Our mission, which was born in 2010, is "To provide an avenue of communication to each person that has an interest in the Navy baseball program and the US Naval Academy.

Dan Polier, in Yank: The Army Weekly, August 8, 1943. Hawaii became a center for military baseball during the war. St. Though most ships did not have enough space for a baseball diamond, ballgames while on dry land – and games of catch while at sea – kept sailors in shape. © Copyright Friends of Navy Baseball [2] The team is a member of the Patriot League, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. Put the players faces to the names and do your best to follow regularly once things gear up.

Baseball games were even played on the deck of aircraft carriers. We look forward to seeing you this spring. Please enjoy the 20-21 season! Sailors played baseball whenever and wherever they could.

Once the war started, these two teams went from amateur to all-star status virtually overnight. Major Leaguers in the Navy During World War II. Please share your news with our wider Friends of Navy Baseball family. Friends of Navy Baseball will support our Midshipman athletes from the time they enter the Naval Academy until the day they are commissioned as an officer in the Navy Fleet or Marine Corps". We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Please take a moment to Donate to FONB so we can sustain our mission of "Supporting our Midshipman athletes who have chosen to serve our Country". The team is a member of the Patriot League, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. Most new recruits were sent to either Great Lakes Naval Training Station near Chicago or the Naval Training Station in Norfolk, Virginia. A recurring joke: “You could throw a baseball anywhere on the station and at least two big leaguers will try to catch it.” – Sgt.

Respectfully yours,Bethany Leins FONB President. document.write(year) Over three wartime seasons, the team was represented by 43 Major Leaguers, six All-Stars, and two future Hall of Famers, led by former major leaguer Mickey Cochrane. During the war, the military invested heavily in sports equipment intended for all soldiers and sailors, not just elite athletes. Led by major leaguers Bob Feller and Fred Hutchinson, the team racked up an impressive 92-8 record in 1942. In May 1943, they played the Washington Senators to a sellout crowd of nearly 30,000. Hello to all of the new Navy Baseball Families, Friends and Fans and welcome back to all those returning from last year. Photo courtesy Naval History and Heritage Command. Army-Navy games became an enormously popular form of entertainment.

The Navy Midshipmen baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, United States. Many of their fields had been recently abandoned by Japanese players. Though the Bluejackets lost, the game raised nearly two million dollars under the slogan, “Baseball Fans Will Help Build a Battle Cruiser.”. A Sailor brought this baseball book with him as he fought in the Pacific. USS Houston sank in 1942, and only 368 men of the original crew of 1,061 survived. Please take a few minutes to Donate so we can sustain our mission of "Supporting our Midshipman athletes who have chosen to serve our Country". Navy baseball was not reserved for active duty military members.

Fans cheered on their ship’s team and eagerly followed news of their hometown teams. Others were built on islands in the South Pacific by Navy Seabees once they finished constructing bases and airstrips. As the Navy crisscrossed the Pacific, sailors formed teams while onboard and scheduled games whenever they reached dry land. Other features on the Homepage down the right side will allow you to directly link to the FONB Facebook Page, The Patriot League Conference Baseball Page and The Navy Sports Baseball Page for schedules, rosters and sports reports as we grow closer to our hopeful opening day in February. Bremerton’s “Colored All Star Team,” 1944. The Great Lakes Bluejackets accumulated a 188-32 record during the war years.
The NTS Bluejackets became a baseball powerhouse during the war. In closing, as you navigate through our Navybaseball.org website and go to Facebook and "like" our Friends of Navy Baseball FB Page, know that we want you to enjoy your Navy Baseball Experience. USS Houston (CA 30) baseball team, 1940-1941. These boys are working hard every day to represent you and our country by their commitment of wearing the Blue and Gold. As the year goes on, we will keep you informed of where their futures may lead them as they are commissioned in the Navy or Marine Corps. We endeavor to continue this mission and provide a platform for everyone associated with, and interested in, Navy baseball so that everyone can share their ideas and participate in the program. Navy's first baseball team was fielded in 1893.

Recognizing the importance of baseball to the troops, the military made a conscious effort to disseminate baseball statistics and provide radio broadcasts of major league games. This serviceman took his prized possessions – two baseball bats, a ball, and glove – hoping to play a little ball when he was not dodging enemy bullets.

These homefront teams competed against teams at neighboring bases, as well as major- and minor-league civilian teams. Friends of Navy Baseball will support our Midshipman athletes from the time they enter the Naval Academy until they graduate and enter the Fleet or Marine Corps. We are here for you if you have any questions about our organization.