By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin has unveiled its Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 as five former student-athletes are set to be enshrined this fall.
The 2023 Athletics Hall of Fame event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Russell Duncan Ballroom in the Boling University Center on campus. The induction ceremony is set for 11 a.m. in conjunction with football’s 6 p.m. kickoff of the “Hall of Fame Game” against Tennessee State at Hardy Graham Stadium.
The UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 includes Alex Atkins (football, 2003-06), the late Oscar Bunch (football, 1990-91), Brendon Caballero (golf, 2011-15), Carly Gonzales (softball, 2014-17) and Wes Patterson (baseball, 2008-11).
Atkins was an All-American and two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference offensive lineman, capping off his stellar career by helping the Skyhawks to a 9-3 record and the program’s first-ever OVC championship/Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearance in 2006. That season, the Chicago, Ill. native helped block for a league-leading rushing offense that averaged 218.2 yards per game (then a school record). After graduation, he was named to the inaugural United States National Team, helping Team USA win the World Cup of American Football event held in Tokyo, Japan. He currently serves as the offensive coordinator at Florida State University.
A tight end out of Vossburg, Miss., Bunch was a 1991 All-American after topping the then-Pacers with 39 receptions, 754 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. His best game came on Sept. 28, 1991 when he hauled in a career-best 143 receiving yards against Morehead State during his senior campaign. He concluded his two-year UT Martin career with 69 catches for 1,260 yards and 11 touchdowns after playing his first two seasons at Jones County Junior College. He passed away on March 5, 2021 at the age of 52.
Caballero led the Skyhawks in scoring average in all four seasons, becoming the first UT Martin golfer to win OVC Championship medalist honors in 2015. The Brentwood, Tenn. native was the program’s first-ever three-time All-OVC recipient and was also an OVC All-Newcomer. He won four of his six collegiate tournaments during his senior year alone and set a school record with five career OVC Golfer of the Week awards. In 46 career collegiate tournaments, he finished in the top-five 14 times and inside the top-10 on 22 separate occasions.
Hailing from Anaheim, Calif., Gonzales was a three-time All-OVC performer – winning each of those awards after she was named 2014 OVC Freshman of the Year. She ranks in the top-five in school history in runs scored (148, second); doubles (44, second); walks (90, second); batting average (.355, third); stolen bases (88, third); hits (220, fourth); times hit by pitch (24, fourth) and total bases (314, fifth). The left-handed hitting outfielder also still holds seven single-season and game records, including 41 stolen bases as a senior and a three-home run outing against Evansville in 2015.
Patterson was UT Martin’s first-ever Freshman All-American, setting the tone for a productive career on the diamond. The right-handed slugger is the program’s all-time leader in home runs (39) and RBI’s (171) while also ranking in the top-five in school history in doubles (45, second), runs scored (132, second), walks (85, second), putouts (1,293, third) and hits (200, fifth). His 64 RBI’s from his junior campaign still stands as the highest single-season tally in school history as the first baseman hit .344 with a 1.090 OPS that spring. He also added five wins and five saves on the mound (all in his first two seasons).
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information
