{{Short description|American baseball player (1880–1939)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Simmy Murch |position=Infielder |image=Simmy Murch.jpg |width=125 |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date|1880|11|21}} |birth_place=Castine, Maine, U.S. |death_date={{death date and age|1939|6|6|1880|11|21}} |death_place=Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 20 |debutyear=1904 |debutteam=St. Louis Cardinals |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=May 22 |finalyear=1908 |finalteam=Brooklyn Superbas |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Games played |stat1value=23 |stat2label=Batting average |stat2value=.141 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value=1 |teams= * St. Louis Cardinals ({{baseball year|1904}}–{{baseball year|1905}}) * Brooklyn Superbas ({{baseball year|1908}}) }} '''Simeon Augustus Murch''' (November 21, 1880 – June 6, 1939) was an American professional baseball infielder. He played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Superbas. Murch was 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds.<ref name="statistics">[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/murchsi01.shtml "Simmy Murch Statistics and History"]. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2011.</ref>
==Career== Murch was born in Castine, Maine, in 1880. He started his professional baseball career with the New England League's Haverhill Hustlers in 1902. Murch had batting averages of .237 in that year and .288 in the next.<ref name="minors">[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=murch-001sim "Simmy Murch Minor League Statistics & History"]. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2011.</ref> In November 1903, he was married to Gertrude McAdams.<ref>Morse, Jacob C. [http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1903/VOL_42_NO_12/SL4212003.pdf "Rejection Certain"]. ''Sporting Life''. December 5, 1903. p. 3.</ref>
Murch then signed with the National League's St. Louis Cardinals before the 1904 season.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WRQrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h5wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4713,2081146&dq=simmy-murch&hl=en "Sports"]. ''Reading Eagle''. January 29, 1904.</ref> However, he injured his hand while playing basketball, and he was unable to report to the Cardinals that spring.<ref>Morse, Jacob C. [http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1904/VOL_43_NO_02/SL4302006.pdf "Hub Happenings"]. ''Sporting Life''. March 26, 1904. p. 6.</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=odNEAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U7oMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3792,5343921&dq=simmy-murch&hl=en "Sporting Gossip of Interest to All]. ''Nashua Daily Telegraph''. April 23, 1904.</ref> Murch recovered by April but started the season in the New England League.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HUQbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BUkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5210,521385&dq=simmy-murch&hl=en "Murch Ready to Play"]. ''The Pittsburgh Press''. April 23, 1904.</ref> In July, ''The Telegraph'' wrote that he was "the sensation of the league at second base."<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jwtAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IqQMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1550,3044344&dq=simmy-murch&hl=en "Baseball Notes"]. ''The Telegraph''. July 8, 1904.</ref> He batted .245 in 94 games and joined the Cardinals late in the season. In 13 major league games, he batted .137 with 1 run batted in.<ref name="statistics"/>
In 1905, Murch played four games for St. Louis, batted .111, and returned to the New England League.<ref name="statistics"/><ref name="minors"/> The following winter, he roller skated and was an official at a Boston rink.<ref>[http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1906/VOL_46_NO_23/SL4623005.pdf "New England League"]. ''Sporting Life''. February 17, 1906. p. 5.</ref> Murch then batted .269 for the Manchester Textiles in 1906 and turned an unassisted triple play.<ref name="minors"/><ref name="obituary">[http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Obits_M/Murch.Simmy.Obit.html "Simmy Murch's Obituary"]. ''The Sporting News''. June 15, 1939.</ref> In July 1906, ''Sporting Life'' wrote that he "comes pretty near being one of the most valuable all-around men in the league."<ref>[http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1906/VOL_47_NO_19/SL4719013.pdf "New England"]. ''Sporting Life''. July 21, 1906. p. 13.</ref> In 1907, he led the league with four home runs.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=74fd2b43 "1907 New England League Batting Leaders"]. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2011.</ref> He was purchased by the Brooklyn Superbas in August, and the following year, he received his final shot in the majors. He batted .182 in six games for Brooklyn before returning to the New England League again and batting .227 there.<ref name="statistics"/><ref name="minors"/>
Murch rebounded in 1909. Playing for the Brockton Tigers, he batted .313 to set a career-high in batting average and also led the league with 144 hits.<ref name="minors"/><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=6c4946cb "1909 New England League Batting Leaders"]. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2011.</ref> Murch moved up to the class A American Association in 1910 but batted just .230, and he finished his professional baseball career back in the New England League in 1912.<ref name="minors"/>
==Coaching== After retiring as a player, Murch coached baseball at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. He also coached the football team at Middlebury in 1917 and was the school's first men's basketball coach.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Middlebury College—Opening Game of Football Season to Be Played With Amherst |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-burlington-free-press/149187732/ |newspaper=The Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, Vermont |date=September 28, 1917 |page=5 |access-date=June 12, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Middlebury College Men's Basketball Coaching History |url=https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/athletics.middlebury.edu/documents/2024/3/25/mbbch_2024.pdf |website=Middlebury College |access-date=11 October 2025}}</ref> He then served as an athletic director for the Knights of Columbus, first in Newport News, Virginia, then Newport, Rhode Island.<ref>{{cite news |title=Murch is Newport K. of C. Athletic Director |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gcZcAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA5 |access-date=11 October 2025 |work=Evening Tribune |date=July 14, 1919}}</ref> Murch coached baseball at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire from 1923 until his death in 1939. He died on June 6, 1939, at his home in Exeter.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title="Simmy" Murch Old N. E. Ball Player Dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-item-obituary-for-simmy-murch/149199566/ |newspaper=Daily Evening Item |location=Lynn, Massachusetts |date=June 6, 1939 |page=2 |access-date=June 12, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}</ref>
==Head coaching record== ===College football=== {{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Middlebury | conf = Independent | startyear = 1917 | endyear = single }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1917 | name = Middlebury | overall = 1–5–1 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Middlebury | overall = 1–5–1 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record End | overall = 1–5–1 | bowls = no | poll = no | polltype = | legend = no }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats|br=m/murchsi01|brm=murch-001sim}}
{{Middlebury Panthers football coach navbox}} {{Middlebury Panthers men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murch, Simmy}} Category:1880 births Category:1939 deaths Category:Major League Baseball infielders Category:Brooklyn Superbas players Category:St. Louis Cardinals players Category:Brockton Tigers players Category:Chattanooga Lookouts players Category:Haverhill Hustlers players Category:Indianapolis Indians players Category:Lawrence Colts players Category:Lowell Tigers players Category:Lynn Leonardites players Category:Manchester Textiles players Category:Middlebury Panthers baseball coaches Category:Middlebury Panthers men's basketball coaches Category:Middlebury Panthers football coaches Category:Nashua (minor league baseball) players Category:High school baseball coaches in the United States Category:People from Castine, Maine Category:Coaches of American football from Maine Category:Baseball coaches from Maine Category:Baseball players from Maine Category:20th-century American sportsmen