Ithaca College Athletics

The 1962 baseball team represented Ithaca College at the highest level of play and went on a memorable run that resonates more than 50 years later. Before the NCAA established division classifications, the 1962 Bombers went to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Ithaca defeated Missouri 5-1 in the opening round before losing its next two games to Florida State by a 5-4 score and to Texas by a 3-2 count.

Ithaca won its first 18 games that season, including wins over Penn State and Gettysburg in the NCAA District 2 playoffs to advance to the World Series. Three times that season Ithaca scored more than 20 runs in a single game under the leadership of James “Bucky” Freeman and team captains Bob Christina ’62 and Bob Valesente ’62, M.S. ’67.