George Sisler, B.J. Surhoff among 10 elected to college baseball HOF

Sisler, Surhoff elected to college baseball HOF

LUBBOCK, Texas — Former AL MVP George Sisler and big league All-Star B.J. Surhoff were among 10 players and coaches elected for the College Baseball Hall of Fame on Thursday.

Joining them were Alan Bannister (Arizona State), Eddy Furniss (LSU), Don Heinkel (Wichita State), Dave Magadan (Alabama), Charles Teague (Wake Forest) and Richard Wortham (Texas), as well as former Fresno State coach Bob Bennett and Cerritos College coach Wally Kincaid.

Magadan, the 1983 Golden Spikes Award winner and a former major leaguer, was the top vote-getter for this year’s class as determined by a panel that includes retired and active coaches, media members and previous inductees.

The hall, run by the Lubbock-based College Baseball Foundation, focuses solely on the achievements of players and coaches during their college careers. Last year’s inductees included Rafael Palmeiro, Ron Polk, Joe Carter, Darren Dreifort and Barry Larkin.

Sisler, also a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, starred at the University of Michigan from 1913-15 before a 15-year major league career that was highlighted by winning the 1922 AL MVP award.

Surhoff played at North Carolina from 1983-85 and was the national player of the year in his final season. He went on to play 19 seasons in the majors with Milwaukee, Baltimore and Atlanta.

Bannister, a former big leaguer, played at Arizona State from 1970-72 and was the No. 1 overall draft pick by Philadelphia in 1973.

Furniss, who played at LSU from 1995-98, won the Dick Howser Trophy as the country’s best player as a senior and finished as the Southeastern Conference’s leader in hits, home runs, RBIs, doubles and total bases.

Heinkel, who played at Wichita State from 1979-82, is the winningest pitcher in NCAA Division I history with 51 victories.

Teague, a second baseman at Wake Forest from 1947-50, was the school’s first baseball All-American — an honor he achieved three times.

Wortham, the first 50-game winner in NCAA history, pitched at Texas from 1973-76.

Bennett won 1,300 games at Fresno State from 1977-2002, and led the Bulldogs to 26 consecutive winning seasons. Kincaid won 678 games at Cerritos College from 1958-77 and 1979-80, and led his teams to 15 conference championships.