GRIZZLIES' COACH NOTCHES HOF HONORS
SAUGET, Illinois – Legendary St. Louis Cardinals infielder and current Gateway Grizzlies hitting coach, Ken Oberkfell, was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday. Oberkfell is part of a memorable 2018 class enshrined for Illinois.
Oberkfell began his career in the big leagues as a second baseman, but eventually made his way around to third base. In 1982 he played third base for the World Series Champion Cardinals as part of an infield considered by many to be the greatest defensive infield of all time. This included Keith Hernandez (1st base), Tommy Herr (2nd base), and Ozzie Smith (shortstop). That year Oberkfell hit the game winning single against the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.
Oberkfell spent a total of 15 years in major league baseball with a career batting average of .278 with 1,354 hits and 446 RBIs.
After retiring from playing, Oberkfell spent a number of years coaching in minor league, major league, and independent baseball across the country. In 2017 he joined the Gateway Grizzlies staff as hitting coach.
On Thursday Oberkfell was inducted with a standout Hall of Fame class including:
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Arthur Johnson (Boxing)
Larry Graham (Basketball)
Rusty Lisch (Football)
Rita Menke (Softball)
Darrin Plab (Track and Field)
Joe Reiniger (Soccer)
Dick Schofield (Baseball)
"Ducky" Schofield (Baseball)
Nancy Scranton (Golf)
Joe Wiley (Basketball)
ABOUT THE GATEWAY GRIZZLIES: The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team, located a mere 100-yards from I-255 (10 minutes from downtown St. Louis). The Grizzlies offer baseball fans entertainment, the likes of which are difficult to find - affordable, family, fun in the comfortable GCS Credit Union Ballpark with a great view of the St. Louis skyline. For tickets or general information please visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call 618.337.3000.
ABOUT THE FRONTIER LEAGUE: The Frontier League is a professional, independent baseball organization. Since its inception, the Frontier League has provided millions of fans to a fun and exciting baseball experience within the American Midwest. Consisting of 12 teams in two divisions and 96 game schedules, the league is recognized for the amount of talented athletes that are picked up by various MLB teams every year.