Photograph, Baseball (George Emma), March 28, 1957. Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

With All-Star Week quickly approaching, the first half of the Major League Baseball season is almost finished. This week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT) features a photo from the 1957 Villanova University varsity baseball season. Did you know that Villanova first began playing varsity baseball in 1866? The program is one of the oldest collegiate programs in the country! “In a history that spans more than 150 years, Villanova has played more than 3,500 games and has had more than 1,500 student-athletes wear the uniform.”

Check out additional baseball photos in the Villanova University Digital Library. Looking for more information on the history of Villanova athletics? The exhibit, “Wildcats Past & Present: Moments from the History of Sports at Villanova,” features assorted and unique items representative of the varied sports played at Villanova. Prefer a podcast? Both episodes of the History of Athletics at Villanova can be played here.

For more baseball, explore the resources below! Catch a game this weekend: The Philadelphia Phillies begin a home series with the Washington Nationals tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. Congratulations to LSU men’s baseball! The team defeated Florida 18-4 in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the Men’s College World Series finals Monday, June 26, in Omaha, NE.

• Baseball: A History of America’s Game (Rader, 2018)
• Baseball (Burns, 2010) *Academic Video Online
• Baseball (Seymour, 1960)
• Baseball: The National Pastime in the National Archives
• Baseball: An Illustrated History (Ward, 1994)
• Baseball in America and America in Baseball (Kyle, 2008) *eBook
• Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batter’s Box (Bronson & Irwin, 2004)
• ESPN Feature: E60 “Risking It All” [Matthew Szczur] *Video

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Her favorite baseball team is the Cleveland Guardians.