August 16, 2022
HARRIMAN, Tenn. – Roane State Athletics Director David Lane recently announced three new members will be installed into the RSCC Athletics Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Aug. 27 at the new baseball/softball fieldhouse on Patton Lane, adjacent to the ball fields.
The 2022 Hall of Fame class includes two former coaches and a former player: Raiders baseball coach Steve Peterson, tennis coach David Mullins and softball player Sarah Freels. The trio joins former Roane State women’s basketball coaches Andy Landers and Jim Davis, as well as the 1983-84 national championship women’s basketball team.
Lane said, “The solid foundation built by these coaches and the success enjoyed by Sarah Freels helps Roane State athletics as we continue to build for more success in the future.”
Peterson, or Coach Pete as he was generally known, skippered the Raiders baseball program for nine seasons, from 1979-1984. He Posted a 153-96 record and was twice named TJCCAA Coach of the Year.
After leaving RSCC, Peterson moved on to Middle Tennessee State where he became the university’s all-time winningest baseball coach with nearly 800 career wins. Peterson passed away in 2020.
Mullins started a tennis program at Harriman High School, where he coached from 1972 through 1978. In 1979, he was named men’s and women’s tennis coach at Roane State, where he led both teams to success and national rankings each year.
After the 1987 season, Mullins departed for East Tennessee State University as head coach of men’s and women’s tennis for 16 years. During his tenure, the Buccaneers won five Southern Conference regular season titles and participated in two NCAA tournaments.
Freels played shortstop for the Raiders softball program in 2014 and 2015, and became the first-ever Raiders softball player to advance to play in an NCAA Division I program. During her freshman year at Roane State, her 19 home runs ranked eighth best in the NJCAA, and her slugging percentage was in the top 25 nationally.
After the 2015 season, Freels signed to continue her softball career at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.
Roane State Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity or national origin, sex, disability, age, status as protected veteran or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulation and by Tennessee board of Regents policies with respect to employment, programs, and activities. View full non-discrimination policy.
