Allen Community College’s storied baseball history will be recalled with laughs, and most likely a few tears Saturday. AS MEMBERS of the 1983 World Series team, Wales and Rush already are HOF inductees in one aspect — the entire team was a part of the inaugural class last spring. WEISENSEE remains the school’s single-season record holder for batting average. THOMAS, a Topeka native, batted .400 with 49 RBIs and 57 stolen bases in 1991, still a school record, in his sophomore season. HAYNES HELPED get the ACC program off the ground in the NJCAA in 1971, the first year he arrived at Allen to teach in the business department. MCLEAN’S NAME has become synonymous with Allen’s legacy on the diamond.
The Red Devil Diamond Club will induct six new members into its hall of fame: longtime head coach Val McLean; Joe Haynes, the school’s first baseball coach; two members of the school’s 1983 NJCAA World Series team, Duane Wales and Rod Rush; Richard Thomas, an All-American from the Red Devils’ 1990 squad; and the late Rich Weisensee, who starred with the 1977 and 1978 teams.
Many of the attendees will attend the Red Devils’ baseball doubleheader against Neosho County, starting at noon. Last year’s inductees will be introduced between the games.
Tickets for the 6:15 p.m. banquet are on sale through Allen’s school website — my.allencc.edu/RDBanquet.aspx — and will be available at the door.
Wales was a prototypical slugger for the 1983 team. An Ohio native, Wales was keyed to Allen after talking with a Philadelphia Phillies scout while he was still in high school.
He was a smashing success — literally — as the team’s designated hitter.
As a freshman, Wales broke Allen records for hits (88), home runs (17) and RBIs (86), while helping the Red Devils claim a division title.
The accolades grew from there.
He broke his own team record for hits as a sophomore with 92 and pounded 25 home runs, still a team record, with 88 RBIs.
Rush starred as a center fielder.
The Lawrence native was a multi-sport standout in high school. While with Allen, he was drafted twice in the same year — by the Phillies in the winter draft and by the New York Yankees in the spring draft — but chose to continue his schooling instead.
He played at Oklahoma City University following his two years at ACC, where he broke 150 school and Midwestern City Conference offensive records and became a third-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants.
“I’ll never forget my years at ACC,” he was quoted as saying in a Facebook post published by the Diamond Club. “Academically, my professors prepared me not only for the rest of my educational career, but also for my business career and my personal life. Playing baseball at ACC were the ‘best’ years in my entire athletic career starting out in Little League. I will cherish the times I spent with my teammates and coaches always!”
Weisensee was one of five Shawnee Mission West High classmates who enrolled at Allen for the 1976-77 season.
He started at shortstop and batted .406 his freshman year and .491 his sophomore season, which still ranks first in ACC history.
“I just remember the camaraderie with everybody on the team,” he told the Register in a telephone interview in February.
Weisensee was part of a 1978 squad that went 33-6, which also ranks first in school history.
After earning an associate degree at ACC, Weisensee played at Missouri Southern State College in Joplin, where he again started at shortstop for the Lions. He was voted team MVP at MSSC in 1980 and led the team in batting with a .444 average.
He was inducted into the Missouri Southern Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
Weisensee died March 19, almost a year to the day after he was diagnosed with leukemia.
Thomas started as a middle infielder before moving full time to third base early in his sophomore campaign to help the team defensively.
He then played at the University of Arkansas and in the Florida Marlins minor league system.
With only a partially completed field, and with no budget and only Spartan equipment, Haynes’ teams enjoyed moderate success over the three years he coached.
“I’m sure I’m being recognized for helping get it going, and not our on-field success,” Haynes joked in a recent telephone interview.
Haynes taught at ACC until retiring in 1996.
He’s coached at ACC for the past 37 years, having taken over the job at age 23.
He has recorded the most NJCAA wins among all active coaches — his all-time record a 1,149 wins compared to 725 losses — and was a 2006 NJCAA Hall of Fame inductee in 2006, the first Kansas coach to earn the honor.
He has taken the Red Devils to the NJCAA World Series twice, in 1983 and 2000.
“Our 1983 team probably would have won it if they had a better coach,” he said modestly. “There’s no doubt that we had the most talented team there that year.”
McLean’s teams have won the Jayhawk Conference seven times, the Eastern Regionals seven times and developed 10 All-Americans, 56 all-region and 89 all-conference players. Forty-eight players have signed professional contracts out of Allen.
McLean has sent more than 500 players on to four-year schools.
He also remains director of guidance at Allen. He holds a doctorate in counseling psychology.
Red Devils ready to induct next HOF class
