University of Delaware Athletics
Photo by: Mikey Reeves
Three Former Baseball Athletes to be Inducted Into Delaware Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame
3/6/2023 12:58:00 PM | Baseball
NEWARK, Del. – Three former Delaware baseball players, Bill Brakeley, Brian Lesher and Mark Rubini, have been selected for induction into the Delaware Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The DBCA Hall of Fame originated in 1994 and now has 156 individual inductees.
BILL BRAKELEY
A native of Connecticut, Bill Brakeley was an outstanding fire-balling left-handed pitcher, first as an All-State pick at St. Andrew's High School, then at the University of Delaware, and later for three seasons in minor league baseball.
While starring at St. Andrew's for Hall of Fame head coach Bob Colburn, Brakeley was a three-time All-State pitcher, earning honorable mention honors as a sophomore and first-team laurels as a junior and senior in 1985 and 1986.
He set numerous school records at St. Andrew's, most notably for career wins (20), career strikeouts (287), consecutive strikeouts (first 10 batters in a game vs. Tatnall), and strikeouts in a game (18, twice). In one of those 18 strikeout games, he lost 1-0 on a passed ball.
He played for the first Delaware Carpenter Cup team that competed in Philadelphia in 1986, starting and winning two games, including the championship game. Due to tournament rules, he could only pitch a maximum of nine innings, but struck out 14 batters and allowed just one earned run. Among the players he retired during the tournament was Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.
Brakeley moved on to the University of Delaware, where he stood out for another Hall of Fame coach in Bob Hannah. After sitting out his freshman season as a redshirt in 1987, Brakeley enjoyed two solid seasons on the mound, leading the Hens to a 35-12 record in 1988 and an East Coast Conference regular season title in 1989.
He posted a 4.89 earned run average with 58 strikeouts in 57 innings as a sophomore in 1988 and made big improvements as a junior in 1989 when he posted a 3.09 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 64 innings while earning first-team All-ECC honors. His mark of 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings remains a Blue Hens record. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth round of the MLB Draft in 1989.
Brakeley then moved on to professional baseball with the Brewers and played three seasons in the organization. He went 2-1 with a 4.81 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 33.2 innings at Helena (Mont.) in 1989, 0-0 with a 4.91 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 18.2 innings at Helena in 1990, and 10-6 with a 3.78 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 123.2 innings at A Beloit in 1991.
He now resides in Danbury Conn. and has two children, Paige (20) and Reid(22). He works at the New Canaan School as a teaching assistant and also coaches basketball and baseball.
BRIAN LESHER
One of the few Delawareans to ascend to the highest level of professional baseball, Brian Lesher enjoyed a two-sport All-State career at Newark High School, an all-conference showing at the University of Delaware, and appeared in 108 games in the Major Leagues.
A native of Newark, Lesher was a standout at Newark High School where he was first-team All-Blue Hen Conference and first-team All-State in baseball for the Yellowjackets and also was a standout basketball player.
He then made the move across town and became a talented slugging outfielder/first baseman at Delaware under Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hannah in 1990-92, leading the Blue Hens to a combined record of 109-32, including two regular season conference titles in 1990 and 1992, one North Atlantic Conference Tournament title in 1992, and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1992.
He was a two-time first-team all-conference performer for the Blue Hens. He batted a team-best .380 as a freshman in 1990 and followed that up by batting .380 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI as a sophomore in 1991 and batting .376 with seven home runs and 59 RBI as a junior to highlight Delaware's NCAA Tournament run in 1992.
After being selected in the 25th round of the 1992 Major League Draft by Oakland, he played five Major League seasons with Oakland (1996-98), Seattle (2000), and Toronto (2002) and appeared in 108 career games. He batted .224 with nine home runs and 38 RBI for his major league career.
He also played 12 minor league seasons and batted .283 with 144 home runs and 666 RBI in 1,131 games. He hit .323 with 21 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and 78 RBI at the AAA level for Oakland in 1997 and batted .288 with 25 homers and 92 RBI at the AAA level for Seattle in 2000.
His sons, Brett Lesher and Zach Lesher, played baseball at the University of Delaware. He also served as head coach at Newark Charter School for five years (58-35 record) and coached both of his sons there.
