NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association HOF inducts two
Charlotte, NC – The NJCAA has announced two honorees to be inducted into the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Two coaches have been admitted to the honorable 2024 class. Read below for more on Bobby Sprowl and John Stratton.
Bobby Sprowl | Coach | Shelton State Community College (AL)
Bobby Sprowl is in his 34th season as the head coach of the Shelton State Community College baseball team. Sprowl has won 1,146 games in his time at Shelton State, leading him to be one of 11 coaches in the State of Alabama to break the 1,000-win milestone. He also ranks 21st on the all-time wins list for NJCAA baseball coaches and is seventh amongst active NJCAA head coaches. Sprowl is a five-time Alabama Community College Conference Coach of the Year and a 2009 Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee.
Under his leadership, the Bucs have won six ACCC State Championship titles and made six trips to the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series. Sprowl has sent more than 250 players to four-year schools with 30 players being drafted into the MLB. Outside of Shelton State, Sprowl has coached at the University of Alabama as an assistant coach and pitching coach.
Before taking the field as a coach, Sprowl spent eight seasons in professional baseball playing for the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles.
John Stratton | Coach | Arizona Western College
John Stratton made his way to Arizona Western in 1985 and led the Matadors for 27 seasons. Under his leadership, the Arizona Western baseball team won three ACCAC titles, three Region 1 titles, and the Matadors' lone NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series appearance in 1996. Throughout his career, he produced 12 30+ win seasons and 20 winning seasons overall. Stratton led the Matadors to their first 40-win season in program history in 1995 and then repeated that achievement in 1996.
Stratton is a 2020 ACCAC Hall of Fame inductee and a 2023 Arizona Western College Hall of Fame inductee. He was named Western District Region 1 Coach of the Year and received the Louisville Slugger Award for Excellence in Coaching. During his time at Arizona Western, Stratton coached three MLB players and helped advance countless former players to the four-year level. Other coaching accomplishments include serving as a USA Junior Nationals coach and leading the NJCAA All-Star team in the Netherlands.
Retiring in 2011, Stratton left Arizona Western as the longest-tenured and winningest coach in any sport for the Matadors. Now, he occasionally serves as an analyst for numerous Arizona Western baseball games.
