The St. Louis Cardinals’ Jose Oquendo – their ‘Secret Weapon’ from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s and a coach in their organization the past 31 years – will soon be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. He headlines a Class of 2026 that includes six coaches from four different sports, two high school eras, a Springfield Springfield softball program and a Springfield softball pioneer.
President & CEO Rob Marsh on Friday announced the Spring Sports Luncheon presented by the Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Company. It’s set for 11 AM on Thursday, May 19 at the Wilson Logistics Arena in Springfield.
The Class of 2026 features:
- Jose Oquendo – St. Louis Cardinals
- Steve Lael – Branson High School Baseball Coach
- Jerry Breaux – Evangel University & Drury University Softball Coach
- Lisa Law – Iberia High School Softball Coach & Athletic Director
- Don Keeton – Parkview High School Track & Field Coach
- Tom Davidson – Soccer Coach
- Dick Jones – Missouri Special Olympics/A Sporting Chance
- Ed Bramer – Men’s Fast-Pitch Softball
- Billings High School Baseball Era of 1986-1995
- Springfield Thunder Softball
- Adrian High School Boys Track & Field Era of 1982-1997
Additionally, the Hall of Fame will recognize the Diamond 9, a group of former All-State baseball and softball standouts from Missouri high schools, Missouri college or who have made positive contributions to the game. The Diamond 9 features: Kelsey Shulte Chrisman (Eugene High School/William Woods University), Chris Curry (Lebanon High School/Missouri State University), Chase Blakey (Norwood High School/Evangel University), Beth McGill (Republic High School), R.J. Knese (St. Mary’s High School/Drury University), Mathias Miller (Conway High School/Three Rivers Community College/College of the Ozarks), Bob Tuttle (Raytown High School/University of Central Missouri), Alicia Mercer Wollard (Kirksville High School/Southwest Baptist University) and Ashley Meredith White (Missouri State University).
An individual ticket is $75. Sponsorship tables of eight are available and ensures a group sits together, with the sponsor to receive recognition at the table and in the printed program. A head table ticket is $100. Numerous sponsorships are available, including associate sponsorships and congratulatory ads. Call the Hall of Fame at 417-889-3100.
Jose Oquendo – St. Louis Cardinals
Called “The Secret Weapon” by manager Whitey Herzog and certainly a fan favorite, Jose Oquendo defined the term “super utilityman” for the St. Louis Cardinals long before the term became part of baseball vernacular. In 10 seasons with the Redbirds (1986-1995), Oquendo hit .264 with a .690 OPS. He could have been the finest fielder on any other team’s roster, but his time in St. Louis overlapped the great Ozzie Smith. So Oquendo became a master of all positions as the Cardinals’ super sub. He hit .286 for the 1987 pennant-winning team, and he batted a career-high .291 in 1989, when he also led the majors with 163 games played. Oquendo has been a Cardinal through and through. After retiring in 1995, he was a field instructor in the farm system in 1997 before managing in the minor leagues in 1998. The next year, he joined the big-league staff, where he was the third-base coach for 17 seasons and became one of the game’s most respected infield instructors. He took a two-year hiatus from his coaching duties to recover from knee surgeries, and during that time, he served as a special assistant to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. Oquendo is a Minor League instructor in Jupiter, Fla., and works with big-league infielders in spring training.
Steve Lael – Baseball Coach
Lael has been involved with amateur baseball for more than 40 years, coaching in the high school and American Legion ranks. As a high school coach, his teams were 444-221. At Branson High School (1987-2011), his teams earned four Final Four appearances in Class 3 and won the same number (10) of conference and district championships. His 1989, 1992 and 1999 teams were state runners-up, while his 2001 team placed fourth. Lael also was the driving force behind the start-up of the Branson American Legion baseball program in 1988, and ran it for nearly 25 years. Additionally, he has been involved as a coach with Pleasant Hope, Hillcrest, Hillcrest American Legion, the Mickey Owens Baseball Camp and the Dick Birmingham Baseball School. A graduate of Missouri Western State University, Lael is a 2002 inductee of the Missouri State High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the Lincoln Land Community College Athletic Hall of Fame (1993). He also was an assistant for a time at College of the Ozarks, coached in the Sho-Me Collegiate League and, in recent years, has been the Director of Operations with the Grip N Rip Baseball League in Springfield.
