Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame announces four-member Class of 2024  

LANSING, Mich. – Detroit Stars legend Turkey Stearnes, University of Michigan record-setter Ken Hayward, high school coaching great Jake Boss, Sr. and longtime Detroit Tigers scout Clyde Weir will be inducted into the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame at Jackson® Field™ on Saturday, July 20, prior to the Lansing Lugnuts’ 7:05 p.m. game with the Great Lakes Loons, the Hall announced today.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2024 was decided by vote of a nine-member committee comprising Joe Block, Mark Ditsworth, Gary Gillette, Fred Heumann, Mario Impemba, Bill Killian, Rich Maloney, Tim Staudt and Mark Uyl.

Founded on January 28, 2015, and housed at Jackson® Field™, the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame’s mission is to honor the state’s baseball heroes of yesterday, celebrate the national pastime today, and inspire the baseball fans and ballplayers of tomorrow. The Hall of Fame celebrates all levels of baseball, from youth to high school to college to the Major Leagues.

A special pre-game ceremony will see the four plaques revealed above the left field wall.

Outfielder Norman “Turkey” Stearnes left his home of Nashville to serve as the shining star atop the Detroit Stars’ lineup from 1923-1931. Stearnes led his Major Negro League in home runs seven times between 1924 and 1940. In 639 career games with the Stars, he hit .360 with 139 homers and a 1.092 OPS, launching a standout 18-year professional playing career. Throughout his career and upon retirement, Stearnes resided in Detroit. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2000.

From 1982-1985, Ken Hayward dominated the Big Ten. On the mound, he posted a 12-2 career record with seven saves. At the plate, the slugger from Waterford set University of Michigan career records for most games played (234), highest batting average (.376) and most runs batted in (207). In 1985 alone, the team captain batted .432 with 13 homers among his 89 hits, accruing 150 total bases and 64 RBIs in 65 games to earn the Big Ten Medal of Honor. In all three years, Hayward was named First Team All-Big Ten and to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

Jake Boss, Sr. embarked upon a 45-year coaching career in 1967, winning over 500 MHSAA games, three Diamond Classics, seven conference championships, 10 district championships and three regional championships. Boss served as the head baseball coach of Lansing Everett High School from 1973-1996, joined the staffs of Eastern Michigan (1996-1999) and Alma (1999-2001), returned to the high school ranks with Lansing Catholic Central from 2002-2008, and closed out his illustrious career at Michigan State University as volunteer assistant coach for his son, Jake Jr., from 2009-2012.

Born in Lansing and a graduate of Western Michigan University, Clyde Weir spotted John Smoltz in 1985 while working as a bird dog for Cleveland. Smoltz was drafted by Detroit that summer, and Weir joined the Tigers’ organization the next season. This marked the start of 37 seasons for Weir as an amateur scout for the Tigers, from 1986 until his death in October 2023. An original member of the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame voting committee, Weir additionally distinguished himself on the softball field; he was inducted into the USA Softball of Michigan Hall of Fame in 2002.

For more information on the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame, visit michiganbaseballhall.org or call (517) 485-4500.

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