CRHS honors Hampton

CRYSTAL RIVER — Crystal River High School honored perhaps its most famous alum Tuesday night in front of a large crowd before the Pirates’ varsity baseball game against visiting Brooksville Hernando.

DAVE SIGLER/Chronicle

Former Major League Baseball player and Crystal River High School graduate Mike Hampton tosses out the first pitch before the Pirates’ varsity baseball game against Hernando on Tuesday night. CRHS rededicated its new baseball field in Hampton’s name.

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Mike Hampton, a 1990 CRHS graduate who enjoyed a successful 16-year career with five different Major League Baseball teams, was on hand to watch the school unveil a sign in left field reading “Welcome to Mike Hampton Field” in a rededication ceremony.

The first dedication came in 2002 when Hampton was immortalized on the original Pirates baseball field he played on in the late 1980s. That field is now history, replaced by a brand-new high school campus and, with it, a fresh baseball field.

“This feels a lot different than the one we played on over here,” Hampton said. “The dimensions are a lot farther, so I know I wouldn’t have hit as many home runs.”

Crystal River principal Mark McCoy presented Hampton with a plaque, which had a summary of the former student’s rise from his humble beginnings in Citrus County to a professional athlete.

Hampton also threw out the first pitch, a low strike, after huddling with the Pirates varsity team right behind the pitcher’s mound.

During a three-minute speech, Hampton thanked his dad, Mike Hampton Sr., former Pirates coach Joe Buccheri who passed away in August and the school and community itself.

“One thing my dad always told me is when you’re out there, you hustle,” he said. “Hustle don’t go into a slump.”
Of Buccheri, Hampton had fond memories.

“He was instrumental in my development,” Hampton said of his former mentor. “It takes people like coach Buccheri to get you to the next level.”

Later, Hampton looked to the right field line, where the Pirates players stood along the foul line and said, “I played one way, it was 100 percent every time I was between the lines.

“If I could give y’all any advice, it’s play the game that way,” he continued. “You never know when your last game is going to be.”

The Homosassa native speaks from experience: after 16 MLB seasons and 148 wins on the mound, Hampton officially announced his retirement at age 38 last March.

By all accounts, Hampton had a successful career in the big leagues. He was a two-time All-Star and MVP of the 2000 NLCS as a member of the New York Mets. In 1999, the left-hander was second in the NL Cy Young race for the Houston Astros and his five consecutive Silver Slugger awards are the most for a pitcher in Major League history.

After all of those accomplishments, the Citrus County native affectionately remembered his time as a Pirate.

“From small towns, big things can happen,” Hampton said. “(It was) an honor to put on the (Crystal River) uniform.”

J.M. Soracchi is the Chronicle sports editor and can be contacted at jmsoracchi@chronicleonline.com or 352-564-2928.