Bob Owchinko, Eastern Michigan (Baseball)
Bob Owchinko enjoyed outstanding college and professional baseball careers as he arned four varsity letters as a left-handed pitcher for Eastern Michigan. Owchinko had a 29-9 career win-loss record with a 2.15 ERA with a school record 309 strikeouts in 305 innings pitched. He helped lead Eastern Michigan to two straight NCAA College World Series appearances, with a second place finish in 1976 and a fifth-place finish in 1975.
Owchinko was named second-team All-America and first-team Academic All-America in 1976. He was voted Eastern Michigan's Most Valuable Pitcher in 1975 with an 11-1 record and again in 1976 with a 14-3 mark. Owchinko was the Most Valuable Pitcher on the 1975 United States Pan American team with a 3-0 record, helping the team to a Silver Medal.
Owchinko was Drafted in the first round (fifth pick overall) of the 1976 Major League Baseball Draft by the Dan Diego Padres. He was named National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1977 with the Padres. Owchinko went on to play seven and one-half years in the majors with the Padres, Cleveland Indians, Oakland A's, Pittsburg Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos. He was elected to the E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.
