Nephi: Home of the First Baseball Game in Utah
January 1, 1875
January 1, 2025 will be
exactly 150 years since first baseball game
"Baseball binds generations like no other sport"
First Baseball Game Played in Nephi
(Quoted in its entirety from McCune, Alice P. History of Juab County, pp. 84-87)
The first game of baseball ever played in Nephi was undertaken on January 1st, 1875. This was the first baseball
game played in Utah, and it was reported to be the first one played this side of the Missouri River.
According to an account written by Charles Haynes, on April 9, 1929, the game was just about as follows:
"Mr. Samuel H Gilson, at that time a resident of Nephi, challenged Mr. George C. Whitmore in the following language:
"We will play a game of baseball and I will give you the right to pick your nine men first and when you are through I will pick nine men from the town at large and beat you. ( Each man on the winning team was to receive a quarter of beef".)
"All right, said George", and somewhere in the month of October, 1874, they chose their respective ball teams and started to practice. They were to practice about a month; then they were to play the great game. When all the boys were ready to invade the diamond, a controversy arose as to an umpire having no book of rules to use. The game was postponed until spring, since we had no means of obtaining a book of rules. There were no railroads or telegraphs or telephones in those days, and we had to send to New York, by mail, for a book of rules of the game.
"This book did not arrive until December 27th, so we had given up all hopes of playing the game until the following spring. However when the book did come, it put new life into the boys as well as the principals, so they thought they would play it anyway.
"A light snow had fallen the last night of the old year, but everybody wanted this game to come off, so Will and Robert Pyper and George Kendall and others scraped the snow almost of the entire square
(located on Main Street between 5th and 6th North and now known as Pioneer Park) We were to have started the game at 10:00 o'clock a.m. but is was 10:30 before we got underway".
"Charles Foote was the umpire, John Chapman and Alma Hague were the scorers, respectively . This notorious game took from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and the score stood: Gilson's side 17;
Whitmore's side 87.
"The townspeople at the time were so enthused they turned out enmass to witness the game.
Billy Sperry was the backstop for Gilson, but after one inning had been played, he was called home because of the arrival of a son, and Josh Nowlin took his place behind the bat."
Following was the lineup for the two teams:
WHITMORES POSITION GILSONS
Walter P. Reid .............Pitcher.............Sam Gilson
L.L Hudson.................. Catcher...........Jabus Nowlin, Billy Sperry
Samuel Henroid.........1st Base .........Abe Boswell
Chas Haynes ..............2nd Base .......R. C. Blackett
Geo. C. Whitmore .... 3rd Base .......James R. Black
David Bigler .................Shortstop .....Jacob Bigler
Joseph Departy ........Right Field .....Alex Pyper
James Belliston ........Left Field .........Harve Mangum
Edward Ockey ...........Center Field ...Joseph Park
More Baseball History
“History of Early Baseball in Nephi”
Taken from the book "They Left a Record" written by Sadie Greenhalgh and Fred Chapman, pages 183-184.
From that first game in 1875 Nephi has had a history of ball teams for a period of approximately 80 years.
Around 1896 there was a game that lasted 11 innings and ended with a score of 1 for the Silver Grays and 2 for the Nephi team. The Silver Grays were also a Nephi team that were supposed to be the outstanding team.
According to notes left by the pitcher, Hugh Park, the Nephi team was very excited. He was the pitcher, and he stated that they all played bare handed except the catcher, Thomas Bailey, who used a light mitt.
Other members of this team were Bob McCune, Charles Wilson, Will Shimmins, James Bigler, John Fields, Will Bowles and Thomas Belliston. Another report lists Langley Bailey Jr., as relief catcher and 1st Base.
It would require an entire volume to tell about all the games later played in the old North Ward Park, and the balls that were knocked over the 6 foot board fence, onto the property where the Jay Mickelson home now stands.
It seems that baseball stories were handed down in families and many sons and grandsons carried on through the years. We find the following Parks: Harold, Ross, Cleston, Loris and Boyd. Sperry names were Hugh, Arvil, Mont, Ken J. and Grant.
The "Wheat City Team" was considered winners before the game started. Team members were: Paul Christensen, Howard Painter, Carol Bailey, Leland Belliston, Rulon Cowan, Homer Lunt, Eugene Worthington, I.M. Petty, Ole Boswell, Cliff Reese, Glen Worthington, "Deb"Dudley, Ray Lunt, Bob Howard, Ray Kelson.
Some of the above mentioned were "imported players," that joined our team: Dudley, Cole and Dryer.
Others were Cecil Snow, Tob Bailey, Enos Jones, Mr. Eggerston, Mr. Hogan and Dell Steele. Enos Jones and Lefty Keough and Dell Steele found added interest and married Nephi girls and made their home here.
Theo Burridge (husband of Wanda Burridge) was a pitcher long to be remembered.
No one wore protective head gear in those days. Older people remember the fateful afternoon when a fast ball hit T.O. Durham in the temple and "he dropped like he had been shot," and remained unconscious
for some time.
There are many other younger players still living in Nephi. They will know much more about these events than we do. They should have a reunion, and compile a history book. Some that we find listed are Lawrence Higginson, Glen Belliston, David Bird, Boyd Howarth, Gordon Kelson, Waldon Reed, Dean Worthington, Veryl Sudweeks, Gordon Pay. Others have moved away, Max Davis, Dix Grace, Boyd Greenwood, the late Stanford Lunt, Paul Belliston, Alma Garrett, Bryce Bailey, Elmo Brady, Theron Snyder. The late Howard Hansen was also a member. Sherman Wankier, who has been recognized with Professional Baseball for many years, played with the Nephi boys.
Managers not to be forgotten were George Ostler, N.J. Reese, J.N.C. Paxton and Joel Cowan. A.L. Garrett managed the last of the teams for several years. Once more look at the trophies in the City Hall and you will again remember the importance of Nephi's Baseball Teams through the years. (Most of this material is from newspaper clippings and pictures filed by Eva Sperry Tuttle.)
*The following pages are pictures compiled of early Nephi Baseball teams*
The General History of Baseball/Softball Fields, etc. in Nephi
The first baseball game played in Nephi was played at Pioneer Park now known as Nephi City Park on Main Street and between 5th and 6th North on January 1, 1875. In 1983, lights were added to the park on Main Street for softball play.
In 1926, a field was developed at the Juab County Fairgrounds on Center Street and 4th West. It was the location for "fast game" as it was called in the Times News. It was a dirt infield and wooden bleachers were constructed for fan viewing.
Nephi City baseball games were quite the town attraction from about 1920-1960. They played in the Central Utah League which included teams from all of Utah County, Heber City, Sanpete County, and Sevier County.
Each game at the fairgrounds field had a good crowd show up. They charged admittance for the games, 50 cents. Floyd Ockey was in charge of collecting money from his cigar box. He also would pay 5 cents for a retrieved foul ball. It was a mad rush to see who could get to the balls first. The 5 cents was motivation enough.
Little League Park- now known as Canyon View Park- August 1957 preparing for the little league baseball field for the 1958 season. Many patricipated in construction of cement bleachers, dugouts, fencing, leveling of the field, sprinkler system and planting grass. All the work was done by the JC's, Kiwanis, and Lions
clubs and Byron Howard for leveling the field with his tractor has been entirely voluntary. The field had huge tall
chicken wire fence built in right field because of the short distance to Salt Creek and "Wilkeys" house. It was lined
with wild roses which was not fun to retrieve baseballs out of. Lights were added to the Canyon View little league park in 1969.
On July 26, 1959, the Nephi's Baseball team began play on their new diamond at Canyon View Park. "This endeavor is deserving of the complete support of the townspeople, stated Ray Kelson, president of the Southern Utah baseball league and it is hoped a large crowd will be in attendance." Commercial fast pitch softball league was started in 1955. Nephi teams played fast pitch until the slow pitch softball game became popular and started to edge it out.
Juab's high school baseball teams played at the Canyon View Park baseball diamond until the new schools were built on 800 North and 650 East, Nephi. A field north of the school was designated for Juab High School Baseball. It was nothing but a field at the time that needed to be leveled and constructed. Many of the "Blues" softball team members helped with the grass and the cutting out of the infield with turf cutters to make a regulation size field. A small backstop was erected and that was about it at the time. Obvious and significant improvements have been made since then. Juab High School baseball teams have been very competitive on the state level for many years since the beginning of play.
In 1990, in a joint project of Nephi City and Juab School District, fields were added north and west of the new schools on the east side of town. They are used regularly as are all the fields in town for many weekend tournaments, boys and girls, held all summer long. Baseball and softball is alive and well in the younger ages. (2024).
City baseball seemed to be the big thing in town for many years as the town grew over the years. Remember Nephi was settled in 1849 and baseball was played in 1875. There isn't a lot of recorded information from then until 1920 that I could find. From about 1920 on the Times News reported about every game until 1960, with game descriptions, box scores, statistics and rankings. Around 1950, city wide fast pitch softball league was started along with all LDS church wards playing softball. Nephi ward teams were known and did well in
"All Church" tournaments held in Salt Lake and Logan.
Youth baseball teams became popular and competitive around 1958. Teams such as the J.C.s, I.A.M., Kiwanis,
Mona, Levan and Thermoid were the standard teams for many years. Each year all stars were selected and did well in regional and state tournaments.
In the 1980's and 1990's baseball teams were Little League, Pony League, Colt League, and eventually Babe Ruth leagues.
Girls and women's softball became very popular with city recreation and competitive high school teams. The high school program started in 1980's and is going strong to this day.
A new facility coordinated and built by the school system, Nephi City, Juab County, and private donations and
opened in 2021 called the Hive. It is located on school grounds and well used by multiple sports including baseball. It adds to the off season training for the highly competitive high school baseball team.
A new baseball complex is in the plans to be located in the south west part of the community. The site would be west of town below Maverick, Taco Bell, Costa Vida, and McDonalds. (2024)
