2024
TOM BROOKENS
Tom Brookens played in the Valley Baseball League with the Waynesboro Generals and Shenandoah Indians before going on to play in the Major Leagues for 12 seasons, spending time with the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Cleveland Indians.
During the 1974 VBL season, Brookens finished second in the league batting race with a .382 average while playing for the Shenandoah Indians.
Brookens spent most of his Big-League career with the Detroit Tigers (1979-1988). Brookens won a World Series ring with Detroit in 1984 along with another VBL Hall of Famer Johnny Grubb. He then played one season each with the Yankees and Indians.
Brookens hit .246 in his 12-year career with 71 homers and 431 RBIs in 1,336 games.
Brookens began his coaching career and was manager of the Class A New York-Penn League Oneonta Tigers in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 he managed the West Michigan White Caps to the championship in the Class A Midwest League. Brookens managed the AA Erie Seawolves in 2008 before returning to the Big Leagues in 2009 as the Tigers’ first base coach. He was a member of the Tigers staff from 2009-2013.
Brookens was the bench coach for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
AL HOLLAND
Al Holland played in the Valley Baseball League with the Charlottesville Hornets.
Holland played at North Carolina A&T and as a freshman he led the nation with 143 strikeouts and was second in the country with a 0.54 ERA. He threw a no-hitter against N.C. Central, striking out 25 and allowing only one ball- an infield fly – to be hit in fair territory. For the next three seasons, Holland threw a no-hitter each season and never had an ERA above 1.03.
Holland was drafted by the Texas Rangers in Round 30 of the 1974 June amateur draft and the Padres selected Holland in Round 4 of the 1975 MLB January Draft secondary phase. Each time he chose not to sign. He signed a free agent deal with the Pirates in 1975.
He played in the Major Leagues from 1977-1987 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels, and New York Yankees.
Holland finished seventh in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1980.
He had his best season in 1983 with the Phillies when he won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and The Sporting News Fireman of the Year Award when he finished the season with 25 saves. He finished in the Top 10 that season in both the Cy Young and MVP voting.
Holland saved Game 1 of the NL Championship Series and then struck out three batters in two innings to finish Game 4, clinching the pennant for the Philles. He also saved Game 1 of the 1983 World Series, but the Phillies went on to lose in five games to the Orioles.
Holland was selected to the 1984 All-State Game but did not play in the contest. He finished the 1984 season with 29 saves.
For his MLB career, Holland was 34-30 with a 2.98 ERA in 384 games. He finished with 78 saves and 513 strikeouts in 646 innings pitched.
In 1994, Holland was inducted into the North Carolina A&T University Hall of Fame. In 2020, the University retired Holland’s No. 17. Holland was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
RON HODGES
Ron Hodges passed away on Nov. 24, 2023. Hodges played in the Valley Baseball League for the Harrisonburg Turks and later played in the Major Leagues with the New York Mets.
During the 1970 season with the Turks, Hodges hit .304 in 168 at-bats to finish 12th in the VBL in batting average.
Hodges attended Appalachian State University and was drafted three times but then the Mets offered a small bonus to select him in the free agent draft on January 12, 1972. He was called up to the Major Leagues in 1973 where he played for the Mets until retirement in 1984.
Hodges played in the 1973 World Series where the Mets lost to Oakland in seven games. Hodges also had the distinction of being the Mets’ Opening Day catcher in 1983, which marked the return of Tom Seaver after a five-year stint with the Reds. Throwing to Hodges, Seaver logged six scoreless innings with three hits, one walk and five strikeouts against the Phillies.
Upon retirement from baseball, he returned home to Rocky Mount, Va., to work as a realtor for Meadow Spring Land and Realty (now Mountain to Lake Realty) until retirement.
Hodges was inducted into the Appalachian State University Hall of Fame in 1982, the Roanoke Salem Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993, and Hall of Fame for Franklin County High School in 2018.
WAYNE TOLLESON
Wayne Tolleson played for two years with the Staunton Braves in the Valley Baseball League – 1976 and 1977. In 1977 he hit .304 for the Braves, second best average on the team, and led the Braves with 24 stolen bases.
Tolleson played collegiately at Western Carolina where he was an all-conference player in both baseball and football. He set 10 program records while at Western Carolina. Tolleson was a two-time All-Southern Conference selection and in 1978 he was the Southern Conference Baseball Player of the Year and the Southern Conference Athlete of the Year. He was a member of the Southern Conference’s 75th Anniversary team and in 1990 he was inducted into the Western Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. Tolleson was inducted into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame in 2020.
The Pittsburgh Pirates chose Tolleson in the 12th round of the of the 1977 MLB draft, but he decided to return to school for his senior year. The Texas Rangers chose Tolleson with the 202nd pick of the 1978 MLB draft and this time he signed.
