May 17, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Former Terrapin pitcher Dick Reitz, the only pitcher in program history to throw a perfect game, has donated the ball from his April 10, 1959 performance back to the University of Maryland. Head Coach Terry Rupp was on hand to receive the ball from Reitz, and it will be displayed in the trophy cases in Comcast Center.

"I thought that in the long run, the students and the people who work with the university might get some enjoyment out of the ball because it's not something that happens very often," Reitz said of donating the ball to his alma mater. "It might even influence some kids to go to the University of Maryland."

In April of 1959, Reitz used pinpoint control and some help from his defense to keep Johns Hopkins off the base paths and the scoreboard in a 10-0 Maryland victory.

"I really didn't think much about it until around the fifth inning when I realized that things were going well. I don't recall any ball being hit that hard that day. There were a couple of plays that helped me out a lot, especially by our shortstop Frank Copper and second basemen Bill Trust and Dick King."

Not even the late substitution, considered by some of the players as bad luck, could get in the way of Reitz's perfection.

"The second baseman, Bill Trust, was subbed out of the game for Dick King. I was told that it was bad luck to make a substitution during the game, and some of the players mentioned it to [Head Coach] Burt Shipley. Fortunately, I had good control that game and got pretty lucky."