Gateway Indians Hall of Fame

Matt Jayne #22

Year Elected:  20??

Jayne has been a part of all six Indians championship teams and has usually been found behind the plate.  He has dominated power-hitting categories and along with Mitch Bryant and Kevin Briggs, is one of only three Indians to have delivered multiple two-homer games.  Despite having turned 35 prior to the season, Jayne has fought off Father Time, batting .421 in 2020.

Despite teaching in school districts outside the St. Louis region, Jayne frequently has driven long distances to play evening games, including on school nights.  In 2020 Jayne accepted a teaching and coaching position at Bowling Green High School, putting him closer to the metropolitan area.

Jayne has won more individual honors than any player in Tribe history.  He holds the team record with seven Gold Gloves, including six consecutive from 2008-2013.  Moreover, he was the team MVP or co-MVP in four straight seasons from 2009-2012.  He is also an eight-time All-Star.

A glance at the Indians top-ten lists will find Jayne at or near the top in every offensive category.  Through 2020, Jayne had 356 hits, 50 more than runner-up Justin Coliny.  His 25 home runs and 101 doubles are more than twice as many as any other Indian.  In 2020 he moved atop the career triples list with 12.  Jayne enters the 2021 season with 233 career RBIs, 67 more than Scott Long.  In addition, Jayne has a .423 career batting average, good for fourth all time and ranks eighth with 29 lifetime stolen bases.

Scott Long #24

Year Elected: 20??

Long has been a dependable part of the Indians for nearly the entire history of the ballclub, including all six championships.  He was the winning pitcher in the 2018 MSBL championship game that marked the conclusion of founder Justin Coliny’s tenure with the team.  The following July Long took over as the third manager in Tribe history and guided the team to its sixth championship in September.  Long was also the winning pitcher in the 2016 championship-clinching game and earned the save to close out the 2010 title against Edwardsville.

Seemingly immune from the aging process, Long has kept his regular-season ERA below 2.50 in each of the 2018, 2019, and 2020 seasons.  Even more impressively, he batted .647 (11-for-17) in the 2019 MSBL playoffs.  Long continues to find ways to reach base and provide steady defense while being shuffled to different infield positions.

The veteran Indian has a “long” list of awards and honors.  Long has been a five-time All-Star, including selections in both the North County Baseball League and MSBL.  He won Cy Young Awards in 2009 and 2013 and was named Most Valuable Player in 2015.

Long can be found on nearly all the Indians top-ten rankings.  With 298 games played, Long has appeared more than any Indian except Justin Coliny.  He ranks third in hits (301), second in runs scored (265), seventh in home runs (8), second in RBIs (166), fourth in stolen bases (43), third in doubles (42), and is in a four-way tie for sixth place with 4 triples.  Long holds commanding leads in career wins (41), strikeouts (400), and saves (8).  His 3.21 ERA ranks eighth among Indians with at least 75 innings pitched.

Nate Mabb #4

Year Elected:  20??

Mabb was one of the most hard-nosed players ever to wear the Indians uniform, even to the point of suffering a concussion when hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in a 2018 game.  He was part of Indians championship teams in 2011, 2016, and 2018 and a 2016 MSBL All-Star.

In the 2016 season, Mabb batted .404 with 4 doubles, but most impressively, scored nine runs in four playoff games, finishing the season with 21 runs scored.  Mabb followed in 2017 with a .339 average, 16 runs scored, and 13 RBIs.

Following the 2020 season, Mabb’s .374 career batting average ranks eighth in Indians history.  He appears in the top ten lists in most other offensive categories—ninth in hits (127), fifth in runs scored (120), tied for sixth in triples (4), tied for eighth in home runs (7), and tied for fifth in stolen bases (38).

Eliel Malpica #3

Year Elected: 2020

Malpica was one of a number of Wright City High School alumni instrumental to the first two championship teams.  A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania who played baseball at Culver-Stockton College, Malpica was one of the Tribe’s most successful pitchers during the team’s years in the North County Baseball League.  He threw the first no-hitter in Indians history, shutting down the Storm in 2007.  Malpica earned the team’s Cy Young Award that same season and was named to the NCBL All-Star Game.

In addition to his pitching success, Malpica was a slick-fielding shortstop who won three consecutive Gold Glove awards from 2007-2009.

Although Malpica last played for the Indians in 2010, he still holds many spots in the team’s top ten lists.  Entering the 2020 season, his .385 career batting average ranks sixth.  He is currently tied with Matt Jayne for seventh in career stolen bases with 26.  With seven career triples, he has more than any Indian except Adam Springmeyer and Matt Jayne.

Malpica holds spots in all the pitching leader categories.  He is tied with fellow Hall of Famer Jeff Nowack for tenth with 9 career wins.  Malpica ranks seventh in both strikeouts (120) and ERA (2.73).  In addition, Malpica has two career saves, putting him in fifth place.

Brandon Marolf #15

Year Elected:  2016

A native of the state of Washington, Marolf was a dominating pitcher in the North County Baseball League before arm troubles curtailed his career.  A two-time Cy Young Award winner (2010, 2011), Marolf also holds the distinction of pitching the last complete-game no-hitter in Indians history, in 2011 against the Bad Boys.

Marolf formed a 1-2 pitching combination with Matt Ellis in 2011 as the Indians posted a 27-5 record and won their second consecutive North County championship, taking out the White Sox.  Marolf was an All-Star in the 2010 and 2011 seasons.  His 10 wins in the 2011 season are still a team record.

Although Marolf hasn’t pitched since 2013, he ranks high in many pitching categories.  Only Scott Long and Shawn Spainhoward have more than Marolf’s 22 career wins; he is eight wins ahead of fourth-place holder Joe Phelps.  Marolf is one of only three pitchers to strike out over 200 batters; his 202 strikeouts are 24 ahead of the next highest Indian.  Marolf also ranks fourth with a 2.04 lifetime ERA.

Adam Maschmidt #5

Year Elected: 2007

Ten years have passed since Adam Maschmidt’s last game with the Indians, but he was one of the team’s earliest stars and a charter Hall of Fame member.  Following his Hall of Fame induction, he went on to win two championships in his final three years with the Tribe.  In 2006 Maschmidt set a team record, since broken, with 6 RBIs in one game.  One of his most memorable moments came in 2009 when he belted a three-run walkoff home run to win a pitchers duel against the Aces.

Maschmidt shared the first Cy Young Award in team history with Jeff Nowack and was named the 2007 Most Valuable Player.  In addition, Maschmidt was named to the North County Baseball League All-Star Team in both 2006 and 2007.

With 171 career hits, Maschmidt ranks fifth all time.  He is seventh in runs scored with 111.  Entering the 2021 season, Maschmidt was in sixth place in RBIs with 115.  His 34 doubles rank seventh all time.

Jeff Nowack #24

Year Elected: 2017

Nowack was the first of many dominant Indians pitchers, playing for the team in the first three seasons of 2005, 2006, and 2007.  His Hall of Fame selection was long overdue as he retired prior to the first Indians championship season.  Even though his last game was 14 years ago, he still holds top ten places in most pitching categories.

The first two Indians Cy Young Awards were given to Nowack in 2005 and 2006.  He was also a North County Baseball League All-Star in 2006.  Although best known as a pitcher, Nowack also sported a career .293 batting average with 48 RBIs in only 191 at-bats.

After the 2020 season, Nowack still ranked tied for tenth in career wins (9), eighth in strikeouts (118), tenth in ERA (3.89), and tied for fifth in saves (2).