MARK RUBINI
Another inductee with strong ties to William Penn High School and the University of Delaware, Mark Rubini was a speedy, slugging outfielder during his stellar career on the diamond.
Playing for Hall of Fame head coach Mel Gardner at William Penn High School for two seasons, Rubini earned All-State and All-Blue Hen Conference honors. He batted .447 as a junior in 1982 when he knocked in 10 runs and stole eight bases. As a senior in 1983, he hit at a .455 clip to go with 15 RBI and nine stolen bases. His career batting average was an incredible .451.
Rubini then moved on to the University of Delaware where he continued his remarkable hitting prowess under Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hannah.
During his four-year career in 1984-87, Rubini helped the Blue Hens post an overall record of 113-57-2 (.662) and a mark of 40-14 (.741). During that span, Delaware captured East Coast Conference regular season titles in 1985 and 1987 and was the ECC Tournament runner-up in 1985.
Rubini, who served as the Blue Hens' captain in 1987, earned All-East Region honors in 1985 as a sophomore and was a rare three-time All-ECC selection.
He batted a team-leading .423 as a sophomore in 1985 when he also led the team with 13 home runs and 63 runs scored, stole 30 bases in 33 attempts, and collected 48 RBI. He recorded another remarkable performance as a junior in 1986 when he once again led the team with a .421 batting average and stole 31 bases in 37 tries. As a senior, he batted .350 and led the team with 13 home runs.
He set several school records for the Blue Hens, including standards for hits in a game (6 vs. Saint Joseph's, 1985); stolen bases in a game (5 vs. Georgetown, 1986); stolen bases in a career (85); and stolen bases in a season (31 in 1986). He knocked in eight runs in a game vs. Hofstra in 1987, the second-highest single-game total in school history.
Upon graduation, Rubini ranked first all-time at UD in stolen bases (88), sixth in home runs (35), eighth in walks (108), tenth in runs scored (196), #15 in batting average (.370), and #33 in hits (212).
He was selected in the 35th round of the 1986 MLB Draft by Milwaukee but did not sign and returned to UD for his final season. He currently resides in Elkton, Md. with his two sons, Jacob (22) and Nicholas (23). He is employed by Bank of America as a senior vice president of underwriting.
The inductees will be honored in a private ceremony and later recognized on the field prior to the Wilmington Blue Rocks game against the Jersey Shore Blue Claws on Wednesday, June 14 at Frawley Stadium.
BILL BRAKELEY
A native of Connecticut, Bill Brakeley was an outstanding fire-balling left-handed pitcher, first as an All-State pick at St. Andrew's High School, then at the University of Delaware, and later for three seasons in minor league baseball.
While starring at St. Andrew's for Hall of Fame head coach Bob Colburn, Brakeley was a three-time All-State pitcher, earning honorable mention honors as a sophomore and first-team laurels as a junior and senior in 1985 and 1986.
He set numerous school records at St. Andrew's, most notably for career wins (20), career strikeouts (287), consecutive strikeouts (first 10 batters in a game vs. Tatnall), and strikeouts in a game (18, twice). In one of those 18 strikeout games, he lost 1-0 on a passed ball.
He played for the first Delaware Carpenter Cup team that competed in Philadelphia in 1986, starting and winning two games, including the championship game. Due to tournament rules, he could only pitch a maximum of nine innings, but struck out 14 batters and allowed just one earned run. Among the players he retired during the tournament was Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.
Brakeley moved on to the University of Delaware, where he stood out for another Hall of Fame coach in Bob Hannah. After sitting out his freshman season as a redshirt in 1987, Brakeley enjoyed two solid seasons on the mound, leading the Hens to a 35-12 record in 1988 and an East Coast Conference regular season title in 1989.
He posted a 4.89 earned run average with 58 strikeouts in 57 innings as a sophomore in 1988 and made big improvements as a junior in 1989 when he posted a 3.09 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 64 innings while earning first-team All-ECC honors. His mark of 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings remains a Blue Hens record. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth round of the MLB Draft in 1989.
Brakeley then moved on to professional baseball with the Brewers and played three seasons in the organization. He went 2-1 with a 4.81 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 33.2 innings at Helena (Mont.) in 1989, 0-0 with a 4.91 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 18.2 innings at Helena in 1990, and 10-6 with a 3.78 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 123.2 innings at A Beloit in 1991.
