University of Texas Arlington Athletics

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Doors Open for General Public at 5:45 PM

UTA University Center's Bluebonnet Ballroom

Hall of Honor Ceremony (April 23, 2021)

Doors Open (General Public) - 5:45 PM

Cocktail Hour – 5:45 PM

Invocation /Dinner – 6:30 PM

Program Begins – 7:15 PM 

Program Concludes – 8:35 PM 

Complimentary parking will be provided to all Hall of Honor Guests within the F11 lot off of UTA Blvd.

Address for parking: 300 W. First Street, Arlington, TX 76019

Entering UT Arlington as a four-sport letterwinner from nearby Forney High School, the UTA coaches had high expectations for Ernest Baptist, and the 5-foot-11, 170-pound cornerback more than lived up to those aspirations as one of the most decorated players in program history.
 
A three-time First Team Southland Conference selection – one of only six players in UTA football history to achieve such an honor – Baptist was also named to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's All-Texas College Team each of those same seasons in 1970, '71 and '72.
 
Baptist secured 16 career interceptions, placing him atop the all-time program list alongside Jim Marcum. His own teammates voted Baptist the squad's Defensive Player of the Year twice in 1970 and 1972, and following his senior campaign he also garnered the Ex-Letterman's Award, given annually to a senior who made outstanding contributions to the program.
 
Those contributions started immediately during his first year on campus in 1969 as Baptist cracked the starting lineup midseason, bumping a veteran senior from his cornerback position. Baptist went on to start the final five games of the year while playing in 10 of 11 total contests. He pulled down three interceptions – two coming in a dominant 53-16 season-ending win against Lamar – while breaking up nine passes. Baptist had 40 total tackles, and was one of only two freshmen on the team to letter in 1969.
 
As a sophomore, Baptist intercepted two passes – which was the result of opposing quarterbacks not throwing his direction as the following year's media guide so eloquently described as such: "Baptist was scrupulously avoided by enemy quarterbacks last year, but still swiped two aerials." Despite that, and in a testament to being one of the most feared defensive backs in the Southland Conference, Baptist was the lone UTA player named to the Southland First Team as he also recovered two fumbles and made 45 tackles while starting every game.
 
A breakout junior campaign further cemented Baptist's status as an elite pass defender as he led the Southland alongside teammate Preston Clemons with seven interceptions in 1971. Together, the secondary duo held opponents to just 103 yards per game in the air – the best average of any team in the conference. Baptist once again started all 11 games and secured 60 tackles.
 
In his final season with UTA, Baptist pulled down four interceptions – the last of which tied him atop the all-time program list. That quartet of picks were tied for the 4th most in the Southland in 1972 and helped spearhead a strong end to the year as Baptist led UTA to five-straight wins to conclude his career.
 
Baptist's exploits extended beyond the football field as well during his time at UTA. Entering his senior season in 1972, Baptist was voted a co-captain by his teammates – an honor he also held the previous season for the UTA track and field team. Baptist is one of only a few UTA athletes in history to ever be elected team captain in two different sports. And he was a pretty great track athlete as well, finishing 3rd as a freshman at the 1970 Southland Conference Championships in the long jump with a distance of 23-feet, 9 ½ inches.

Coming out of high school in nearby Haltom City, Katy Cox was arguably the most highly touted talent to ever sign with the UT Arlington softball program, and the 2000 Gatorade Texas High School Player of the Year more than lived up to those lofty expectations in her three seasons with the Mavericks from 2001-03.
 
Despite only playing for the Mavs for three seasons, Cox still ranks as the program's all-time strikeout leader with an incredible 773 – 158 more than any other player in program history. She secured eight games of at least 12 strikeouts – the only UTA pitcher with more than three such contests. She was also a three-time All-Southland Conference selection, in addition to a garnering a number of other individual league honors.
 
A graduate of Haltom High, Cox made an immediate impact for UTA as a freshman in 2001. The right-handed pitcher was named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and garnered a spot on the Southland First Team after leading the league in strikeouts with 236 in only 230 innings. Cox posted a 1.43 ERA and established the then-program record for strikeouts in a single game with 14 against McNeese State.
 
