Former Pioneer skipper Lon Joyce to be inducted into NJCAA Hall of Fame

 February 8, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 8, 2012
Contact: Mark Krug, NJCAA Director of Media Relations &
Assistant Executive Director
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2012 NJCAA Baseball Hall of Fame Class Announced

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 2012 Baseball Hall of Fame class has been released by the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association. 

This year's class includes former Spartanburg Methodist College (S.C.) head coach Lon Joyce, former South Georgia College head coach Scott Sims and current Indian Hills Community College (Iowa) head coach W. Cameron Walker.  

The three inductees will be honored at the pre-tournament banquet of the 2012 NJCAA Division I World Series on May 25 in Grand Junction, Colo.

Lon Joyce
Head Coach
Spartanburg Methodist College (S.C.)

Known in the baseball community as one of the best scouts in the business, Joyce was also a great head coach during his tenure at Spartanburg Methodist.

From 1978-91 Joyce led the SMC Pioneers to seven conference titles, five NJCAA Region 10 championships and two NJCAA World Series appearances while posting a 473-170 record.

He was Region 10 Coach of the Year four times (1982, '83, '84, '86) and Eastern District Coach of the Year twice (1983, '86). Most importantly, he advanced 115 of his players to four-year colleges or universities and 45 players under his guidance signed professional contracts (six played in the MLB).

While at Spartanburg Methodist he taught health education and various physical education courses and was the Heartland Physical Education Division Chair for six years.

Joyce was active off the field as well, severing as the Region 10 baseball chair from 1986-91. He was a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for 14 years and was on the ABCA Eastern District Committee from 1988-91.

His talent evaluation quickly led him to being an affiliated scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 11 years (1979-89), then part-time scout for two years (1990-91) and now currently as a full-time scout. He received the Larry Sutton Scout of the Year Award from the Dodgers in 2001 and was named Professional Baseball Representatives Scout of the Year in 2007. A year later he was inducted into the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the Spartanburg Methodist College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991 and his #21 jersey has since been retired.

Scott Sims
Head Coach
South Georgia College

Scott Sims heads to the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame after leading South Georgia College for 21 years (1990-2011) and amassing 589 victories. During his tenure he led the Tigers to 18 postseason appearances (including 16-consecutive) and finished runner-up in Region 17 five times. He saw 18 of his players drafted and one that advanced to the MLB (Jason Childers).

In his final season as head coach in 2011, SGC won the East Central District and advanced to the NJCAA Division I World Series. In Grand Junction, Colo., the Tigers went 1-2 in their first appearance in the tournament since 1970 and the team was honored with the W. Homa Thomas Sportsmanship Award.

Sims was honored as the Region 17 Coach of the Year in 2010 and both the NJCAA and ABCA East Central District Coach of the Year in 2011.

In addition to his contributions on the field, Simms served as the NJCAA Region 17 Assistant Men's Director from 1999-2009. Well respected by his peers, he was the chair of the Region 17 baseball committee from 1996-2000 as well as chair of the region's standard's and ethics committee from 2000-11.

To honor Sims, South Georgia College recently announced that a SGC Foundation scholarship will be named in his honor in 2012.

W. Cam Walker
Head Coach
Indian Hills Community College (Iowa)

Entering his 20^th season at Indian Hills, Walker is the longest-tenured head coach in the program's rich history. Under his guidance, the Falcons have averaged over 40 wins a season and produced more than 60 drafted or signed players.

During the 2009-10 season, Walker coached in his 1,000^th game and boasts an overall career mark of 746-359 heading into the 2012 season.

Since taking over the head coaching job at his alma mater in August 1992, the Falcons have won the NJCAA North District Championship and advanced to the Division I World Series seven times.  He led his squad to Grand Junction in his inaugural season in 1993 and then repeated the feat in 1995, when Indian Hills posted a 40-13 record.

The Falcons returned to the World Series in 1996 and '97, placing fifth both times. In 1998, Indian Hills had its best World Series finish under Walker, finishing third. After an absence of four years, the Falcons made back-to-back World Series appearances in 2003 and '04.

Walker has been named Region 11 as well as North District Coach of the Year eight times and in six of those seasons he was also named the ABCA Louisville Slugger Coach of the Year.

Eight former IHCC players have advanced to the MLB and many others have been placed on the 40-man rosters of major league clubs. Dozens of other players have graduated and/or transferred and gone on to NCAA and NAIA programs throughout the country, furthering their education and baseball careers.

Walker, a native of the Canadian province of Manitoba, came to Indian Hills in 1980 as pitcher and eventually transferred to Western Kentucky University. He posted a 20-9 record as a college pitcher.

In 1982, he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and was a California League All-Star in the Brewers' organization. He was a part of two Texas League championships, one with the El Paso Diablos in 1986 and another with the Wichita Pilots a year later.

As a player he was a member of the 1981 Canadian National Team that participated in the InterContinental Cup. He was inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

In addition to his duties with IHCC, Walker has previously served as an affiliate scout for the San Diego Padres and as a minor league pitching coach with the Colorado Rockies.

ABOUT the NJCAA
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing body of two-year college athletics, offering athletic and academic opportunities to college students. It is the second largest national intercollegiate athletic organization in the United States with over 500 member schools in 43 states. Each year over 60,000 student-athletes compete in one of 28 different sports and the organization sponsors 48 national championship events and nine football bowl games. For more visit http://www.njcaa.org.

Credit for the article to the NJCAA Office