Sunshine State Conference

Class of 1998

While all inducted into the Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame bring distinction, honor, and excellence to the league, not all have done so on a national stage. Three members of the SSC's 1998 Hall of Fame class did just that. Tino Martinez from the University of Tampa, Bob Tewksbury of Saint Leo College*, and Florida Tech's Tim Wakefield combined for 48 seasons in the Major Leagues, six World Series titles, and four All-Star game appearances.

"Just getting inducted into the Hall of Fame is a great honor, to begin with, but to go in with two great players (Tim Wakefield & Bob Tewksbury) and have them play in the same conference as I did, then have a lot of success in the big leagues makes it that much better," said Martinez. " It's just an honor to be in the SSC Hall of Fame no matter how you look at it."

Their successes were commemorated during the third annual Hall of Fame/Honors Banquet. The event was held on February 25th, 1998, at the Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Florida, alongside the SSC basketball tournament. Wakefield, Martinez, and Tewksbury were all participating in MLB Spring Training and arrived together at the event.

"Knowing these three arrived together is further testament to the camaraderie and sportsmanship in the Sunshine State Conference," commented John Antolino, a long-time supporter of the SSC Hall of Fame and attendee of the 1998 event.

The Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame was founded in 1991 to honor those persons who have made outstanding contributions to the conference. Its purpose is to perpetuate the memory of those who brought distinction, honor, and excellence to the SSC.

The 22nd Hall of Fame class was inducted in March 2016, bringing the total to 197 SSC honorees. The 22-member first class, inducted in 1992, still stands as the largest class to date.

Tim Wakefield
A two-time World Series Champion, Wakefield played three seasons at Florida Tech from 1986-88. He was voted the team's Most Valuable Player during his sophomore and junior seasons as a first baseman. Wakefield remains the FIT all-time leader in home runs (40), single-season home runs (22) and RBIs (71).

The Melbourne, Florida native was the first player to be drafted from Florida Tech when in 1988, he was selected in the 8th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates made Wakefield a pitcher in the minor leagues, and he was called up to Pittsburgh in late July 1992. That year he finished with a record of 10-1 and was named Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.

Wakefield was acquired as a free agent by the Boston Red Sox in 1995 and ranks as one of Boston's all-time most successful pitchers. He spent 19 seasons as a pitcher at the big league level. He earned 200 career wins, 186 were recorded with the Boston Red Sox. On May 20th, 2016, Wakefield was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.

Tino Martinez
Martinez played first base for three years at Tampa before being selected in the first round by Seattle in 1988. The Tampa native holds Spartan career records for batting average (.398), home runs (54), and runs batted in (222).

In 1988, He was a member of the USA baseball team that won the Olympic gold medal in Korea and was the most valuable player of the World Amateur Championships in Italy.

Martinez broke into the majors with the Mariners on August 20th, 1990. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 1995. While with the Yankees, Martinez won four World Series titles and represented New York in the All-Star game twice. He spent time with the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays before retiring as a Yankee in 2005.

Since 2010, the top position player in Division II baseball is awarded the "Tino Martinez Award" by D2 Baseball News.

Bob Tewksbury
Tewksbury played baseball for Saint Leo from 1979 to 1981, earning a career record at Saint Leo of 14-7 with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.90. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 19th round of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft and went on to be an All-Star pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1992.

The Concord, New Hampshire, native played for the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, and Minnesota Twins during his 13-year Major League career. He concluded his career with a win-loss record of 110-102, an ERA of 3.92, and 812 strikeouts. Tewksbury's best year came in 1992, where he 16-5 with a 2.16 ERA and was named to the All-Star team.

In addition to the bachelor's degree Tewksbury earned from Saint Leo, he also earned a master's degree in psychology from Boston University and joined the Boston Red Sox as the team sports psychologist in 2004. In 2013, he was named the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) director of player development, a role in which he will work closely with current players on post-career preparation, on-field performance counseling, and personal development.

*Now called Saint Leo University

[Published: 7/1/16 / Edited: 3/24/20]

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The "40 Great Moments" campaign was created to bring attention to the athletic excellence, academic excellence, community engagement, and sportsmanship that has made up the Sunshine State Conference over the last 40 years. Moments were nominated by current and former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, alumni, and fans. The final 40 moments were decided upon by a vote of conference Sports Information Directors. The "40 Great Moments" campaign concluded during the Summer of 2016.

View all 40 of the SSC's Great Moments, here.