Mount Olive baseball was elevated in 1992 when the Trojans made it all the way to the Division II National Finals, the first program of any kind at the school to do so. Head Coach Carl Lancaster was in just his fifth season coaching the Trojans as they made the transition to being a four-year school.
"These players are largely responsible for the changes you see when you walk out to the field. Back then we had what we needed. Where the batting cages are now used to be thick woods. Where the press box is now used to be an old wooden table," said Lancaster.
Mount Olive reeled off nine consecutive postseason victories to claim the Conference Carolinas, District 26 and Area 7 championships. The Trojans finished with a 38-15-1 record, including a 2-1-1 record against Division I foes.
"We all had high expectations. We had two great coaches. Coach (Roger) May would get in your face. Then you had Coach Lancaster who spoke sentences without opening his mouth. Sometimes it was with that stare. Sometimes it was with the smile. He was the best players' coach anyone could ever have," said 1992 performer Jay Lamm. "We all had a common goal. We didn't play to play. We played to win. We didn't care about stats. We didn't care what name was on the front of the jersey. They were in for a game."
The 1992 Trojans go into the Hall of Fame as a team -- the way the players say it should be.
"What a year we had," said thirdbaseman/outfielder Mark Chambers. "From game two we took off. We had to beat St. Andrews five times in 22 days to get that far. When we beat Union to advance to the World Series, they treated us like royalty. Everybody was asking us for our autographs. Everybody knew about Mount Olive. We were a family. We always will be."
Seventeen members and both coaches of the team were on hand for the induction ceremony. Members of the team are: Lorin Booth, Steve Bradshaw, Mike Brewer, Clay Cartwright, Mark Chambers, Mark Davis, Jerry Harrison, Kelly Hill, Leslie Jackson, T.J. Johnson, Johnny Jones, Jay Lamm, Chris Lockhart, Jamie Mabe, Monty Mesimer, Mitchell Moore, Chris Norris, Dana Rice, Russell Stephens, Robert Stroud, Dennis Stutts, Dee Taylor, Richard Tucker, Bryan Tuten and Jim Williamson, along with coaches Lancaster and May.
