Central Michigan University Athletics
Hall of Fame Profile: Greg Lotzar
9/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 23, 2004
Sept. 23 -- Hall of Fame Profile: Greg Lotzar (Baseball)
Sept. 24 -- Hall of Fame Profile: Dick Horgan (Golf)
Sept. 25 -- Hall of Fame Profile: Marcy Weston (Volleyball Coach)
Sept. 27 -- Hall of Fame Profile: Carla (Sterk) Fles (Women's Basketball)
Sept. 28 -- Hall of Fame Profile: Dave Nelson (Men's Basketball)
Sept. 29 -- Hall of Fame Profile: John DeBoer (Football)
Sept. 30 -- Hall of Fame Profile: 1974 Football Team
Dave Keilitz wanted Greg Lotzar to attend Central Michigan University like few recruits he ever pursued.
"I made the trip to Birmingham every week," said the former Chippewa baseball coach. "He was a great talent and a big recruit."
At just 5-9 and 165 pounds, what did Keilitz see in the left-handed outfielder?
"He could run," Keilitz said. "He'd turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Plus, with that speed, he could cover a lot of territory in centerfield."
CMU won the recruiting battle with Western Michigan, and Lotzar went on to have one of the finest career in Chippewa history.
The Birmingham Seaholm High product will be inducted into the CMU Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 1, at a banquet at the Comfort Inn Conference Center. Tickets are $30 each and may be purchased by contacting the CMU ticket office at 1-888-FIRE Up2.
Also being inducted that evening will be John DeBoer (football), Dick Horgan (golf), Dave Nelson (basketball), Carla (Sterk) Fles (basketball), Marcy Weston (volleyball coach) and the 1974 football team (Division II national champions).
Greg Lotzar  | |
While speed was his chief weapon, Lotzar was a skilled hitter.
"He had sneaky power," Keilitz said. "He hit a lot of balls in the gap but he could also hit home runs."
Lotzar hit two grand slams in a game at Florida Southern in 1985 and drove in nine runs -- a school record that stood until Scott Pieratt had 10 in 1999 against Grand Valley State University.
Lotzar still stands No. 1 in career triples for CMU with 18 while he's third in career runs (175), fourth in hits (216), stolen bases (85) and walks (92), seventh in extra base hits (65) and ninth in batting average (.369).
Greg posted the third highest single-season batting average in 1984 at .434 and he remains tops in runs (75 in 1985) and triples (nine in '85), and fourth in stolen bases (38 in '85).
Lotzar drew accolades for both academics and athletics at CMU.
He was a second team Academic All-American in 1984 and was an Academic All-Mid-American choice twice. As a player, Greg earned first team All-Mideast Region honors in 1984 and '85 and was first team All-MAC in 1984 and '85.
Lotzar now lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where he works in real estate.