2012 Hall of Fame Inductee

JEFFREY M. "JEFF' TROUT

Baseball (1980-83)
Inducted in 2012

In the long history of championship baseball at the University of Delaware, few players have matched the pure hitting talents of Jeff Trout. The left-handed hitting second baseman led the Blue Hens to national prominence under Hall of Fame coach Bob Hannah in the early 1980’s, putting together an impressive four-year record of 141-54-1 (.722) that included four East Coast Conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances. A native of Millville, N.J., Trout was a two-time All-ECC selection who was named the ECC Player of the Year and a first team All-American as a senior captain in 1983 when he batted an incredible .519 with 14 home runs, 63 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. Among his school records are standards for career batting average (.519) and single season batting average (.397), hits (98), and runs scored (86). He was named the 1983 UD Co-Outstanding Senior Male Athlete of the Year, was selected in the fifth round of the 1983 Major League Draft, and played for five seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization, rising as high as the AAA level. He earned his degree in education from Delaware in 1983 and has been employed by the Millville Board of Education for the last 25 years as a history teacher. He also served as a head baseball coach in 1992-98 and was an assistant football coach for 20 years. He and his wife, Debbie, reside in Millville, N.J. and have three children and two grandchildren. His youngest son, Mike, is currently an All-Star Major League outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and is a leading candidate for 2012 American League Rookie of the Year honors.