1953 Topeka Owls Roster
Team Record: 78-62
Finished 3rd in the WA
Manager: Ira Hutchinson (78-62)
Affiliation: Chicago White Sox
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Ballpark: Community Park
Attendance: 81,450, Avg. 1,164
Playoffs - Hutchinson Elks 3 games, Topeka Owls 0
The Topeka Owls of the Western Association ended the 1953 season with a record of 78 wins and 62 losses, finishing third in the WA.
The Owls scored 664 runs and allowed 621 runs. Ellis Daugherty paced all regular batters with a .290 average. Jack Dean topped Topeka with 19 wins and a team-best 2.8 ERA, tops among regularly-used pitchers.
Gideon Applegate played in Major League Baseball during his career, the only member of the Topeka Owls to do so.
Ira Hutchinson served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roland Alexander | R | June 20, 1931 | 5'9" | 175 | Venice, CA US | |
| Gideon Applegate | R | R | December 2, 1927 | 5'11" | 175 | |
| Ray Baer | R | R | October 29, 1927 | 5'11" | 178 | |
| Clyde Berry | R | September 27, 1931 | 5'9" | 170 | ||
| Ralph Blinn | June 26, 1932 | |||||
| Stanley Bonczek | R | 5'10" | 175 | |||
| Ellis Daugherty | L | 6'2" | 220 | |||
| Jack Dean | R | R | July 28, 1923 | 6'1" | 150 | Marion, KS US |
| Jerry Doyle | R | 6'2" | 180 | |||
| Bob Drefs | R | L | May 28, 1929 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Clive Follmer | R | R | October 1, 1931 | 6'4" | 210 | |
| John Gugala | R | November 1, 1927 | 6'0" | 165 | ||
| Alfredo Ibanez | R | R | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Joe Jaworski | R | R | October 18, 1928 | 6'1" | 190 | |
| Roger King | L | L | 6'3" | 210 | ||
| Robert Klein | R | 5'11" | 185 | |||
| Ray Lane | R | 6'0" | 185 | |||
| Don LaVelle | R | R | 6'1" | 175 | ||
| Randy Lewis | R | 5'11" | 165 | |||
| Melvin Lightner | R | 5'8" | 155 | |||
| Darrell Lindley | R | 6'1" | 190 | |||
| Robert Lowe | R | R | 6'1" | 185 | ||
| Dick McConnell | R | 5'9" | 165 | |||
| Harold McGahey | R | R | 6'3" | 180 | ||
| Vern McKee | R | April 28, 1930 | 6'1" | 185 | Browns Valley, MN US | |
| Marcus Morgan | ||||||
| Gerald Nipp | R | June 9, 1931 | 5'11" | 175 | Blair, OK US | |
| Russell Penfold | R | R | 6'4" | 185 | ||
| James Peterson | L | L | 5'11" | 175 | ||
| Emil Piscopo | R | April 30, 1930 | 5'10" | 172 | Chicago, IL US | |
| Thomas Pritchard | L | 5'11" | 165 | |||
| Franklin Reid | L | 6'3" | 175 | |||
| Larry Richardson | L | 6'2" | 180 | |||
| Stewart Riles | R | 5'10" | 175 | |||
| Neil Roberts | R | R | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| Robert Rous | L | R | 6'2" | 205 | ||
| Edward Schafer | S | L | April 4, 1929 | 6'2" | 182 | |
| Gene Smith | R | 6'2" | 200 | |||
| Richard Szymczak | L | May 4, 1934 | 5'10" | 175 | Toledo, OH US | |
| Arthur Vigare | ||||||
| Robert Walz | L | R | May 24, 1931 | 6'1" | 190 | Jackson, MI US |
| Bill Witmer | R | January 11, 1930 | 5'9" | 169 | ||
| Gerald Witteveen |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