Jerry Breaux – Softball Coach
Breaux has coached 32 seasons of collegiate softball, 30 at two Springfield universities, compiling a record of 936-533-2. The Louisiana native has coached 24 of those seasons at Evangel University (1994-2015, 2024-current), where his teams are 682-394-2 and won 10 conference championships. They made 11 appearances in NAIA Regional Tournaments and reached the NAIA World Series in 2006. He was the head coach for 640 of the program’s 661 wins in the team’s first 28 years of existence, was named the NAIA Region V Coach of the Year twice, and the Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year six times. Breaux was inducted into the Evangel Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. He coached at Louisiana State-Alexandria for two seasons, winning 99 games, including conference championships and NAIA Tournament berths both years – with his 2017 team finishing third nationally. Breaux then took over at Drury University (2017-2023), where his teams were 135-97 in six seasons – Drury was 6-24 the year before his arrival – and led the Panthers to their first-ever NCAA Division II Tournament bid. These days, he is working for the Branson Parks & Recreation and is in his second season as co-head coach at Evangel.
Lisa Law – Softball Coach & Athletic Director
Law coached softball at Iberia High School in mid-Missouri for 33 seasons (1983-2017), and the field was named in her honor in 2017. She also is in her 37th and final year as athletic director. Her softball teams were 413-215 and advanced to 16 district championship games, winning 10 of them. Her 2015 team made history as Iberia’s first to reach the Final Four and eventually finished with a fourth-place trophy. Along the way, Law was named conference Coach of the Year eight times. It was quite a run for Law, who began her coaching career in the early 1980s at Iberia. Her first coaching job started with only having seven players on the team, with little equipment and a field full of rocks. They ended the season with a 2-4 record. With high hopes and dreams of winning a district championship, her teams fought hard to build a program. Within the first four years, she saw her team win their first district championship game. During her time as athletic director, 10 other teams earned Final Four finishes (five in baseball, three in boys basketball, one in boys golf, one in softball), with the baseball team twice winning state championships. Years earlier, in the 1970s, Law had played for Silex High School before graduating from there. Her Silex team was the first to win a district championship and, in 1977, advanced to the state playoffs.
Don Keeton – Track & Field Coach
Keeton coached more than 50 seasons of high school track & field, either as a head coach, assistant or volunteer. A graduate of Central High School and the University of Missouri, he was active in football and track on the scholastic level. He set a school record in winning the state title in the 880-yard run at Central and set an indoor state record in the 880. He was a track participant four years at Mizzou, graduating with honors from both CHS and MU. He coached junior high track eight years and was Parkview’s track coach 31 seasons. He organized a new track program at Drury University, assisted five more years at Kickapoo High and spent recent years coaching at Greenwood Laboratory. He coached teams to three city junior high football titles, three seventh-grade basketball titles and four city track championships. He had 54 athletes claim All-State track honors at Parkview. His Parkview boys teams won five conference crowns, and his girls teams won five consecutive league titles. Among the many outstanding Parkview athletes he coached were prep All-Americans Bill Jasinski and Charles Tharp in the high jump, middle distance runner Billy Rainey and hurdler Tracy Partain. He retired from public schools in 2008 and began the track program at Drury, producing national qualifiers Tory Groover and Emile Gray in the high jump and Erin Dolan at 10,000 meters. He left Drury in 2015 and went to Kickapoo, where he had state champs Allison Bailey at 800 meters and 300-meter hurdler Jaden Wiley. At Greenwood, he coached 100-meter hurdles state champion Keely Roberts and six other All-State performers.
Tom Davidson – Soccer Coach
One of the top high school soccer coaches in Missouri can be found in the Springfield area. Davidson coached soccer for 33 seasons and has north of 938 wins – fifth all-time in state high school history. Specifically, he is 938-385-72. That covers 33 boys seasons (580-246-45) and 22 girls seasons (358-139-27). And he may not be done, even after leading Springfield Catholic High School boys team to the 2025 state championship. A Colorado native, his 580 wins in boys soccer are sixth-most in state history and his 358 wins in girls soccer are 12th best. He coached Kickapoo High School boys teams for 16 seasons and its girls teams for 11 years, and then led the Ozark Tigers (13 boys seasons, 11 girls seasons) before taking over Springfield Catholic in 2022. Three of his other teams earned state fourth-place finishes, with Kickapoo’s boys (1996) and Kickapoo’s girls (2002) and the 2023 Catholic boys earning hardware. His teams also combined for 20 district titles. A Colorado native who was All-State in soccer, he played at Missouri Southern from 1984 to 1988 and was an assistant coach there for three seasons before joining the high school coaching ranks.
