Walt Lance
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | January 18, 1922 Newton, NC |
| Date and Place of Death: | December 20, 1991 Plainfield, IL |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | First Base |
| Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Military Unit: | 84th Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Walter N. Lance, Jr., the son of Walter and Cathrine Lance, was
born in Newton, North Carolina, on January 18, 1922. He grew up in
Elizabethon, Tennessee, where his father worked as a shipping clerk in a
rayon mill, and signed with the Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox of the Class
D Appalachian League in 1942. Lance, a left-handed hitting first
baseman, batted .309 in 105 games, but his promising baseball career was
put on hold when he entered military service in August 1942.
Lance served with the 84th Infantry Division in Europe, and was
commissioned in the field, receiving the Silver Star, Bronze Star and
Purple Heart. Wounded during 1945, he was returned to the United States
in August and admitted to Moore General Hospital in Swannanoa, North
Carolina.
Lance returned to professional baseball in 1947 with the Greenwood
Dodgers of the Class C Cotton States League where he batted .325 with 99
RBIs. He played for Meridian of the Class B Southeastern League over the
next three years and batted over .300 each year, advancing to the
Norfolk Tars of the Class B Piedmont League for 1951. Lance remained
with Norfolk until midway through 1953, when he joined the Oleon Yankees
of the Class D PONY League as player-manager. He was a player-manager
with the Bristol Twins of the Class D Appalachian League in 1954 and
ended his career as player-manager with the Owensboro Oilers of the
Class D Kitty League.
Walt Lance passed away on December 20, 1991, aged 69. He is buried at
St. Mary Immaculate Cemetery in Plainfield, Illinois.
Date Added December 19, 2017
Can you add more information to this biography and help make it the best online resource for this player? Contact us by email
Read Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice Through The Years - an online year-by-year account of military related deaths of ballplayers
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is associated with Baseball Almanac
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is proud to be sponsored by