Her sophomore campaign in 2002 – by Cox's gaudy standards – was sub-par, but still was one of the best in single-season program history. She struck out 231 batters, which still ranks as the 5th most in a single season. She posted a 2.11 ERA with seven shutouts en route to being named to the Southland Third Team. Cox set what at the time was the most strikeouts in a single game in program history when she sat down 17 against Southeastern Louisiana on Mar. 3, 2002.
 
That 'down' year for Cox fueled her for a memorable 2003 season which will forever be held in program lore. Cox was named Southland Pitcher of the Year and to the league's First Team after leading the conference with a 1.31 ERA, accumulating an impressive 29-7 record – with the 29 victories still ranking as the 2nd most in single-season program history. Fourteen of those 29 wins came via shutout, which still stands as the most in a single year. Cox struck out a UTA-record 306 batters in 245.1 innings while allowing just 159 hits and limiting opponents to a minuscule .185 batting average. She also matched her own program record with 17 strikeouts versus Northwestern State on Mar. 22, 2003.
 
Cox recorded two no-hitters during the season nearly one month apart. The first on Mar. 29, 2003, against UTSA was the first no-no in program history. She followed the feat up with another one against Stephen F. Austin on Apr. 27, 2003. Cox is still to this day the only pitcher in Maverick history with more than one no-hitter, and is responsible for two of the five all-time no-hitters.
 
But it's what Cox did in the 2003 postseason which cemented herself in program lore. Cox is one of just five pitchers in the history of the Southland Conference to win four tournament games in a single year, leading UTA to the 2003 Southland Tournament Championship following a Southland Regular Season Championship. Cox was named Tournament MVP in addition to earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
 
In the NCAA Regionals in Gainesville, Cox posted back-to-back impressive shutouts over Florida State, 1-0, and host Florida, 2-0, before UTA eventually fell in its final two games. However, the victory over the Seminoles – which snapped their nation-best 27-game winning streak at the time – and, subsequently, the Gators represented the first and still only NCAA Tournament wins for UTA.

Having given nearly half a century to UT Arlington – 48 years, to be exact – John Mocek has touched every corner of Mavericks' athletics and is one of the most beloved and popular staff members in UTA history.
 
A 1977 Dean's List graduate from UTA, Mocek arrived on campus from his native Chicago in 1973. He lettered four years on the baseball team, playing first base and designated hitter, and as a senior was named Honorable Mention All-Southland Conference.
 
Additionally, at the time of his graduation, Mocek held program records for most home runs and RBIs in a conference season, along with possessing the UTA record for RBIs in a conference game.
 
Following his graduation, Mocek served as the department's Business Manager from 1978-82 before returning to the diamond. There, for the next 14 seasons from 1983-96, Mocek was as an assistant coach and 3rd-base coach under Marvin "Butch" McBroom before eventually moving back into administration.
 
In that administrative role over the next 2+ decades, Mocek served in nearly every possible capacity with UTA Athletics. He managed events and facilities, served as the ticket manager and promotions director, announced events via public address, radio and television and oversaw operations. He even maintained fields, worked as an equipment manager and assisted with sports-information duties.
 
From the mid-90s until late 2010s, Mocek climbed the administrative ranks from Assistant AD to eventually his final post as Senior Associate AD for Finance and Administration in 2018. Despite being 'retired', Mocek still to this day serves as the department's unofficial historian and archivist, and has been a mainstay in the broadcast booth for Maverick baseball on the radio and ESPN+.
 
In addition to his responsibilities with the UTA Athletic Department, Mocek served as a member of the university faculty, teaching advanced techniques of coaching baseball and the history and business of baseball in UTA's Department of Kinesiology. Prior to his time at UTA, Mocek taught at the Arlington School District. He also served as an official scorer for Major League Baseball for 14 seasons with the Texas Rangers.
 
In April of 2019, UTA Athletics unveiled the John & Pattye Mocek 3rd Base Patio at Clay Gould Ballpark where Mocek and his wife, Pattye, were the dignitaries at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The large event space will continue to serve visitors of Mocek's beloved baseball program for years to come, hosting parties and gatherings for patrons who will enter the patio by passing the commemorative 'John & Pattye Mocek 3rd Base Patio' welcome brick.
 
