Seven people, including three trailblazers from Greenville’s Black baseball community, will join the ranks of the revamped Greenville Baseball Hall of Fame, the organization announced Jan. 7.
The new inductees are the first class to join the hall of fame since 2014.
The group includes the posthumous induction of three pioneers from Greenville’s Black baseball community — Manning “Kingfish” Clark, Rico Dawson and Thomas Hallums.
The four other inductees are:
- Travis Barbary — Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets manager. An Easley native, Barbary is entering his 30th season with the Dodgers organization and has been a player, coach and staff member.
- Greg Burgess — Vice president of operations and grounds for the Greenville Drive. Burgess also serves as the head groundskeeper at Fluor Field. A Rock Hill native, he majored in turfgrass management at Clemson University.
- Eric Jarinko — Greenville Drive general manager. A native of Harleysville, Pennsylvania, Jarinko has a degree in sports management from Clemson University.
- Bob Kipper — Greenville Drive pitching coach. A native of Aurora, Illinois, Kipper was a left-handed pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1985-1992 before entering coaching.
The inductees will be formally honored at a banquet Jan. 21 at the AFL Champions Club at Fluor Field.
