Boyle County will induct four new members into its re-organized Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday night between games at the Stuart Powell Ford Tough Bowl at Rebel Stadium.
“We are taking the existing hall of fames for baseball, basketball and football and creating one Athletic Hall of Fame. We decided to do this so that we could recognize some of our other athletic alumni who are deserving of recognition,” Boyle athletic director Chris LeMonds said.
Patrick Cooper, Renita Pennington, Daniel Morgan and Ethyle Sleet are the newest members to be inducted.
Patrick Cooper.
Cooper went 10-3 with a 1.12 earned run average with 118 strikeouts his senior year,and walked only 14 batters in 76 innings. He threw a perfect game against East Ridge and signed to play college ball at Eastern Kentucky. He played there for one season before transferring to Des Moines (Iowa) Community College. While there, he went 8-1 on the mound with four complete games and a 3.48 ERA and was named a JUCO All-American. His team reached the National Junior College Association Division II College World Series.
In 2009, he was drafted in the 34th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but decided to sign with Bradley. The following year, he was drafted in the 14th round by the Detroit Tigers and is currently pitching for the Class AA Erie SeaWolves.
Renita Pennington-Leffew.
The Advocate-Messenger's Female Athlete of the Year in 2001, Pennington-Leffew became Boyle's top pitcher and went 15-13 her senior year. She also led the team in hitting with a .479 batting average with 51 hits and 67 stolen bases. She also was a member of the All-Area team as a junior. As an outfielder, she hit .402 with 43 stolen bases as Boyle's lead-off hitter and reached base 72 percent of the time while scoring 39 runs. She had eight doubles, three triples and had an .893 fielding percentage while playing center field.
Pennington-Leffew played at Western Kentucky. She hit .306 while as a freshman while starting 16 games and was second on the team in stolen bases. As a sophomore, she set school records for hits in a game (five) and season (71), batting average (.374), stolen bases in a game (three) and season (27), and fielding percentage by an outfielder (.973). She was third in the Sun Belt Conference in batting and second in steals, and scored a team-high 40 runs.
Daniel Morgan.
A 2002 graduate, Morgan was the Class AA boys state cross country champion as a junior and regional champion his junior and senior seasons. He won Class AA¿boys state championships in track and field as a junior in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs and added two relays state titles as a senior. He was a member of the 2003 Class AA All-State team in the 1,600 and 3,200. Morgan signed with George Washington University, where he ran from 2003-2006.
Ethyle Sleet.
Sleet, a 1971 graduate, won the Class A girls 70-yard hurdles in a state record 9.9 seconds in 1969. In 1970, she set another state record in the 70-yard hurdles when she ran it in 9.8 seconds and in 1971 she won the 50-yard hurdles in the Mason-Dixon Games, the 50- and 80-yard hurdles at the state meet and finished fifth in the long jump.
“I was never privileged to see Ethyl run track, but I did get to see her run the bases in softball and could she run. She didn’t stop at just being a track star, but continued for years helping with the track program. As Boyle’s track coach for 11 years, I could always count on Ethyl and her sister to be there to help run the meets from timing to running a field event,” Joan Mann said.
All previous hall of fame members are invited to stand at midfield during this year’s recognition ceremony and will all be on the pass list for the bowl games.
“We are taking the existing hall of fames for baseball, basketball and football and creating one Athletic Hall of Fame. We decided to do this so that we could recognize some of our other athletic alumni who are deserving of recognition,” Boyle athletic director Chris LeMonds said.
Patrick Cooper, Renita Pennington, Daniel Morgan and Ethyle Sleet are the newest members to be inducted.
Patrick Cooper.
Cooper went 10-3 with a 1.12 earned run average with 118 strikeouts his senior year,and walked only 14 batters in 76 innings. He threw a perfect game against East Ridge and signed to play college ball at Eastern Kentucky. He played there for one season before transferring to Des Moines (Iowa) Community College. While there, he went 8-1 on the mound with four complete games and a 3.48 ERA and was named a JUCO All-American. His team reached the National Junior College Association Division II College World Series.
In 2009, he was drafted in the 34th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but decided to sign with Bradley. The following year, he was drafted in the 14th round by the Detroit Tigers and is currently pitching for the Class AA Erie SeaWolves.
Renita Pennington-Leffew.
The Advocate-Messenger's Female Athlete of the Year in 2001, Pennington-Leffew became Boyle's top pitcher and went 15-13 her senior year. She also led the team in hitting with a .479 batting average with 51 hits and 67 stolen bases. She also was a member of the All-Area team as a junior. As an outfielder, she hit .402 with 43 stolen bases as Boyle's lead-off hitter and reached base 72 percent of the time while scoring 39 runs. She had eight doubles, three triples and had an .893 fielding percentage while playing center field.
Pennington-Leffew played at Western Kentucky. She hit .306 while as a freshman while starting 16 games and was second on the team in stolen bases. As a sophomore, she set school records for hits in a game (five) and season (71), batting average (.374), stolen bases in a game (three) and season (27), and fielding percentage by an outfielder (.973). She was third in the Sun Belt Conference in batting and second in steals, and scored a team-high 40 runs.
Daniel Morgan.
A 2002 graduate, Morgan was the Class AA boys state cross country champion as a junior and regional champion his junior and senior seasons. He won Class AA¿boys state championships in track and field as a junior in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs and added two relays state titles as a senior. He was a member of the 2003 Class AA All-State team in the 1,600 and 3,200. Morgan signed with George Washington University, where he ran from 2003-2006.
Ethyle Sleet.
Sleet, a 1971 graduate, won the Class A girls 70-yard hurdles in a state record 9.9 seconds in 1969. In 1970, she set another state record in the 70-yard hurdles when she ran it in 9.8 seconds and in 1971 she won the 50-yard hurdles in the Mason-Dixon Games, the 50- and 80-yard hurdles at the state meet and finished fifth in the long jump.
“I was never privileged to see Ethyl run track, but I did get to see her run the bases in softball and could she run. She didn’t stop at just being a track star, but continued for years helping with the track program. As Boyle’s track coach for 11 years, I could always count on Ethyl and her sister to be there to help run the meets from timing to running a field event,” Joan Mann said.
All previous hall of fame members are invited to stand at midfield during this year’s recognition ceremony and will all be on the pass list for the bowl games.
