The Class of 2017
Bernie Church
From a large family of athletes, Bernie was a standout baseball and basketball player at Bishop Armstrong and was a member of the infamous 1962 state championship baseball team. He managed the storied McClatchy High baseball teams from 1973 to 1988 where he won 3 championships and sent over 55 players off to college ball. His 36 years of academic and athletic service at McClatchy was rewarded with the naming of the varsity field in his honor. |
Bob and Ken Forsch
Johnson High School standouts who went on to become the only set of brothers to throw no-hitters in Major League history. Bob won over 168 games, mostly for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a World Champion in 1982 and won 20 games in 1977. Bob died much too young at the age of 61 in 2011. Ken also pitched for 16 years in the majors, with 114 wins and 62 saves. Unfortunately, Ken is not well enough to travel from his Southern California home. Childhood friend and 2016 inductee, Doug Carson, will accept the award on Ken's behalf. |
Jerry Weinstein
Legendary SCC baseball coach who won 831 games over 23 seasons. His storied resume includes coaching and front office duties in the Olympics, Major League Baseball, and the World Baseball Classic as the manager of Team Israel. |
Jeff Carlson
A Parkway Little League product who went on to star at Christian Brothers High School in football and earn All Metro status in baseball as a 3rd baseman. Jeff is best known for his tenure as the skipper of the stellar Elk Grove High Baseball team where for 18 years his teams have won 9 San Joaquin Division 1 titles. |
Art Savage
Trailblazing executive who helped spearhead the return of professional baseball to Sacramento. As the owner of the Sacramento River Cats, Mr. Savage's teams won 8 division titles and 4 PCL championships over a 10 year period. His crowning achievement was the construction of Raley Field where he set record attendance numbers, and provided Sacramento baseball fans one of the finest Triple A stadiums in all of professional baseball. Art passed away in 2009 at the young age of 58. His wife and current River Cats president, Susan Savage, will accept his award. |
Steve Green
Widely lauded outfielder from Rio Linda High School, Steve earned All City honors in 1963. Steve signed with Baltimore in 1966 and was moved to the infield. He spent 6 seasons in the Orioles chain accumulating 461 career hits and a career batting average of .263. His best season was in 1970, playing in the Texas League, where he hit .283 with 53 RBI's and 17 steals. After breaking his hand in his final professional at bat, Steve went on to a distinguished career in banking and philanthropy. |
Matt Walbeck
Plucky Sac High backstop who earned All City honors in 1987 and the Sac Bee & Union player of the year award in 1988. An 11-year major league veteran who went on to manage and coach with success and distinction in the minor leagues, earning manager of the year honors 4 times. Returned home to establish the popular and thriving Walbeck Baseball Academy. 
Darren Oliver
Star athlete from Rio Linda High, where he made the All City team in 1988. Drafted in the the 3rd round by the Texas Rangers, Darren made his MLB debut in Fenway Park at the age of 22. In a remarkable career that lasted 20 years, Darren played for 9 major league teams earning 118 wins over 1,915.2 innings pitched. He is currently the special assistant to the general manager of of the Texas Rangers. Darren is the son of 2010 inductee Bob Oliver. |
Sam Lovelace
Luther Burbank star shortstop who earned All City honors in 1967 while hitting .390. Drafted by the Kansas City Athletics in 1967, Sam went on play 5 minor league seasons, having his best year in 1969 in the Midwest league where he hit .315 with 27 RBI's. His career minor league average was .252. Sam went on to play and manage with distinction in the Sacramento County and Night Leagues. 
Steve Sax
Marshall High standout who tallied many accomplishments during his 14-year MLB career, including Rookie of the Year, 5 All Star Game appearances, and 2 World Series Championships. Steve retired with a .281 career average with 1,949 hits and 444 stolen bases. Among many other interests, Steve currently is a host on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio. |