Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell and Keystone to Meet in Baseball Tuesday at Depew Field, Christy Mathewson Recognition Planned
4/26/2010 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 26, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell baseball team will close out its 2010 home schedule Tuesday afternoon against Keystone at Depew Field. The 3:30 p.m. game will match the two schools Baseball Hall of Fame member Christy Mathewson attended.
A member of both the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame and the Keystone Athletics Hall of Fame, Mathewson graduated from Keystone Prepatory Academy ¯ later Keystone College ¯ in 1898 and continued his education at Bucknell, where he was a member of the baseball, football and men's basketball teams.
During his days at Bucknell from 1898 to 1901, Mathewson gained most of his fame as a collegian an All-America kicker and fullback on the gridiron. But he was more than just an athlete at Bucknell. Mathewson was a member of the band and glee club, he served as historian of his freshman class and as president of his junior class. He was also a member of the Eupian Literary Society and Theta Delta Tau, a men's honorary leadership society.
Mathewson left Bucknell in 1901 to pursue his burgeoning baseball career, and he went on to help the New York Giants win four pennants during his 14-year tenure with the club. His performance in the 1905 World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics is still considered one of the most remarkable pitching feats of all time. He hurled three shutouts in a five-day span to lead the Giants to the title.
With a lifetime record of 373-188 to go along with 79 shutouts, 2,502 strikeouts and a career ERA of 2.13, Mathewson was elected as one of five original members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979 as part of its inaugural class, and in 2007 he was a member of the first veteran's class inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mathewson, who married a Lewisburg native in the former Jane Stoughton, went on to serve in the U.S. Army's chemical warfare division during World War I. His tour in France severely damaged his health, and upon returning home he spent many years battling tuberculosis in Saranac Lake, N.Y. He passed away in 1925 and is now buried in the Lewisburg cemetery, just a few paces from Bucknell's athletics center.
Bucknell's football stadium - Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium - was rededicated in his honor in 1989, and the brick and iron Mathewson Memorial Gateway greets visitors to campus, along with the bronze tablet that reads: "Christopher Mathewson: Athlete, Soldier, Gentleman."
Like Bucknell, Keystone has an athletic venue named in honor of Mathewson as its baseball diamond is named Christy Mathewson Field.
Keystone College is located minutes from Factoryville, Pa., Mathewson's hometown. He was inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005 as part of the inaugural class.
A short recognition of Mathewson and his achievements will take place prior to Tuesday's Bucknell-Keystone contest, which was scheduled in part because of the Christy Mathewson connection between the two programs.
The Bison bring a 19-28 record into the game as they enter the final week of their regular season. Bucknell is currently in fourth place in the Patriot League standings with a key four-game series at Army scheduled for this coming weekend. On Tuesday, the Bison will be aiming to reach 20 wins for the third straight season, a feat they haven't accomplished since reaching 20 wins six straight years from 1996 to 2001.
Keystone, which has advanced to two straight Division III NCAA Tournaments and has claimed four conference crowns in the last five years, is 20-6 this year, including 8-1 on the road. The Giants are hitting .376 as a team and have won 13 of their last 14 games.
