Hall of Fame plans to be unveiled

~ Forty-six players and coaches have been nominated for the inaugural class.

Dave Winfield dominated from the mound, Pete Incaviglia became the home run king, and Robin Ventura went on a 58-game hitting streak.

That was back when they were still wearing their school colors, before they became major league stars.

Now, there will be a College Baseball Hall of Fame to honor them, with the announcement set for today.

Winfield, Incaviglia and Ventura are among 46 nominees for the hall's inaugural class. The finalists will be announced April 26, followed by an induction ceremony July 4 in Lubbock, Texas.

"Just like Canton and Cooperstown, sports fans around the nation will begin to turn their attention to Lubbock every summer," said John Askins, chairman and CEO of the College Baseball Foundation, which established the hall.

"Different groups have talked about a college baseball hall of fame, but we decided to do something about it," he said.

The hall of fame museum will be part of a new baseball stadium complex, which will be built on the campus of Texas Tech and is scheduled to open before the 2008 season.

The 22 former players, 12 former coaches and 12 pre-1947 veterans will be voted on strictly because of their college achievements. The list will be pared down through two rounds of voting by an 80-member committee consisting of current and retired head coaches, former players, NCAA commissioners, sports information directors and media.

Winfield, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, led the University of Minnesota as a pitcher and outfielder, and was chosen the Most Outstanding Player of the 1973 College World Series.

Hurling for the Gophers

Known more for his slugging and strong outfield arm in the majors, Winfield was 19-4 with a 2.24 ERA and 229 strikeouts in 169 innings in his three-year career with the Gophers.

Paul Molitor, a fellow Baseball Hall of Famer and former Gopher, is also among the nominees. He led Minnesota to Omaha in 1977, and finished his college career as the school's career leader in numerous offensive categories.

Incaviglia was one of college baseball's most feared sluggers, setting the career marks for homers with 100 in just three years at Oklahoma State. His 1985 season is the most impressive offensive performance in college history, with 48 home runs, 143 RBIs, 285 total bases and a 1.140 slugging percentage -- all remain as single-season Division I records.

Ventura gained national recognition in 1987 with his record 58-game hitting streak and had a career batting average of .428 at Oklahoma State.

Hawaii's Derek Tatsuno, the NCAA's first 20-game winner, and Wichita State's Phil Stephenson, the NCAA career leader in hits, runs, total bases, stolen bases and walks, are also nominees.

Other nominated players include: Joe Carter (Wichita State); Will Clark (Mississippi State); Bob Horner (Arizona State); Brooks Kieschnick (Texas); Barry Larkin (Michigan); Fred Lynn (Southern California); Keith Moreland (Texas); and John Olerud (Washington State).

Players become eligible five years after their final college season and can't be active at any level of professional baseball. They must have completed at least one year of competition at a four-year school, and made an All-League team.

Coaches nominated

The late Rod Dedeaux leads the list of nominated coaches. He won a record 11 national titles -- including five in a row from 1970-74 -- with Southern California, and retired in 1986 as the winningest coach in Division I history. He coached nearly 60 future big leaguers, including Mark McGwire, Randy Johnson, Tom Seaver, Dave Kingman, Fred Lynn and Roy Smalley.

Texas' Cliff Gustafson guided the Longhorns to College World Series titles in 1975 and 1983, and surpassed Dedeaux as the winningest coach in Division I history by the time he retired in 1996. He now ranks fifth.

Other coaches nominated include LSU's Skip Bertman, Arizona State's Jim Brock and Bobby Winkles, Ron Fraser of Miami and Arizona's Jerry Kindall.

Coaches become eligible after they end their college careers, but can't be active as coaches at the pro level. They must also have won at least 300 games, or 65 percent of their games.

The voting committee will also select two pre-1947 players or coaches later this year from a list that includes Frankie Frisch (Fordham), Lou Gehrig (Columbia), Christy Mathewson (Bucknell), Joe Sewell (Alabama) and George Sisler (Michigan).

The College Baseball Foundation is a charitable educational organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the history of the game. It also sponsors the Brooks Wallace player of the year award, given annually to the country's top college player.