A Hall of Fame type of day

Inductees into the Greenville Baseball Hall of Fame included Michael Roth, Al Phillips,
Jay Jackson, Cornell Blakely (represented by his daughters), Jose Alvarez, and the 1960
Sterling High team (represented by J.C. Starkes and Eugene Harrison. (Palmetto State Baseball photo)

There was Hall of Fame news on three fronts Tuesday.

* The 2025 class of the Greenville Baseball Hall of Fame was honored in ceremonies at Fluor Field. Inductees included former Riverside High and USC College World Series hero Michael Roth, former Wade Hampton High, Pembroke State and Greenville Cardinals player and coach Al Phillips, ex-Christ Church and Furman star Jay Jackson, the late Cornell Blakely, who made a career as a musician and DJ after being a star baseball player, former Greenville Brave Jose Alvarez and the 1960 Sterling High team.

More than 100 family, friends and previous inductees packed Fluor Field's Champions Club for the event, made possible by the efforts of Michael Chibbaro and the Greenville Drive.

I have the honor of being on the organization's steering committee and got to present Alvarez with his trophy. I covered the G-Braves for the Greenville Piedmont when he was here and he was always super to work with.

* Former Clemson left-hander Brian Barnes was one of 10 people selected for induction for the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame for 2026. Barnes set several school and ACC records during his tenure from 1986-89.

He was the only selection with a direct connection to baseball. Other inductees will be: 

* Former USC football coach Steve Spurrier.

* Former Clemson women's basketball coach Jim Davis.

* Longtime Clemson sports publicist and radio analyst Tim Bourret, AKA "Clemson Google for his encyclopedic knowledge of Tigers athletics.

* Former S.C. State defensive back Dwyane Harper.

* Ex-Gamecock football Andrew Provence.

* Coastal Carolina and Olympic track star Amber Campbell.

* Greenwood's Armanti Edwards, one of the architects of Appalachian State football's 2006 win at Michigan and two I-AA/FCS national championships.

* Anderson native Saudia Roundtree, a star at Westside High and Georgia.

* The late Bob Jenkins, a legendary coach in high school track and cross country at Northwestern and South Pointe high schools.

“Once again, we have another impressive class that will be enshrined in our state’s hall of fame in May,” Executive Director Andy Solomon said in a release posted to Facebook. “Our nominating committee has a most difficult challenge annually, and this year was no exception. They created a very competitive ballot from more than 200 names and, as expected, the best of the best rose to the top. We are thrilled with the tremendous individuals who create the Class of ’26."

The S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame’s induction banquet is set for Monday, May 18, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

* Former Greenville (1996) and Atlanta Brave Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltran were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame (Cooperstown) in voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Jones, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, received more than 78 percent of the vote in his ninth appearance on the ballot.