March 5, 2008

Third College Baseball Hall of Fame Class Released

The College Baseball Foundation announced on Wednesday the 12 players and coaches who make up the 2008 National College Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Class.

There are three Vintage-Era inductees: Owen Carroll, pitcher and coach, Holy Cross and Seton Hall; Billy Disch, coach, Sacred Heart, St. Edward’s and Texas; and Jackie Robinson, infielder, Pasadena Junior College and UCLA. The Vintage-Era designation is for those who coached or played prior to 1947.

The remaining inductees are Steve Arlin, pitcher, Ohio State; Eddie Bane, pitcher, Arizona State; Floyd Bannister, pitcher, Arizona State; Neal Heaton, pitcher, Miami (Fla.); Burt Hooton, pitcher, Texas; Dick Howser, shortstop and coach, Florida State; Ben McDonald, pitcher, LSU; Greg Swindell, pitcher, Texas; and Gary Ward, coach, Oklahoma State and New Mexico State.

Hall of Fame inductees are selected by more than 90 voters, including coaches, media members and previous inductees.

To be eligible for the College Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, players must have completed one year of competition at a four-year institution and made an All-American team (post-1947) or an All-League team (pre-1947) and or earned verifiable national acclaim.

Ballot-eligible coaches must have achieved 300 wins or won at least 65 percent of their games.

The 2008 inductees will be recognized on July 4 as part of the College Baseball Foundation’s annual celebration of both the past and present of college baseball from July 2-4 in Lubbock, Texas.