Five players, 1992 Wildcats to be enshrined

Five area players and one team will be enshrined to the El Dorado Baseball Hall of Fame for their contributions in helping the sport thrive in Butler County.

Dave Beckman, Bob Mings, Jeremy Shipman, Jason Totman, Brandon Welch and the 1992 El Dorado High baseball team will be inducted Saturday afternoon in a ceremony and banquet at the Butler Community College student union.

The individual players of the 2010 Class of the El Dorado Baseball Hall of Fame:

Dave Beckner (American Legion selection)

Beckner played for Post 81 in the 1969 and 1970 seasons. He led the team in batting with a .368 average and .598 slugging percentage. Beckner won the fifth district batting title with a .500 average and was named to the all-tournament team. He also pitched 15 innings, compiling a 2.80 earned run average.

No season statistics are available for the 1970 season, but through July 4 of that year, Beckner had a 5-1 record with a 1.21 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 28 walks.

Beckner also had the highest batting average for an El Dorado High player, batting in 1969 at .455 (a record he held until 1995). He was also a three-time letterman as quarterback for the Wildcats and quarterbacked for Butler.

Bob Mings

(At-large selection)

Mings worked as sports editor at the El Dorado Times from 1985-96, then again from 1998-2002 and is being recognized for all the coverage he gave the sport of baseball in El Dorado, including the El Dorado High state tournament teams of 1990 through 1992.

Mings graduated from the University of Montana and covered minor league baseball in both the Carolina League and International Leagues from 1965-1982. He also covered Major League spring training and some regular season games of the Washington Senators and Baltimore Orioles.

Mings also was official scorer for American Legion National regional tournaments in 1966 and 1982.

He is being inducted posthumously.

Jeremy Shipman

(El Dorado High)

Shipman is one of the all-time leading pitchers in Wildcats history. He also was on the 1990 Class 5A state championship team and the 1991 state runner-up team.

Shipman, a left-handed pitcher, played baseball in El Dorado for 13 years from tee ball through Babe Ruth and then American Legion baseball in addition to being a four-year letter winner at EHS. He compiled a 17-8 career record in 36 career appearances, throwing 163 2/3 innings, striking out 233 strikeouts and posted a career 2.36 earned run average (all rank second in the EHS career record standings).

Shipman led all Kansas high school pitchers with 91 strikeouts which is also the EHS single season record.  He posted a 6-3 record with a 1.51 ERA in 14 appearances, earning first team All-Ark Valley League and second team Class 5A All-State.

As a senior in 1991, Shipman posted a perfect 7-0 record with 82 strikeouts and 54.6 innings pitched.  Following the season, Shipman was voted most valuable player of the Ark Valley League, the only El Dorado player to ever be awarded that honor, and also selected Class 5A first team by the Kansas Baseball Coaches Association and Kansas Sports.

Jason Totman (Butler Community College)

The McPherson native helped lead the Grizzlies to an 80-27 record in the 1992-93 seasons. He was named to the NJCAA Region VI team as a shortstop.

Totman played at Texas Tech after Butler, where he led the Southwest Conference in hitting as a senior with a .435 batting average, the second-highest ever in a season for the Red Raiders. He earned the most valuable player trophy for the SWC Tournament in 1995.

Totman was drafted and signed with the San Diego Padres, but his career was cut short after two seasons with the Clinton (Iowa) Lumber Jacks due to back surgery in 1996. His professional highlight was to hit five doubles in one game for the Lumber Jacks.

Brandon Welch (Butler Community College)

Welch also played for the 1992-93 Grizzlies as an outfielder. As a freshman, he played left field and batted .374 from the leadoff spot.  His sophomore year, Welch moved to right field and hit .403.  After the 1993 season, Welch was named to the All Jayhawk West and All Region 6 teams and was drafted in the 23rd round by the New York Mets.

Welch went on to have an outstanding two year career at Texas Tech.  As a junior, he hit .374 and was named All-Southwest Conference, All Southwest Conference Tournament and honorable mention All-American.  He hit .313 in his senior season, again being named All Southwest Conference.

Welch was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 42nd round.  He played one season in the Northwest League with the Southern Oregon A’s in Medford before decided to end his baseball career to enter mortuary school at the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service.