Jim Hamrock was a mainstay in center field for the Youngstown State baseball team from 1969 through 1972.
Hamrock, who walked on at YSU and did not play much as a freshman, finished with a career of .325 batting average and was a key part of the YSU lineup as the leadoff batter for three years. Following his walk-on freshman year he earned a scholarship as a sophomore for Coach Dom Rosselli.
In each of his four seasons with the Penguins, YSU won 20-or-more games and set a then school record for most wins (89-48) in four straight seasons.
The 1969 squad was the first team in school history to win more then 20 games. In 1970 and 1971, YSU won 24 games, tied for the sixth most in school history. In 1972, the Penguins finished 20-14.
As a senior, he had 25 hits, scored 29 runs, had seven stolen bases, hit two home runs and had 18 walks. He homered in his final at bat for the Penguins.
Following his senior season, he played the Coaches Tri-State All-Star Game. The game featured college seniors within Ohio who played against seniors from West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
He is the seventh position player who played during 1969 through 1972 era to be inducted into the YSU Hall of Fame.
Hamrock continued his baseball career for the East Side Civics in Youngstown. For the East Side Civics, he won three batting titles and won 10 city championships in 15 years. He played fast pitch softball until age 42.
In 1983, he was inducted into the Youngstown East Side Civics Hall of Fame.
He earned his degree in Civil Engineering and following his graduation in 1973, he worked for the Ohio Edison Company, which is now First Energy Corp., who he has worked for the past 27 years.
For First Energy, he is the Senior Staff Engineer in the Generation Technical Services Department South. He has been the project engineer and manager on various extensive construction projects in the past 15 years.
At Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Hamrock did not participate in athletics. He was 5'4'' when he graduated as senior, but grew to 6-feet following his freshman year at Youngstown State.
Hamrock and his wife Bonnie reside in Poland, Ohio. They have two children, Jeena (15) and Jaclyn (11).
