Former Owl Lance Berkman to be inducted into National College Baseball Hall of Fame

Special to Rice News

Former Rice Owl great Lance Berkman has been selected for induction into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. The ceremony will occur June 29 in Lubbock, Texas.

Before he became a six-time major league all-star and 2011 World Series champion, Berkman amassed 67 home runs, 272 RBIs and a .385 batting average in his collegiate career at Rice (1995-97). He led the Owls to the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995 and first College World Series appearance in 1997, when he was named the National Player of the Year and was a unanimous All-America selection. That season he won the Western Athletic Conference triple crown with a .431 average, 41 homers and 134 RBIs, as well as being the league leader in runs (109) and hits (110). The New Braunfels, Texas, native was a first-round MLB draft pick in 1997 by the Houston Astros, who eventually led that franchise to its first World Series appearance in 2005.

“This class features players and coaches with some incredible superlatives,” said Mike Gustafson, executive director of the College Baseball Hall of Fame. “There are some unique and outstanding accomplishments by the individuals in this class.

“Our voting committees consists of longtime college baseball media members, active and former coaches, retired umpires, past inductees, college baseball historians and, in several cases, they are also former players,” Gustafson said. “I commend them on another outstanding job.”

Berkman joins Owls head coach Wayne Graham in the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. Graham was inducted in the 2012 class.

“I can’t imagine a more deserving player for this honor than Lance,” Graham said. “He had one of the greatest years in the history of college baseball (in 1997) to help get us to Omaha. He is one of the prime players who elevated our program in so many ways. Congratulations to Lance and all the new inductees.”

Others joining Berkman in this year’s College Baseball Hall of Fame induction class are Frank Viola, Joe Arnold, Larry Hays, Al Holland, Bill Holowaty, Mike Kelly and Rick Reichardt.

Tickets for the 2015 induction will be available in May on the Hall of Fame’s website at www.collegebaseballhall.org.