Memory Lane: Connellsville’s Mike Tremba
Mike Tremba is another in a long list of great baseball talent that was produced in the city of Connellsville.
Tremba was an outstanding infielder/pitcher at Connellsville High School in the mid 1970鈥檚. He was part of two section championship teams in 1975 and 1976. The 1975 team finished with a record of 27-3 and lost in the WPIAL semifinals, in 1976 won the section and posted a record of 31-7, they lost in the WPIAL semifinals.
鈥淢y first year I played part of the time as a sophomore,鈥� Tremba recalled. 鈥淭hen I played two full seasons as a third baseman and a right-handed pitcher.鈥�
The 6-0, 190 pound Tremba batted .273 as a junior for the Falcons with three home runs and 14 RBI, he only had one pitching assignment that season. During his senior campaign in 1976 Tremba hit .387 and led the team in home runs with eight while driving in 38 runs.
鈥淲e had good players at Connellsviile,鈥� Tremba stated. 鈥淲e had Greg Pastors and he was a very good player at shortstop, we had some good pitching at that time. We had a lot of support from the fans and parents.鈥�
On the mound in 1976 Tremba went 9-1 in 62 2/3 innings, he notched 57 strikeouts and walked 23. He won his first six games, downing Monessen, Ringgold, Norwin, Brownsille, Beth Center and Laurel Highlands, before losing to California. Then he beat Frazier and Uniontown and Mt. Lebanon in the WPIAL quarter-finals.
鈥淚 had some pop in my bat,鈥� Tremba explained. 鈥淚 had power center to left field, I was a pull hitter. I was more of a power hitter than a slap hitter.鈥�
Tremba played football at Connellsville, but then just concentrated on baseball.
American Legion baseball was also a big part of Tremba鈥檚 development as a player. He played two seasons of legion ball. His last season of legion baseball playing for the Milton L. Bishop post team Tremba hit .348 as the team won the county title. One of his hits brought Connellsville from behind in the bottom of the ninth inning for a win over New Castle that moved Connellsville into the regional tournament finals.
鈥淟egion baseball was a great experience,鈥� Tremba said. 鈥淗erman Welsh and Buzz Barnhart were the coaches. We had a very good team at that time. Most of the guys from the high school played. At my age I was always playing with guys older than me, I graduated at 17.鈥�
Tremba was drafted in the 10th round of the annual Major League baseball draft by the Montreal Expos. He was selected on the strength of a recommendation by the Expos talent scout for the district, Pat Mullin of Brownsville. The former Trotter and Grindstone resident and long-time Detroit Tigers outfielder was working as a scout and minor league instructor for the Expos at the time.
鈥淚 had no idea that Pat Mullin was even scouting me,鈥� Tremba said. 鈥淚 got drafted the day before I graduated in 1976, I had never even met Mullin until he showed up at my house up their above Indian Head and said he was the Montreal scout and wanted to sign me. Greg Pastors was going to Yavapai Junior College and Greg talked to Coach Gary Ward at the time about me going out there. I didn鈥檛 have a scholarship until I got drafted and then I got a lot of calls. I had to make a decision within a week about what I was going to do and my mother and I made the decision. I was going to college to play baseball and I figured I go play baseball with the Expos.
鈥淕etting to the minors and being 17 I was playing with guys 21 or 22 years old just out of college,鈥� Tremba offered. 鈥淚t was an eye opening experience. It was so much about hitting the fastball or curve, it was hitting change ups and off speed stuff and ball placement that I had to get used to.鈥�
Tremba also had to deal with being switched to the outfield in the minors.
鈥淲e had three third baseman my first year, me Pablo Carballo and Joe Pettini and we had two outfielders,鈥� Tremba recalled. 鈥淢anager Walt Hriniak asked me if I wanted to play outfield and I said yeah because I had never sat the bench in my life. I had never played the outfield before that. I worked on it and that鈥檚 where I stayed in the outfield, but at my age they were running players through there older guys that they needed to look at and my playing time was sporadic.鈥�
Tremba played three season in Expos minor league system and had a career batting average of .228 with six home runs and 51 RBI.
One regret Tremba has is not asking to try his hand at pitching with the Expos.
鈥淚 did feel that I should have asked Bob Gebhard the pitching instructor about switching to pitching,鈥� Tremba said. 鈥淚 actually started to approach him one day because I was watching some of these other guys pitch and I was thinking that maybe I should give that a shot, but at 17 I really didn鈥檛 think that was appropriate. I wish I had asked about pitching.鈥�
Tremba played with some great players in the Expos system.
鈥淵eah I got to play with Gary Carter, Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Scott Sanderson, and Bill Gullickson,鈥� Tremba stated.
An injury hastened the end of Tremba鈥檚 baseball career.
鈥淚 injured my right shoulder in a tie ballgame in the ninth inning,鈥� Tremba explained. 鈥淚 was playing left field and I threw a guy out at the plate for a double play and I threw my arm out and hurt my rotator cuff. I was the first one up to bat after throwing the guy out and hit a home run to win the game. That was the highlight of my career. Next morning I woke up and I couldn鈥檛 even move my arm. I never really got a report and the next year I was released at spring training. I didn鈥檛 know what to do or who to call. I got a tryout with Toronto, but with my injury report the way it was. It was never corrected and I kick myself for never getting it fixed.鈥�
Tremba worked on off shore drilling rigs in South Texas for seven years, then worked in construction on the Gulf Coast until about 1990. He is now an operator engineer on heavy equipment working on pipelines.
Now, 58, years old Tremba resides in Cameron, WV with his wife Cindy. They were married in 2009. He has four step children.
George Von Benko鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Monday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.