SALISBURY, NC – Eight former Catawba College student-athletes will be inducted into the Catawba College Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall, along with two honorary inductees as part of the 2023 class, the athletic department announced.
The inductees are Kelsey Babos ’10 (women’s golf), Lakai Brice ’01 (women’s basketball), Kevin Brown ’98 and Matt Gross ’02 (football), James “Jimbo” Davis ’06 and Jerry Sands (baseball), Mike Feller ’96 (men’s basketball), and Melissa Powers ’09 (volleyball). Jim Lewis ’89 and Patsy Rendleman ’47 are Service Award honorary inductees.
Jerry Sands is a 2005 graduate of Smithfield Selma High School. He was a three-year standout on the baseball field for Catawba from 2006-2008, before enjoying a 14-year professional career, including 156 games in his five seasons in the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. Sands, a 25th-round pick of the Dodgers in the 2008 MLB Draft, remains one of Catawba’s highest drafted player in program history.
While at Catawba, Sands was an NCBWA Third Team All-American as a freshman in 2006 before earning consensus All-America accolades in 2007. Sands was a First Team all-conference selection in each of his three seasons and was named the SAC Freshman of the Year in ‘06. Sands holds career program records with 61 home runs and 132 walks while leading Catawba to two SAC regular season titles, two NCAA Regional appearances and a then-program record 43 wins in 2008.
“Jerry was as good of a person and teammates as you could ever ask for. He was a great human being from a great family. Jerry’s selection into the Catawba Hall of Fame is very well deserved,” said Jim Gantt, Catawba Head Baseball Coach from 1997 to present.
“Jerry was a great hitter with tremendous power. He was also a great defender in the outfield with a superb throwing arm. Jerry is a huge part in our baseball program’s successes and the national notoriety for our school. Hearing the chants of ‘Jerry, Jerry’ in Dodger Stadium really brought great pride and recognition to Catawba College as a whole,” Coach Gantt added.
The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, Oct. 7 prior to Catawba football’s home matchup with Wingate University. The induction ceremony, sponsored by the Catawba College Chiefs Club, will be held at Peeler Crystal Lounge and Keppel Auditorium from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
