TYLER, TEXAS – The 2007 Baseball Team will be one of five inductees into the UT Tyler Hall of Fame, marking another historic class that will be forever remembered on campus.
Head coach and UT Tyler hall of famer James Vilade spoke on that team and how they ultimately shaped the entirety of the program.
"The one thing about the 2007 team is they are essentially the pioneers to that program. Some of those guys on the team helped start the program in its first year. Perseverance and handling adversity became the tone. They were team-oriented every day."
Due to their provisional status with the NCAA, the program was not eligible to compete for the postseason until 2008. That meant anyone that joined the program in its infancy, would not be able to see postseason baseball.
"People understood that we were building a program. Our guys embraced the challenge of the season ending due to no postseason. It was part of the adversity that our guys handled so well. I told them 'You won't remember all the games, but you will remember who you played with.' They knew it was a great school, great community, and those guys helped turn the program from its infancy into a successful program."
That team would ultimately finish 37-1 overall and win the ASC East Division title for the second time in program history. They went 23-0 at home at Irwin Field and finished 17-1 in ASC play. 12 players earned All-ASC honors, Vilade was named the ASC East Coach of the Year, five players earned All-Region honors, and Brett Amyx was named a D3Baseball.com All-American in the program's final season of NCAA Provisional Membership.
"Irwin Field is my favorite field on the planet to this day. Bob and Mary Irwin believed in us from the start and gave us that magic to go 23-0 at home and be successful in our home ballpark."
Coach Vilade also looks back at the coaches and team members that helped shape the foundation of the program. "It goes back to the leadership and the team leaders who set the standard. It was all team oriented. Everyone celebrated everyone's successes and the team showed up day in and day out. Everyone was for each other."
Vilade also mentioned one other standout member of the program, Joey Moore. Joey was a special needs foster child that the Patriots found through the Gifts of Love organization.
The Patriots "adopted" Joey and gave him #7 to make him part of the team. He grew right alongside the program and ultimately he was adopted by the Moore family and given his own home.
Joey's legacy continues to live on, as his story helped play a role in the founding of Keeper of the Game, an organization that helps provide athletes with disabilities and special needs access to unique baseball and softball opportunities.
That team will go down in history as one of the top in program history, and hopes to leave behind a legacy of what it meant to build the program from the ground up.
"Belief and resilience are what I take from that team. Those guys played with freedom and so much joy and battled through the season. Those things still stick with me throughout my coaching career. I just enjoyed seeing them enjoy the game together. The team still celebrates victories by present day teams, and still help connect with coaches and players that represent the program."
