Baseball | April 27, 2023

AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken Department of Athletics is set for the upcoming Randy Warrick Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which is slated to be held Saturday, Apr. 29.

Tickets for the ceremony are no longer on sale.

Five former student-athletes and one contributor are to be enshrined. Those include Matt Atkins (Golf), Ashley Diedrich (Volleyball), Chad Jacobsen(Baseball), Joe Kucharski (Voice of Pacer Athletics), Wayne Slocum (Baseball) and Ronald Zimmerman (Men's Basketball). 

Atkins, a native of Owensboro, Ky., was a two-time All-American on the links and was an Academic All-American in the classroom. A two-time PBC all-tournament team selection, he was named the PBC Golfer of the Year as a senior. As a sophomore, his round of 67 at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate as the team's lowest of the season. Atkins' 72.5 scoring average as a junior put him into the top five single-season scoring averages at USC Aiken. As a senior, he won the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate by shooting four-under par, 206. Atkins also won the PBC Championship his last season. He still ranks as one of the top 10 all-time career scoring leaders at USC Aiken. 

Diedrich, a native of Orlando, Fla., was a two-time All-American. The two-time PBC Player of the Year garnered PBC Freshman of the Year accolades in 2012. The six-time PBC Player of the Week is fifth on the PBC rally scoring career list for kills with 1,336. She's also fifth in PBC history for aces in a career (136). She was named to the PBC all-tournament team in 2015. Diedrich had a career-high 32 kills in the win over King in 2014. For her career, she registered 1,618 points. During her junior year, she tallied 4.78 points per frame and registered 4.44 points per set as a senior. Diedrich led the team to a PBC regular-season title and a pair of NCAA Tournament bids, including the program's first-ever No. 1 seed.   

Jacobsen, a native of Littleton, Colo., was the 2008 National Player of the Year. An All-American as a senior, Jacobsen picked up all-conference honors twice. The PBC Player of the Year in 2008 holds the league record for hits in a season (108). Jacobsen's .439 batting average in 2008 is second on the school's Division II list as is his .392 career mark. The 25 doubles he hit in 2007 is a school record and ranks fifth in PBC history. As a senior, Jacobsen crushed 22 home runs, had 21 doubles and a pair of triples while slugging .809. The two-time PBC Player of the Week also sported a 1.354 OPS while carrying a .545 on-base percentage. He was drafted in the 18^th round by the Colorado Rockies.   

Kucharski, a native of St. Louis, Mo., has been the Voice of USC Aiken since 2001. Kucharski has handled PA duties for every sport throughout his time as a Pacer, numbering over 1,500 games. He has been the emcee for every Hall of Fame ceremony and every end-of-year banquet put on by the Department of Athletics. Kucharski has handled PA duties for numerous PBC Tournaments, nine NCAA Regional Tournaments held at USC Aiken and two NCAA Division II Soccer Final Fours since his arrival at USC Aiken.

Slocum, a native of Belmar, N.J., was the 1985 NAIA National Player of the Year. That same year, he picked up NAIA District 6 Player of the Year and Area Player of the Year honors. Slocum was a two-time All-District 6 selection. The outfielder batted over .400 as a junior. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals.  

Zimmerman, a native of Columbia, S.C., was an NABC All-American as a senior. Zimmerman led his squad to the Final Four his senior campaign. The PBC career leader in made three-point field goals, Zimmerman helped the Pacers to the Elite Eight as a junior. That season, he led Division II in three-point field goals made per game and set the program record with 134 three-point field goals. He was eighth nationally in three-point field goal percentage (45.4 percent). Zimmerman poured in a career-high 36 points in the win over UNC Pembroke on his Senior Day, which is 10^th on the USC Aiken Division II single-game scoring list. 

USC Aiken would like to thank the following corporate sponsors for assisting with the event.