Saint Michael's College

Tessier was a two-sport athlete at SMC playing both baseball and basketball until the lure of professional baseball took him away from collegiate athletics after his junior year. He was a valuable "sixth man" for the Knights from 1956-58, especially in the National Finals season of 1957-58. As a first baseman and pitcher on the diamond, however, he was one of the greatest baseball players the college has ever known. As a sophomore, he was second to Hall of Famer Jack Coffey '57 in team batting average (.333). As a junior, he made his presence known as a pitcher. He was 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA in 1958, allowing  just 16 hits and striking out 40 in 38 2/3 innings. Two of his wins that year were one-hitters, and he struck out 16 Middlebury hitters in a game -- an SMC record that stood for 22 years. Tessier signed a professional contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1958, and finished his degree requirements in the '58 and '59 offseasons.