The University of Detroit Mercy will induct seven new members into its Hall of Fame on Jan. 28-29, 2017. The Class of 2017 includes one team, the 2004 Women's Soccer Team, standout student-athletes in Teresa Emery (Softball), Shireese Statin (Track & Field), Tony Kaseta (Baseball), Jack Szczepaniuk (Track & Field) and Mark Sommerfeld (Golf), along with former women's basketball coach and women's athletic coordinator Susan Kruszewski. As we count down to Hall of Fame weekend, DetroitTitans.com will feature each of the seven inductees.

DETROIT (1/24/2017) -- A tall, right-hander with pinpoint control, Tony Kaseta was the ace pitcher for some great University of Detroit baseball teams and oftentimes pitched both ends of a doubleheader in Titan victories. The all-time leader in pitching victories for the Titan baseball team, Kaseta is set to be enshrined in the Titan Hall of Fame when the Class of 2017 is inducted this weekend.
 
Kaseta, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 62 in August of 2015, was a local product from Livonia Franklin High School, where he also starred. Kaseta, who stood 6-foot-6 on the pitching mound, won a school-record 25 games during his Titan career from 1972-75 and also ranks fourth all-time in school history with 218 strikeouts and fifth in school history with 243.1 innings pitched.
 
Kaseta's family, including his wife Kim and children, Evin, Cristin and A.J., mother Wanda Kaseta, and brothers Mike and Kevin Kaseta are all set to be in attendance for the ceremony over the weekend.
 
"He's looking down on us and the family is very excited that this award is coming into fruition," Tony's brother Kevin Kaseta said.
 
Titan Hall of Fame coach Bob Miller fondly remembers Kaseta as part of some great pitching staffs for the Titans.

"I'm proud that he's going into the Hall of Fame," Miller said. "He had real good stuff and beat a lot of good teams for us. He was 6-7 and with his arm release, he was on top of the batter when he released the ball. He was a fastball pitcher, but he had a good sinker and good curveball."
 
"He had several one-hit and two-hit games," said his brother, Kevin Kaseta. "He didn't throw high 90s, but he picked his spots. He was a pitcher. He knew the hitters and changed speeds. He struck out a lot of guys because of his off-speed pitches."
 
Miller remembers many doubleheaders when Kaseta would pitch both ends.
 
"There would be times, if we played Northwood, we would mercy them in five innings and Tony would shut them out for five innings and then I would ask if he could go five more," Miller recalled. "He'd say, 'sure' and then he would go for five more innings and would get two wins. He had great stuff."

Kaseta went 9-3 on the mound for the Titans during his sophomore season, sporting a 2.29 ERA with a career-best 74.1 innings pitching in 14 games. As a senior in 1975, he was part of a team that posted a school-record 36 wins and he was a perfect 7-0. He pitched in nine games in his final year and completed eight of them, allowing just 47 hits in 56.0 innings, striking out 59. He earned his school-record breaking win in a 9-1 triumph over Cleveland State, hurling a complete game, giving up just four hits.
 
He finished his career with a 25-9 record overall for a 73.5 win percentage.
 
Tony's brother Kevin played basketball for the University of Detroit. The pair were close growing up and later when they were both Titan student-athletes.
 
"Growing up, we'd go in the front yard and play catch and that game of catch escalated into 85 MPH sliders," Kevin joked. "I couldn't control catching those balls, so I would take it off the shin and shoulder or I'd have to run after it down the street.
 
"He'd always include me growing up, even though he was three years older than me," Kevin added. "There was never a question of whether I should be there. I was always included. Those things, to me, are raised to the top. In basketball, he would tell me things to get better. We had a basket on our garage and we'd play one-on-one and he would beat me every time. I'd be mad, but they were all good learning experiences for me. It helped me develop."
 
Following his stellar University of Detroit baseball career, Tony Kaseta received a few tryouts, including with the Detroit Tigers, but was never drafted by an MLB team. Kaseta used his finance degree for a business career and was a clothing buyer for JL Hudson for 6-7 years before relocating to the Atlanta, Georgia, area more than 30 years ago.
 
Miller, who described Kaseta as a "brilliant student and a great teammate," doesn't understand why he didn't get looks by MLB, but it didn't diminish the career he had at the University of Detroit. Miller knows good players when he sees them, having coached at the University for 36 seasons.
 
"I'd put him in my Top 10, he was one of the good ones that I had, absolutely," Miller said.
 
"He was the consummate teammate," added his brother, Kevin. "That transferred back to his family. His family was a big component of his life. He was always laughing and joking and that transferred to his children. The way he was raised, it was full circle in that aspect. His family was very important to him."