Dick Jones – Missouri Special Olympics/A Sporting Chance
It is believed that Jones has served more than 50,000 Missourians with developmental disabilities and other challenges, helping them be a part of the sports world. A 1968 graduate of Republic High School, he was the full-time Director of Programs for the disabled for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board from 1973 to 1977, recreation therapist for the Missouri Department of Mental Health from 1977, volunteered and then was the Director of Missouri Special Olympics and then launched A Sporting Chance in 1993 and ran it until 2023. In 1974 Dick was appointed as the volunteer Area Director for Missouri Special Olympics and gave 20 years of his life to the organization, making the local program one of the best in the United States. He held track meets, bowling tournaments, basketball tournaments and soccer tournaments across the state. He attended five Worldwide Special Olympics Games representing Missouri athletes. In 1993 Dick and a group of dedicated people started A Sporting Chance, which provides sports opportunities for individuals with any type of disability – youth who are disadvantaged, at-risk teenagers, abused & neglected children and senior citizens. Seasonal recreational sports and league play were offered year-round in basketball, track & field, softball, golf, volleyball and bowling. All this came after he was a standout pitcher for Missouri State baseball from 1969 to 1972, helping the Bears’ 1969 and 1970 teams win the MIAA. His 1.55 career ERA remains tops in program history, and he has since been inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Ed Bramer – Softball
Bramer, who will be inducted posthumously, was an early giant on the Springfield and state softball scene from 1945 to 1960, coaching men’s and women’s teams, as well as Kiwanis and American Legion baseball teams. His 1946 Knights of Columbus team was the first Springfield team to win a state championship. They went on to win the Western Regionals, thereby qualifying to be the first Springfield team to play in the National Softball Tournament. His men’s team won 10 state championships, won two regionals, and played in two national tournaments, placing fourth in 1948. They were invited to and played in two World Championship tournaments. Bramer was selected best manager in the 1955 Western Regional. From 1955 to 1959, Bramer also managed a women’s team that won the state championship in each of those years. In 1955 he coached both men’s and women’s state champions. Seven players he coached in American Legion baseball later signed professional contracts. He was inducted into the Springfield ASA Hall of Fame in 1966, and a field at Meador Sports Complex in Springfield bears his name. The success of his teams was key to the explosive growth of fast-pitch softball in Missouri in the 1950s. This growth enabled Springfield to bid for and host state, regional and eventually national tournaments, always drawing overflow crowds and creating financials success for local organizers and the city. During this period the Springfield newspaper referred to him as “Mr. Softball.” He was later inducted into the Springfield Area (2021) and Missouri ASA Softball (2023) halls of fame.
Billings High School Baseball Era 1986-1995
On Highway 60 in Christian County, not far from larger cities home to quality baseball programs, Billings High School showed that a Class 1 school could be a gem on the diamond, too. The Wildcats enjoyed quite a run from 1986 to 1995, earning seven playoff berths – including five top four finishes. The 1990 team won it all, finishing 21-0 in the spring, or 30-0 counting the fall season. That team beat Holcomb 8-7 in the state championship game after scoring six runs with two outs in the last inning. The 1994 team was a state runner-up, and the 1986, 1991 and 1995 teams all placed third. Joe Brewer coached the 1986 and 1987 teams, before Howard Quigley (MSHOF 2020) took over until 1993. George Lindsay followed as the coach. Overall, the teams were a combined 189-49-2 in spring seasons.
Springfield Thunder Softball Program
From 1992 to 2010, the Springfield Thunder was one of the premier women’s slow-pitch softball teams in Missouri. In 19 seasons, the Thunder played in 18 state tournaments, placing in the top five in all of them. They were ASA state champions in 1992, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2008 and 2009. Additionally, the Thunder won the city league championship 13 times and placed second six times. They also played in four national tournaments, placing third in 2005 in Lawton, Okla., and fifth in 2009 in Springfield. The roster included Vicky McCracken, Mary Stratton, Shelley Evans, Donna Bruns, Lynda Nichols, Val Nichols, Phyllis Wolfran, Vicki Spivey, Pam Burney, Amy Smith, Sharon Latham, Amy Horst Strauss, Bev Dunlap, Carla Daniels, Patti Youngs, Chris Dicken, Susan Theroff, Wendy Hill, Jamie Dunn, Kelly Quigg, Gay McDonald, Deb Dry, Janet Moore, Tina Hansen, Tiffany Wilson, Allyson Bice, Patty Porter, Staci Wattie, Jessica Gorham, and Morgan Hohenberger. Mary Stratton and Vicky McCracken were inducted into the Springfield Softball Hall of Fame. In 2012, Springfield Thunder was the first team to be inducted into the Springfield Softball Hall of Fame.
