The Missouri Valley Conference has announced the latest Class for their Hall of Fame, which this year is comprised of six people.

Andy Benes, Evansville, 1986-88, Baseball, Basketball & Football:  Benes was a three-sport superstar, but it was Baseball where he was at his best.  The Pitcher was the Conference Player of the Year in 1988, where he went 16-3 and won the Pitcher’s Triple Crown.  Named the NCAA Player of the Year, Benes went to have a good career in the Majors, throwing an even 2,000 Strikeouts with a 155-139 Record.

Melanie (Boeglin) White, Indiana State, 2002-06, Women’s Basketball:  Boeglin was a four-time All-MVC Selection and was the Conference Player of the Year (2005-06).  Her #22 was the first number retired in Indiana State Women’s Basketball.

Barb (Gaines) Porter, Missouri State, 1990-93, Softball:  Gaines is the first Softball player in MVC history who was a four-time Conference Selection.  She still holds the school record in Hits (252) and Batting (.403).  Gaines was an All-American as a Senior, the first in the school for softball.

Zach Johnson, Drake, 1994-08, Golf:  Johnson helped Drake win three Regionals and two MVC Conference Titles, and has 12 wins on the PGA Tour, including two Majors.

Tubby Smith, Tulsa, 1991-95, Men’s Basketball, Coach:  Smith had a 79-43 Record winning two Conference Titles.  He would also take two teams to the Sweet Sixteen.

Rachel Tejada, Illinois State, 2011-14, Women’s Soccer:  Tejada was a four-time All-MVC Selection, the first in program history.  She still holds school and conference records for Goals (74) and Assists (42) ad took the team to Championships in 2012 and 2014.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the Mountain Volley Conference Hall of Fame.

The San Diego Padres believed they found their foundational player when they picked Andy Benes at the top of the 1988 amateur draft. The talented right-hander quickly proved the front office correct, advancing rapidly through the minor leagues to make his major league debut by summer 1989. Jumping straight into the regular season, Benes delivered an impressive debut, posting a 6–3 record with a 3.51 ERA in 10 strong starts, finishing fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. This promising start indicated a pitcher who would be a reliable, durable cornerstone of the San Diego pitching staff during the first half of the 1990s.

Over five summers, Benes was the clear staff ace during a challenging transitional period for the team. He combined a powerful, high-velocity fastball with excellent spatial awareness, making late-game durability a consistent expectation. In 1991, he delivered an outstanding season, leading the rotation with 15 wins and a solid 3.03 ERA, also surpassing 200 strikeouts for the first time in his career.

After achieving another consistent and productive season of frames in 1992, he regained his frontline dominance during the 1993 season's standout. Benes achieved 15 wins again and pitched a career-high 230.2 demanding innings, earning his first All-Star selection and boosting his national reputation.

His 1994 campaign vividly exemplified the challenging reality of being a key player on a struggling team. During that strike-shortened season, Benes showcased impressive high-volume performance and statistical setbacks; he dominated hitters to lead the National League with 189 strikeouts, yet a lack of run support caused him to top the league with 14 losses.

Tragically, that heavy burden caused a sharp performance drop, leading to a difficult first half of the 1995 season. As the small-market team prepared for a roster rebuild and looked to the future, the front office signaled his career end by trading him to the Seattle Mariners mid-season.

As a Padre, he had a 69-75 record with 1,036 strikeouts.