SENATOBIA – Former Northwest pitcher Johnny Ray has been selected as this year's inductee into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame.
Ray will become the 17th all-time inductee from Northwest enshrined into the hall of fame since its establishment in 2007. This year's ceremony was scheduled for April 25 but will not be rescheduled due to the effects of COVID-19.
A native of Olive Branch, Ray played baseball at Northwest from 1986-87 and posted a career record of 10-3, including a 7-1 overall mark and 2.20 ERA as a freshman. That same year, Ray helped the Rangers and coach Jim Miles to a 44-6 record and a pair of division and MACJC championships, earning himself All-MACJC Honorable Mention accolades.
As a sophomore in 1987, Ray posted a 3-2 record with an ERA of 2.27 and caught the attention of Delta State University, where he continued his career from 1988-89.
In June 1989, Ray signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds and played five seasons compiling a 48-29 pitching record in the minor league system. He led the Reds farm system with 16 wins in 1991 and struck out 13 batters in nine innings in the Midwest League Championship Game in 1992 while playing for the Charleston Wheelers.
After concluding his playing career, Ray served as the head baseball coach at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis and at Marshall Academy in Holly Springs, Miss. From 1999-2002, Ray served as the assistant baseball coach for Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis and was promoted to the head coaching role in 2004.
In his first season as the head coach at Southwest Tennessee, Ray led the Saluqis to 40 wins and the Region VII championships, earning JUCO Coach of the Year honors by the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association.
Today, Ray serves as the Director of Baseball at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn. He was one of six former Rangers to be inducted into the Northwest Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, joining former football standouts Lonny Calicchio, George "Max" Lee, Bill McCollins and Freddy Rogers, along with former Northwest baseball pitcher Joel Posey.
