No-Hitters in Marshall High School Baseball History
Eight Marshall High School pitchers have thrown a documented no-hitter, from team captain James Albaugh in 1926 to freshman Evan Sharpley in 2002. Here they are in order, pieced together from the sports archive, The Dial yearbooks and the Marshall Chronicle.
One thing to know about the middle of the list: for a stretch of the 1960s and early 1970s, Marshall played its varsity baseball season in the summer. The 1969 Marshall team opened on May 27 and played their last Twin Valley game on July 25.
The no-hitters
1. James Albaugh, 1926: Marshall 12, Sturgis 2
May 7, 1926, at home. Team captain James Albaugh no-hit Sturgis and struck out 19. Both Sturgis runs came on Marshall errors. He wasn't finished, either: three weeks later he struck out 20 Albion batters in a 3-0 shutout. His senior quote in the 1926 Dial fits nicely: "I awoke one morning and found myself famous."
2. Mike McLain, 1963: Marshall 1, Lakeview 0
May 31, 1963, opener of a doubleheader. The Chronicle called senior Mike McLain "the little southpaw." In his first start of the season he faced only 23 batters, two over the minimum for seven innings, and won 1-0. Marshall took the nightcap 10-5 on the way to a 17-4 season under coach Joe Cooper.
3. Phyl Bennett, 1969: Marshall 13, Hillsdale 0
June 25, 1969, at Hillsdale. Bennett's no-hitter wasn't threatened until there were two outs in the seventh. Marshall also took advantage of six Hillsdale errors. The 1969 team went 13-6 and shared the Twin Valley title.
4. Bill Deming, 1970: Marshall vs. Albion
June 5, 1970, the Twin Valley opener. Junior lefty Bill Deming got the ball after ace Phyl Bennett broke his ankle, and he no-hit Albion in his first league start. He faced only 23 batters. It was coach Steve Eckert's final season with Marshall.
5. Jim Marlette, 1974: Marshall 7, Albion 0
May 1974, Twin Valley game. Senior Jim Marlette struck out 16 Albion batters. The closest Albion came to a hit was a sharp ground ball up the middle, which Brian Bess ran down.
6. Trevor Lord, 1994: Marshall 6, Olivet 0
April 19, 1994, season opener at home. Lord struck out seven and walked three over six innings. The no-hitter came with an asterisk. In the sixth inning a batter was awarded first base on catcher's interference, and the Chronicle's story opened by wondering whether Lord had really thrown one. (The rule book says it doesn't count as a hit.) Coach Jim Hendershot had no doubts: "the kid pitched a good game and he deserves a no-hitter." Lord then hit two two-run homers in a 9-1 nightcap win. That 1994 team won district and regional titles.
7. Matt Fish, 2000: Marshall 8, Battle Creek St. Philip 0
April 24, 2000, second game of a home doubleheader. Senior Matt Fish no-hit the Tigers at Nichols Field and kept the team's season-long winning streak going. Marshall won the opener 5-2.
8. Evan Sharpley, 2002: Marshall 16, Hastings 0 (five innings)
April 19, 2002, second game at Hastings. Freshman Evan Sharpley threw a five-inning no-hitter in a game shortened by the mercy rule. He also went 4-for-4 at the plate with three doubles and four RBIs. Teammate Haggerty pitched a 13-0 shutout in the opener. Sharpley went on to play quarterback and baseball at Notre Dame and was picked in the 2009 MLB Draft.
Close calls, and no-hitters against Marshall
One-hitters: Dale Hills against Albion (1939, 5-0), Vernon Hills against Coldwater (1941, 1-0), Ralph Bess at Albion (1980) and Damron (1986). Bess lost his no-hit bid on a soft liner to right in the fourth.
Thrown at Marshall: Lumen Christi's Dave Mauser no-hit Marshall 2-0 in Marshall on May 16, 1975. A Lumen Christi pitcher named Schonard did it again in 1980.
Know of a no-hitter we missed? Let the library know and we'll add it to the archive.