ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Many Liberal Bee Jays players have gone on different paths after their careers, and soon, one former Bee Jay will be receiving a big honor.
Kevin Hooper, who played for the Bee Jays for two seasons, will be inducted into the National Baseball Congress (NBC) Hall of Fame. As Hooper tells it, his baseball career has taken him to a wide variety of places.
“I played four years of college baseball as a Wichita State Shocker, and that was from 1996 to 1999, and I played for the Liberal Bee Jays during the summers of 1996 and 1997,” Hooper said. “I started my professional career in 1999 and played for 10 years professionally, and then I became a manager for the former Wichita Wingnuts (the Wichita Wind Surge now), and did that for seven years. Then, I worked for the San Diego Padres for six years, and now I'm in my third year as the director of player development for the Atlanta Braves. While with the Bee Jays, I played as short stop and second baseman, and it was a great time with the Bee Jays. That first summer with the team was actually my first summer playing summer ball in college, so it was a great experience, and I ended up going back the next summer. I loved the whole small-town vibe in Liberal, and my host family was great, and it was wonderful to see all the fans who came out every night to support the Bee Jays. It was a really great experience, and I won't forget my time in Liberal. What brought me to Liberal, it was a mutual conversation between the college coaches and the summer teams, and the Bee Jays had shown some interest in having me on the team, and after talking to my coach at WSU, I ended up going to Liberal. The league was amazing at that time, and I knew it would give me a good opportunity to play baseball past college, which I wanted to do. Those two summers in Liberal definitely helped me learn and grow as a baseball player.”
Hooper received the news rather recently of his upcoming induction into the NBC Hall of Fame, and he said he feels very humbled and honored for the recognition.
“It was about two weeks ago or so when I got the call from the National Baseball Congress people about what was going on. I'd played in the NBC Tournament for three summers and won a title with the El Dorado Broncos in 1998, so all of that led to some very fond memories of being part of that tournament, and it's an honor being inducted into their hall of fame with some other very worthy names,” Hooper said. “I was very humbled and blessed to get that call, and I'm looking forward to the induction ceremony in early August. I've also been inducted into the WSU Hall of Fame and the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame, and those accolades show not only the kind of player you are, but also what kind of person you are. I took a lot of pride in how I conducted myself on and off the field, and I continue that as a coach/manager. It's just a wonderful honor, and my family and I are just so proud.”
Hooper added baseball has been part of his life for as long as he can remember.
“Baseball is something I've been into ever since I can remember, and my mother would probably joke I even had a bat and ball in my crib as a baby,” Hooper said with a laugh. “I fell in love with the game right away, and both of my parents played ball, so basically every weekend saw us at one ballpark or another, and I've got a lot of stories about playing catch with anyone and everyone I could. I'd always loved the game, and I'd watched countless games on TV, so I knew at a rather early age that's what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to play in the major leagues. I was a rather small guy growing up, and I know a lot of people probably wouldn't have seen me playing in college, much less the major leagues. But when I got to college, I really hit the weight room and got bigger and stronger, and my game really took off after that. After I started really honing those skills, I finally thought there might be a decent chance of making it to the professional level, which I ultimately did. I was rather stubborn and wouldn't let anyone tell me what I could or couldn't do, so I just challenged myself and applied myself as much as possible to get to that point. Baseball is something I'm still passionate about to this day, and I'm very privileged to have been able to play for as long as I did and have the career I did, and now I get to share that with my own players.”
The two seasons with the Bee Jays team also helped solidify his resolve, Hooper said.
“Summer ball is really cool because you get not only some guys from your college team, but also some guys from different schools, so it was really neat creating that bond with the other players and just spending the summer together playing ball,” Hooper said. “And all the people I met along the way with my host family and everyone in the community I came across were just amazing, and I can't thank them enough for everything they did for the two seasons I spent with the Bee Jays.”
All of that, Hooper said, ultimately led to him moving to coaching and managing.
“I'd played for the Wingnuts in 2008, and I ended my career there. I later got a phone call about an independent team getting started, and the owners, the Robinsons, offered me a position, which I took after some discussions with my wife and family,” Hooper said. “We were able to make everything work, and I couldn't think of a better way to start my managing career. After my time with the Wingnuts, I moved on to working with the San Diego Padres as the infield coordinator and then field coordinator, and then I went to the Atlanta Braves, where I'm currently the director of player development.”
Overall, Hooper said, he is very proud of his time with the Liberal Bee Jays, and added he and his family are excited for the induction ceremony in August.
“I'm really excited to see everyone who's going to be there, and I know I'll also make a short speech to thank everyone. There are so many people who helped influence me and my career, and it'll also be great having my family there with me to accept the induction,” Hooper said. “I'm so, so grateful for the two seasons I was in Liberal with the Bee Jays team not only from the baseball standpoint, but also just the overall wonderful people I came across while I was there.”