Tolleson played in the Major Leagues with the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. He made his MLB debut in 1981 and retired in 1990. He finished his career with a .241 batting average.
MIKE CALDWELL
Mike Caldwell pitched in the Valley Baseball League for the Charlottesville Hornets. He enjoyed a standout career at N.C. State before playing in the Major Leagues for the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, and Milwaukee Brewers.
In 1969 Caldwell helped lead N.C. State to the ACC Championship and a trip to the College World Series where the Wolfpack finished third. Caldwell led the ACC with nine complete games and tied for most wins by a freshman with eight. He led the ACC in complete games the next two seasons, led the league in shutouts during his junior and senior years and finished his collegiate career with a 32-10 record and a 2.30 ERA. He earned first-team All-ACC honors in 1970 and 1971 and won the ACC Player of the Year award in 1971. In 2009 he was inducted into the N.C. State Baseball Hall of Fame and in 2013, he was inducted into the N.C. State Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2003 he was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team.
Caldwell was selected in the 12th round of the draft by the Padres. He was later traded by the Padres to the San Fransico Giants for future Major League Hall of Famer Willie McCovey.
In 14 major League seasons he compiled a 137-130 record with a 3.81 ERA.
In 1978 he was the American League Comeback Player of the Year when he won a career-high 22 games, led the league with 23 complete games and finished second in the Cy Young voting to Ron Guidry. In 1982 he was the winning pitcher in two games of the World Series for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Following his playing career, Caldwell coached from 1987-91 at Campbell University before having a lengthy career as a minor league coach.
HENRY “TURTLE” THOMAS
Henry ‘Turtle” Thomas served as coach of the Harrisonburg Turks in 1981 and the Staunton Braves from 1983-85. His 1983 Braves won the pennant and set a new VBL record for wins in a season.
Thomas played baseball at High Point University and later began a long coaching career in college baseball. Thomas coached as an assistant at Clemson, Georgia Tech, LSU, and Miami. He was also head coach at Florida International.
Thomas helped take four different programs to the College World Series.
He was an assistant coach at Clemson from 1978-85 and helped lead the Tigers to the 1980 World Series. He was assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Georgia Tech in 1986-87 before becoming assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Miami in 1988. He helped lead the Hurricanes to nine College World Series trips in 12 years, including 1999 when the Canes won the title. He was assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at LSU from 2000-2006 and made three more trips to the CWS, including another championship in 2000. In 2007, Thomas was assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Arizona State and made another trip to the CWS.
Thomas had 19 straight recruiting classes in ranked in the Top 10 from 1988-2006. He had the No. 1 ranked class four times, more than any other coach.
Thomas became a head coach for the first time in 2007, when he took over the helm at Florida International. In nine years, his teams won 282 games and he led FIU to a pair of conference titles and three NCAA tournament appearances.
During his nearly four decades in college baseball, Thomas sent dozens and dozens of players to the VBL.
WAYNE BRITTON
Wayne Britton played three seasons in the Valley Baseball League – 1965, 1966 and 1969. Britton finished second in the VBL in hitting during the 1966 season with a .343 average. He hit for a .286 average in 1969 to finish 11th in the league batting race.
Following his playing career, Britton began a long and illustrious career as a baseball scout, starting in 1973 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
After one year with the Pirates, Britton spent the next five years with the New York Mets where he signed Mookie Wilson, the first player he signed to make the Major Leagues. He then joined the Boston Red Sox organization and assumed national crosschecker responsibilities in 1986. He served as Boston’s scouting director beginning in 1993 and from 1998-2001 was the Red Sox vice-president of scouting. During his time in Boston, the Red Sox signed Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, and Kevin Youkilis among others.
From 2002-2007, Britton served as national and Latin America crosschecker of the Yankees. He then worked for the Cincinnati Reds before joining the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 as a special assistant to the scouting department.
In 1996 Britton was named Scout of the Year by the Mid-Atlantic Baseball Scouts Association. Britton received the Legends of Scouting Award at the 2013 Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation annual dinner.
Britton had a hand in signing more than 50 Major Leaguers.
Britton played his collegiate baseball at East Carolina and was picked by the Orioles in the 56th round of the 1965 amateur draft.
DON LEMISH
Former VBL President Don Lemish has been selected for the VBL Hall of Fame. Lemish joined the Valley League administration as President and Commissioner in 2012 and served through 2017.
In Lemish’s term as Commissioner, he brought the first apparel contract with a national company, saving teams thousands of dollars a year. He fostered expansion by bringing Charlottesville into the VBL. He up-dated the league’s Policies and Operating Procedures, aligning better with MLB and NCAA Rules.
