Inaugural Hall of Fame to honor all-time South Florida baseball coaching legends
As a breeding ground for some of the top talent in the country with players all over the major leagues, it only stands to reason that there should be a South Florida Baseball Hall of Fame.
Now, there will be.
The High School Baseball Network is launching its HSBN South Florida Hall of Fame, and will induct the first honorees on Thursday at 6 p.m., at the NSU University School AutoNation Center for the Arts.
A total of 23 members will make up the first class, and the list is a who’s who of some of the best and most influential coaches who have ever set foot in South Florida dugouts.
The list includes a group of legendary coaches, led by Rich Hofman who coached Westminster Christian to a national championship in the early 90s and Rich Bielski who led Archbishop McCarthy to an unprecedented seven state titles in an eight year span from 2010 to 2017.
Others include Pat McQuaid, (Nova), Fred Burnside, (Southridge), Tom Duffin (Monsignor Pace), Ray Evans (Flanagan), Ernie Padron (Florida Christian), Joe Weber (Columbus), Ralph Suarez (Doral) and Todd Fitz-Gerald who led Marjory Stoneman Douglas to a national championship last season.
“This is a concept that we’ve been thinking about for a long time, and this year, after brainstorming with some baseball people who have been around a long time, we were able to finally launch the Hall of Fame,” said HSBN Vice-President Anthony Uttariello. “Over the coming years, we plan on inducting dozens of worthy coaches, players, and contributors to the high school game down here in South Florida, from Palm Beach all the way to the Keys.”
Tickets are $35 per person pre-sale, $40 on the day of the event and can be purchased by visiting their website at highschoolbaseballnetwork.com.
