Five area baseball greats were inducted into the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame at the 34th hot stove banquet and induction ceremony Sunday night at the Salem Civic Center. This year’s inductees include Drew Bailey, Allen Lawrence, Wes McMillian, Donald Minnick and Jackie Bradley, Jr., who was also scheduled to be the keynote speaker. Bradley could not attend due to transportation issues from the winter storm that impacted travel along the east coast. In addition, Roy Lower received the Wayne LaPierre, Sr. Community Service Award.
A native of Prince George, Bradley helped lead South Carolina to the 2010 College World Series championship, earning CWS Most Outstanding Player honors. Selected by Boston in the 2011 MLB draft, he highlighted the Opening Day roster for the 2012 Salem Red Sox, quickly becoming a fan favorite showcasing elite defense, strong plate discipline and a .359 average over 67 games that fueled his rise through Boston’s farm system.
Bradley joined the Boston Red Sox in 2013, just one year after playing in Salem. From there, he became one of Major League Baseball’s best defensive outfielders, showing his range, strong arm and spectacular highlight catches. He was named an All-Star in 2016 and then earned a Gold Glove Award in 2018 while helping the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, also claiming American League Championship Series MVP honors.
Jackie later played for Milwaukee, Toronto and Kansas City. Post-MLB, Bradley has worked as a college baseball analyst with the SEC Network and recently joined the Indianapolis Clowns of the Banana Ball League.
Drew Bailey was a three-sport athlete at Christiansburg High School where he threw two no-hitters as a senior pitcher. He was a two-time all-WVIAC selection from 2008-10 at Concord University where he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2017.
Drew became the first Concord pitcher selected in the MLB Amateur Draft when he was taken in the 35th round in 2010 by the Oakland Athletics. He played two seasons in the Athletics’ organization and reached the Class A level for the Vermont Lake Monsters in 2011, finishing with a 5-0 record and a 2.34 ERA.
Bailey began a collegiate head coaching career at Averett University before leading Bluefield State to a pair of HBCU National Championships and compiling a 95-79 won-lost record from 2021-24. He is currently the head baseball coach at his alma mater, Concord.
Allen Lawrence has built a distinguished career in professional baseball operations in the Roanoke Valley where he currently is the general manager of the Carolina League’s Salem RidgeYaks. A 1996 graduate of North Cross School and a 2004 graduate of Elon University, he began his career as a game-day employee of the Colorado Rockies’ Class A affiliate, the Salem Avalanche, advancing through roles including food and beverage director, director of stadium operations, vice president of sales, and assistant general manager.
Allen served as interim general manager of the Salem Red Sox before being named general manager in 2019. Recognized for his leadership and impact, he has been named one of the “Ten Most Outstanding Young Professionals in the Community,” reflecting his dedication to Salem and the Roanoke Valley.
Wes McMillian built a legacy of excellence and consistency over nearly four decades of coaching baseball and softball in the Roanoke Valley. Beginning with the North Roanoke Rec Club (1984–1999), he guided countless young players before leading a 1992 softball team to a Dixie League state championship and national tournament appearance.
After baseball assistant coaching roles at Northside and Salem High, Wes became Salem’s head baseball coach in 2011. As Salem’s head coach for 12 years, he never posted a losing season. During his tenure Salem made six regional appearances and four Class 4 state tournaments, winning the VHSL championship in 2018 with a 2-1 walk-off victory over Jamestown. He was a two-time River Ridge District Coach of the Year and Timesland baseball Coach of the Year in 2018.
Donald Minnick starred as a left-handed pitcher at Liberty High School and at East Tennessee State before playing three seasons of Minor League baseball. At Liberty from 1974-77, he compiled a 34-5 career pitching record, was a first-team Seminole District selection and led the Minutemen to the 1977 VHSL Group AA state championship. He also was the winning pitcher in the VHSCA East-West All-Star game.
Minnick was chosen by the Cincinnati Reds in the 19th round of the 1977 Amateur Draft but opted to play at ETSU, where he helped the Buccaneers to the Ohio Valley Conference title. He was taken in the second round of the 1979 January Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He played for three seasons for affiliates of the Mariners and Baltimore Orioles, helping the Hagerstown Suns to the 1981 Carolina League championship.
Roy Lower has made his mark in baseball as a player, coach, administrator and school booster for more than 50 years. He was a two-sport athlete at Cave Spring High School, graduating in 1976. He played baseball at East Tennessee State, graduating in 1980.
Lower coached baseball for nine years at the Little League level, four years in AAU, seven years in American Legion baseball and two years of Cave Spring High baseball and basketball. He served on the Cave Spring Little League board of directors and served on the booster boards at Cave Spring and Hidden Valley high schools.
The banquet also recognized Tristan Lange as the 2025 Ray Bellamy Award winner. The Bellamy Award goes to the player selected as the top high school player in the area served by the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame. Lange, a current senior at North Cross School, struck out 123 batters in 64 innings while holding his opponents to a .161 batting average. At the plate, Tristan had a .441 average. He has signed a baseball scholarship offer from Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame was founded in 1991 and honors players and contributors from the counties of Alleghany, Roanoke, Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin and Montgomery and the independent cities located within the boundaries of those counties. The Hall of Fame building is located on the grounds of the James E. Taliaferro Complex, next to the Salem RidgeYaks administrative office behind the third base seating area of Salem Memorial Ballpark. It is open to the public on selected nights during the Carolina League season and upon request.