Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame
Scott Gay - Baseball - (1983-85)
A first-team All-SoCon selection in 1984 and 1985, Gay was additionally named Western's third Southern Conference Player of the Year after leading WCU to the first of five-straight, SoCon championships and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 1985. At the East Regional, Gay pitched a complete game in the first game, leading Western to an upset over top-seed Old Dominion to give the Cats their first NCAA victory. He led SoCon in strikeouts in 1984 (62) and 1985 (118). Not only was his 12 wins in 1985 a WCU single-season record (later tied by Jason Beverlin in 1993), but it was a SoCon record and currently ranks second in league history. Gay ranks first in all-time winning percentage at Western (.788), going 23-7 over his career. His career winning percentage was bolstered by a perfect 10-0 record in 1984 and a 12-4 mark in 1985. Gay and fellow Catamount pitchers Beverlin and Mark DiFelice (along with ETSU's Matt Barber) are the only pitchers in SoCon history to post two, 10-win seasons. Gay, who was 17-2 against SoCon opponents over his career, finished with 26 career wins in just three seasons, which was a school record in 1985 and now ranks fifth on the WCU all-time list, and 213 career strikeouts, which ranked second in 1985 and now ranks ninth. Also, Gay's 26 career wins ranked third on the SoCon all-time list upon his leaving WCU and still ranks 12th-tied. A 19th-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox out of high school, Gay left Western after his junior season as he was drafted by the New York Yankees in the fourth round (103rd pick overall) in 1985 amateur baseball draft. He played seven in years in the Yankees and San Francisco Giants organizations.
