EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Department of Athletics in conjunction with the Alumni Office will host Montie Weaver Day on Saturday April 2. The day, which will center around the Wasps' Old Dominion Athletic Conference doubleheader with Virginia Wesleyan College will be an opportunity for all E&H fans to gather, enjoy the return of warm weather to Southwest Virginia and celebrate a true Emory & Henry legend in Montie Weaver.
Weaver played baseball at Emory & Henry in the mid-1920's and was a phenom, striking out 263 batters in 222.1 innings pitched. His single-season ERA of 0.43 in 1926 and career ERA of 1.09 still remain E&H records while his strikeout numbers were topped after nearly 75 seasons by Brandon Matheny.
After his time at E&H, Weaver attended graduate school at the University of Virginia, teaching mathematics courses, all the while playing minor league baseball during the summer. Weaver reached the Major Leagues in 1931, pitching for eight years for the Washington Senators and his final year in 1939 for the Boston Red Sox. In his first full year with the Senators in 1932, Weaver won 22 games and ranked fifth in the American League in wins. He helped lead Washington to the World Series in 1933 where they faced the New York (now San Francisco) Giants.
During his career, Weaver faced Babe Ruth 39 times, striking the "Great Bambino" out on eight different occasions and allowing a single home run. Weaver was a Charter Member of the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.
The celebration will begin at 10:30 a.m., in the Van Dyke Center with a reflection on the accomplishments of Montie Weaver by Dr. Charlie Sydnor, former President of Emory & Henry. At 11:30 a.m., there will be a ceremony at Porterfield/DeVault Field to unveil a plaque, honoring Weaver. The ODAC doubleheader between E&H and VWC will begin at noon.
In addition to the Montie Weaver Day celebration, the Department of Athletics is pleased to publish for the first time the historical records of the Wasps' baseball program. Special thanks go to former Sports Information Director Nathan Graybeal for many hours of research and calculations to compile these records.
Click HERE to view the Emory & Henry Baseball Record Book.
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