Mar 22, 2020 9 min read

He was the best athlete during his days at Burgettstown High School.

He was the best baseball player, a talented pitcher and shortstop and a prolific, powerful hitter.

Wes Harrington could do it all and did.

That success in the early 1980s extended to Ohio University, where he started first as a designated hitter, then at third base. He broke almost every offensive record Mike Schmidt — yes, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Hall of Fame third baseman — held for the Bobcats.

Somehow, Harrington never was drafted or given a free agent opportunity with a professional organization.

Make no mistake, Wes Harrington was a force on a baseball field — especially at the plate. His teammates, those who coached him and those who watched him, know that and are proud to talk about it.

“Truly, Wes was a man among boys (in high school),” said Dr. Chris Maropis, Harrington’s teammate in three sports at Burgettstown. “He threw a no-hitter as a sophomore. He was a three-sport athlete and the best athlete.

“Wes was a very good basketball player, a very good football player and, obviously, a great baseball player. He was always the guy who was positive with a pleasant disposition. I would have a bad at-bat and get upset and get pissed off. Something would happen with him; he’d be chuckling. He had an amazing disposition and that really helps in a game like baseball where there is a lot of failure.”

Jim Matalik, former Blue Devils baseball coach, said Harrington was somebody everyone associated with Burgettstown baseball was glad to have on the team. Matalik coached high school baseball for 50 years.

“Wes is one of the better ones I ever coached,” Matalik said. “His demeanor was very good. He was always on time, always there. I never had a bad time with him. He was all about putting in the work. Wes did whatever I asked of him. He was easy to coach.”

Harrington resides in Millersport, Ohio, with his wife, Mary, who played volleyball at Ohio. The couple have two children, Katie, 26, and Natalie, 12. Katie played volleyball at Montana State. Natalie is involved with national level club volleyball.

Athletics and baseball in particular, along with work, were integral in Harrington’s upbringing.

He comes from a family of athletic success stories and tremendous bloodlines.

Harrington said his father, the late Paul Harrington, played in the Carolina League. His brother, Paul Jr. (P.J.), played football at Iowa Wesleyan. Harrington credits his older brothers — Blaine and P.J. — for helping him learn about sports and to embrace the hard work that is necessary for success.

He also had an uncle — the late Doug Kotar — who is one of the greatest athletes in Washington County history and played in the NFL with the New York Giants. Kotar was Harrington’s late mother Delores’ brother.

The Harrington family lived on a farm in the Canon-McMillan School District before moving to McDonald and the Burgettstown School District.

“My brothers and father taught me a lot,” Harrington said. “There was always competitiveness. We thought out every play, every situation together. When I realized what I was being taught worked, it gave me a mental aspect to the game, maybe an advantage.

“They were my coaches, teaching coaches.”

Legend of Wes Harrington

In the spring of 1982, Burgettstown battled Washington for the section baseball championship.

The Blue Devils and Prexies ended the regular season in a tie for first place. In those days, the WPIAL played a game to break ties.

Burgettstown played Washington at Chartiers-Houston.

As Maropis recalled, Harrington stepped up to deliver the victory and the section crown to the Blue Devils.

Harrington, who went 42-for-72 (.583) and hit nine home runs during the regular season, delivered against the Prexies banging a two-out, bases-clearing double in the top of the seventh to secure the victory.

He followed with a home run against top-seeded South Park in a victorious first-round performance.

While the Blue Devils’ season ended against Charleroi in the WPIAL semifinals, Harrington belted another home run in that game. He finished with 11 home runs that season.

Harrington had to overcome a broken femur, which cost him his junior football and basketball seasons and most of his baseball season in 1981.

He rebounded nicely and he amassed those statistics while swinging a 36-inch, 36-ounce wooden bat.

“Wes always performed when it mattered the most,” Maropis said. “That’s what made him the man. He produced when the team needed him the most. He just had amazing power and was a big, strong kid.”

Harrington decided to attend Ohio on a baseball scholarship and while he didn’t start at shortstop as a freshman for the Bobcats, he settled into the lineup.

By the time he was finished in 1986, Harrington had established himself as one of Ohio’s finest and he ended up ahead of Schmidt in almost all offensive categories.

The 6-4 Harrington concluded his Bobcats career with a school record 114 runs, surpassing Schmidt’s 111, and 136 RBI, which was a record. Harrington belted 26 career home runs, one short of Schmidt’s then-record of 27.