Mocek is the only person in UTA baseball history who has put on the Maverick uniform more than 1,000 times as both a player and as a coach; in total he is one of just three people who has donned the blue and orange on 1,000+ occurrences with the other being current head coach Darin Thomas and 2004 Hall of Honor inductee Butch McBroom.

Coming into the 1981 season, UT Arlington was returning just half of its 22 starters from the previous year, and the season got off to an ominous start with a 1-4 record through five games. However, led by a slew of eventual all-conference performers, a Coach of the Year and several future NFL players, the 1981 UTA football team holds the notable distinction as the program's third, and final, Southland Conference Champion.
 
Bringing that 1-4 record into the Southland opener, UTA rolled up 318 yards on the ground en route to a 31-14 win over Louisiana Tech. After an open date, the Mavs downed North Texas, 7-6, at the Cotton Bowl in a non-conference matchup. It was UTA's first win over UNT since 1973, and was made possible by Melvin lkner's 48-yard interception return for a touchdown.
 
Resuming Southland play, the Mavs dropped a 10-7 Homecoming decision to Arkansas State in a pouring rain. That weather helped UTA force Arkansas State into losing six fumbles – which do this day is still tied for the most ever in a Southland game. Little did the Mavs know at the time, though, that would be their final defeat of the season.
 
Following head coach Bud Elliott's 100th career victory at Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana), 23-7, UTA returned home for a thrilling 21-20 triumph over McNeese State. Brent Hargrove blocked a Cowboys' extra point with 4:44 left in the game, and each team missed a field goal in the final minutes of the dramatic contest.
 
That set the stage for UTA to win the Southland Conference Regular Season Championship outright, which the Mavs did easily by virtue of an impressive 31-7 victory over Lamar on Nov. 21 behind 340 team rushing yards and two interceptions from Ikner.
 
UTA produced 10 turnovers in the last two games while not committing one, and finished 9th in the nation for the season in turnover margin at +1.45 per game.
 
By leading the Mavs to a 4-1 Southland record – one-half game better than McNeese's 3-1-1 mark – Elliott was named Southland Coach of the Year as he guided UTA to its third conference championship (1966, 1967) and just its second outright (1967).
 
Five UTA members nabbed First Team All­Conference honors: defensive tackle Keith Pressley, tailback Randy Johnson, center Mark Cannon, offensive guard Danny Stout and offensive tackle Roy Hinojosa. Additionally, the Mavs had five others named to the Southland Second Team: tight end Darryl Lewis, defensive tackle Hargrove, defensive end John Wade, linebacker Keith Hankins and cornerback Stacy Rayfield.
 
Willie Wiggins was named Southland Freshman of the Year. In eight games as a free safety, Wiggins had two interceptions, caused one fumble, deflected three passes and accounted for 35 tackles.
 
Also on the defensive side of the ball, Pressley tied for the team lead in sacks with seven, forced three fumbles and recovered one while recording 83 tackles. Rayfield, meanwhile, tied for the Southland lead in interceptions with five.
 
Offensively, Johnson paced the Mavs with 710 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground – the 2nd most rushing TDs in the league. Behind that offensive line anchored by fellow first teamers Cannon, Stout and Hinojosa, the Mavs tallied 19 of their 25 touchdowns on the year via the ground (five passing, one interception return).
 
Following the season, Pressley (Denver Broncos), Gilbert Smith (Denver Broncos) and Brian Happel (New York Jets) all landed on an NFL preseason or practice-squad roster. During the 1981 season with the Mavs, Smith led the team with three receiving touchdowns and 312 kickoff return yards, while Happel accounted for 46 points off field goals and extra points.
 
In subsequent years, six other members of the 1981 team had their names selected in the NFL Draft, with five going on to play in the league: Byron Williams (1983; played for the Green Bay Packers from 1983-85), Lewis (1983; played for the New England Patriots in 1984), Cannon (1984; played for the Packers from 1984-91), Scott Caldwell (1985; played for the Detroit Lions in 1987) and Bruce Collie (1985; played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1985-91). Additionally, Rayfield was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 8th Round of the 1984 NFL Draft.

