The Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame has named four outstanding baseball players and contributors to the game for induction into its Class of 2016.
Marion “Bo” Trumbo, Donald Gresh, Jr., Josh Herman and Tom Williams will be inducted at the 25th annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony and “Hot Stove Banquet” on Thursday, January 28th at 6:30PM inside the Salem Civic Center.
A native Virginian, Trumbo has been an active citizen, educator and baseball enthusiast, living presently in Craig County. He graduated from Covington High School, Bridgewater College and Western Carolina University. He was a three-sport letterman in high school, and the left-handed pitcher went on to become a four-year letterman and captain of the baseball team his senior year at Bridgewater.
Trumbo continued his playing career in the Shenandoah Valley Collegiate League, and continued coaching in high schools and summer leagues after his playing days.
Trumbo’s professional scouting career began in 1976 as a ‘birddog’ scout for the New York Mets. He later scouted for the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners and presently the Major League Scouting Bureau.
During his full-time scouting position with the Cincinnati Reds, Trumbo signed 27 players, with 3 players getting to the major leagues. He scouted the Reds #1 pick in 1996.
Trumbo was inducted into the Bridgewater College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014, and still holds four pitching records there, including ERA for one year (1.02) and career (1.65).
Trumbo continues to serve the local community where he strives to give back to each organization and community activity “twice what that group has given him”.
A Salem High and Virginia Tech graduate, Donald Gresh founded the Blacksburg Baseball Association (BBA) in the fall of 1999 in order to give the youth of Blacksburg the opportunity to play competitive baseball.
Starting with just one team, he franchised with Dixie Youth Baseball and slowly expanded the BBA to its current makeup of over 15 teams. Under Gresh’s leadership, the BBA has won 9 district championships, been district runner-up 7 times, state runner-up twice and won a pair of state championships.
The two state champion teams represented the State of Virginia in the Dixie Youth World Series in 2007 and 2011. The 2007 team finished 5th at the World Series.
In 2002, Gresh started the Blacksburg Middle School Club Team, and participated in a league organized by fellow HOF inductee Anthony Amos. Gresh also became a major support arm to Blacksburg High School and fellow HOF coach Jim Shockley. One of his accomplishments was raising significant monies for many of the program’s needs, including rebuilding and maintaining the Blacksburg field.
In 2012, Gresh was elected by his peers to the position of Dixie Youth District 3 Director. He implemented an All-Tournament team program for the annual district tournament, with plaques honoring 40 players in different age groups, funding the project himself.
Gresh considers the youth league his ‘5th child.” He is the father of three daughters and a son. He and his wife, Donna, have helped fund numerous programs as their way of giving back to the community.
Josh Herman, a 1992 graduate of William Byrd High School and a 1998 graduate of Virginia Tech, was well known by his teammates and coaches as a fierce competitor and leader with a boisterous personality.
In 1992, Herman was the first recipient of the prestigious Ray Bellamy Award, was selected to play in the VHSL All-Star game and was named Timesland Player of the Year.
Herman accepted a scholarship to attend Virginia Tech where he continued to have a standout career by helping the Hokies capture championships in both the Metro and Atlantic-10 Conferences. In 1995 he led Tech in batting with a .346 average. Herman finished his college career batting .333 overall. In 1996 he was named to the All-State University Team.
Herman went on to sign as a free agent with the Frontier League’s Ohio Valley Redcoats. Over his 3-year minor league career Herman batted .339, striking out just 29 times in 613 plate appearances, earning All-Star honors in 1997.
Herman currently lives in Moneta, Virginia with his wife Leann and son Morgan.
Tom Williams grew up in Giles County and graduated from Pembroke High School. While at Pembroke he participated in baseball, basketball and football before continuing his education at Hiwassee Junior College, where he played baseball and basketball and was captain of the baseball team.
In 1957, while playing for the Pembroke team in the Virginia Amateur League, Williams was the leading hitter with a .471 average and 9 home runs, being named the Most Valuable Player.
Williams signed a professional contract with the San Francisco Giants in 1958 where he played in the Midwest League, hitting a home run in spring training off baseball Hall of Famer Juan Marichal.
He continued his education at East Tennessee State University from 1958-1960. Williams was the Most Valuable Player for Leesburg in the Loudoun County Semi-Pro Baseball League, eventually becoming an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds from 1964-1969.
Williams had coaching stints with the Cave Spring High School junior varsity team, and his Big League team in the Cave Spring area won the state tournament in 1974. He has continued to support Cave Spring athletics through five decades.
Williams was a heralded fast pitch softball player in Salem for 15 years, becoming a player/coach for the Oak Hall Caps and leading the Caps to a ninth place finish in the National Fast Pitch Softball Tournament.
Williams has volunteered with the Virginia Commonwealth Games High School All-Star Baseball Games for the past 11 years. He is an avid fan of the Virginia Cavaliers, attending their national championship run in Omaha, Nebraska in 2015.
The Hall of Fame also announced that long-time area sportswriter Ray Cox is the 2016 recipient of the Wayne Lapierre Community Service Award.
Now in its 25th year, the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame has proven to be a big hit with Southwest Virginia baseball fans.
The Hall honors players and contributors from the counties of Roanoke, Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Alleghany and Montgomery, along with the independent cities located within the boundaries of those counties.
The brainchild of long-time American Legion coach Posey Oyler, the Hall now has 113 representatives and has been known since its inception for its outstanding list of guest speakers, including Bobby Richardson, Brooks Robinson, Charlie Manuel, Maury Wills, Tommy John and Bobby Thomson. This year’s speaker will be former Pittsburgh Pirate left-handed pitcher Randy Tomlin.
Tickets can be purchased at the Civic Center box office through January 28th or through Gary Walthall at 540-427-1977.
Bill Turner
