Former Liberty Head Baseball Coach Al Worthington to be Inducted into the VBCA Hall of Fame
12/7/2023 1:20:00 PM | Baseball
The Virginia Baseball Coaches Association (VBCA) has announced that former Liberty Head Baseball Coach and Athletics Director Al Worthington will be honored as part of the association's second Hall of Fame class at its annual convention. The Hall of Fame reception will be held on Dec. 15 at the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks in Fairfax, Va.
Worthington is one of eight members of the class which "encompasses nearly every region of the state and includes those who have invested hours of leadership and guidance at several amateur levels in the commonwealth".
A member of the 2010 Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame class, Worthington used the knowledge gained from 19 years of playing major league baseball and his passion for Christ to help him become one of Liberty's first coaching legends.
A native of Birmingham, Ala., Worthington pitched in the majors from 1953-69 and posted a mark of 75-82 in 602 games while pitching with the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins.
During his five seasons with the Twins from 1964-69, the right-hander became that team's first true closer and finished his Major League career with 111 saves. He appeared in two World Series games with the Twins in 1965 against the Dodgers.
In 1974, Worthington came to Lynchburg to start Liberty's baseball program. His 13-year coaching stint enabled him to become the winningest coach in program history and finish his career with a 343-189-1 record and a .644 winning percentage. Following the first year of the program, Liberty never again had a losing record during the final dozen years under Worthington's tutelage.
During his time at the head of the program, Worthington coached four All-Americans and three players who went on to play in the majors - Sid Bream, Lee Guetterman and Randy Tomlin. In addition, he coached six Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame members Jeff Mincey (2020), Renard Brown (2019), Tomlin (2016), Pat Sipe (2015), Gutterman (2010) and Bream (2009).
In 1983, Worthington became Liberty's fifth athletics director, a role he held until he retired in 1989. During the final years of his tenure at Liberty, he helped usher Liberty Athletics into the NCAA Division I ranks on Sept. 1, 1988.
On May 3, 1986, Dr. Jerry Falwell named Liberty's baseball facility Worthington Stadium. Liberty would go on to win that day, 19-3, against Maryland, capping off Worthington's stellar 13-year coaching career.
In 2013, the Flames moved to their current facility, the Liberty Baseball Stadium, and on Oct. 19, 2019, the field was named Worthington Field in Worthington's honor.
The VBCA board of directors compiled names and solicited nominations of retired baseball coaches from around the state for Hall of Fame mention. Started six years ago to unite, educate and support baseball coaches in Virginia, the VBCA envisions recognizing Hall of Fame classes of three to eight coaches each year at its annual convention.
