Former Trojans Return Home to Kick-Off Baseball Season

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Former Seminole State College baseball players, along with community supporters and members of the 2019 Trojan squad, gathered on the SSC campus Saturday evening, Feb. 2 for the annual Trojan Season Kick-Off Banquet. Over 250 guests attended the event.

Alumni of former Trojan baseball teams gather in Utterback Ballroom of the Enoch Kelly Haney Center following Seminole State College’s annual baseball banquet.
Alumni of former Trojan baseball teams gather in Utterback Ballroom of the Enoch Kelly Haney Center following Seminole State College’s annual baseball banquet.

During the banquet, special recognition was given to the players from the 1989, 1999 and 2009 Trojan teams, marking their 10th, 20th and 30th anniversaries. Jeff Stych, a member of the 1992 Trojan team and Master of Ceremonies for the event, welcomed and announced these former players.

Carlos James, 1992 Trojan alumni and Head Baseball Coach at Arkansas Pine Bluff University, served as the guest speaker at the event. James played outfield for SSC in the 1991 and 1992 seasons, reaching the NJCAA College World Series in both seasons and then went on to play baseball for the University of Arkansas. From 2005 to 2008, James worked for the Seattle Mariners as an Associate Scout. He took the head baseball coach position at Arkansas Pine Bluff University in 2010. He has led the team to numerous western division titles and has had four players go on to sign Major League Baseball contracts.

Members of the 1992 Trojan baseball team pose for a photo following the banquet, from left to right: Trojan alumni Jeff Stych, former Trojan Head Coach Lloyd Simmons, current Trojan Head Coach and alumni Mack Chambers, alumni and guest speaker Carlos James, SSC Regent and alumni Ryan Franklin and alumni Lance Calmus.
Members of the 1992 Trojan baseball team pose for a photo following the banquet, from left to right: Trojan alumni Jeff Stych, former Trojan Head Coach Lloyd Simmons, current Trojan Head Coach and alumni Mack Chambers, alumni and guest speaker Carlos James, SSC Regent and alumni Ryan Franklin and alumni Lance Calmus.

A special feature of this year’s program was a presentation on the proposed Brian Crawford Memorial Baseball and Sports Complex.  An update on the design and fund raising efforts for this joint project of the College and the SSC Educational Foundation was shared by SSC President Emeritus Dr. Jim Utterback. The College recently partnered with the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and Fields Inc. to help bring the proposed design to fruition.

Members of the 2019 Trojan baseball team were introduced by SSC Head Coach Mack Chambers to conclude the evening. The team will kick off their season with a home game on Tuesday, Feb. 5 against Grayson College at 2 p.m.

Trojan Baseball Team get the crowd hyped
Members of the 2019 Trojan Baseball Team get the crowd hyped after being introduced by Head Coach Mack Chambers at the 2019 Trojan Season Kick-Off Banquet on Saturday.

To keep up with the 2019 Trojan baseball season, visit the College’s athletic webpage at www.sscathletics.com for scores, upcoming games and other Trojan news.