Seventh Annual ASUN Hall of Fame Broadcast Scheduled for this Monday, November 22
2020 Class | 2019 Class | 2018 Class | 2017 Class | 2016 Class | 2015 Inaugural Class
ATLANTA, Ga. - The seventh annual induction ceremony for the ASUN Conference Hall of Fame is set to take place on Monday, Nov. 22, with a virtual reception at 7 PM ET. The Class of 2021 inductees features five individuals that left an incredible mark on both their universities and the league - Belmont's Rick Byrd, FGCU's Richard Bleier, Jacksonville's Ben Smith, Lipscomb's Stefine "Jake" Pease and Stetson's Jacob deGrom.
This year's class joins the other 27 individuals which comprised the conference's first six classes. Information about prior Hall of Fame inductees and the ASUN can be found at www.asunhalloffame.org. Additional bios, videos, photo galleries and news for the Class of 2021 are also set to launch on the day of the ceremony.
Rick Byrd
Belmont | 2001-12 (Men's Basketball)
A two-time ASUN Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year, Byrd guided Belmont for each of the 11 years it was a member of the league. During that time, he led the Bruins to five ASUN Championship titles and NCAA Tournament appearances including three straight from 2006-08 and then back-to-back crowns during the final two years from 2011-12. Belmont also won five ASUN Regular Season titles in 11 seasons. As a member of the ASUN, Byrd's teams appeared in conference postseason play in seven of those 11 seasons and posted a winning record in nine.
Belmont registered a 30-5 overall record and 19-1 mark in league play during the 2010-11 campaign. The 19 conference victories still rank as the best in ASUN history while the 30 wins in a season are tied for the most ever by a league team.
Byrd retired from coaching in 2019 with a career record of 805-402 (.667) including previous stints as Head Coach at both Maryville and Lincoln Memorial. At Belmont, he finished with a 713-347 (.673) record. In 11 years in the ASUN, Byrd guided two Player of the Year winners, one Defensive Player of the Year recipient, a pair of Freshman of the Year honorees, and 21 All-Conference selections.
Richard Bleier
FGCU | 2006-08 (Baseball)
The 2008 ASUN Conference Unanimous Pitcher of the Year, Bleier was named First Team All-Conference, All-PING! Third Team All-American and was selected to the Roger Clemens Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List in the same season. He was also named to the 2001-10 ASUN All-Decade Baseball Team and earned a spot on the All-South Region Second Team his sophomore season.
Bleier's career winning percentage of .810 (17-4) is an FGCU program-best while he ranks fourth in both complete games (6) and ERA (2.70) while ranking eighth with 17 career wins. During his Eagles career, he made 46 appearances with 26 starts and had 181 strikeouts in 209.2 innings pitched. Finished with a 7-1 record and team-best 2.09 ERA with 76 strikeouts and a team-low 17 walks in 90.1 innings pitched during his junior campaign in 2008. The previous season, Bleier was among the national leaders in both wins (8) and strikeouts (84).
A sixth-round draft choice of the Texas Rangers in 2008, Bleier made his MLB debut in 2016 with the New York Yankees. After being traded to the Baltimore Orioles, he posted a career year in 2017 with a 2-1 record and 1.99 ERA in 57 appearances out of the bullpen. In 2018, had a 1.93 ERA in 31 relief appearances with a 3-0 record before suffering a season-ending injury. Currently a member of the Miami Marlins, Bleier was a member of its 2020 squad that advanced to the NLDS as he posted a 2.63 ERA in 19 appearances with a 1-1 record that season. This season, he is 2-0 in 31 appearances for Miami with a 3.04 ERA and 23 strikeouts.
Ben Smith
Jacksonville | 2006-10 (Men's Basketball)
Smith earned three All-Conference First Team selections during his illustrious Jacksonville career making him one of just 11 players in league history to accomplish the feat. He also was named to the 2006-07 All-Freshmen Team after leading the Dolphins to an 11-7 mark in ASUN play. Smith is just one of eight players to be named a three-time All-Tournament Team honoree and led Jacksonville to the ASUN Championship title games in 2009 and 2010, culminating in NIT appearances both years. As the No. 8 seed in the 2010 NIT, the Dolphins upset No. 1 Arizona State (67-66) in the first round on Smith's game-winning three pointer. Smith guided JAX to both of its ASUN Regular Season crowns in program history as the Dolphins won the distinction in back-to-back seasons in 2008-09 (15-5) and 2009-10 (14-6).
