Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks have announced the inductees for the Fifth Annual Bucks Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet. The former Bucks that will be enshrined will be Kent Brown, Mike Egger, and Jason Huisman.
Kent Brown played for the Bucks in 1996. During the Bucks’ Northwoods League Championship run that year, Brown was named to the NWL All-Star team as the right fielder. The Burlington, Iowa native hit .286 in 55 games with 12 doubles and a .352 slugging percentage. Brown set a then team record in stolen bases with 40 and finished the season with 48 runs. The Austin Peay State University product’s stolen base mark ranks second for a single season in Bucks’ team history and is good enough for seventh place on the Bucks’ career list. Brown’s 40 stolen bases are also tied for eighth in the NWL’s single-season mark and his 48 runs are tied for 10th on the Bucks’ single-season list. After his collegiate career, Brown played one season of professional baseball in the San Diego Padres’ organization.
A member of the Bucks in 2000 and 2001, Mike Egger appeared in 50 games for Waterloo, the fourth most in a career in team history by a pitcher. After finishing the 2000 season with a 3-4 record and a 4.04 ERA, the University of Northern Iowa product returned in ’01 to have one of the most productive years for a middle reliever in Bucks’ history. That season saw Egger throw in a league leading 27 games (seventh most in a single-season for Waterloo) with 38 strikeouts, 14 games finished, and three saves. Egger finished that season with a 4-0 record and a league fourth-best 1.58 ERA, both of which rank in the top three in Bucks’ team history for pitchers who have thrown .8 innings per team’s games played. For his efforts, Egger was named to the 2001 NWL All-Star team. For his career, Egger finished with a 7-4 record, a 2.69 ERA, and 65 strikeouts with just 28 walks. After his playing career for the Bucks, Egger was a coach for Waterloo for the 2002 NWL Championship team.
Jason Huisman was a member of the Bucks in 1996 and made the most of his only season with Waterloo, winning the NWL Most Valuable Player Award. The University of Mississippi product hit .342 with six home runs, 36 RBI, and a .439 on base percentage. Those statistics along with his 111 total bases, .493 slugging percentage, and 77 hits, which rank seventh in Bucks’ history for a single-season, helped garner Huisman the MVP trophy. Huisman’s .342 batting average is tied for 10th in a single-season in team history and is good enough for eighth place for a career in the team record books. The .493 slugging percentage mark ranks 10th in the Bucks’ career list. The South Holland, Illinois native was drafted by the Angels in the 14th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Amateur Entry Draft. Huisman played for five years for the Angels in the minor leagues, making it to Double A ball. He is now the Head Baseball Coach at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois.
All three inductees are scheduled to appear at the induction ceremonies.
The Fifth Annual Bucks Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet will be held on Friday, January 29, 2010 at 7:00 pm. Beck’s Sports Brewery, located at 3295 University Avenue in Waterloo, will be the locale of the banquet that will honor these past Buck greats.
All proceeds for the event will go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The public is invited to attend with tickets available for $10.
Doors will open at 7:00 pm and complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served along with a silent auction that will include sports memorabilia and items from various Cedar Valley businesses. The Hall of Fame inductions will be will begin at 7:30 pm.
Interested parties may call (319) 232-0500 for ticket information, or mail their checks payable to MDA to: Bucks Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet, PO Box 4124, Waterloo, IA 50704.
The MDA is a voluntary health agency – a dedicated partnership between scientists and concerned citizens aimed at conquering neuromuscular diseases that affect more than a million Americans. MDA combats neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive medical and community services, and far-reaching professional and public health education.
