Dixon Dominates

 

Over the Back Fence

By Vicki Bishop

Vol 12

“Dixon Dominates”

 

“Dixon High School 1976-1978 baseball era enshrined as members May 21, 2025.  In recognition to your outstanding contributions to the sport of baseball.”  With those words,  it became official.  Three Dixon 70s era baseball teams, along with their coach, Ron Hopson, were inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. 

Almost fifty years later, a group of these gentlemen made their way to Springfield and up onto a stage facing several hundred sports enthusiasts, friends and relatives.   Once again, they were a team.  “One team all together.  No individual acknowledgements mattered”.  Said Blaine Mathis, former player.  As a team, they made their place in Missouri history all those years ago.  And on this day, as a team, they were recognized for it. 

Within the auditorium it was very different than the last time these gentlemen met as a team.  There was no glaring sun, no dust devils blowing across the field, no sweat, and no gnats.  The national anthem probably sounded a bit different than it did for that playoff game all those years ago.  There was more gray hair--although less hair in total, a little more weight and everyone moved a bit slower.   What had not changed was the love they had for the game; and each other.   As the video played on the jumbo screens that flanked the stage, you could see on each face even more memories as they rushed from the vaults within their minds.  And with each memory, each smile got just a bit bigger. 

“What was neat was seeing all my players again—some I haven’t seen in 40 years.  It was just like old times.  Good guys—a lot of good memories”.  Ron Hopson was the skipper of these 70s era teams.  He paid special tribute to a deceased player, Ralph Chambers, who was killed in a boating accident in 1988 as well as others who have passed that include: Mike Nichols, Roger Yoakum, Mark Adkins and Randy Howser. 

The three teams had a combined 61 wins and 12 losses in the 76-78 seasons.  Dixon was the only team in the State of Missouri Class A to go on to three final fours in that decade and going the distance to win it all in 1976, a second-place finish in 1977, and a fourth-place finish in 1978.

From the Missouri State Hall of Fame:

The 1976 team beat Lilbourn 11-2 in the state championship game and finished 19-0.  The roster included second baseman Chuck Baker, Randy Bowman, centerfielder Ralph Chambers, left fielder Ken Copeland, first baseman Jerry Goodman, third basemen Mike Hall, J Harrison, shortstop Randall Hayes, pitcher Gerry Lewis, Blaine Mathis, right fielder Mike Nichols and catcher Gary White. 

The 1977 team nearly repeated before falling to Chaffee 8-1 in the finals, and the 1978 team placed fourth.  Many of the 1977 players were back from the state championship season, with Marty Prewett, Duane VanScoy and Roger Yoakum on the roster.  The 1978 team had several players from the previous two seasons, and the Bulldogs added Marty Cross, Randy Howser, Dean Kelley, Jeff Kelley, David Pease, Larry Perkins, Kim Russel and Jerry Thompson.  The team manager was Billy Beydler. “For all these years, it truly was a team effort”, Mathis said.  “Everyone just practiced hard and played hard and enjoyed being a part of the team.  We just went about our business and didn’t really worry about if we were going to make it back to state each year.”

Dixon’s 1969 team was a state semifinnalist when there was only one state classification.  Then, the 1974 team finished 24-4 and the 1975 team was 20-4.  Hopson had been building up the Bulldogs since the fall of 1969.  A baseball player himself at Pacific High School, he graduated from Truman State University.  “I sensed the 1976 season was going to be special because most of the team returned”.  Hopson said.  Baker, Hall, Hayes and Nichols were all fast.  “When they got on first base, you might as well have stopped the game and put them on third”, Hopson said.

Lewis went 12-0 on the mound, and Chambers also was a quality sophomore pitcher, with White as the catcher with a gun for an arm.  Goodman hit for power.  “I didn’t see a state championship as we played the season. We just enjoyed playing baseball.”  Copeland said.  “I think our season really got exciting when we played Richland.  We were losing and, in the late innings, rallied back and won the game”.  In the state championship game in Concordia, Leis, Baker and Chambers combined on a three-hitter, and the team had 14 hits.  White’s two-run double and Hayes’ run scoring single kick-started the offense. 

That season, Dixon had rallied from a 4-3 deficit in the seventh and final inning, to win a playoff game, 7-3.  That was thanks largely to White’s three-run homer.  In the second game of districts, Lewis threw a one-hitter in a 4-0 victory against Fatima.  The Bulldogs beat Ash Grove 10-4 in the semifinals.

In 1977, the Bulldogs rode five returning starters, with Atkins transferring in from Waynesville and VanScoy new as a freshman.  The Bulldogs won the district by beating Saint James 2-0 thanks to two bunts, and rallied from a 6-0 deficit in the semifinals, with J Harrison’s two-run single being the game-winner.  The 1978 team finished 25-6, falling in the semifinals.  Chambers had become the star pitcher, and was 46-7 in his high school career, including the fall and spring seasons.

What a spectacular day for all these men and their families!  What a wonderful day and legacy for our town! 

It saddened me to think of those who couldn’t be with us for this special event.  Those players, parents and supporters of baseball who have passed.  Just know there is a whole bleacher section in Heaven dedicated to watching over this event.  I could almost look up and see Wanda Vanscoy and Ray Donal Baker watching…

“We were just a bunch of guys getting together to play ball…it was fun,” said Mike Hall.  And when they were done playing, dominating the baseball field, they rode a fire truck in celebration around Dixon.  Their own tickertape parade.  Glory Days. 

Below is audio from the event: