Frank Parenti, who had managed in the Midwest League in 1947 was named manager of the Holdrege White Sox for 1957. He managed for one year then moved back to the Midwest League to manage at Dubuque in 1958. Under his guidance the White Sox were in the hunt for the 1957 title. They finished in second place ½ game out of first.
Pitching coach for the Sox was Hugh Mulcahy. Hugh was a pitcher for the Phillies and the Beaver PA. native was in Holdrege for the summer to work with the young Sox arms.
The town continued their great support for the team . The new grandstands were packed on many nights in support of the Sox. The town sold 557 season tickets in 1957. Turnover in this league was high. Of the twenty players listed in late June on the roster for the team less than half actually played in a game for the Sox. The Sporting News Guide lists fourteen position players for Holdrege who did not play in at least 10 games and eleven pitchers who did not get at least 30 innings of work.
Roster:
First base for the White Sox in 1957 was held down by
Gerald Manale . A 20 year old from Toronto Canada, he averaged
.290 for the season.
David McClusky was the backup to Manale in 1957. He played in 11 games and averaged .208.
Dan O'Donnell from South Bend Indiana was the opening day first baseman for Holdrege. He played in 12 games and averaged .167.
One of the better hitters in the league held down the second base position for Holdrege in 1957. Anthony Christopher played in 54 games and averaged .322. He was named to the 1957 NSL all star team.
Don Lukaszewski split his time between second and short and averaged .292. The 21 year old was from Chicago Ill.
Jack Wasem was a regular at third base for the White Sox. He led the league in hitting with a .366 average and was named to the NSL all star team.
Don Lewis played short for 35 games and averaged .215.
John Rottenberry from Mountainburg Arkansas was the opening day 3rd baseman in 1957. He played in 5 games and averaged .158.
The primary catcher for the Holdrege Nebraska White Sox in 1957 was Merl Eberly the lefty put on the mask for 43 games and averaged .281. He was from Clarinda Iowa. After his professional career, Merl was a long term manager of the Clarinda Iowa A's summer collegiate team. He was inducted into the NBC hall of fame in 2003.
Larry Torkelson , an 18 year old from Sioux Falls South Dakota put on the mask for 27 games and averaged .177 for the year.
Dave Rudolph was a 20 year old catcher from Augusta WI. He played in 7 games, had 12 at bats and hit .333.
Outfield:
The outfield for the White Sox was a stable point for Holdrege in 1957.
Robert Newman , a Chicago native, averaged .296 and
had 16 stolen bases and was named an NSL all star
while roaming the garden in Holdrege in 1957.
Don Bonomini , from Downer Grove Ill. Named an NSL all star he led league with 58 runs scored and averaged .315 for the year.
The third outfielder for the White Sox was Charles Bennett . Born in Oregon and raised in California, he attended Chaffey Junior College and was honorable mention Little All American while playing football there. The 19 year old graduated from Chaffey High in Ontario California. He played in 55 games and averaged .257.
Pitchers:
Phillip Groth was third in the league in pitching in
1957. He appeared in 12 games and had a 9-3 record. The 21 year old
lefty from Des Moines Iowa had 98 strike outs in 88 innings of work. He was named to the NSL
all star team. He played for Iowa State in college and earned a degree in engineering.
He played for Lincoln in 1959 and Idaho falls in 1960. After retiring from baseball
he worked as an engineer for a number of firms. He spent 35 years working for Pella and
retired in Pella in 2011.
Earl Fordham was also in the top ten in pitching in 1957. He played in 14 games and had a 7-4 record. He also had 99 strike outs in 94 innings of work. Fordham attended John C Fremont High School in Los Angeles and UCLA. He was named the most valuable senior on the UCLA team in the spring of 1956. He was signed by the White Sox and assigned to Holdrege. He was named to the NSl all star team
Vincent Palmisano was the third pitcher in the rotation in 1957. He was 7-3 in 13 games. The lefty had 87 strike outs in 76 innings.
Ralph Schulz was from Sedalia Missouri. The 24 year old rookie was 5-5 in 10 appearances.
Stuart Sullivan was 2-3 in 9 games and John Wright, a Shelby North Carolina pitcher was 1-1 in 10 games.
Soloman Ashby from Norfolk VA was 1-1 in 9 appearances.
Don Knodis was a 6'3" 19 year old from Chicago. He appeared in one game and had a 0-1 record.
Lynn Hoyt from LaMesa CA was in one game and had no record. Gerald Andrews was on the opening day roster. The Pensacola youngster was in 2 games and had a 0-1 record. Billy McWilliams was an 18 year old port side pitcher from ElDorado Missouri. He appeared in 5 games and had a 0-1 record.
The Sox signed Joe Kuhel Jr. , son of White Sox Hall of Fame first baseman Joe Kuhel in the spring of 1957 and assigned him to Holdrege. The pitcher appeared in two games for Holdrege.