St. John's University Athletics
Viola Inducted Into National College Baseball Hall Of Fame
6/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's great Frank Viola was formally inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame on Monday night in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the annual College Baseball Night of Champions event.
"Frank Viola is one of the great pitchers in St. John's history," said Red Storm head coach Ed Blankmeyer. "He led St. John's to the College World Series and went on to become an outstanding Major League pitcher. We congratulate him on his induction and we are very proud of all that he has accomplished throughout his baseball career."
Viola went 26-2 with a 1.67 ERA in three seasons at St. John's and led the squad to three-straight NCAA Tournaments, including a trip to the 1980 College World Series. The lefty earned first team All-America honors as a junior to cap his collegiate career and was then drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the second round (37th overall) of the 1981 MLB Draft.
In his first season of college ball, Viola went 6-2 with two saves and a 2.09 ERA as St. John's advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 26-11 overall record. The lefty made 10 appearances, six starts, as a freshman and had 44 strikeouts in 56.0 innings of work.
Viola then posted a 10-1 record to go with a 2.16 ERA in a sophomore season that culminated with a trip to the College World Series. The pitcher made 12 appearances, including 11 starts, and had 52 strikeouts in 87.2 innings as St. John's went 30-11. Viola took the mound in the first game of the CWS and led St. John's to a 6-1 victory against eventual national champion Arizona.
"Arizona ended up having seven guys play in the Major Leagues," Viola said of his trip to the CWS. "Here we were this group of Northeastern players and the Northeast doesn't get the kudos sometimes it deserves. Fast forward and we end up winning the game 6-1."
The lefty went 10-0 with a 0.87 ERA as a junior and earned first team All-America honors from Baseball America. Viola made 10 starts that season and finished with 43 strikeouts in 83.0 innings of work as St. John's went 34-4 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season. Viola tossed 11.0 scoreless innings to outduel Ron Darling in a 1-0 NCAA Regional win against Yale that season.
"In 1980, there were maybe a thousand people at the game," Viola commented about his famous showdown with Darling. "In 2015, there are 32,000 who say they were at that game."
Viola went 176-150 with a 3.73 ERA in 15 Major League seasons, including stints with the Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays. The lefty won the 1988 AL Cy Young after going 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA and seven complete games to go with 193 strikeouts in 255.1 innings of work. Viola also earned 1987 World Series MVP honors and was a three-time All-Star.