JACKSON, Miss. – Jim Page, a man synonymous with Millsaps College, is receiving his call from the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. A standout, four-year letterwinner and coach of 34 seasons – all at Millsaps – is among eight to be inducted next summer into the prestigious Hall of Fame Class of 2023, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday.
 
"It leaves you speechless," Page said of receiving the news. "I think of how blessed I have been to graduate from Millsaps College and then get offered the job to coach at my alma mater … I fell in love with this place in 1981 as a player and it is so much more than baseball. The school, the professors; I didn't think anyone could be so nice."

Page has amassed a career coaching record of 815-554-3, which is nearly a .600 winning percentage. He is the winningest coach in program history, which has sported teams on and off since 1908.

Joining Coach Page as part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 are Jeff Herrod, Paul Maholm, John Mangum, Tony Rosetti, Carol Ross, Patrick Surtain and Lewis Tillman. More information on each inductee can be found here.

Beginning his coaching tenure in 1989, Coach Page sits 11th among active NCAA Division III coaches, and 36th on the all-time DIII wins list. Around the Magnolia State, Page is ranked fifth all-time in career collegiate baseball coaching wins.
 
"It couldn't mean more coming from a place as nice as Mississippi," Page said. "I am beyond humbled to join the greats like Will Clark, Harper Davis, Claude Passeau, Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and so many others. It's beyond special, I can't even begin to describe what it means to me."

Born in Fairfax, Va., and raised in nearby Woodbridge, Page garnered his eighth conference coach of the year recognition in 2022. He was named the 2013 South Region Coach of the Year following an appearance in the NCAA Division III College World Series.
 
His teams have also generated nine conference championships and eight NCAA regional berths. In 2009, Page's squad was the first in school history to be ranked No. 1 nationally after a 19-1 start.

"We are ecstatic about Jim's inclusion in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame," said Millsaps College Director of Athletics Aaron Pelch. "No coach in Mississippi over the last 30 years has left a more profound mark on baseball than Jim Page. While his teams have achieved outstanding accomplishments, his contributions to local youth baseball and the amount of lives he has impacted through the sport cannot be overstated."

During Page's tenure, he has also coached 30 All-South Region players, 11 Conference Players of the Year, 10 American Baseball Coaches' All-Americans, seven D3baseball.com All-Americans and five Conference Pitchers of the Year. In total, eight of his players have gone on to play professionally.

His teams claimed a record five consecutive conference championships from 1990-94 and their first two NCAA regional appearances in the 1995-96 seasons. The 1996 team also led the nation in doubles and finished ranked 19th in the country.

A standout student-athlete at third base and pitcher, Page attended Millsaps from 1981-85. He was later inducted into the Millsaps College Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 after posting a blistering, program-best .487 batting average his senior season.

During Page's decorated senior campaign, he tallied 33 RBIs, seven home runs, scored 19 runs and drew 19 walks in 76 at-bats. Acknowledged as a leader back then, he was tabbed the team's most valuable player as a sophomore and senior.
 
"Jim Page is Millsaps baseball," said 2006 Millsaps baseball graduate Garner Wetzel. "But he is so much more than that to all of us that played for him. It is an amazing family that he has led for 34 seasons. No one has done it better, with as much class and had as much fun as Coach Page. With all of our love, gratitude and respect, congratulations, Coach Page!"

Page credits learning from great Mississippi coaches like Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer Ron Polk, Pat McMahon and Jim Case. Not only did he see how they executed X's and O's, but he observed how they interacted with people, communicated and reacted in tough situations.
 
Today, Page is respected on a national and local level. He has been a speaker at the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Convention. Locally he has provided his knowledge to high school student-athletes, Little League organizations, at All-Star events and talks with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) at Millsaps.

Additionally, Millsaps College baseball youth camps have also become a Jackson-area institution. Beginning in 1992, Page now hosts three camps a year with an average of 150-200 campers. Page says the success of the camps and his baseball programs have made it hard to leave Millsaps. Seeing them grow to their successes today is one of his proudest accomplishments.
 
"Coach Page exemplifies everything good with Millsaps College," said 2004 Millsaps baseball graduate Doug Garner. "His legacy continues to grow in the game and I along with many of my teammates are so happy for him receiving this honor that he overwhelmingly deserves. He was the deciding factor for me to choose Millsaps to further my education and playing career – still to this day one of the best decisions of my life!"

On campus, Page saw the Millsaps baseball program open the outdoor Con Maloney Training Facility in 2005. The program then dedicated the Joy & Will Crenshaw Practice Facility, which features a state-of-the art indoor hitting facility and player's lounge in 2022. The lounge and press box at Twenty Field are both named in his honor.
 
