Fred Waters (1966) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Fred Waters

Induction:
1966

Fred Waters was one of the best all-around baseball players to have ever played at Southern Miss, especially in the early days when the program was restarted after World War II. As an outfielder and a pitcher Waters made contributions in many different ways and was responsible for numerous victories during the 1947 and 1948 seasons.
       Waters was a skillful player who was utilized by Coach Thad (Pie) Vann in many different ways. Early in his career he usually patrolled centerfield and occasionally would head to the mound in a relief role. But by the 1948 season Waters was either on the mound as one of the team’s top starting pitchers or when he wasn’t pitching playing in right field.
       Although the team only played 13 games in the 1947, Waters was a key asset in each and every one. As the team’s centerfielder he emerged as one of the best hitters, ripping the opposition for a .409 average and finishing third on the team in home runs and fourth in runs batted in. Waters also came out of the bullpen twice that season and picked up one of the nine victories the team recorded that season. The team finished the year with a 9-4 record, including a perfect 7-0 mark at home.
       The team would increase the number of games they would play in 1948 and Waters was there to play in all 22. he record that year would be 11-11, but Waters would find several different ways to contribute.
       As a hitter that year he continued to hit everything they threw at him. He would hit for a .391 average that season and tie for second on the team in home runs , runs batted in and doubles and tie for the team lead in triples.
       It was as a pitcher in 1948 that Waters really began to establish himself. In the season opener that year, he pitched the first four innings of the game against Mississippi College, limiting the Choctaws to just a single hit, while recording nine strikeouts in the 12 outs he would record that day. He also banged out three hits that day, that included a pair of doubles.
       His next outing during the 1948 season was against Ole Miss and although Southern would loss that one 2-1 in 11 innings, Waters pitched the first 10 innings that day and struck out 11 and allow only three hits.
       Waters would later that season defeat Millsaps College for his second win of the season by pitching six hit ball and striking out 17.
       Then in one of the most incredible pitching performances in Southern Miss history, Waters on just two days rest, pitched 14 innings in a 4-2 loss to Loyola of New Orleans. In that game though he faced 56 batters, allowed just seven hits, walked one and struck out a school record 19.
       The left-hander would go on to later pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1955 and 1956 season, with 1956 being his best year when he posted a 2-2 record and an earned run average of 2.82.
       Fred’s brothers Hub and Bucky are also in the Hall of Fame.