Adrian High School Boys Track & Field 1982-1997 Era
When coaches and sports writers talk about the top eras in state history, regardless of the sport, the conversation has to include one that played out in a rural farming community southeast of Kansas City. Adrian High School’s boys track & field program was one of the most competitive from 1982 to 1997. The Blackhawks had 10 top 10 finishes in Class 1 in those seasons. That featured state championships in 1984 and 1992, a state runner-up in 1983, third-place finishes in 1989 and 1997, as well as fourth-place finishes in 1988 and 1991. It all began with a sixth-place finish in 1982 and included another sixth in 1990 and eighth in 1995. Individually, the program produced several state champions. Matt Still won the 800 meters in 1982 and 1984. Randy Reed won the triple jump in 1995. Adrian had four state champions in the pole vault during the era: Darren Morrow (183), Eric Bunch (1990) and Grant Bunch (1991, 1992). The program also thrived in the relays. The 1992 4×100, the 1983, 1990 and 1992 4×200 and the 1992 4×400 meter all won state titles. Adrian had five coaches in the era: Bill Thompson (1982-1984), Jim Hall (1985-1986), Bob Neely (1987-1994), Shannon Gepford (1995) and Carrie Martinez (1996-1997). They won seven conference championships (19888, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995) and eight district titles (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995).
DIAMOND 9 AWARDS
Kelsey Schulte Chrisman – Eugene High School/William Woods University
Chrisman twice earned All-State softball honors for Eugene High School, in 2007 and 2008, in addition to being a four-time all-conference selection and a four-year letter winner in the sport. Her team won the Show-Me Conference, district and regionals in her senior year. She also was the Show-Me Conference MVP for softball and basketball, having earned four varsity basketball letters while helping those teams to two conference championships and a district title. At William Woods from 2009–2012, she was a two-way talent. Offensively, she batted .358, ranking among the program’s top performers with 223 hits, 165 RBIs (fifth all-time), 39 doubles, 30 triples (fifth all-time), and 28 home runs (third all-time), while appearing in 206 career games. In the circle, Chrisman compiled a 55–32 pitching record with 405 strikeouts, ranking fifth all-time in appearances, innings pitched, and strikeouts, while also ranking sixth in career wins and complete games (61). Her honors include AMC Player of the Year, AMC Freshman of the Year, four AMC First Team selections, three NFCA All-Region First Team honors, two NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards, and four NFCA Scholar-Athlete recognitions.
Chris Curry – Lebanon High School/Missouri State University
A standout at Lebanon High School while playing for coach Dave Plassmeyer (MSHOF 2025), Curry was one of the top athletes in southwest Missouri in the mid-1990s. He was All-State in 1993 and 1994. During Curry’s junior year, he had a 0.99 ERA and a 7-0 record as LHS went 21-2. He was honorable mention his junior year on the USA Today high school baseball team. Additionally, Curry was All-State, all-district, all-conference, All-Ozarks and team MVP his junior and senior years. He hit .370 his junior year, .368 his senior year, and .450 in America Legion play his senior year. He also played basketball and football at Lebanon. At Missouri State, he was a four-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection from 1995 to 1999, including First Team All-Valley as a second baseman as a senior. He was the Valley Rookie of the Year and an All-MBCA Regional selection as a senior, when he was co-captain. He now lives in Willard with his family.
Chase Blakey – Norwood High School/Evangel University
Blakey was a pitcher and infielder at Norwood in the early 2000s, earning All-State in 2002, in addition to being a two-time All-District and three-time all-conference selection. Playing for coach Kevin Drake, he made the Hartville All-Tournament team twice, was the News-Leader’s King of the Hill in 2002 and helped Norwood to a 94-29 record in his four seasons. The 2000 and 2001 teams won district titles, with the 2000 team reaching the state semifinals. Overall as a pitcher, he was 29-5 with a sub 2.50 earned run average, and averaged 12 strikeouts a game in 2002. He went on to Evangel University and then coached youth baseball for 10 seasons. He was with the Springfield Mavericks for three years, serving as a board member for two years, and also coached the Rogersville Cardinals for five years, assisted the Midwest Nationals two years and broadcast Logan-Rogersville High School baseball games for four seasons.
