Hall of Fame
Gary Best played an integral role as a middle infielder for the Shippensburg University baseball teams of the mid-1980s. Best helped the Red Raiders win PSAC Championships in 1984 and 1986 while reaching the NCAA tournaments for three consecutive years (1984-86). The team additionally finished second in the NCAA South Atlantic Regional tournament in 1984 while competing in Columbus, Georgia.
Best’s top honor came as a junior in 1985, when he was named a Third Team All- American. He hit .376 and was named team MVP and All-PSAC Southern Division at second base after totaling 40 runs, 13 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases.
Best concluded his collegiate career as a co-captain in 1986 and was selected to the All-PSAC Eastern Division team after the Red Raiders finished with a 33-14 record. As a senior, Best hit .316, scored 57 runs and stole 30 bases, which remains the third-largest total ever achieved by a Red Raider in a single season.
Best saw limited action as a reserve during his freshman season in 1983, compiling a .357 batting average while stealing two bases and scoring seven runs on a squad that finished with a 25-16 record.
He broke into the starting lineup during his sophomore season in 1984, a year in which Red Raider baseball finished 36-14-1. Best was a clutch hitter down the stretch as the team drove for the conference title late in the year, finishing with a .297 batting average and 34 runs scored. During the regional tournament, Best helped the Red Raiders turn a 5-4-3 triple play.
Throughout his four-year career, Best was consistently on base. Best finished his career with 96 walks, including 38 as a senior. That mark stands as the fifth-highest total by a Red Raider in a single season. In 408 career at-bats, Best struck out just 37 times while scoring 138 runs to rank among the school’s top 10 in the category.
Overall, the Red Raider baseball teams that featured Best compiled a record of 129-58 over four years, which equates to a winning percentage of .690. At the time of his graduation he held the team career record for stolen bases with 58, and ranked sixth at the time of his induction.
