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Frank Deak, who made his mark coaching at DeWitt and Lansing Community College, is among the latest class of individuals set to join the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame at Jackson Field in downtown Lansing.
Deak is joined in this year's class by Zeeland native Jim Kaat, former Detroit Tigers player Dave Bergman, and Aquinas coach Terry Bocian. They will be formally inducted prior to the Lansing Lugnuts' 7:05 p.m. game against the Dayton Dragons at Jackson Field on Friday, Aug. 15.
Deak had a .782 winning percentage and won 567 games while leading DeWitt from 1968-1969 and 1980-1999. He guided the Panthers to 16 league titles, 13 district championships, five regional titles and four trips to the final four. DeWitt won state championships in 1983 (Class C) and 1993 (Class B). The 1993 season included the Panthers winning 33 straight games.
Deak followed his success at DeWitt by leading the Lansing Community College baseball program for five seasons.
Kaat, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022, recorded 283 victories on the mound during a 25-year career he spent primarily with the Washington Senators. He was a three-time all-star and won 16 Gold Gloves during his playing career. Kaat served as a national broadcaster following his playing career and worked for CBS, NBC, ESPN, ABC and MLB Network. He won seven Emmy Awards during his broadcasting career.
Bergman spent the final nine seasons of his 17-year career in the majors with the Tigers. His contributions went beyond the field and he founded the 13U through 18U Grosse Pointe Baseball Organization Redbirds, which helped hundreds of players earn baseball scholarships.
Bocian became the first college baseball coach in Michigan to reach 1,000 career wins. He led Aquinas for 30 seasons and finished with 1,079 victories. Aquinas had 27 straight seasons with at least 30 wins under his direction.
Contact Brian Calloway at [email protected]. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
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This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Frank Deak, three others joining Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame
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