Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame Releases 2022 Candidates

By: RiverDogs Media

The Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame’s advisory committee has released its candidates for the Class of 2022, and enshrinement will be conducted by voting from local fans. Voting is limited to 5 total votes per participant.

The committee also announced that fans will select the two candidates that collect the most votes while the committee may vote in one additional member. Official ballots will be at Joseph. P. Riley, Jr. Park beginning today and on-line voting will also be available via the RiverDogs website or at this link. Voting will conclude on Sunday, July 24th. The two individuals with the most votes will be inducted prior to the August 14th RiverDogs home game against the Lynchburg Hillcats.

The Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame is coordinated and operated by the Charleston RiverDogs. An advisory committee consisting of knowledgeable local volunteers was created to come up with the names as potential nominees.  The Hall of Fame is located inside Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

The finalists, in alphabetical order, for the Class of 2022:

Steve Arrington (Player): A Lowcountry native, Steve Arrington was a right fielder/pitcher who was the 1973 Southern Conference Player of the Year as he led the league in strikeouts (93 in 65.0 innings), home runs (6) and RBI (28). Named to the South Carolina College Coaches All-Star team at both positions, Arrington was a member of the 1971 SoCon Championship team (22-9) under Coach Chal Port. He tossed a pair of one-hitters, and held the school single-season record for total strikeouts (213 in 196.0 innings in 1973), complete games (8 in 1972), and shutouts (3 in 1971), and was second in ERA (0.96 in 1973). After graduation, he spent nearly 30 years in the U.S. Air Force in worldwide assignments and attained the rank of full colonel. He was enshrined in The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.

Rodney Hancock (Player):  A Lowcountry native, Rodney Hancock starred at Stratford High, having been named the school’s Athlete of the Year, twice All-Lowcountry, All-Region and All-State during his career. He hit .437 and posted a 0.80 ERA on the mound, including a pair of no-hitters. The 1996 4A State Player of the Year led the Knights to the state championship and was later named the North-South Game MVP. Hancock was named the 1997 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year while at The Citadel where he hit .365 with six homers and 49 RBI. He earned Freshman All-American honors by two prominent publications. Coached by Fred Jordan, he was a member of the 1999 regular-season championship team in addition to two SoCon Tournament title squads that also participated in a pair of NCAA Regionals. He was the 1999 SoCon Tournament MVP and a two-time SoCon and College Baseball Player of the Week. Hancock fired a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts against Furman on May 14 and five days later fanned 20 against the Paladins in the SoCon Tournament. Hancock was selected in the 29th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000 and was enshrined in The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.

Michael Kohn (Player): Kohn is considered among the best two-way players in school history. A transfer from USC-Upstate, Kohn was a DH and relief pitcher. He played in 102 games for the Cougars and batted .311 with 19 home runs and 93 RBI over 315 career at-bats. He hit .312 with nine home runs and 42 RBI in 2007 and followed that with a .310 average with 10 home runs and 51 RBI in 2008. He pitched only during the 2008 season and saw 14 games out of the bullpen where he had four saves and a 2.08 ERA. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 13th round in 2008 and made his MLB debut on July 26, 2010 for the Angels. He appeared in 132 games over five seasons with the Angels (4) and Atlanta Braves (1) from 2010-15 (missed the 2012 season due to injury). He posted a 5-6 career record with a 3.52 ERA out of the pen and played a career-high 63 games in 2013.

Mike Cisco (Player): A former Wando High pitcher, Mike Cisco was named to 2005 South Carolina 4A All- State High School team and was a member of the 2005 SC/NC Select All-Star team that finished 19-10 for South Carolina from 2006-08. Called “Our Greg Maddux” by USC Coach Ray Tanner, Cisco is the grandson of former MLB pitching coach Galen Cisco and the son of Winthrop catcher Mike Cisco and Winthrop basketball player Janet Frederick. He was a dependable starter on a very good Gamecocks team that always reached the NCAA Tournament 2006-08.  He was selected in the 36th round of 2008 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies . He pitched in the minors for six season, reaching Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies). He continues to live in Mt. Pleasant.

