About Inductee

Mark Hutchison grew up in Huntsville and began playing football, basketball and baseball at the age of 6 in the Continental Athletic Association. As a Little Leaguer at Riggs Field, he was an All-Star in 1973 and 1974. He made the All-Star team in 1977 in the Northwest Huntsville Babe Ruth Association and played for the Alabama and Southeast regional champions, who finished runner-up in the Babe Ruth World Series. Hutchison was named All-Tournament in the Regional and World Series tournament. By the time he reached junior high school, his focus had narrowed to baseball and basketball. He started at shortstop in baseball and at point guard in basketball in both junior high and during his years at Butler High School. At Butler, he lettered three years as a baseball shortstop. His junior year, Butler won the city and regional championships and finished second in the state tournament. All-City as a senior, he was also picked as the Rebels MVP in baseball and was named to the East-West All-Star team. He was also a three-year letterman in basketball at Butler from 1978-80, playing on city championship teams all three years. The Rebels were regional champs and state semifinalists in 1979 and area runners-up in 1980 when Hutchison was an All-City and All-Region performer. After high school, he played baseball at Calhoun Community College in 1981 and 1982, and was named to the All-Conference team both years. Calhouns co-captain and MVP in 1982, he batted .338 and led or tied the team in hits, doubles, runs scored and stolen bases (including a record 5 in one game). After the 1982 season he received a baseball scholarship to Auburn University, where he became the starting shortstop and led the team in fielding percentage during the 1983 season. Following his baseball career, he played slow-pitch softball on the Major Open/Class A Regional/National circuit from 1987-2001. His teams won 4 National Tournament Championships; he made 1st team All-American in 1987, 1993 and 1998. He was the MVP in the 1998 Class A USSSA Southeast Regional tournament. Hutchison says his father, Ray Hutchison, had the biggest influence on his athletic career. I waited on him every day to come home from work so we could work on either baseball or basketball together, he said. Those were some of the greatest times of my childhood. My dad never pushed me to play sports. He encouraged me, but allowed me to make the decision. The only requirement he ever placed on me in sports is that if you start something, you have to finish it. Hutchison was named middle school head baseball coach at Westminster Christian Academy in 2006, was varsity assistant baseball coach at Westminster from 2007-09, and was named Westminsters varsity head baseball coach in 2009. A senior financial analyst, Hutchison has worked as a support contractor to Marshall Space Flight Center for the past 12 years. He and his wife Diane, a Huntsville native and Lee High graduate, have a daughter, Darby, a junior at Westminster.