Joe North, Ellen Renfroe Reed, Brandon Rowland, Dexter Williams and Jeff Wyatt are the newest members of the Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame.
The five will become the 34th class inducted when ceremonies are held at the Carl Perkins Civic Center at 6:30 p.m., April 18.
NEWS/TALK 101.5 FM & WNWS.COM visited with Jeff Wyatt who serves as the head baseball coach at South Side High School for a Question & Answer session.
Wyatt hit .387 – second all-time – during his four-year career (1999-2002) baseball career at Union University.
He tops the list in hits – 316 – and is the all-time leader in hits for a season with 89 in 2002.
Wyatt, named NAIA All-American in 2002 – finished his career at Union with 46 home runs (17 his freshman year), and 249 RBIs.
At South Side High School, Wyatt was a three-sport athlete, participating in cross country, golf and baseball.
Question: First, could you give us a little background information. Where are you originally from, family and education?
Answer: Where I’m originally from is a tough question. My father served in the United States Marine Corps, and we moved every three years.
I was born in La Porte, Indiana, then lived in Japan, North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia, and Indiana. We settled in Jackson after he retired.
Jackson has been home since 1994. My Parents are Doug and Mary Wyatt, and I have two older brothers, Doug and John, and a younger sister, Megan. My wife, Farrah and I have two children, Anna Marie (7) and Ace (4).
I graduated from South Side in 1998, and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree from Union University in 2003 and my Masters Degree from Arkansas State in 2010
I am currently a physical education teacher at South Side High School and the head baseball coach.
My hobbies include spending time with my family – fishing, golfing and camping.
Question: You had quite a career in baseball at South Side High School and Union University. What position or positions did you play, and is there a game you remember that stands out the most?
Answer: I was primarily a third baseman and a pitcher both in high school and college. A game that I will always remember was the Region Championship game my senior year.
We lost in that game the previous two years and we were playing Covington and trailing 6-0 early.
They had a pitcher on the mound that was committed to Vanderbilt. In true South Side fashion we scratched and clawed our way back in it and went on to win 7-6.
Question: In high school, you participated in three sports. Besides playing baseball, what motivated you to play golf and run cross country?
Answer: Cross-country was a way to stay in shape during the off-season. Golf was more for pleasure and to compete during the off-season.
Question: How did you decide to select Union for college, and how many schools recruited you?
Answer: I was recruited by just about every school in the Southeast, and honestly didn’t expect to go to college. I had a lot of interest from pro (baseball) scouts in high school and was expecting to get drafted out of high school. The decision to sign with Union was easy. It was a great fit for me and my family.
It was close to home, my family could watch me play, and I couldn’t turn down the chance to go to college for free.
Coach (Andy) Rushing played a big part, we had a great connection. He recruited me for a long time and no matter how many times I turned him down, he kept coming back until finally I decided – this is a man I want to play for.
Question: What year during your career at Union would you consider to be your best, and what made that year special?
Answer: My freshman year was my best year for stats. I set several records that year, and was probably player of the week six times. However, my senior year was the most special. It was special because of the team, we had an outstanding group of guys that really came together. We had a great time on and off the field. We had a great combination of talent and character, never a dull moment around that group.
Question: After your playing days, were you contacted about playing professionally? If so, were you drafted, offered to tryout as a free agent or did you feel it was time to walk away from the game after you graduated?
Answer: I actually received more professional attention out of high school than college. I did receive an offer to play independent ball out of college. After four years of college and priorities changing, I decided to finish school and walk away from playing. I have no regrets about the decision – I’m still in the game and love what I’m doing.
Question: Can you give us some insight about your speech when you are inducted during the Hall of Fame ceremonies?
Answer: My speech will be an opportunity to thank the people who are responsible for this honor that I am receiving.
(PHOTO: Jeff Wyatt)
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