Northeastern University Athletics

Jay O'Shaughnessy has been elected to the Northeastern Hall of Fame for excellence in the sport of baseball.

O'Shaughnessy, Class of '97, was the most dominating pitcher of his day before signing a six-figure contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 1995. He came to NU as a top recruit after starring for Belmont High School. At Belmont, he went 11-1 with a 1.01 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 72 innings. He was voted the MVP of the Middlesex League and was Boston Globe Player of the Year in 1992. Northeastern had more than a slight edge in the recruiting process since Jay's father Jim was an outstanding track athlete for the Huskies in the '60s. Jim was inducted into the NU Hall of Fame in 1994, just two days before son Jay fanned 18 against Hartford to lead the Huskies to the conference title and the NCAA Regionals. They now become the first father/son duo ever inducted into the NU Hall of Fame.

O'Shaughnessy was redshirted in 1993, his first season at NU, due to a sore shoulder. The next season, the big righthander helped the Huskies to a 35-16 record. Though he was 3-5 with a 4.58 earned run average, he won the pivotal game of the year over Hartford to give the Huskies an America East championship and a return to NCAA competition for the first time in over 20 years. The 18 strikeouts in his 5-0 shutout set NU and conference records. He was an obvious choice for All-Tournament. In the NCAA's, he struck out five in four innings and did not give up an earned run against North Carolina State.

In O'Shaughnessy's sophomore season, his last as an amateur, he was overpowering. Facing powerful Maine on its home diamond, he threw a no-hitter while striking out 13 Black Bears in seven innings. Against Suffolk in only five innings, he struck out 13; in two other games, he fanned 12. Besides his no-hitter, O'Shaughnessy also threw one-hitters. The Huskies finished 29-12, while O'Shaughnessy was 5-3 with a 2.63 ERA and 82 strikeouts. His 13.49 strikeouts per nine innings led the NCAA that year and set an NU season record. By the following August, he was property of the Dodgers. He still holds NU's game record for strikeouts, as well as the season marks for strikeouts per nine innings and fewest hits per nine innings (5.33). His career average of 13.0 strikeouts per nine innings is also the best ever at NU.

After four years with the Dodgers, O'Shaughnessy returned to complete his degree.