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For 1933 the Nebraska State League contracted to four teams as the depression took its toll. Norfolk was still a strong baseball town and supported the Elks through the depression.
The Elks started strong and won the first half of the split season with a 34-18 record. They coasted in the second half and wound up with a 26-27 record for the second half of the season.
The playoffs were a repeat of the 1932 season as Beatrice pitching ruled and Beatrice ran away with the playoff series. The combination of Cotton Pippen and Mike Pociask was just too much for the Elks.
They led the league in batting with a .269 average and they were third in the league in fielding.
All Stars:
Ray Bertram was named to the all star team at short stop.
He led the league in hits in 1933 with 152 during the season. He was the
best fielding short-stop in the league and was fourth in batting average
with a .342 average in 105 games.
Burris was named to the all star team in right field. He played in 97 games, had a .327 average, 10 home runs, 27 stolen bases and led the league with 78 walks during the season.
The third player listed on the 1933 all star team from Norfolk was pitcher Bucklin . He had an 18-5 record in 26 games for the Elks.
George McDermott was the manager of the Elks for 1933 and was named to the all stars managers position. The Sporting News called him Joe McDermott and reported that Joe asked to be released from his contract at the end of the season. Joe was expected to be named postmaster in his home town of Moville Iowa and that full time position precluded him from continuing as manager.
Regulars:
George Silvey was a regular at first for the Elks. He
also
played some games for Lincoln.
Hugh Luby was the anchor for the infield during the season. He led the league in fielding among second basemen and had a .300 batting average in the 105 games he played. The next year he moved up to class "A" ball with the Sioux City team.
Drost played third for the Elks. He averaged .261 in the 106 games he participated in.
Catcher for 1933 was handled by committee. Gavin caught 11 games, McDermott handled the mask for 31 games, Van Hoenacher was behind the plate for 10 games and Bill LeMay from Illinois handled 55 games between Norfolk and Lincoln.
The outfield saw Gannon in center field. He averaged .337 for the season. Allison was in right garden for 55 games and averaged .273. Baumgartner and Rohde were part timers in the garden for the Elks.
Pitchers:
In addition to the all star Bucklin, the Elks relied on
Elston in the box. He was 15-7 for the season in 30
games. Tarantola was 12-9 in 25 games, Gavin
was 3-5 and
West was 7-13 for the Elks.