During the recent Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) baseball doubleheader against Hampden-Sydney, Ferrum College welcomed back members of the 1980 Ferrum Junior College baseball team. Baseball coach Ryan Brittle hosted a reception for the group of nine former players and their family members in attendance. The College won both games, 9-4 and 7-5, making it a great day for alumni and current players at Panther Field.
“It was a great day to be a Panther! We had the pleasure of welcoming back some of the 1980 baseball alumni for our ODAC doubleheader with Hampden-Sydney. It’s always great to meet some of the men that laid the foundation for our program. The icing on top was that we played well and came away with two big conference victories,” said Brittle.
The members of the 1980 team who attended the game were David Brown, Joe Carter, Lenny Carter, Billy Catron, Allen Elledge, Ray Perkins, Tim Prillaman, David Whitaker, and Nathan Wiles. Their team had an impressive record of 33-12 for the 1980 season and almost made it to the 1980 NJCAA World Series. Five players had a batting average of .300 or better, and one pitcher closed the season with a fantastic 10-1 record on the mound. Catron, Perkins, and Wiles each have a son who played baseball at the College as well: Sam Catron, Jake Perkins and Jordan Wiles. Sam and Jordan were on hand Saturday to see their dads honored.
“It was awesome having alumni from the 1980 JUCO team back home for last weekend’s double header versus Hampden-Sydney. Seeing those former players reunited, sharing old stories and expressing the love they have for Ferrum College and each other was an incredible experience. Their presence added to an awesome day filled with energy and excitement that led to our team playing well and chalking up two great ODAC Conference wins,” said Cleive Adams, director of athletics.
