SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame has announced its 2024 induction class as part of the Kansas City enshrinement ceremony on May 19. Among the 12 individuals selected for induction is former William Jewell baseball coach Fred Flook. Additionally, the Hall will present the annual Diamond 9 Awards, whose recipients include Jewell alumnus Jeremy Strack, '08, and recognizes former Missouri high school or college standouts or those who made positive contributions to the sports of baseball and softball. 

Flook coached baseball for the Cardinals from 1962-1970 and again from 1975-2001. In his 34 seasons, his teams were 740-600-5, with the 1968 team winning the NAIA national championship, the first such title in school history. That team also won the Missouri Collegiate Athletic Union, NAIA District 16 and NAIA Area 3 titles and was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Seven other teams reached the NAIA Tournament under Flook, including in 1976, 1977 and 1983. The 1976 team set the school record in wins (42), but the 1977 team topped it with 43 victories. The 1983 team was 36-12 and won the conference for the 15^th time in 17 years as he guided the Cardinals to 23 conference titles in total. Along with baseball, he also was an assistant coach for football and served 10 years as the head wrestling coach. Flook, also a member of the NAIA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, is retired and living near Cape Girardeau. 

A 2004 graduate of Gardner Edgerton High School, Strack was an All-Frontier League shortstop in addition to playing football and basketball. At Fort Scott Community College, he earned First Team All-Jayhawk Conference as a second baseman as a sophomore. At William Jewell, he secured First Team All-Heart of America Athletic Conference selections and won the HAAC Gold Glove Award twice. Additionally, as a senior, he was named First Team All-Region and First Team NAIA All-America after he hit .422 with 14 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs. He also led the nation in steals, with 62. Overall in his two seasons, he posted 99 steals, 30 doubles, 10 triples and 16 home runs, batting .386. As a senior in 2008, he also was selected for the Cecil Martin Award for Male Athlete of the Year. He was inducted into the William Jewell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. Strack, who later spent a decade coaching college and high school baseball, now runs a lawn care business with his wife, Lauren, and coaches his two sons Cooper(9) and Colton(7) in Grove, Okla.

The Kansas City enshrinement ceremony will take place on May 19 at 1 p.m. at Union Station. Individual tickets are $150, and the Hall of Fame is offering sponsorship tables of 10 that include recognition in the printed program, at the table and include a Class of 2024 poster autographed by individual inductees. Numerous sponsorships are available, including the presenting and associate sponsorships, as well as for trading cards and congratulatory ads in the printed program. Call 417-889-3100. Several sponsorships levels are available for the Watson bronze bust, with donors names to be specially cast in bronze and affixed to the stone stand. The Kansas City Enshrinement will be its fourth in the Kansas City metro area since 2017 and second consecutive year, as the Hall of Fame looks to expand its statewide footprint.