Ortega, Patton, McSpadden, Littell & 2002 WBB Team Elected to Inaurural HOF Class
After coming into existence last year, the Saints Hall of Fame will finally have its first members. Kim Ortega (Women’s Basketball), Galen McSpadden (Baseball), Jim Littell (Women’s Basketball), Cory Patton (Baseball), and the 2001-2002 Women’s Basketball team are officially set to become the Class of 2012 in April after being announced as the inaugural selections during a special ceremony between the Lady Saints and Saints Basketball games Saturday night in the Greenhouse.
Kim Ortega- Ortega was an integral part of the school’s first National Championship in 2002 and was named the NJCAA Player of the Year during that season. She was a two time 1st Team NJCAA All-American as well as a two time Jayhawk West Conference MVP for the Lady Saints.
Cory Patton- Patton was the NJCAA Player of the Year as well as the NJCAA Student-Athlete of the Year in 2002. Patton won the Central District Big Stick Award as the Region’s top hitter that year and holds a number of All-Time records at Seward County including hits, home runs, and RBI’s.
Jim Littell- Coach Littell is the all-time winningest Women’s Basketball Coach in Seward County history with 418 wins in his 14 seasons in the green and white. He led the Lady Saints to their first National Tournament in history in 1999 and would take Seward there three more times including bringing home the only National Championship in school history in 2002.
Galen McSpadden- Coach McSpadden’s resume speaks for itself. In 30 years at the helm for the Saints McSpadden has racked up 1,032 wins, making him one of just a handful of coaches in NJCAA history to reach the 1,000 win milestone. McSpadden has led the Saints to Juco World Series births in 2004 and 2011 and has guided Seward to Jayhawk West Championships in 13 of the past 18 seasons. As well as his duties as Baseball Coach, McSpadden has watched 23 Saints and Lady Saints teams capture Region VI Championships in his 28 years as the Athletic Director for Seward County.
2001-2002 Women’s Basketball Team- The 2002 Lady Saints captured the only NJCAA National Championship in school history when they put up an undefeated 38-0 season including breezing through the NJCAA Tournament, winning their final three games by an average of 19 points per game. The Lady Saints were 16-0 in Jayhawk West play, 15-0 at home on the season, and had only 5 of their 38 games on the year decided by single digits.
The class will officially become part of the Saints Hall of Fame on Friday, April 20th during induction ceremonies at the Hall of Fame Banquet.