WICHITA- Newman Baseball is proud to announce our inaugural induction class to the Ring of Honor: Matt Sexton, Sam Biedron, Ron Douglas and Rick McNerlin. 

The Ring of Honor is a celebration of individual accomplishments by former Newman Jets athletes that were specifically members of the baseball team. This idea was developed by Coach Sanagorski and Coach Maus over the past year, as a way to honor those alumni that had important careers that have made an impact on the program and though may not be Newman Hall of Fame worthy, but still played large roles on their respective teams. 

"One of my big goals when I took over in August of 2019 was to pay homage to Coach Sanagorski and what he built at Newman, as well as celebrate the Jets baseball alumni. It is the largest set of alumni in the Newman Athletic Department, with some of the best athletic history, and I wanted to make sure they were recognized for that." - Coach Maus

Matt Sexton - INF (1981-84): Matt was a 4-year player for the Jets and a member of the 1983 World Series team. To this day, his name is in the top 5 in several school records during the NAIA era, including - Career Hits, Career RBI, Career Runs to name a few. 

"Matt was one of the best shortstops in Newman History. A very competitive player who always played hard. Matt could hit for power and average, having the ability to beat you in a number of ways." - Coach Sanagorski

Sam Biedron - P (1981-83): Sam was a 3-year player for the Jets and a member of the 1983 World Series team. To this day, he holds the school record for Career Strikeouts in the NAIA era, as well as several top 5 categories such as Career Wins and Career Innings Pitched.

"Sam was tough competitor on the mound. A starting pitcher with a 22-8 record in three years for us, he always commanded the strike zone and had a great strikeout to walk ratio. We always knew what we were getting when he was on the mound." - Coach Sanagorski

Ron Douglas - INF (1981-84): Ron was a 4-year player for the Jets and a member of the 1983 World Series team. Ron's name shows up several times in the school record books, with him holding the Career Walks record in the NAIA era, as well as several top 5 categories including - Career Runs Scored and Career RBI. 

"Ron was a true team leader and great competitor. He was an excellent defensive third baseman and a quality college hitter. I loved the way that he played the game. He played it the right way, giving everything he had — you knew he loved the game." - Coach Sanagorski

Rick McNerlin - OF (1981-84): Rick was a 4-year player for the Jets and a member of the 1983 World Series team. With his speed and base running ability, Rick's name shows up a lot in the record books, holding the school record - Season/Career Stolen Bases, Season Walks, as well as being in the top 5 of a couple of other categories. 

"Rick was a very good outfielder with good speed. His ability to get on base and create havoc as a base runner is what made him the perfect lead off hitter. He set the tone for our lineup." - Coach Sanagorski

"I want to thank Paul for taking the time to sit with me on several occasions to iron out the specifics of what we would like this to look like, as well as point me in the right direction of what needed to be focused on with the alumni. These inductees are voted on specifically by Newman Baseball alumni, they decide who goes in and is honored." - Coach Maus

These four honorees, along with Newman Hall of Fame inductees: Paul Sanagorski, Chris Clawson and Kelly Gaul will be inducted into the Ring on Honor at Newman Baseball's inaugural First Pitch Banquet on January 18, 2025. 

More information and tickets for the First Pitch Banquet will be made available shortly.