May 4, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford will induct Robert Evans into its Baseball Hall of Fame prior to Saturday's game against SIU Edwardsville, head coach Casey Dunn announced on Wednesday.

"This is really an honor and it's not something I expected," Evans said. "It means a lot because I grew up with Casey (Dunn) and his father was the one who taught me the game of baseball. It's a great honor and it's something I'm really looking forward to."

Evans will be honored with a ceremony prior to the first pitch of Saturday's game, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. There will also be a hospitality tent for friends and family at 1 p.m. at the baseball field.

Evans played at Samford from 2000 to 2003. He ranks second in school history in career hits with 249 and third in career doubles with 50. Evans also ranks in fifth in career games played (211), fifth in career runs scored (140), sixth in career at-bats (738) and eighth in career batting average (.337).

Evans' .376 batting average in 2001 currently ranks tied for eighth in school history for single-season batting average.

In addition to his exploits on the baseball diamond, Evans also played football for the Bulldogs. He played defensive back for Samford, finishing his career with 269 tackles, including a team-best 104 tackles as a senior in 2002. He also shared the team lead that season in interceptions with three.

This marks the seventh class of the Samford Baseball Hall of Fame, which was started by Dunn in his first season as head coach in 2005.

SAMFORD BASEBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
2005: Wendell Magee, Coach Gerald Tuck
2006: Coach Virgil Ledbetter, Marve Breeding
2007: Coach J.T. Haywood, Brooks Souders
2008: John Russell, Brian Hitchcox
2009: Joseph Campbell, Jim Morgan
2010: Johnny Oppert, Gary Cooper
2011: Robert Evans