"I would like to thank the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, and Millsaps College for giving me an opportunity as a young man," Page said. "Millsaps has felt like a family and they have certainly taken care of me as their own. I would also like to thank my family for putting up with my busy schedule, my players and all the assistant coaches for helping me along the way."
 
Page is Millsaps to the core. He and his wife, Cindy, have two daughters, Caitlyn and Jamie Blair, along with two sons, Keaton and Case. All are Millsaps graduates, while Case is currently a junior on the Millsaps baseball team.
 
Page becomes the 23rd member associated with Millsaps College to be enshrined into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. A full list of Hall of Famers along with Page's year-by-year coaching records can be found below. The members of the Class of 2023 will be inducted into the Hall of Fame officially in the summer. Ticket and event information will be announced at a later date.
 
"This announcement is very humbling and whether I deserve this honor or not, I will always try to honor it and finish my career while I'm rounding third heading home," Page said. "It's one more reason besides the love of Millsaps, the players, the game of baseball to give everything you can give to them. It's one more reason to try and make sure we do it the right way. I'm very appreciative of it all."
 

School	Year	Record	Notable
Millsaps College	1989	11-17
Millsaps College	1990	19-18
Millsaps College	1991	27-10-1
Millsaps College	1992	23-16	SCAC Coach of the Year
Millsaps College	1993	21-13-1	SCAC Coach of the Year
Millsaps College	1994	26-12	SCAC Coach of the Year
Millsaps College	1995	25-13	SCAC Coach of the Year
Millsaps College	1996	30-10
Millsaps College	1997	20-13
Millsaps College	1998	20-19
Millsaps College	1999	15-22
Millsaps College	2000	19-20-1
Millsaps College	2001	29-11
Millsaps College	2002	23-17
Millsaps College	2003	28-17	SCAC Coach of the Year
Millsaps College	2004	33-9
Millsaps College	2005	29-17	SCAC Coach of the Year
Millsaps College	2006	37-13
Millsaps College	2007	35-11
Millsaps College	2008	29-18
Millsaps College	2009	34-10	*Ranked No. 1 in D3baseball.com Poll
Millsaps College	2010	25-15
Millsaps College	2011	24-18
Millsaps College	2012	28-16
Millsaps College	2013	38-14	College World Series Berth, SAA Coach of the Year
Millsaps College	2014	23-19
Millsaps College	2015	29-14
Millsaps College	2016	20-21
Millsaps College	2017	19-23
Millsaps College	2018	25-19
Millsaps College	2019	10-33
Millsaps College	2020	7-11
Millsaps College	2021	10-24
Millsaps College	2022	24-21	SAA Coach of the Year
	34 Seasons	Career Record: 815-554-3

Inductee	Connection to Millsaps	Time at Millsaps	Year Inducted
Lyle Baker	Graduate/Sportswriter	1948-51	2004
McNeil "Doby" Bartling	Football Coach	1946-51	1977
J.E. "Jim" Baxter	Football/Basketball Athlete	1923-26	1969
John "Johnny" Brewer	Volunteer Assistant FB Coach	1989-92	2004
Sean Brewer	Football Athlete	1989-92	2016
Jack Carlisle	Assistant FB Coach	2000-01	2004
A.G. "Windy" Crawford	BSB/BK/FB/Track Athlete	1924-28	1972
Julius Harper "Harper" Davis	Football Coach	1964-89	1980
Tranny Lee Gaddy	Football Coach	1931-38	1965
E.W. "Goat" Hale	Football Coach	1928-30	1961
W.E. "Slew" Hester	Tennis/FB/BSB/BK/Track Athlete	1929-33	1968
Edward "Eddie" Khayat	Football Athlete	1953	2004
Con Maloney	Graduate	1960-61	2011
David "Dave" McIntosh	FB/BK Athlete	1945-49	1973
Mary Mills	Women's Golf Athlete	1958-62	1987
Jim Page	BSB Coach/Athlete	1981-Present	2023
Claude Passeau	BSB/BK/FB/Track Athlete	1928-32	1964
Henry Louis "Hook" Stone	Football Coach	1939-41	1967
John Stroud	Men's Basketball Coach	1990-2003	2009
Bob Tyler	Football Coach	2000-02	2022
B.O. Van Hook	BSB/BK Athlete; BSB/BK/FB Coach; AD	1915-18; 25-45	1981
Samuel "Sam" Vick	BSB/BK/FB Athlete	1914-16	1967
Charlie "Chunkin" Ward	BSB/BK/FB Athlete	1939-41	1979