THOMAS BRENNAN '74
and
RICHARD BARANAK '76
Thomas Brennan '74 and Richard Baranak '76 were both members of the 1974 NAIA National Championship team for Lewis, before Brennan went on to an MLB career and Baranak served as a key member of the '75 and '76 teams that made it three NAIA National Championships in a row for Lewis.
Playing under Hall of Fame head coach, Gordie Gillespie, Tom Brennan was named First Team NAIA All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association in '72, '73 and '74, before being drafted fourth overall in the '74 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians. During his time at Lewis, Brennan posted a 44-7 record with 511 strikeouts, with his wins and strikeouts serving as career records for the Flyers.
The Oak Lawn, Illinois native also earned an Honorable Mention from The Sporting News All-Collegiate Team in '73, before a First Team honor from TSN the next year – the only NAIA player to be named to the first team. In the 1974 NAIA Tournament, Brennan earned three wins and was named to the NAIA All-Tournament Team as well as World Series MVP, as he earned the win in relief in the championship game, recording the final two outs in the top of the ninth before hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning.
Brennan then pitched eight seasons in the minor leagues, during which time he was inducted into the Lewis athletics Hall of Fame in 1980. He made his Major League debut on September 5, 1981 for Cleveland against the California Angels, throwing five innings and allowing two runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and earning the victory. He ultimately pitched in five MLB seasons for the Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers, finishing with a 9-10 record and 4.40 ERA in 64 games, 20 starts, and striking out 102 batters in 219 innings.
Rick Baranak was one of four Flyers to play on all three NAIA Championship teams, along with George DiMatteo, Ken Jones and Don Markelz, and was named to the NAIA All-Tournament Team all three times, in '74, '75 and '76. He also earned NAIA First Team All-American honors in '75 and '76. The backstop finished his career with a then-Lewis record of 48 doubles, 18 home runs, 113 runs scored and 145 RBI.
The New Lenox, Illinois native had many clutch moments in the NAIA World Series, starting with the penultimate game of the '74 series in which he scored a run and drove in the winning run as Lewis eliminated Point Park, before taking down Sam Houston State in the title game. In '75, Baranak had a key double and run scored in the title game against Sam Houston State that was the centerpiece of a two-run fourth inning in the Flyers' 2-1 victory. In '76, he once again performed heroics by going 3-for-5 in the penultimate game with an RBI double in the top of the ninth, with Lewis eventually winning 2-1 in 13 innings to eliminate Emporia State before beating Lewis-Clark in the championship game.
Rick Baranak, a 1984 inductee into the Lewis athletics Hall of Fame, passed away in April 2021 at the age of 67. He is survived by his wife, Diane, three children Eric, Kelly and Jim, and five grandchildren.