He now resides in Danbury Conn. and has two children, Paige (20) and Reid(22). He works at the New Canaan School as a teaching assistant and also coaches basketball and baseball.
BRIAN LESHER
One of the few Delawareans to ascend to the highest level of professional baseball, Brian Lesher enjoyed a two-sport All-State career at Newark High School, an all-conference showing at the University of Delaware, and appeared in 108 games in the Major Leagues.
A native of Newark, Lesher was a standout at Newark High School where he was first-team All-Blue Hen Conference and first-team All-State in baseball for the Yellowjackets and also was a standout basketball player.
He then made the move across town and became a talented slugging outfielder/first baseman at Delaware under Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hannah in 1990-92, leading the Blue Hens to a combined record of 109-32, including two regular season conference titles in 1990 and 1992, one North Atlantic Conference Tournament title in 1992, and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1992.
He was a two-time first-team all-conference performer for the Blue Hens. He batted a team-best .380 as a freshman in 1990 and followed that up by batting .380 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI as a sophomore in 1991 and batting .376 with seven home runs and 59 RBI as a junior to highlight Delaware's NCAA Tournament run in 1992.
After being selected in the 25th round of the 1992 Major League Draft by Oakland, he played five Major League seasons with Oakland (1996-98), Seattle (2000), and Toronto (2002) and appeared in 108 career games. He batted .224 with nine home runs and 38 RBI for his major league career.
He also played 12 minor league seasons and batted .283 with 144 home runs and 666 RBI in 1,131 games. He hit .323 with 21 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and 78 RBI at the AAA level for Oakland in 1997 and batted .288 with 25 homers and 92 RBI at the AAA level for Seattle in 2000.
His sons, Brett Lesher and Zach Lesher, played baseball at the University of Delaware. He also served as head coach at Newark Charter School for five years (58-35 record) and coached both of his sons there.
MARK RUBINI
Another inductee with strong ties to William Penn High School and the University of Delaware, Mark Rubini was a speedy, slugging outfielder during his stellar career on the diamond.
Playing for Hall of Fame head coach Mel Gardner at William Penn High School for two seasons, Rubini earned All-State and All-Blue Hen Conference honors. He batted .447 as a junior in 1982 when he knocked in 10 runs and stole eight bases. As a senior in 1983, he hit at a .455 clip to go with 15 RBI and nine stolen bases. His career batting average was an incredible .451.
Rubini then moved on to the University of Delaware where he continued his remarkable hitting prowess under Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hannah.
During his four-year career in 1984-87, Rubini helped the Blue Hens post an overall record of 113-57-2 (.662) and a mark of 40-14 (.741). During that span, Delaware captured East Coast Conference regular season titles in 1985 and 1987 and was the ECC Tournament runner-up in 1985.
Rubini, who served as the Blue Hens' captain in 1987, earned All-East Region honors in 1985 as a sophomore and was a rare three-time All-ECC selection.
He batted a team-leading .423 as a sophomore in 1985 when he also led the team with 13 home runs and 63 runs scored, stole 30 bases in 33 attempts, and collected 48 RBI. He recorded another remarkable performance as a junior in 1986 when he once again led the team with a .421 batting average and stole 31 bases in 37 tries. As a senior, he batted .350 and led the team with 13 home runs.
He set several school records for the Blue Hens, including standards for hits in a game (6 vs. Saint Joseph's, 1985); stolen bases in a game (5 vs. Georgetown, 1986); stolen bases in a career (85); and stolen bases in a season (31 in 1986). He knocked in eight runs in a game vs. Hofstra in 1987, the second-highest single-game total in school history.
Upon graduation, Rubini ranked first all-time at UD in stolen bases (88), sixth in home runs (35), eighth in walks (108), tenth in runs scored (196), #15 in batting average (.370), and #33 in hits (212).
He was selected in the 35th round of the 1986 MLB Draft by Milwaukee but did not sign and returned to UD for his final season. He currently resides in Elkton, Md. with his two sons, Jacob (22) and Nicholas (23). He is employed by Bank of America as a senior vice president of underwriting.
The inductees will be honored in a private ceremony and later recognized on the field prior to the Wilmington Blue Rocks game against the Jersey Shore Blue Claws on Wednesday, June 14 at Frawley Stadium.
Players Mentioned
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