Year Inducted – 2023
A native of Amherst, Ohio and a 3-year letter winner and captain at Amherst High School, Drew Patton has called Northeast Ohio home his entire life. Drew arrived at the University of Akron in the fall of 1975 and has been positively impacting Greater Akron Baseball ever since. A four-year letterman, two-time co-captain, and 1978 Pitcher of the Year, he was a key contributor and teammate for UA.
After graduating he continued playing for several summer leagues in the Akron area, including Amherst Cuyahoga County AAA, Jack Frost Donuts Cleveland, Akron Insulating, and Roy Hobbs for the Akron White Sox, Orioles, and Grandpa’s Sports Cards A’s. After his playing days, Drew shifted his focus to coaching future generations of baseball players at the University of Akron, Ashland University, and Tiffin University. All told, his coaching career spanned 26 years. During that time, he guided teams to 9 NCAA regionals, including two trips to the NCAA Division II World Series. Individually, he coached five pitchers who became All-American pitchers, 15 who went on to play professional baseball, and two who were drafted in the top 10 rounds of the MLB draft. His guidance extended beyond the mound, as three of his former pitchers are now NCAA Division I coaches. Drew and his wife, Beth, are proud of their daughter Molly, and their son Matt (wife Lauren and granddaughter Georgia Drew).