Sports
Holt Honors Detwiler, Melville with Jersey Retirement
As the first alumnus to advance to Major League Baseball, both pitchers become the first numbers retired from the Indians baseball program
On Friday night, January 14, the Holt Indians honored alumnus Ross Detwiler and Tim Melville by retiring their baseball jerseys and numbers into the school’s Hall of Fame. The ceremony marked the first numbers retired in the Indians’ baseball program, as both pitchers represent the first players to advance to professional baseball.
“They’re the first retired, so we may need to go back and develop some more criteria on future retirements, but clearly they’re both very deserving of it,” said Holt's Athletic Director Frank Gentile. “They’ve moved up and played professional baseball, still playing professional baseball, and they’re great alumnus to represent Holt. We’re very proud of these guys.”
Detwiler, who wore number 18 as an Indian, helped Holt to a district title during his senior season in 2004. He went on to Missouri State University, where he earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, and capped off his college career with a 2.22 ERA and 100 strikeouts over 89 innings in his final season. He was drafted in the first round of the 2007 MLB draft, sixth overall, by the Washington Nationals, where he has since started 19 games over the past two years.
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“This is all pretty surreal,” Detwiler said. “While I was here, I never thought that I’d be coming back like this and getting this award. And it’s pretty cool that there’s never going to be another first. No matter how many more jerseys they retire, this will always be the first one. That makes it pretty special.”
Melville’s jersey, number 9, will join a shrine already begun for his name in the Holt gymnasium where a banner reminds all of the hurler’s 2008 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year accolade.
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He helped Holt to back-to-back district wins during his final two seasons, including a second place state finish in 2007. He became a Rawlings Gold Glove winner and eventually picked in the fourth round of the 2008 draft, 115th overall, by the Kansas City Royals and is currently pitching in the minor league system.
“It’s great to be back, to come in and see some old friends and people I knew through the years,” Melville said. “It’s nice to think that my name hanging up there might inspire someone in the future to do great things. (Playing professional baseball) has been a dream of mine since four years old. This has all been a great process.”