Bio

Gary Varsho was the starting second baseman on UW-Oshkosh teams that won WSUC titles and earned berths to the NCAA Division III World Series from 1980-82. The Marshfield native batted .379 during his 103-game career with 129 runs scored and 82 runs batted in. Varsho stole 80 bases in 81 attempts in helping the Titans to a three-year record of 82-21.

Varsho was a fifth-round selection of the Chicago Cubs in the 1982 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. His selection followed a junior season which saw him compile a .427 batting average with 29 runs batted in and 36 stolen bases. Varsho received All-WSUC honors that season after leading the league with a .447 average and 18 runs scored. Varsho set a UW-Oshkosh single-game mark that season when he stole five bases in a win over UW-Whitewater. He also received NCAA Division III All-World Series honors after helping the Titans to a fifth-place finish.

After spending six years in the minor leagues, Varsho made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1988 and batted .274 in 46 games. During his rookie season, he led all National League pinch hitters with a .393 batting average, going 11-for-28. Varsho split the 1989 and 1990 seasons between the Cubs and their Triple-A affiliate in Iowa. In 1989, when the Chicago Cubs won the National League Eastern Division title, Varsho made 11 starts in 61 games played.

Varsho's career with the Cubs ended in March of 1991 when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Steve Carter. Ironically, Varsho had his best game as a major leaguer against the Cubs at Wrigley Field that season when he homered twice, tripled, hit a sacrifice fly and knocked in six runs in leading the Pirates to a 13-4 win. Varsho played in 99 games for the National League Eastern Division champions that season and compiled a .273 batting average with four home runs and 23 runs batted in.

This season, success has also followed Varsho and the Pirates. On April 19, Varsho replaced injured All-Star outfielder Barry Bonds in the number four spot in the lineup and hit a two-run inside the park home run to lead the Pirates to an 11-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The victory gave the Pirates a 9-2 record and marked the team's best start in more than 25 years. Varsho is currently batting .273 for the first-place Pirates.

During the off-season, Varsho resides in Marshfield with his wife, Kay, and one daughter. Varsho has given numerous motivational slide presentations to elementary and high school students, stressing the importance of leading a life free of alcohol and drugs. He received his bachelor's degree from UW-Oshkosh in 1989 and received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 1991.