PILOT ROCK — The Pilot Rock High School Hall of Fame is adding another state champion on Saturday, April 27.

The 1996 2A state championship baseball team will be honored before the Rockets’ Special District 7 doubleheader against Union/Cove.

“It’s pretty cool,” said former Rockets catcher Glen Stillman. “It’s a nice honor.”

Dave Ellis, who was a shortstop on the team, said a good number of his teammates will be in attendance, but that their coach Greg Whitten won’t be able to attend because of prior commitments.

“He was a great coach,” Ellis said. “All three of the guys (assistant coaches Rick Hoisington and Deacon Perkins) were role models and had a passion for the game. It was fun.”

The Pilot Rock Hall of Fame has been around since the 1960s, and the 1996 baseball team will be just the second team inducted. The 1978 girls basketball team was inducted last year.

The 1996 Rockets, who finished second at state in 1995 after losing the title game to Wahtonka 7-4, beat the Eagles in the Columbia Basin Conference district playoffs, and had a 27-4 record heading into the title game against Amity.

Pilot Rock showed no mercy during the June 1 title game at Civic Stadium in Portland, beating the Warriors 11-2.

Ellis said the 1988 Pilot Rock state championship team, which beat Grant Union 9-1 for the title, was the inspiration for the Rockets when they were younger.

“They won one when we were in Little League,” Ellis said. “That’s who we all idolized. They were really good. I remember watching them, it was pretty neat. Our group was the first to come through T-ball and coach pitch. It pushed us further.”

After the Rockets lost in 1995, Whitten gathered his five seniors and asked them what they wanted to do.

“We said we wanted to go back to the championship,” Ellis said.

The Rockets had the team to get the job done.

They went undefeated in conference play at 15-0, and outscored conference opponents 218-46.

Six of the 10 players batted .415 or better, with Dyme Porter leading the way at .490. The team had an on-base percentage of .495.

As a team, the Rockets had 194 hits to 50 strikeouts. They also had 23 home runs, led by Stillman (7) and Clay Smith (5).

Smith and Casey Perkins were the go-to men on the mound. Smith had a 9-1 record with 69 strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA, with Perkins at 7-1 with 62 strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA.

“Clay Smith had a mentality to him,” Ellis said. “He was going to beat you. He wasn’t afraid to back someone off the plate. Casey Perkins and Matt Hoisington also pitched for us. I pitched a little, but not very much. We had games where we beat people so badly, we pitched different people so we didn’t beat them so bad.”

The Rockets opened the playoffs with a 12-0 win over Prairie City, then hit the road for two games, beating Monroe 7-6, and Yoncalla 11-1 in the semifinals.

“Me, Glen and Casey came home after the semifinal game, graduated the next night, then got up at 3 a.m. to drive to Portland for the game,” Ellis said. “Some of them stayed in Portland and got their diplomas later.”

Smith got the start in the championship game, and went the distance. He was killed in a pedestrian-auto accident in Portland on March 16, 2012.

“He could throw anything under the sun,” Stillman said. “He had so much junk on it I could hardly catch it. You had to be on your toes with that guy. Clay would never get (hit) them. He had good poise about him. He was there to win.”

Claud Smith is scheduled to throw out the first pitch Saturday in honor of his son.

“We talked about it as a team,” Ellis said. “It was going to be his dad or his sister Cappie.”

After the title game, Ellis said the team was excited, but there was an empty feeling.

“We celebrated, but then it was over,” he said. “It was satisfying, but there were no more games. You never got to play with those guys again. It’s crazy. Most of the guys on the team, minus one or two, have kept in touch over the years. Not as much as we would like.”

1996 Pilot Rock Rockets

Coach: Greg Whitten. Assistant coaches: Rick Hoisington and Deacon Perkins.

Bat boy: Tucker Whitten.

Team members

Shawn McLaughlin, Clay Smith, Jeff Neeley, Casey Perkins, Matt Hoisington, Aaron Hoeft, Jason Beers, Justin Hiatt, Glen Stillman, Marlin Bernebe, Dave Ellis, Dyme Porter, Tyler Green.