Sale selected to inaugural A-Sun Hall of Fame
MACON, Ga. – Former FGCU standout pitcher Chris Sale is one of six former Atlantic Sun Conference athletes named to the inaugural Hall of Fame class announced on Wednesday.
The left-hander now pitching for the Chicago White Sox is joined by fellow MLB pitcher for the Cleveland Indians Corey Kluber, pro golfer Hal Sutton, revered basketball coach Glenn Wilkes, Sr., track star Monique Tubbs and basketball standout Andrea Congreaves.
Sale is one of only six players in MLB history to play in the same year he was drafted. He was selected 13th overall in 2010 by the White Sox after his junior year with the Eagles.
Many honors were heaped on Sale, including selection as the 2010 National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball. The award was based on his perfect 11-0 record, 2.01 ERA and national-best 146 strikeouts, which remains the fifth-best single-season total in conference history.
Sale, who was the Eagles’ first player to be named an All-American finished his college career with a 20-4 record in 52 appearances and a 2.52 ERA. The Eagles won three conference championships during Sale’s tenure.
“Chris was the National Player of the Year from Collegiate Baseball and his success brought instant credibility to who we are, that you can get to big leagues from the A-Sun,” said FGCU baseball coach Dave Tollett. “A winner is an understatement to describe this man, he is a champion in every aspect. He not only is the greatest player to ever wear the green and blue, but overall just an outstanding person.”
Sale is a four-time American League All-Star and has never finished a season with an ERA higher than 3.07. He finished sixth or better in the AL Cy Young Award voting the last three seasons.
An eight-member committee representing each of the A-Sun’s member institutions selected the Class of 2015 from a list of 19 nominees. The A-Sun Hall was created to annually honor former student-athletes, coaches, administrators and others who have contributed to the conference’s success.
Representing five different sports, the inaugural class will be inducted at a ceremony on Oct. 13 at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina.
Kluber (Stetson) moved into the Hatters’ starting rotation in ’06, earned A-Sun Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 12-2 record with a sparkling 2.05 ERA in 17 starts.
A fourth-round draft choice of the San Diego Padres in 2007, Kluber perfected his craft in the minor leagues for three years until a trade to Cleveland where he made his MLB debut on Sept. 1, 2011, and arrived in the big leagues for good in 2013. Kluber posted an 18-9 record in 2014 with three complete games, a 2.44 ERA, and 269 strikeouts to win the AL Cy Young Award.
Sutton (Centenary College) has won 14 times on the PGA Tour with more than $15 million in career earnings between 1982 and 2006. His biggest tour victory came in the 1983 PGA Championship, when the then-25-year-old fired opening scores of 65 and 66 and held on to claim his only major title by one stroke over Jack Nicklaus.
Wilkes Sr. was one of the most highly respected coaches in the history of college basketball at Stetson. Ranked among the NCAA’s Top 25 Division I coaches in all-time coaching wins (552) prior to his retirement, he roamed the Stetson sidelines for 36 years, taking the program from NAIA to Division I and leading the Hatters to an unparalleled era of success. He now belongs to eight halls of fame, including the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Congreaves (Mercer) is the most decorated women’s basketball player in conference history.
She still owns many conference records with 2,796 career points, and 1,107 field goals made. She also holds conference tournament records for most points (42, 1993), field goals (17, 1991) and steals (10, 1992) in a game. Congreaves enjoyed success during a 13-year career in professional basketball in the United States and Europe.
Tubbs (Jacksonville University) captured 20 A-Sun Indoor and Outdoor Track Championships.
Also a JU and Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Hall of Famer, Tubbs turned down offers to remain in track and field after graduation in order to focus on her career in business for which she prepared for as a student-athlete. Employed by Ally Financial as a manager for operational governance and assurance, she resides in Jacksonville and continues to help shape the future of the university by serving a term as a member of the JU Board of Trustees.