ABCA Hall of Fame Class of 1975
Steve Harrick had one of the most successful coaching tenures in WVU history, leading the Mountaineer baseball and wrestling programs for a total of 29 seasons.
A graduate of WVU in 1924 and a member of WVU's first wrestling team in 1921, Harrick played professional football with Steubenville and professional baseball with Wheeling and Fairmont in the Middle Atlantic League. During that time, Harrick also served as an instructor and wrestling coach at WVU until 1932.
After briefly coaching at Point Pleasant High School in 1932-33, he joined the West Virginia Tech staff where he was athletic director and head football coach for the next 14 years.
Harrick returned to his alma mater in 1947 to assume the duties of associate professor in the School of Physical Education and head coach of the baseball and wrestling teams. In 1950, Harrick authored the book, ABCs of Wrestling, and he also served as tournament director of the West Virginia State High School Wrestling Championships for 13 years.
During his 29 seasons as wrestling coach spanning a total of five decades, Harrick compiled a 155-99-4 record for a outstanding .608 winning percentage. His WVU wrestling teams won five Southern Conference championships with 42 wrestlers claining individual conference titles.
Harrick was inducted into wrestling's Helms Hall of Fame in 1969; in 2003 he was posthumously recognized with a "Lifetime Service to Wrestling" award for his contributions to the sport.
Harrick had similar success as West Virginia's baseball coach, guiding the Mountaineers for 20 seasons. He posted a 334-160-1 mark for a winning percentage of .678. Six of his Mountaineer teams won Southern Conference titles and seven earned NCAA district playoff berths.
Harrick's 1963 team posted a 30-3 mark, the first 30-win season in school history, and finished in the national rankings.
Eighteen of his former players were selected by professional organizations. Harrick also tutored WVU's first baseball All-America selection in Bill Marovic (1964).
The Fordham, Pa. native is a member of the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
ABCA Hall of Fame Class of 2023 inducted in Nashville
Congratulations John Lowery, Jefferson High School, on induction into the American Baseball Coaches Association! Coach Lowery was inducted in January 2023.
John Lowery, Jefferson High School (W.Va.)
John Lowery is a high school coaching legend in the state of West Virginia. Named the Greatest High School Coach in state history, regardless of sport, by MaxPreps.com in 2020, Lowery has been the head baseball coach at Jefferson High School since starting the program in 1973 following two seasons at now-defunct Harpers Ferry High School.
In 51 seasons, Lowery’s teams have combined for a 1,392-361-2 (.793) record, winning at least 20 games for 45 straight seasons and making him the winningest high school coach in state history. He has won a state-best 12 state championships, finishing runner-up four times.
After 50 years of coaching, his teams continue to find success, as his 2021 and 2022 Cougar teams advanced to the state semifinals. In total, his Cougars have made 26 state tournament appearances, winning 33 sectional and 26 regional titles along the way.
Named the 2002 ABCA/Diamond Sports National High School Coach of the Year, Lowery has received nearly two dozen Coach of the Year honors throughout his career.
The 45-year Lifetime ABCA Member is a past President of the West Virginia Baseball Coaches Association (WVBCA) and is a member of the WVBCA and National High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
ABCA Hall of Fame Class of 2024 inducted in Dallas
The WVBCA would like to recognize the late Cal Bailey on the ABCA Hall of Fame. Cal will be inducted in January 2024.
Cal Bailey, West Virginia State University
In 37 seasons as the head baseball coach at West Virginia State University, Cal Bailey posted a career record of 1,063-521-4 (.669) while leading the Yellow Jackets to 36 winning seasons. Bailey, who passed away in 2020, ranks 14th all-time in wins among NCAA Div. II coaches.
Under Bailey, the Yellow Jackets claimed 19 conference titles while advancing the NCAA Div. II World Series in 1995 and 2005.
The longtime Yellow Jackets skipper earned West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors eight times while twice being named ABCA North Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. In 1980, Bailey became the first baseball coach to honored with the West Virginia Sports Writers Association College Coach of the Year Award.
Bailey was inducted into the West Virginia State University Hall of Fame in 1985 and later inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
A West Virginia native, Bailey graduated from Spencer High School in 1960 and went on to pitch for West Virginia State where he earned All-WVIAC honors. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 23rd round of the 1966 MLB Draft and spent six years in the minor leagues. He joined the West Virginia State coaching staff in 1974 as an assistant before being named head coach of his alma mater in the spring of 1978.
