Release from the College Baseball Hall of Fame
Standout University of South Carolina pitcher Earl Bass is one of 21 standouts who will be inducted as part of the 2026 class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) announced this afternoon (Thursday, Feb. 18).
Bass, who will be inducted posthumously on Feb. 11, 2027, in Overland Park, Kan., the home of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, was an outstanding pitcher for the Gamecocks, compiling a 34-3 career record despite missing most of the 1973 season with an arm injury. A first-team All-America selection in 1974 and 1975, Bass had a 12-1 mark in 1974 and was 17-1 in 1975. He set a then-national record by winning 23 consecutive games over two seasons, a feat that still ranks second in the NCAA. Bass holds school record for shutouts (10), earned-run-average (1.34) and strikeouts (392).
Bass was runner-up in balloting for the Lefty Gomez Plate, symbolic of the top amateur baseball player in the United States, when he pitched the Gamecocks to within one game of the NCAA championship at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., in 1975. He was inducted into the South Carolina Letterman’s Hall of Fame in 1989 and was an SEC Legend at the 2017 SEC Baseball Tournament.
Bass had his jersey retired by South Carolina on May 4, 2019.
Bass will be the third Gamecock to be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in the past two years. Ray Tanner and Kip Bouknight were inducted in a ceremony this past February.
The 2026 class includes 16 former players, including 2008 Dick Howser Trophy, Brooks Wallace Award and Golden Spikes recipient Buster Posey, who played at Florida State. The class also features MLB stars Barry Bonds (Arizona State), Jeff Brantley (Mississippi State), Marquis Grissom (Florida A&M) and Dave Stegman (Arizona).
“We are so excited to announce the 2026 Hall of Fame Class as we continue the buildout for what will become their permanent ‘home’ in Overland Park, Kansas at the College Baseball Hall of Fame,” CEO/Executive Director of the CBF and College Baseball Hall of Fame Tom Jacobs said. “This is another stellar class that represents the absolute best of college baseball. We look forward to celebrating and honoring their accomplishments on February 11, 2027, at the Night of Champions, when they will officially be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. We hope you will join us for their special evening!”
To be eligible for the College Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, players must be out of college for 15 years and have completed one year of competition at a two-year institution in the CCCAA, NJCAA or a four-year NCAA (Division I, II or III) or NAIA institution. Ballot-eligible coaches must be retired for two years or be active and no less than 75 years old.
THE 2026 COLLEGE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
* To be inducted posthumously
Players
- *Earl Bass, Pitcher, University of South Carolina, 1972-75
- Barry Bonds, Outfielder, Arizona State University, 1983-85
- Jeff Brantley, Pitcher, Mississippi State University, 1982-85
- Dave Clark, Outfielder, Jackson State University, 1981-83
- *Bruce Gardner, Pitcher, University of Southern California, 1958-60
- Marquis Grissom, Outfielder/Pitcher, Florida A&M University, 1987-88
- Bobby Jones, Pitcher, Fresno State, 1989-91
- *Bobby Layne, Pitcher, University of Texas, 1944, 1946-48
- Scott Livingstone, Third Baseman, Texas A&M University, 1985-88
- *David McCarty, First Baseman, Stanford University, 1989-91
- Lloyd Peever, Pitcher, Seminole State College, 1990-91 / LSU, 1992
- Buster Posey, Shortstop/Catcher, Florida State University, 2006-08
- Mike Smith, Infielder, Indiana University, 1989-92
- Dave Stegman, Outfielder, University of Arizona, 1973-76
- Huston Street, Pitcher, University of Texas, 2002-04
- Brent Strom, Pitcher, University of Southern California, 1968-70
Coaches
- Danny Hall, Head Coach, Kent State University, 1988-93 / Georgia Institute of Technology, 1994-2025
- *Hal Smeltzly, Head Coach, Florida Southern University, 1958-76
Administrators / Contributors / Umpires
- Jim Darby, Contributor, University of California, Berkeley, 1977-current
- Gus Rodriguez, Umpire, Dominican University New York, 1982-2016
- Tony Walsh, Umpire, Austin Peay State University, 1979-2022
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