Hopefully the Major League Hall of Fame is next.

Carter, Palmeiro lead College Baseball Hall of Fame class

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Former World Series star Joe Carter of Wichita State and Mississippi State's Rafael Palmeiro, who hit 569 home runs in the major leagues, are among 10 inductees into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Carter was a two-time MVP of the Missouri Valley Conference with the Shockers. The outfielder won the 1993 World Series for Toronto with a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6 against Philadelphia closer Mitch Williams.

Other 2009 inductees announced Tuesday include pitchers Darren Dreifort of Wichita State and Kirk Dressendorfer of Texas; shortstop Barry Larkin of Michigan; second baseman Todd Walker of LSU and catcher Keith Moreland of Texas.

Longtime coach Ron Polk also made the list. He's the only coach to lead three teams to the College World Series: Mississippi State, Georgia and Georgia Southern.

The late Branch Rickey, most famous as the Brooklyn Dodgers executive who broke baseball's color barrier with Jackie Robinson in the 1940s, was the vintage-era inductee. Rickey played at Ohio Wesleyan and coached at Michigan. The vintage era includes those who played or coached before 1947.

The first small-school inductee is St. Francis coach Gordie Gillespie, who also coached at Lewis. The 82-year-old started the season with 1,783 wins, most in college baseball history, and is the first active coach inducted into the college hall. The small-school designation is for two- and four-year schools other than NCAA Division I.

Palmeiro was an outfielder for the Bulldogs when he became the Southeastern Conference's first triple crown winner in 1984 with a .415 average, 29 home runs and 94 RBI. He became an All-Star at first base in the majors before his career ended after a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.

Dreifort led Wichita State to three consecutive College World Series appearances from 1991 to 1993, and Dressendorfer was one of the winningest pitchers in Southwest Conference history with 45 victories for the Longhorns.

Larkin, the starting shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds when they won the World Series in 1990, was a .361 career hitter at Michigan. A 12-time All-Star in the majors, Larkin twice led the Wolverines to the College World Series.

Walker, a second baseman who was a career .289 hitter in 12 major league seasons, was named the Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series when LSU won the title in 1993.

Moreland led the Longhorns to three consecutive College World Series appearances and the 1975 national title. Texas was 160-21 in his three seasons.

The 2009 class will be inducted July 3.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colle...ll-class_N.htm