The 2003 UT Arlington softball team set the standard that Maverick teams now are still trying to reach: a program-record 41 wins, Southland Conference Regular Season Championship, Southland Conference Tournament Championship and two NCAA Regional victories – the first, and only, such wins in program history.
 
The memorable and historic season started anything but that as the Mavericks got off to a 4-7 start through 11 games against strong competition; seven of those contests were against Power-5 teams – including a pair of losses by a combined three runs to the Florida Gators, one of which was a season-opening 5-4 setback in 8 innings.
 
However, behind the leadership of head coach Debbie Hedrick, the tide started to change in the 12th game of the year – which also happened to be the third matchup against Baylor in the first 20 days of the season. UTA jumped all over the Bears to the tune of a 10-0 victory, setting the stage for a record-setting rest of the season.
 
UTA opened Southland Conference play three days later and swept a three-game series from McNeese State as part of a six-game winning streak to rebound from the 4-7 start. After stepping out of league play again, UTA clipped off another pair of Southland series sweeps over Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana to start SLC play 9-0 and move its overall record to 19-9.
 
The Mavs would eventually start Southland action with a 10-0 record before suffering a loss to Northwestern State in mid-March. Unfazed, the club rattled off six-consecutive wins to move its record to 16-1 and never looked back en route to a 23-4 conference record – good for the second Southland Regular Season Championship in program history by 1 ½ games over Texas State (21-5-1).
 
UTA carried that momentum into Southland Tournament in Natchitoches, La., where it promptly won four games in three days. The Mavs opened with a 3-2 win over Sam Houston State before taking down Northwestern State, 4-0, and Nicholls State, 7-4 – which was a two-out, walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 7th by Autumn Petrino to advance to the championship game. There, UTA once again defeated Nicholls, this time by a score of 6-2, to earn its first – and only – Southland Tournament Championship.
 
Playing in an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history, UTA was seeded 7th out of 8 teams in the Gainesville Regional and faced Oklahoma (which finished the season ranked #5 in the nation), Florida State (#19), Florida and Oregon State (both of which received votes in the final poll).
 
Undeterred, the Mavs – behind the right arm of 2003 Southland Pitcher of the Year and Tournament MVP Katy Cox – shut out Florida State, 1-0, in their first-ever NCAA Tournament game to snap the Seminoles' nation-best 27-game winning streak.
 
That, incredibly enough, set up a rematch of the season opener between UTA and Florida. This time, though, it was the Mavs getting the upper hand as they took down the regional hosts, blanking the Gators on their home field, 2-0.
 
Unfortunately, UTA would fall short in the winner's-bracket final to Oklahoma, 6-2, forcing the Mavs into a matchup with Oregon State for the right to once again face the Sooners for the Regional Championship. However, the Mavs dropped the contest to the Beavers, 2-0, bringing an end to the most decorated season in program history.
 
But a decorated season doesn't come without terrific coaching or decorated players, and that exactly what UTA had on its 2003 roster. Hedrick earned Southland Coach of the Year honors as the Mavs led the league in ERA (1.53) and fielding percentage (.966).
 
Cox led the Southland with a 1.31 ERA. Melanie Williams led all Southland players in batting average with an even .400, and in the field did not make a single error to also pace the SLC with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Falon Kwasnick ranked 1st in the Southland in putouts with 387.
 
Individually, Beverly Rowan was named Southland Utility Player of the Year as she split time at designated player and outfield, hitting .306 with 33 RBI and going a perfect 6-6 in stolen-base attempts. Williams, who led the league with 22 sacrifice hits, while joined Cox on the First Team; Kwasnick landed on the Second Team along with Rowan (designated player) and pitcher Jill Garro, who posted a 1.83 ERA in 27 appearances. Crystal Krebs earned a Third Team spot after hitting .284, and Rowan also garnered a Third Team selection as an outfielder. Additionally, joining Cox on the All-Tournament Team were Petrino, Williams and Rowan.