Stuart Weidie helped team to College WS, saw 5 seasons

Stuart Weidie helped his University of New Orleans team to its first College World Series birth in 1984 and he did it in grand fashion.

He did it by hitting a sixth-inning grand slam in the game that sent his squad to Omaha on a 6-3 New Orleans victory.

Weidie went on from there to help himself to the pros. In five professional seasons, though, he couldn't help himself to the majors.

Weidie later went on to a new career, one in the gas industry.

Weidie's professional baseball career began in 1986, taken by the Red Sox in the 22nd round of the draft, out of the University of New Orleans.

With the Red Sox, Weidie started at short-season Elmira, hitting .291, with 16 RBI. He moved to single-A Winter Haven for 1987, his average dropping to .220.

Weidie spent 1988 and 1989 at single-A Lynchburg. His first year there, he hit just .194. He then improved that to .254 for 1989.

For 1990, Weidie made AA New Britain. There, his average dropped again, to .174, over 76 games. He also got 26 games back at Lynchburg. It was his final year as a pro.

Weidie has since become president and CEO of Blossman Gas, a company based in the Southeast. He started with Blossman almost immediately after stepping off the baseball field, according to his company profile, joining the company's management training program.

Weidie then worked his way up from store manager, business development manager and regional vice president, then, finally, to president and CEO. He also works with the Propane Education and Research Council and the National Propane Gas Association.

He also leads an industry group Autogas for America, promoting propane as an auto fuel. Speaking to The New York Times in 2011, Weidie promoted support for propane as an alternative fuel for cars.

Natural gas "is getting all the publicity, and we don't want to be disadvantaged," Weidie told The Times. "We're not an experimental deal. We're here, we're available."

• Lexington Dispatch, Associated Press, May 28, 1984: UNO Makes It To Series
• New York Times, July 26, 2011: Low-Profile Autogas Goes Looking for Friends on the Hill
• BlossmanGas.com: Our People

More: The 1990 New Britain Red Sox

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,460
Made the Majors: 739 - 50.6%
Never Made Majors: 721-49.4%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 322
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 191