By Byron Beers/Staff Writer

Joe Halley doesn’t take many days off when it comes to playing baseball.

Halley just finished with summer ball during the last weekend of July for the Elk City Travelers — a run of five straight months, which included his senior year with El Reno.

And Halley took advantage of his opportunities with the Travelers. He played a big role in one of the program’s best single seasons ever. Elk City finished with an overall mark of 73-11, the second-best record ever established. The 1985 club went 86-11.

Halley will report to Vernon College (Texas) on Aug. 22 where he will continue his baseball career, but it isn’t keeping him from taking the next few weeks off as he continues to work on his game.

Spending most of his time at third base with the Travelers, Halley hit .385 and had an on-base percentage of .530. He had one home run, drove in 50 runs and scored 45 runs. He also finished with 15 doubles and had three triples. It was his third season to play with Elk City.

And Halley feels his time with the Travelers will only help him at the next level.

“It’s a great opportunity to have,” Halley said. “I’ve done it for the last three years and it’s really helped me to develop a lot.

“I played with a lot of guys who are Division I signees and also playing against a lot of guys who will play junior college baseball and some that are Division I signees. It’s kind of a step up from high school to get me to the next level so it prepares me quite a bit.”

Halley had a stellar senior year for the Indians and was selected to the Oklahoma City Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game.

He hit a team-high .485 during his final year with El Reno. He knocked in 20 runs, had 12 stolen bases, scored 20 runs and struck out just six times in 82 plate appearances.

Halley was just as valuable, if not more, as a pitcher. In 51 innings of work, he posted a 2.61 earned run average and recorded 70 strikeouts. He had a won-loss record of 3-5 and nailed down a pair of saves.