The following statistics for the Maplewood (NJ) Maples Baseball team were gathered by the late Bob Roellke from records maintained by coach Russ Neide.  The Maples were a semi-professional baseball team that played in the Maplewood Twilight League, the Lackawanna League and the Essex County League during the period of 1947-1965.   A number of the ballplayers playing in these leagues went on to make it in the “Show” ; among the Major Leaguers were: Joe Black  of the Brooklyn Dodgers;Jim Bouton of the New York Yankees; Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians; Monte Irvin of the New York Giants and Jeff Torborg of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Maplewood Maples.  Many others played in the minor leagues.  Players on the Maplewood Maples came from high schools, colleges, and the minor and major leagues.  Individual stats for team leaders involve those players having played 70 or more games.

Maplewood Maples Baseball Team

1947-1965

1947 – 16 – 5
1948 – 31-10 – 4
1949 – 39 – 13 – 1
1950 – 37 – 3
1951 – 22 – 9
1952 – 20 – 12
1953 – 20 -14 -1
1954 – 17 – 15
1955 – 18 – 14
1956 – 8 – 25
1957 – 9 – 27
1958 – 15 -29
1959 – 16 – 31
1960 -21 – 24
1961 – 24 -21 – 2
1962 – 29 – 20 – 1
1963 – 22 – 23 – 2
1964 – 27 – 19 -2
1965 -13 – 35 – 3

Won: 404 Lost: 349 Ties: 16    Coach/Manager: Russ Neide

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Championships

1947 Maplewood Twilight League
1948 Maplewood Twilight League
1948 Lackawanna League
1949 Maplewood Twilight League
1950 Maplewood Twlight League
1950 Lackawanna League
1951 Essex County League And Playoffs
1952 Essex County League
1953 Essex County League Playoffs

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Individual Stats Leaders
(70 or more games)

Home Runs

Ron Diamond (32);  Bob Gross (16); Don Storch (15); Lynn Fader (14); John Ward (13); Herb Penoyer (12);  Bob Roellke (12);  Jeff  Torborg (10);  Larry Williams (10); Dave Noble (10)

Triples

Don Storch (14);  Ron Diamond (12);  Jim Miller (8);  Lynn Fader (8);  Doug Munson(8); Bob Roellke (8);  Herb Pennoyer (7);  Bob Gross (7);  John Ward (6); Jim Jesky (6)

Doubles

Bob Roellke (35);  Herb Pennoyer (31); Lynn Fader (31); Ron Diamond (30); Jim Miller (26); Doug Munson (25; E. Blake (23) John Ward (21); Don Storch (18); Dave Noble (16)

Batting Average

Bob Roellke (370); Jeff Torborg (369); Lynn Fader (333); Don Storch (332); Pinky Sellitto (311); Herb Pennoyer (311); John Ward (306); Ron diamond (304); Jim Jesky (303); Bob Gross (280)

Hits

Bob Roellke (305); Lynn Fader (228); Jim Jesky (205); Ron Diamond (200); Don Storch (197); Herb Pennoyer (168); John Ward (167); BobGross (157); Bob Henerson (150); Jim Miller (147)

Runs Scored

Bob Roellke (149); John Ward (133); Jim Miller (120) Jim Jesky (117) Ron Diamond (117); Lynn Fader (114) Dave Noble (110); Don Storch (108); Herb Pennoyer (103); Bob Gross (100); Bucky Fader (100)

Games Played

Bob Roellke (221); John Ward (200); Lynn Fader (199); Jim Jesky (191); Bucky Fader (180); Bob Gross (175); Ron Diamond (174); Bob Henderson (165); Don Storch (162); Jim Miller (159)

Maplewood Maples Roster: Ken Adriance; Frank Bahlman; Ricky Barth; Richard Blake; Jerry Bradley; Wendell Breithalpt; Ray Bruend; Jack Burke; Bill Burke; Bill Burkhardt; Dick Cherry; Jim Colin; Tom Colin; Bob Cross; Peter Cross; Bob Cuminsky; David Denman; Bill Detrick; Ron Diamond; Guido Ditorrice; Dene Ekholm; Gene Ekholm; Bucky Fader; Lynn Fader; John Feeney; Fran Gallagher; Ralph Gamba; John Gibbons; Bob Gross; Bill Groezinger; Bob Hartman; Norm Hammer; Cliff Henderson; Larry Holmes; John Horbelt; Edward Horbelt; Fred Hopke; Jim Jesky; Ed Kaiser; Parker Kelly; C. P. Kimmel; Hobart C. Kreittler; Dave Knecht; BobKnothe; Paul Kull; Bob Lapp; Dr. Robert Lauber; Russ Lindsay; David Mackie; Jim Magnuson; Denny Maher; Walt Moryl; Nicholas P. Moutis; Bill Mueoke;Bob Nagel; Russ Neide, Coach/Manager; Dave Noble; Billy N olan; Neal Nolan; Ed Oertzen; Herb Pennoyer; Bob Pierson; Jonnie Reynolds; Bob Roellke; Ken Rogers; Don Ronnie; Sonny Santoli; George Schanauffer; Vince Scola; Thomas (Pinky) Sellitto; Harry Skillman; Elly Smith; Bill Stachel; Don Storch; Bob Sweeney; Jeff Torborg; John Turner; Charley Vollherst; Bob Waldele; John Ward; Buddy Young; Dick Zimmer; Bob Heuschkel; Rick Heuschkel;

Taps: Jim Apple; Bob Bannon; Fred Booth; Joe Burke; John Challenger; Bob Henderson; Ed McBride; Doug Leander; Don Walker; Gordon Walters

Special note: Coach Russ Neide died in 1996.  I just received word that Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Livingston Neide, wife of Russ, died on March 4, 2010.  The obituary in the Newark Star Ledger listed her as the unofficial ‘team mother’ for the Maplewood Maples semi-pro baseball team coached by her husband Russ.  She was a fine lady.

These stats were put together for the ballplayers of the Maplewood Maples and their families.  If you have any corrections to the data herein or updates on the individuals, please contact: donstorch@donstorch.com