Smith still has his name atop five categories in the Jacksonville record book for career assists (515), steals (230), three-point field goal attempts (625), free throws made (609) and minutes played (4,472) while ranking second all-time with 1,971 career points. In the ASUN record book, he ranks second in free throws made, fifth in steals, 12th in points and 14th in assists. Smith averaged 15.8 points, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals per contest during his Dolphin career.
Playing professionally for the past six years, Smith's career has taken him overseas to the countries of Sweden, Iceland, Greece and France. As an All-Star selection, he has led several leagues in scoring, including the French NM1 League.
Stefine "Jake" Pease
Lipscomb | 2007-10 (Volleyball)
A two-time Tournament MVP and the 2010 ASUN Conference Volleyball Player of the Year, Pease was a member of three ASUN Championship title squads during her time playing for the Bisons. From 2007-10, Lipscomb had a combined conference record of 54-7 and 93-34 overall mark with 61 of those 93 wins coming in three sets. The Bisons combined for a 30-0 league record during Pease's final two seasons. She was also named the ASUN Freshman of the Year and AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year in 2007. She is one of only 14 players in league history to be named to the All-Conference First Team three times and one of just three to earn four All-Tournament Team selections.
For her career, Pease ranks in the top-10 for both assists (3rd; 5,159) and assists per set (7th; 11.39) in the ASUN record book to go along with numerous top-10 single-season marks. Her assists, assists per set and service attempts (1,718) are all on top in Lipscomb program history while she ranks fourth in career aces (90) and sixth in digs (1,051). Pease was a part of teams that own 14 single-season team records and 11 single-match team records all-time at Lipscomb. For her career, Pease also collected a pair of ASUN Player of the Week awards.
Pease, a native of Berryton, Kan., graduated from Lipscomb University in 2011 with a Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising and earned a master's degree in Math Education. She worked as a graduate assistant for Coach Brandon Rosenthal and now directs the volleyball program at Lipscomb Academy while also teaching Geometry.
Jacob deGrom
Stetson | 2008-10 (Baseball)
Best known for his pitching, deGrom began his collegiate career at Stetson as an infielder before seeing valuable time on the mound during his junior season with the Hatters in 2010. That season, he pitched in 17 games, 12 as a starter, posting a 4-5 record with a 4.48 ERA to go along with a pair of saves. He had 56 strikeouts in 82.1 innings of work. He ranks first in Stetson history with 1.73 walks per nine innings. deGrom's lone career home run at Stetson came in the 2010 ASUN Championship against ASUN Pitcher of the Year Chris Sale of FGCU.
deGrom was selected in the ninth round (272nd overall) of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft by the New York Mets. He made his MLB debut for the Mets on May 15, 2014, in a start against the New York Yankees pitching seven innings and allowing just one run with six strikeouts while also recording his first career hit. He went on to post a 9-6 record with a 2.69 ERA that season to earn the National League Rookie of the Year award.
A three-time MLB All-Star selection (2015, 2018-19), deGrom won a career-best 15 games in 2017 and led all of baseball with a 1.70 ERA in 2018 to earn his first NL Cy Young Award. He became the 10th player in MLB history to win the award in back-to-back seasons after claiming the honor again in 2019 with an 11-8 record, 2.43 ERA and a league-high 255 strikeouts. This season, deGrom is 7-2 and leads all of baseball with a 0.95 ERA with 136 strikeouts in 85.0 innings of work. For his professional career, deGrom is 77-53 with a 2.50 ERA. He has compiled 1,495 strikeouts with four complete games and two shutouts.
ASUN Conference, Atlanta, Ga. - the only DI conference headquartered in the ATL, our footprint's primary media, sports, business, transportation and cultural hub
The ASUN, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, boasts a membership of institutions that share visionary leadership, bold ambition and creative innovation. As a nimble adaptive conference, unafraid to blaze a national pathway for better service to our student-athletes, teams, and institutions, the ASUN has a proud history of firsts, national academic and athletic achievements and a conference culture that walks the walk with its four ASUN Beams. Students First! Rise. Connect. Impact. #ASUNBuilt by Bellarmine (Louisville), Central Arkansas (Conway), Eastern Kentucky (Richmond), FGCU (Fort Myers), Jacksonville (Fla.), Jacksonville State (Jacksonville, Ala.), Kennesaw State (Ga.), Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.), Lipscomb (Nashville), North Alabama (Florence), North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), and Stetson (DeLand, Fla.). Austin Peay, based in Clarksville, Tenn., is set to join the league in the 2022-23 academic year.