Hal McBee transferred to Washington College from Catonsville Community College prior to his junior year, but in his two seasons playing baseball for the Shoremen, he hit the ball as well as anyone in the team’s long and storied history.
Hal hit a blistering .429 as a junior in 1990, including a remarkable .463 against Middle Atlantic Conference opponents. He averaged 1.17 RBI per game, leading the MAC, and his four home runs tied for second in the conference. He led the team in a host of offensive statistical categories and posted slugging and on-base percentages of .681 and .490, respectively. He was rightly named to the All-MAC first team.
As impressive as Hal’s junior season was, his senior campaign may have been even better. As a team captain, he upped his batting average to .442, leading the MAC and finishing 27th in all of Division III. His 10 doubles also paced the MAC and his slugging and on-base percentages rose to .701 and .557, respectively. Hal’s prowess at the plate that season played a large role in the Shoremen finishing ninth in Division III in batting average and sixth in runs per game. He repeated as an All-MAC first-team selection and was named the Shoremen’s Most Valuable Player.
Hal’s two-year career numbers are historic. His .435 career batting average and .523 career on-base percentage are the highest career marks on record for any Shoreman. He also slugged .690 with 44 runs, 71 hits, 17 doubles, six home runs, and 52 RBI. Even more impressive than what Hal did at the plate was what he didn’t do. In two seasons, Hal struck out a total of just three times.
In addition to his brilliant playing career with the Shoremen, Hal also spent several years as an assistant coach for the team.
Washington College considers it an honor and privilege to induct Harold A. McBee, Jr. into its Athletic Hall of Fame on this 17th day of October, 2015.
