Art “Skip” Lebel and Peter Perich were Penmen long before their school changed its name from New Hampshire College, but they still felt a part of Southern New Hampshire University's triumph in the NCAA Division II East Regional last weekend.

“Anyone who played baseball for the Penmen is and always will be part of the program,” said Perich, who played for NHC/SNHU from 1973-76.

So, even though they won't be there in person, Lebel and Perich will be in Cary, N.C., in spirit today when SNHU faces Minnesota State-Mankato in the opening round of the NCAA Division II College World Series.

Lebel, a Penmen player from 1969-72, plans to follow the action via the Internet (live video will be available at www.ncaa.com/liveschedule), beginning at 5 p.m.

“Two years ago, I paid a small fee to watch the 13-year-old Manchester Babe Ruth team (the Lebel All-Stars, named after Skip's late dad, Ray) in the World Series. I'll do whatever it takes to follow this year's (SNHU) team down to the final out,” he said. “There's nothing I'd want to see more than this team winning it all in North Carolina. Go Penmen.”

Lebel and Perich were on hand last weekend to see the Penmen earn the program's first trip to the Division World Series, which they secured with a 4-3 victory over Le Moyne in the final of the regional, which SNHU hosted. While the victory inspired a surge of pride in their alma mater, it also brought back memories of teammates, games and opponents past. Among some of the names they ticked off were a handful of former Penmen players from Manchester: Mike Tenzar, Jim Tagalakis, Wally Rozmus, Dave Flurey, Rene Leclerc, Bob Garneau, Mike Gleason, John Plaza Jr., Jim Hall, Louie Demaio, Tom Welch ... and Joe Raycraft, former director of athletics for the city's public schools.

“Just to go, watch and support the team was really fun,” said Lebel, now a local veteran umpire. “I played for the school 40 years ago and I still have my dark blue hat with the gold 'NH' emblem in the front. The hat is really flimsy now, but I still wore it because I'm proud to be a Penman. Just to see this year's team win the regionals and reach the NCAA national tournament was very special for me.”

Perich, an assistant principal at Manchester Memorial High and longtime baseball and soccer official, said that even though the success of this year's Penmen is unprecedented, past teams had some talent, too.

“The program has been around a long time and has produced many good players,” he said, adding, “To see this year's team reach the NCAA tournament finals is very gratifying for anyone connected to the program.”

Lebel, who played under head coaches Billy Beane and Tuffy Phelps, marvels at how far the SNHU program has come.

“We used to practice at Prout Park and even at the old Grenier Air Base,” he said. “We'd be on a runway practicing with the old rubber-coated balls or inside one of those old hangar units.”

Lebel recalled the time the Penmen went to Hanover to face Division I power Dartmouth College. The Big Green pitcher that day was Chuck Seelbach, who would become a first-round draft pick of the Tigers in 1970 and earn the save against the Red Sox in the game that clinched the 1972 American League East title for Detroit.

“He was just a great pitcher, and we couldn't and didn't touch him,” said Lebel. “We only got one hit off him — from Joe Panaro of Stamford, Connecticut, who is a close friend of (Red Sox manager) Bobby Valentine.”

Perich recalled playing for Phelps when the team was part of the Mayflower Conference.

“Teams like Franklin Pierce, New England College and Gordon College were our rivals,” he said. “We made it to the Mayflower Conference finals once and lost. But we had some good teams, and it was good baseball.”

Lebel spent his Penmen playing days in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association.

“We wore heavy wool uniforms with the snap-on buttons in front,” said Lebel. “I recall our road uniforms were gray with gold or navy-blue sleeve shirts. We also had the old snap-on names on the back of our road jerseys. The road uniforms had 'NH College' across the front, and the home uniforms were like the Yankee pinstripes with the school initials scripted across the front.”

Lebel said one team highlight was winning the Maple Sap Bucket Trophy by beating Western New England College in a conference game. Perich cited former NHC/SNHU head coach Bruce Joyce and the late volunteer assistant Jimmy Triantafillou as two more prominent names associated with the program, noting that last weekend's championship victory belonged to them, too.

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A BIG ROUND of applause goes to Trinity High baseball coach Eddie Poisson and veteran umpire Tom Fischer for naming the MVP trophy of the annual Trinity High Junior Varsity Baseball Tournament after Ralph Van Nostrand.

The tournament, now in its 17th season, begins today at 9:30 a.m. at Al Lemire Field at Derryfield Park in Manchester. The opener pits Goffstown against Merrimack, followed by Manchester Memorial and Pinkerton of Derry at noon. Londonderry and Concord clash at 2:30 p.m., and Trinity battles Salem in the 5 p.m. nightcap.

On Sunday, losers' bracket games will take place at 9:30 a.m. and noon. The winners' bracket games are at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. The finals will be held Monday at 10 a.m.

Van Nostrand, who coached many sports at Pinkerton and volunteered his time to many youth organizations in Derry for 37 years, died of cancer at the age of 60 in January. This spring, all the Pinkerton teams wore a “VAN” patch on their jerseys to honor their longtime coach and friend.

“He was an outstanding person who loved and served his community,” said Fischer. “We thought it would be appropriate to name the trophy after him. He certainly loved baseball.”

Poisson, who worked at Pinkerton for many years, knew what Van Nostrand did for his community.

“He coached JV baseball and basketball at Pinkerton, and volunteered a lot of his time to the Little League and American Legion baseball programs in Derry,” said Poisson. “He started the boys' volleyball program at Pinkerton and even found time to be the public-address announcer for all the home football games at Pinkerton. We're proud to honor his memory.”

“This has been an outstanding tournament, which prolongs the JV season an extra weekend,” said Poisson. “It's good baseball, showcasing the future varsity players from the respective teams. We'll have a concession stand, and we welcome baseball fans to come out and watch the tournament over the holiday weekend.”