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- Year:
- 1985-1987
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- Sports Played:
- Baseball Athlete
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- Induction Year:
- 1994
Bio
The newspapers called them “The James Gang,” one of the greatest collection of ballplayers in Orange Coast history. They produced a 23-game winning streak in 1986 and a school-record 35 victories in 1987. At least 25 of the players on those teams continued their collegiate careers. More than a dozen turned professional, and two of those — Brent Mayne and Dave Staton — are in the big leagues. But the undisputed leader of those clubs was Joey James, who re-wrote Pirate record books during his two seasons. After arriving from Newport Harbor High, the powerful left-handed hitting left fielder clouted a state-record 19 homeruns (since broken) as a freshman in 1986 and added 16 more as a sophomore. That’s 15 more than anyone else in school history. He had a career average of .408, a school standard, and hit .443 in ’86. He owns Pirate records for hits for a season (74 in ’87) and a career (144), runs scored for a season (65 in ’87) and a career (120), runs batted in for a season (80 in ’86) and a career (147), lifetime total bases (281), and several others. After leading the Bucs to a conference title and third-place finish in the 1987 State Tournament, Joey went on to UCLA for a year before signing with the Cleveland Indians. After a three-year minor league career with the Indians and San Francisco Giants, he married Shannon Owens in 1992 prior to his release by the Giants, and opted to end his baseball career.
