Looking Back: Grain Valley Baseball

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society

​     Last Saturday morning, I selected this photo while anxiously awaiting the start of the Missouri State High School Class 5 State Baseball Championship game. Of course, I was hoping for a win, but second place is pretty darn good, too!  
     You have to remind yourself that there are 60 plus Class 5 teams around the state that would have “given their right arm,” as the saying goes, just to have won their conference or district title.
     Hopefully, the historical society can secure a photograph of this year’s team, along with the girls’ soccer team. Both teams will go down in the history books of Grain Valley. If you follow high school sports, you know that all six spring sports were conference champions this year. That in itself must be a record for the history books.
     As I frequently remind you, history is yesterday! So hats off to all of the champions at GVHS this past year.
     The photo for this week is the 1936 Grain Valley High School baseball team. They are proudly posing with the 2nd place Western Missouri Conference Championship trophy.  I cannot be sure which years Grain Valley had a baseball team. There are two pictures in our collection; the 1936 team and the 1936-37 team.
     The 1940 Treasure Chest (yearbook) has a photograph of the baseball team. As I’ve mentioned previously, we do not have a 1941 or 1942 yearbook so I cannot check, but there is no mention (or photograph) of a team in 1943.
     I do recognize Jim Hutchings, second from the left in the front row. Several names on the back are familiar, but I did not know any others. If you recognize a player, please stop by the Historical Society and let us know who they are.
     If I can snag (baseball term, “snag a ball”) a photo of this year’s team, rest assured, I’ll make sure I get the player names.  It’s history!
     Visit the Historical Society on Wednesday or Saturday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. We have new exhibits and extended hours through August 15, 2021, as we celebrate Missouri’s Bicentennial. Hope to see you soon.