Brett Spivey (Player): Spivey is a James Island and College of Charleston product who started every high school game since his freshman year. He was a two-time All-Region selection who helped the Trojans to three state finals appearances (1996, ’97 and ‘99). He batted .398 as a junior and .580 as a senior with a state-high 69 hits as he finished his high school career as the school’s all-time leader in hits (224) and walks (125). He was named All-State, All-Region and All-Lowcountry, named the Region Player of the Year and the 4A State Player of the Year. At the College of Charleston, he played in 216 career games and hit .328 with 19 home runs, 144 RBI, 184 runs and 60 stolen bases, 43 doubles and 11 triples. His .423 batting average in 2002 ranked 15th nationally (also 3rd all-time at CofC). He was named first-team All-Southern Conference in 2002, second team in 2003 and named to the All-Atlantic Region second team by the American Baseball Coaches Association in ’02. He began his professional career by signing a free agent contract with the Colorado Rockies and played two seasons in the Northwestern League.

Chris Lemonis (Coach): Lemonis was a first baseman who twice earned All-Southern Conference recognition as he led his Citadel team in home runs three times. A member of the 1990 team that participated in the College World Series, he paced them his senior year with a .367 batting average, 10 doubles, 52 runs, 10 home runs and 66 runs batted in. Lemonis was also named to the 1993 All-SoCon Tournament Team. He spent 12 years as an assistant to Fred Jordan at The Citadel and then joined ex-teammate Dan McDonnell for eight years at the University of Louisville where in ‘13 Lemonis was named the nation’s top assistant coach and twice helped the Cardinals reach the World Series. He then became the head coach at Indiana University 2017-18, before becoming the head coach at Mississippi State. In his first season in 2019, Lemonis led MSU to a 52–15 record and College World Series appearance. His team set a new record for wins for a first-year SEC head coach and the third SEC head coach to advance to the College World Series in his first season. In his third season, Lemonis led MSU to a 50–18 record and the 2021 College World Series title, the first team national championship in Mississippi State sports history. He was inducted into The Citadel Hall Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

CHARLESTON BASEBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

2021 –  Chip Cannon
Oscar Fordham

2020  – No Inductions

2019  – Tony Cadden
Mike Montei
Kiki Cuyler

2018 –  Lewis Elmore “Lukey” Dudley
Jerry Stoots
Richard “Dick” Jones

2017 – Philip Hartig
R.J. Swindle
Ryan Johnson
John Couch

2016 –  Ted Byrne
Chris Campbell
Nick Chigges
Joe Riley, Jr.
Mike Veeck

2015 –  Pete Ayoub
John Chalus
Lee Curtis

2014 –  Reese Havens
David Hoffman
Billy Swails, Jr.

2013 –  Steven Jackson
Drew Meyer
Britt Reames

2012 –  Gettys Glaze
Tom Hatley
John Rhodes

2011 –  Bill Ackerman
Roberto Alomar
Mike Kimbrell

2010 – Lee Glaze
Fred Jordan
D.K. Walters
Kenny Wilkinson

2009 –  John Dodds, Jr.
W.S. “Bull” Durham
Donald Morillo
Doug Pounder

2008 –  Bryce Florie
Danny Jones
Charley Smith
Richard Wieters

2007 – 1955 Cannon Street YMCA All-Star Team
1990 Citadel World Series Team
Anthony Jenkins
Modie Risher

2006 –  Ty Cline
Mike Cook
Gary McJunkin
Chal Port

2005 –  John Candelaria

2004 –  David Cone

2003 –  Willie Randolph
Gorman Thomas

Individual tickets to all RiverDogs home games are still available. Season tickets, Dog-E Coin plans, and group tickets, including options to the Segra Club at Riley Park, are already available at riverdogs.com/tickets or by contacting the RiverDogs front office at 843-577-3647 (DOGS). The Segra Club is also open for events year-round. Visit segraclub.com for more information.

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