At Wednesday’s luncheon, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame added to its distinguished list of inductees. Pitcher Shaun Marcum played at Missouri State from 2002 to 2003, helping the Bears reach the College World Series. He then embarked on a 12-year MLB career. He could not attend the ceremony, but another impactful former Bears pitcher did.
Hillcrest grad Dr. Penny Clayton helped Missouri State’s softball program reach the college world series three times from 1976-1980. The recently retired Drury professor finished her career as the program’s all-time leader in strikeouts and ERA. For Dr. Clayton, she had the time of her life. “It was just fun,” said Clayton. “I mean, I was playing with my friends, I got paid to go to school. I got my degree, I knew everybody. We were traveling and going to great places. We had all the food we wanted to eat. It was good times. For me, it was a lot of great memories.”
Springfield Catholic head girls soccer coach Dr. Ben Timson was inducted too. In 23 seasons at the helm, the former Missouri State professor led the Lady Irish to 18 district titles, 11 Final Fours, and two state championships. He gives all the credit to his players. “The girls that we’ve had over the years have just been tremendous in their dedication and preparation,” said Timson. “They’ve just been a joy to be around. They’ve won a whole bunch of games, which is why I’m standing here.”
One member named as a Diamond 9 Honoree is personal for us here at the Ozone. Denise Tucker starred in softball at Ash Grove and SBU. She now serves as one of our writers on the Ozone website.
The full list of inductees is below.
Inductees:
- Shaun Marcum – Excelsior Springs/Missouri State/MLB Pitcher
- Dr. Penny Clayton – Hillcrest HS/Missouri State Softball Player
- Ben Timson – Springfield Catholic Soccer Coach
- John Burgi – High School & College Baseball Coach
- Mick Byrd – Vienna High School Softball Coach
- 1990-1996 Fatima High School Softball Era
- 2000-2003 Joplin High School Baseball Era
- 2002 & 2015 Webb City LLWS Teams
Diamond 9 Honorees
- Josh Bade — Springfield Catholic High School/Saint Louis University
- Bobby Bevel — West Plains High School/Three Rivers Community College/Xavier University/Minor League Baseball
- Payton Appleberry Brown — Republic High School/Crowder College
- Tony Lewis — Glendale High School/Missouri State University/Drury University/Independent Leagues
- Jordan Payne — Bolivar High School/Crowder College/Southeast Missouri State University)
- Anessa Alexander Roller — Strafford High School/Crowder College
- Denise Elson Tucker — Ash Grove High School/Southwest Baptist University
- Hailee Vigneaux  — Ozark High School/Missouri State University
- Ken Watkins — El Dorado Springs High School/Missouri State University/Minor League Baseball
