Hall of Fame
Clyde Mellinger is one of the best pitchers to ever play for Shippensburg, suiting up in a Raider uniform from 1913-16. He pitched nearly every game for three of his seasons at Shippensburg, a feat that was possible given the infrequent scheduling of games at the time.
One of the main highlights of Mellinger’s career came during his junior season on May 29, 1915 when he struck out 18 batters at Kutztown. That performance set the Shippensburg team single-game record that still stands. It stood as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference record for 99 years, only broken last year by a Mercyhurst player during the conference tournament. Mellinger allowed just five hits in the game in a 6-1 victory that broke Kutztown’s eight-game winning streak.
Mellinger was a player on the 1913 team that compiled an 8-5 overall record. The team was 2-2 against Normal Schools with one win each over Bloomsburg and Kutztown but two losses to Millersville.
In 1914, Shippensburg’s record fell to 4-4 and 1-1 against Normal Schools. Mellinger was the winning pitcher over Baltimore City College in the season opener, and later threw a four-hit shutout with double-digit strikeouts in a 1-0 win over the Mercersburg Academy Reserves.
In 1915, Shippensburg improved to 8-3 overall and 2-0 against Normal Schools. In addition to his record performance against Kutztown, Mellinger defeated a team from Conway Hall that had a 6-0 record – he won 4-2 and allowed just five hits.
In his senior year, Mellinger helped Shippensburg compile a 9-3 record and again remain undefeated against Normal Schools with a 2-0 mark. The team had a 2-2 record early in the season but then won seven of its last eight games. Mellinger pitched a one-hitter at Millersville on May 20 and then in his next game handed Bloomsburg its first defeat of the season, 8-3.
In the 1916 season finale and the last appearance of his Shippensburg career, Mellinger pitched a 2-0 shutout over the Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA, one of the best amateur teams in South Central Pennsylvania.
After graduation, Mellinger attended Ursinus College; became principal of the West Fairview school; and served in the Navy during World War I. Then, at Penn State University, he earned a degree in chemistry while starring on the baseball team. Mellinger had a 9-0 record and helped the Nittany Lions set the team record for consecutive victories, 30-in-a-row, that remains to this day.
For four years, he taught science and coached all sports at The Stony Brook School on Long Island. After acquiring a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Mellinger began a career as a chemistry teacher in the Atlantic City (N.J.) High School. He became Chair of the Science Department before retiring in 1957. Mellinger also had an "off-and-on" semi-pro baseball career until 1930. In fact, Mellinger was the pitcher in a semi-pro game in 1923 for the Ascension Catholic Club in which Babe Ruth was his teammate and played first base.
Mellinger passed away June 21, 1969, and is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery in Shippensburg.