R.J. Knese – St. Mary’s High School/Drury University
At St. Mary’s in St. Louis, Knese was a first team all-conference honoree for coach Marko Samardzic and earned All-Decade honors for the House Springs American Legion Post 783 team. He was named the Best Defensive Infielder his junior season and, as a senior, was the MVP, best relief pitcher and best offensive player. He went to a tryout camp at Missouri State and, afterward, met then-Drury coach Mark Stratton. That led to Knese signing with Drury, joining the Panthers in their second season in 2008. Career-wise, he now ranks fifth in batting average (.355), 12th in slugging percentage (.501), fourth in at-bats (775), third in hits (275), doubles (50) and triples (15) and runs scored (171), fourth in RBI (164), seventh in steals (45). Overall, he had 388 total bases and three times earned All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honors, as well as Midwest Region Gold Glove recognition and American Baseball Coaches Association All-Midwest Region as a senior. Knese lives in Springfield and works for the Larson Group.
Beth McGill – Republic High School
In high school softball, catchers have the most important but arguably the most thankless job. After all, they crouch behind the plate for 14 innings on doubleheader days and, in the summers, that can be over several games in just one day. And they aren’t just catching pitches, but helping the pitcher be creative and setting the defense. Republic had one of the top catchers in the state in the late 1990s, as McGill earned All-State honors in 1997 and 1998.
Mathias Miller – Conway High School/Three Rivers Community College/College of the Ozarks
Miller was a standout pitcher in the early 2000s for Conway, earning All-State, as well as three times landing on the all-conference team in addition to All-District and the News-Leader’s All-Ozarks lists. He also was on the cover of the 2002 Baseball Preview. He still holds several state records: career strikeouts (458), career innings pitched (320), innings pitched in a season (103) and season starts (15). Miller ranks third in games pitched in a career (53) and is second all-time in career wins (33). He continued his career at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, where he was a two-time All-Region selection and three-time Pitcher of the Week selection. He then finished his collegiate career at College of the Ozarks. These days, he owns Miller Excavating in Niangua.
Bob Tuttle – Raytown High School/University of Central Missouri
The baseball program at the University of Central Missouri has long been a NCAA Division II contender, and Tuttle was among those who helped plant the seeds to success. In 1973 and 1974, the Mules’ second baseman earned Honorable Mention and First Team NCAA All-American honors. Additionally, he was All-MIAA four times, including First Team twice. He helped the 1973 squad qualify for regionals and the 1974 team to the College Division World Series. In those seasons, Tuttle led the team in runs scored three times, hits twice and stolen bases twice. UCM can thank former Royals nemesis and Yankees manager Billy Martin, in part, for being in Missouri. His dad, Bill, was an 11-year big-leaguer who was part of a 13-player trade in 1957 between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Athletics, with Bill Tuttle coming to KC while Martin went to Detroit. Tuttle graduated from Raytown High School in 1970 and played three summers in the prestigious Ban Johnson League, winning the batting title and MVP in 1973 two years after earning the Hustle Award. In 2002, he was named to the Ban Johnson 75th Anniversary Team, and was later inducted into the Diamond Club and then the Hall of Fame at UCM. Tuttle joined the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy in 1978, spending 42 years there before retiring as a captain in 2021. He served in road patrol, motorcycle, emergency response team and investigations.
Ashley Meredith White – Missouri State University
Missouri State’s softball coaching staff has long found gems all across the region and brought Meredith-White to Springfield in the early 2000s from the dirt fields of Bartlesville, Okla. She proceeded to be one of the Bears top hitters, blasting 20 career home runs and 10 single-season home runs – a team record that stood until 2016 . Meredith-White also ranked third all-time in slugging percentage (.465) before the offensive explosion hit the game beginning around 2016. She still leads the program in walks (132). All of which led to earning First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2002 and 2003 and Second Team honors in 2004. These days, White lives in Kansas City with her husband and son.
Alicia Mercer Wollard – Kirksville High School/Southwest Baptist University
Wollard has given back to softball for years as a coach, first at Fair Play High School and then the past two seasons at Bolivar High School. In high school in Kirksville, she emerged as the area’s top pitcher as a freshman and received interest from the University of Missouri as a sophomore when she was throwing 72 mph. Unfortunately, a wrist injury during her junior season curtailed her softball career. In between, she played basketball, earning Class 3 All-State in 2000, in addition to all-conference and All-District. She was spotted in the Show-Me State Games by then-Southwest Baptist coach Jim Middleton (MSHOF 2021) and signed with SBU. She went on to play softball there and basketball, where her 124 blocked shots are second-most in program history – and stood as the record for 20 years. Her 111 games played there are tied with five others for fourth-most all-time.
