The 714th's 1944 Baseball Team 

1944 Baseball Team-Standing: Phil LaVelle, Ralph Fogel, Tom Prather, Walt Griffin, Joe Leili, Charlie Bedwell, Newman Bolstad. Sitting: (Middle) Bill Pitman, Bob Thompson, Dana Ellis, Bill Williamson, Irvin Ferguson, Toe King, Hershell Gilliland. Sitting: John (chief) Corrilla, Herbert Sparks, Leuie Workman, Bob King, Jack (Wilbur) Marlowe. 

We feel that this team and this picture minus brass or civilians is worthy of our highest praise. We had a wealth of baseball talent in our team and they proved our confidencein them, being ably managed by First Sergeant Bolstad, and coached by Phil La Yelle. Our pitchers, Pitman, Fogel, Chief Corrilla, Williamson; catchers, Leili and Marlowe;the infield, Ellis, first base; Gillaland, second base; Thompson, shortstop, Bob King, third base; and the outfield, Prather, Griffin, Bedwell, Ferguson, Joe King, Sparks; scorekeeper, Workman. 

Highlights-Defeating the crack Air Corps and Air Depot teams. Frustrations-Our de￾feat at Fairbanks by a crack team picked from their various teams, 2 to 1 and 1 to 0; and the jinx over us held by the 177th Engineers. Our Alibis-None. 

Facts-We used our regular lineup at Fairbanks and the breaks did go "Agin Us." Our Travel-Up and back by air, fine thing for a railroad team, but we had to see how the other half lived. At Anchorage￾Pop Klaemer (777th Engineers pitcher and an old timer.)

 Great stuff shared by Andy about his dad

He writes "View the below reprint from the Military Railway Service Journal – Jan 1959; Paragraph 7, third line down. It seemed that after the war there were lots of GI’s waiting to come home and needed to be entertained. The European Battalions organized baseball teams and my dad was the 744th’s star pitcher and team captain (of course). See attached travel orders to play baseball. They actually went 7 wins, 0 losses, undefeated. As my dad described it to me, they were given a train travel-car, a sleeper-car and a kitchen-car and cook, and were pulled over Europe to play their games. Interestingly, I found out about my dad’s ability at baseball pitching, hitting...years later at our family picnics. All the other uncles were ok, but he seemed to be a cut above. He could pitch like a semipro and I always wondered why. Then he shared that he led his Battalion team and his European baseball story. "

 baseball team

baseball order  Sergeant Henry Espinosa

How great are these softball photos ?

Thanks again to William Scholtes and daughter Jean