Bio

Inducted 2022

baseball

Hank Merenda’s teenage angst did not stand a chance against the stern, strict coaching of Howard Lowder.  Merenda, who came to Chaffey College in 1971 as a police science major, recalls a childhood filled with anger because his father left when he was 10 years old.  “Coach Lowder taught me how to direct that in a positive way, instead of being a hot-headed Italian,” he said.  That positive way happened on the baseball field at Chaffey College.

Merenda played shortstop for the Panthers for two years, making Mission All Conference his second year. People knew him by the nickname “Hammer” because of his skill at hitting line drives. And that skill came in handy during one of his most memorable games against Saddleback College in 1972.  “I got a double-play and we went on to win that game,” he said.

After Chaffey, Merenda played for Cal State Los Angeles and the University of La Verne before being recruited for the minor leagues with the Angels and the Detroit Tigers. The Hammer’s reputation continued on, with one newspaper referring to him as the Angels’ answer to Pete Rose.

He transitioned to coaching after sustaining a wrist injury in 1976, using what he learned from Lowder to guide students at Montclair High School, the American Legion and even as a private batting instructor.  His players included Jeff Harlow, who went on to become a head baseball coach at Chaffey, Victor Marin, drafted by the Dodgers in 1983 and Royce Jamie, a successful entrepreneur whose son, Daniel currently pitches for the Panthers.

“I’ve had guys in their 50s call and thank me for helping them not just in baseball, but in life,” he said.