Athletics Hall of Fame Induction

Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee PETE ALONSO A’09

Pete Alonso attributes much of his success to his parents, Peter and Michelle, who taught him to always give his best effort at anything he was doing.

In January, Major League Baseball’s 2019 National League Rookie of the Year was inducted into the Academy of the Holy Names Athletics Hall of Fame. Pete Alonso, who attended Academy during grades 6-8, was on hand to receive his award during a middle school assembly.

After graduating from the Academy, Alonso played baseball at Jesuit and Plant high schools, where he had a career batting average of .460, and he was recognized as a Louisville Slugger High School All-American and received the Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award. Although he had the opportunity to enter the draft from high school, Alonso chose to play baseball at the University of Florida. He was a 2014 Freshman All-American and a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team, and he played in the College World Series in 2015 and 2016. Also in 2016, he was First Team All-American, ABCA All-South Region First Team, Most

Outstanding Player, recipient of the Dick Howser Trophy, and a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist for best college baseball player.

Alonso was a second-round draft pick for the New York Mets in 2016. He made his major league debut at first base in 2019, when he became the Mets’ all-time, single-season home run leader and broke the record for most home runs by a National League rookie with 53. Alonso also won the Home Run Derby, only the second rookie to do so.

Alonso’s former teachers — language arts teacher Glenda Secrest and PE teacher and lacrosse coach Mike Doyle — formally inducted him into the Hall of Fame. Both spoke of Alonso’s impressive work ethic and dedication on and off the field, a theme that echoed throughout the morning’s presentation.

To watch the complete induction ceremony, including a Q&A session with Alonso, visit https://vimeo.com/holynamestpa/petealonso.

Several classmates were at Pete Alonso’s induction ceremony, including Andrew Sassone, Marisa Infante, former language arts teacher Glenda Secrest, Catherine Young, Alex Diaz and Jack Wolfe. Other classmates shared video messages of congratulations.

In his acceptance speech, Alonso told the students, “Throughout your life, people are going to say no or that you can’t. All you have to do … is shed off any sort of negative energy or anyone who says you can’t, because you can. It’s all about putting in the work.”

Beyond stressing the importance of hard work, Alonso emphasized the importance of self-growth and acceptance. The audience was delighted when he exclaimed, “Being weird is cool, guys!”

Although he would not choose a favorite teacher from his time at the Academy, Alonso acknowledged that it was Secrest who helped him prepare for interviews and to be a writer, that two of his middle school history teachers inspired him to major in the subject at the University of Florida, and that learning Spanish at the school helped bridge the communication gap between himself and his Spanish-speaking teammates. “The people here want to get you to be the best person that you can be here and now. … They want to challenge you so [that] you guys can eventually become who you want to be,” he said.

Secrest spoke fondly of Alonso, saying, “They may call him the Polar Bear, but he was our Teddy Bear first.”

Fellow Hall of Famers Mike Doyle and Pete Alonso.