2023 Inductee Bios
The Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame is adding 4 members in the Class of 2023.
By Glenn Miller
Roy Hobbs Baseball
They are: David Ball of North Carolina, Kelly Copeland of Tennessee, Steve Murfin of Maryland and Jose Rosado of Florida.
Elected by a vote of members of the Hall of Fame and Members of the Board of Trustees, These four, along with the single 2022 honoree Bruce Doney, will be inducted in a ceremony this fall in Fort Myers during the 2023 World Series.
Here is look at each of the 2023 inductees:
DAVID BALL
David Ball was nominated as an administrator and player. The Asheville, N.C., resident has excelled in the Roy Hobbs World Series going back to 1992, his first year competing in the event.
He was team MVP for the 1993 Asheville Sox when they won the Veterans 4A and in 2014 with the Carolina Rockies in the Legends A Division. He currently plays with and is co-manager of the Carolina Rockies.
As testament to his character is his work away from Roy Hobbs. He coached Erwin High School’s baseball team for 19 years and has also coached Senior Babe Ruth and college age travel teams for seven years.
The Erwin High gym is named the David A. Ball Gymnasium.
Ball has coached for so long and with such dedication that some of the players he coached as boys are now men and play on his team.
Ball’s love of the game keeps him playing even when health concerns might convince others to stop playing.
He developed problems in his left eye, which is the dominate eye for right-handed batters. Ball has always been a right-handed hitter. Ball has learned to hit left-handed to compensate and continue playing.
Ball’s character is also clear in his family life. He helps care for his 94-year-old father.
KELLY COPELAND
Kelly Copeland has won 4 Roy Hobbs World Series championships as a player and coach.
The veteran member of the Tennessee Dirtbags wears other hats away from the field, assisting Roy Hobbs on its advisory committee during the World Series.
Roy Hobbs references for Copeland attest to his dedication, love of the game and the way he worked with the late Hall of Famer Bart Leathers (2013) to grow baseball in Middle Tennessee.
Reference Carl Groves said Copeland still coaches his players and that he is a “stickler for playing smart, playing hard, and playing the right way.”
Groves added that Copeland is involved in several charities including serving on the board of directors for Community Servants, a Tennessee faith-based non-profit.
Copeland is a family man who puts family ahead of winning.
The way Copeland manages the Dirtbags grabs the attention of opponents, according to an anecdote shared by Groves.
After winning the AAA title in 2019, a player from the Chicago, Bob Latchford, approached Copeland and told him he was moving to Tennessee and asked to join the dirtbags.
Copeland welcomed the man from Chicago to the land of the Dirtbags.
Away from baseball, Copeland is an accomplished photographer. He and his wife, Karen, are raising a grandchild named Leo.
STEVE MURFIN
Steve Murfin was nominated for many years of service as an organizer, manger, leader and community service volunteer in Maryland, his home state.
Murfin has brought teams to the Roy Hobbs World Series for more than 20 years where they have competed in A, AA and AAA. In recent years his teams have played in the 60s and 65s. There have been years he’s managed more than one team across multiple age divisions.
Murfin has also played in the World Series for his Orioles teams, winning a Legends A Division championship in 2013.
His supporters for this honor cited his recruiting and organization skills as examples of what makes him a good leader. They also mentioned that Murfin’s character helps explain why many players continue playing for him over many years.
He coached the Blake High School team in Maryland for 19 years. He does more than hit fungoes. At season-ending banquets he hands out awards that he pays for out of his pocket. And he is one of the radio and PA voices of University of Maryland athletics.
Whether coaching boys or running men’s team, Murfin’s character shines through, according to reference Mike Ellis.
“Steve treats us as family,” Ellis said. “He is loyal to players and players are loyal to Steve.”
Murfin’s involvement with adult baseball team can be traced to attending Baltimore Orioles fantasy camps in the 1990s and early 2000s.
This is all while also working as the executive director of the Frederick Memorial Health Systems benefits office.
JOSE ROSADO
Jose Rosado has done it all in Roy Hobbs Baseball and has done it with class and integrity.
Class and integrity are key criteria taken into consideration for election to this hall.
The Sanford, Fla. resident was nominated as a manager, administrator and organizer. And, he also plays a bit too in the competitive AAAA division.
As an organizer he has helped build the Orlando Baseball Association (OBA) and brought the Orlando Brewers to the Roy Hobbs World Series for many years to compete and win in 4A. They won titles in 2016 and 2017. The Brewers are fixtures in World Series finals and are a perennial champion in OBA league play.
But more important than the championships are the way he runs the the OBA and Brewers, according to the men who nominated him for this honor and served as references. He is usually the first person at the park and the last to leave and before leaving cleans up the dugouts.
He and the OBA has continued the charity work started by previous OBA commissioner Bob Misko, a 2021 Hall of Fame inductee. The OBA donates time and equipment and money to the SafeHouse of Seminole County, a shelter for abused women and their children.
As OBA commissioner he has expanded the organization into 4 age divisions.
As Hall of Fame reference Gary Herr put it, “Jose is Central Florida adult baseball.”
Jose Rosado is now also a Hall of Famer.