He raised the money from MLB to initiate the first southern collegiate all-star
showcase and sending a group of Valley League players to participate against other collegiate summer leagues.
Lemish took it upon himself to market the league nationally and restore it’s visibility as one of the premier collegiate leagues in America. Lemish always says he is most proud of having provided the vision and spearheading the creation of the Valley Baseball League Hall of Fame.
Vice President of Major League Baseball Operations, Roy Krasik, said he “valued Lemish’s honesty, forthright analysis of the league and willingness to always do what is best for the game of baseball.”
Lemish approached the job with many innovative goals, but among the most important was unwavering support of student-athletes and maintaining the integrity of baseball in the League.
BUTCH BARNES
Butch Barnes, a founding member of the Strasburg Express franchise, will be the first member of the Express inducted into the VBL Hall of Fame.
Butch served as the head coach of the Express from 2011-2013 and again in 2016. He has been a big part of management every year since the franchise started in 2011. He is currently the director of baseball operations for the Express.
In his first three years as manager, Barnes took the Express to the playoffs in the second season (2012) and to the VBL finals in his third year (2013).
After a head coach stepped down in 2016 just three games into the season, Barnes took over as head coach and led the Express to a 36-13 record. The Express won its second straight title that season and finished ranked No. 7 in the country.
Barnes is still a vital part of the franchise, which has had a lot of success. The Express won the VBL title in 2015, 2016 and 2021. The Express have advanced to the VBL playoffs all but two seasons since 2011. Strasburg has advanced to the VBL finals six times in the last 10 seasons.
JIM MOELLER
Jim Moeller was a coach for the Madison Blue Jays in the Valley Baseball League.
Moeller graduated from Fairfax High in 1944 and was a member of the U. S. Marine Corps.
He played football and baseball at the University of Maryland. A first baseman, Moeller was named to the All-Southern Conference baseball team in 1950 and 1951.
Moeller began his career as an educator at Madison County High School where he coached three sports. He moved to Mannassas High School in 1955 and a year later returned to teach and coach at his high school alma mater. Moeller was head baseball coach and a football line coach until 1958 when he reversed roles, becoming head football coach and an assistant baseball coach. In 1962 he gave up his football duties and once again became Fairfax’s head baseball coach.
The baseball field at Fairfax High is named Jim Moeller Field.
Moeller passed away on Jan. 16, 1991.
BILLY MITCHELL
Billy Mitchell played and coached in the Valley Baseball League, playing for the Shenandoah Indians. Mitchell coached for about 30 years, including a stint as the head coach of the Madison Blue Jays in the VBL.
Mitchell played both baseball and basketball at Madison County High School. He played baseball at the University of Richmond before going into the U. S. Army from 1951-53.
Mitchell pitched professionally in the Detroit Tigers organization from 1955-58 with stops at Durham, Charleston, Augusta, and Birmingham. He finished with a record of 27-18 and an ERA of 3.29.
After baseball, Mitchell got his degree from the University of Richmond and returned home to Madison County where he spent the rest of his career. He was a teacher, coach and principal at Madison County for 37 years and on Dec. 16, 2021, the Madison County High School baseball field was named Billy Mitchell Field.
Mitchell passed away on Jan. 9, 2023.
TOMMY GARTEN
Tommy Garten was part of an ownership group that purchased the Covington Lumberjacks in 2009 and he and his sons, Dizzy and Matt, assumed full ownership in 2011.
A successful businessman in Covington for decades, Tommy supported all local sports and especially the Lumberjacks, making it his mission to keep Valley League Baseball in his city. He was part of the group that made Jacks’ baseball free to fans, giving everyone the opportunity to watch summer college baseball.
He and his wife, Mary Beth, also served as a host family to many players and coaches over the years.
Under the ownership of the Gartens, the Lumberjacks won the Valley League Championship in 2011.
Tommy also served the VBL as an executive board member until his death on January 24, 2024.
TODD THOMPSON
Todd Thompson was president and majority owner of the Winchester Royals baseball team for nine years from 1996 to 2004. During his tenure, the Royals won the Valley Baseball League championship title in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2004. In 2005 he was recognized by the Royals in honor of his service and commitment to excellence.
His love for sports and community converged at Shenandoah University, where he sat on their athletic board and was recognized by the athletic association with Honorary Lifetime membership in 2000.
From 2005 through 2009, Thompson served as the Valley Baseball League vice president under VBL president Dave Biery.
In 2010 through 2011 he served as board president of the Winchester Royals while new leadership was being established.
A few weeks before his passing, Thompson committed to serving on the Royals board for two more years.
Thompson passed away on Jan. 15, 2021.