Cards slugger joins UNLV Hall of Fame

Ryan Ludwick knew it was coming. He just wasn’t sure when.

The former Durango High School star outfielder, who played for UNLV from 1997 to 1999 and is the starting right fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, got the call this week that he is being inducted into the Rebels’ Athletic Hall of Fame.

"I don’t want to sound arrogant or cocky, but I kind of expected it," said Ludwick, who had a batting average of .363 and 43 home runs in his three seasons with UNLV. "The numbers were there. But the phone call was surprising, though."

Ludwick, a first-team freshman All-American in 1997, will be honored Oct. 1 at the M Resort as one of six individual inductees.

Joining Ludwick will be place-kicker Nick Garritano, golfer Jeremy Anderson, soccer player Danny Barber, softball catcher Julie Crandall and men’s tennis coach Larry Easley. The 1994 football team and the 1985 men’s soccer team also will be honored.

"As an amateur, it’s as big an honor as you can get," Ludwick said. "I obviously enjoyed my years at UNLV. I met a lot of great people, and it was another steppingstone in the process of getting to the big leagues."

Garritano, the second-leading scorer in UNLV football history with 240 points, kicked for the Rebels from 1991 to 1994. The Chaparral High graduate was a semifinalist in 1994 for the Lou Groza Award, which goes to the nation’s top kicker. He made 5 of 7 attempts from 50 yards or more that season.

"To be involved in UNLV football is not an easy task," said Garritano, who has been coaching baseball at Green Valley High for the last 12 years and also helps coach the Gators’ girls golf team. "You go through some tough times. So to go out a winner like we did (in 1994) and to be selected for this honor is very special to me.

"To tell you the truth, I’m more excited to be going in with the team than going in as an individual."

Anderson, a member of UNLV’s 1996 NCAA golf championship squad, is the only athlete in school history to be a three-time All-American and a three-time Academic All-American.

He was voted Player of the Year in two conferences (1999 Western Athletic and 2000 Mountain West), won five college tournaments and owns the school record for lowest 18-hole score (63), lowest 54-hole score (198) and lowest scoring average for a season (70.85 strokes) and a career (72.01).

Barber, one of two Rebels soccer players to earn All-America status, was a Freshman All-American in 1989. He is UNLV’s career assists leader with 26 and was a first-team all-conference selection his junior and senior seasons.

Crandall played for the 1995 softball squad that took third place at the Women’s College World Series and is considered the top catcher in the program’s history. She had a .324 career batting average and is tied for second in school history with 50 doubles. As a senior in 1998, she hit .361 with nine home runs.

Easley, who was the longest-tenured men’s tennis coach in school history, headed the program from 1992 to 2003. He posted a 141-120 record and won three conference championships.

He coached Luke Smith to the NCAA singles title in 1997, and his top doubles team of Smith and Tim Blenkiron captured the NCAA doubles championship. Easley died in 2005 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The 1994 football team, coached by Jeff Horton, went 7-5 overall and won a share of the Big West championship with a 5-1 record. The team also won the Las Vegas Bowl, 52-24 over Central Michigan.

The 1985 soccer team, coached by Barry Barto, set a school record for wins in a season with 18 and reached the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.