Harrington’s .643 slugging percentage ranked second in Ohio history when he graduated and was ahead of Schmidt’s .640.

“Wes came in and did an excellent job,” said Jerry France, Harrington’s coach at Ohio and a native of Avella. “He grew a few inches while he was at Ohio U. He had good power and was a good all-around player.

“Wes had ability and skills. He had the right temperament and he worked hard to get better.”

Harrington said France took care of him and showed interest in him that was impressive.

“Jerry talked with me on the phone and he took an interest in me,” Harrington said. “He drove to our farm (in McDonald). I was working on the farm. I didn’t want to go that far from home. To me, it was home, work, school and athletics. Going away, three-and-a-half hours away, to Athens (Ohio), I wasn’t sure. My brothers helped me understand and Jerry was someone I trusted.

“I didn’t expect to get beat out at shortstop my freshman year. But I did play as the designated hitter that season. Jerry gave me the choice to play third base and I settled in. I did lead the team in hitting my senior year, but I also led in strikeouts.”

While his efforts and performance at Burgettstown and Ohio were unquestioned successes, Harrington’s legend was highlighted as a member of the Washington Thorobred team in the summer of 1983.

Terry Faust, manager of the Washington team, said he was contacted about bringing Harrington onto the team. Faust said the impression Harrington made was immediate and alarming, so to speak.

“He parked his vehicle beyond the tennis courts at Washington Park,” Faust explained. “We were practicing, it was a Saturday morning, and Wes starts walking toward Colt Field, passing the tennis court and with his bat dragging behind him.

“It’s the first time I met him. He started taking batting practice and he is hitting shots into the tennis courts, which are located beyond the left-field and left-center fence. There was a lady’s tennis tournament going on there and the women were getting upset because Wes was hitting so many balls on the courts.

“Some of the other players told me the women were saying things and were upset. By the time I got out to the fence, I saw police cars pulling up. They called the police to have him stop taking batting practice.

“He was just hitting home runs into the tennis court, one after the other. They were bombs.”

It wasn’t Harrington’s only performance at the field that set off sirens.

In one game, Harrington blasted four consecutive home runs for Washington.

In his fifth at bat, and with the bases loaded, he was intentionally walked.

“My dad wanted to know what happened on my fifth at-bat,” Harrington chuckled.

“Boy, could he hit,” Faust said. “He was a great shortstop. He could really hit the baseball. He was a quiet kid, a polite kid, who got along with all our ballplayers.”

No professional love

Anyone who followed Harrington’s high school and collegiate careers has no explanation as to why he was never drafted or given any type of professional baseball opportunity.

Harrington, himself, remains in the dark.

“Everybody’s aspiration is to be playing and practicing six to eight hours a day on the field,” Harrington said. “I made a mistake in high school not working out as much as I could.

“When you get to the next level, you change. It’s tough when you come to the end. I loved baseball. I didn’t make it to the next level, but I cherish my time at Ohio U. I met my wife there.

“You don’t achieve anything on your own. I was fortunate to have played for good teams and have good teammates around me. I got great support from Jim Matalik and Jerry France. I can’t say enough about those people.”

France said Harrington’s play and work ethic warranted a professional opportunity.

“I got surprised a lot in my time,” France said. “Some draft situations through the years didn’t add up. Should Wes have been drafted or signed? Yes, he should have. He should have been given an opportunity. It doesn’t make sense to me. I can’t figure it out.”

Matalik cannot fathom it.

“Wes had that Kotar blood in him and genes have a lot to do with it,” Matalik said. “Wes’ dad took him to work with him and taught him. Had scouts asked me, I would have told them he could do anything he wanted, and he had that special talent and work ethic. Wes was a gentleman and any team would have been blessed to have him.”

Harrington has moved on. He is successful at his career at AB Graphic International, Inc. as a sales manager. He is devoted to his family.

Baseball is behind him.

“Athletics mirrors life,” he said. “It shows people and gives insight to what life can bring you.”

Maropis said Harrington’s positive attitude and the support of those around him is what makes him special beyond the field.

“A lot of times I was batting second and Wes was hitting third,” Maropis explained. “He was always in my ear from the on-deck circle with positive thoughts. He was upbeat with everyone.

“I never told him how much his words and support helped me. He built me up. Wes was an exceptional teammate beyond being an exceptional player. He led by example. He was so good.”