lowell Hargrove5-162-128th
2003Lowell Hargrove5-151-118th
2004Brad Long13-97-75th
2005Brad Long4-151-96th
2006Brad Long17-39-11st
2007Brad Long9-95-33rd
2008Brad Long14-88-21st
2009Brad Long5-131-76th
2010Brad Long12-115-53rd
2011Brad Long9-126-43rd
2012Brad Long9-143-75th
2013Scott Camien5-154-64th
2014Scott Camien6-163-75th
2015Scott Camien12-95-54th

About

The Baseball Hall of Fame is open by appointment by calling Sam Leben at 316-321-2357, El Dorado Parks Department at 316-322-4975 or El Dorado Recreation Department at 316-321-9100.

Location

El Dorado Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
210 N. Griffith
El Dorado, KS 67042

United States