Doug Wabeke

Douglas Jay Wabeke

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 170 lbs.
• School Grand Rapids Community College, Central Michigan University
• High School Zeeland High School

• Born February 24, 1958 in Zeeland, MI USA
• Died November 25, 2023 in Grand Haven, MI USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Doug Wabeke was a longtime college coach.

Wabeke was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 42 round of the 1980 amateur draft. A middle infielder, he slashed .270/.390/.368 for the Fresno Giants in 1980. He moved up to the Shreveport Captains, slashing .286/.372/.383 in 1981 and .274/.375/.352 in 1982. He was released by the Giants, and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in April 1983. [1] Wabeke was sent to the Arkansas Travelers, but after 24 games was outrighted to the Pittsburgh Pirates in late May who sent him to the Lynn Sailors. [2] Wabeke played just 10 games for Lynn before applied for and was given the head coaching job at Grand Valley State University in June. [3] Wabeke finished his minor league career with a .272 batting average in 303 games, with 8 home runs and 12 stolen bases. He had a good batting eye with 144 walks against only 74 strikeouts.

Wabeke was head coach of Grand Valley State for just one year. In 1984 the Lakers won the GLVC title with a 12-4 conference record. He moved to Miami University as an assistant coach in 1985.

Wabeke then returned to Grand Rapids Community College where he had played for two years. He was an assistant coach in 1986-1987, then became head coach in 1988. He remained as head coach until 2004, leading the school to NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series titles in 1996, 1997, 2003, and 2004. The Raiders would add another title in 2005, with many of Wabeke's players. He was then a coach for the USA in the 2005 Baseball World Cup. He later served as an assistant coach at Davenport University from 2012 to 2018.

Related Sites

• GRCC bio
• Davenport bio
• Juco HOF page
• Obituary
• GRCC remembrance