Jenkins Earns Baseball Hall of Fame Honor

by Trinity Gruenberg

trinity@inhnews.com

Baseball has been a constant in the life of Paul Jenkins of Brainerd, and on Saturday, January 17, that lifelong dedication will be formally recognized when he is inducted into the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame at a banquet in Minneapolis.

Jenkins started playing baseball at just three years old and never really stepped away.

At Staples High School, he was the leading hitter on the 1977 state runner-up team and a three-year starter.

He continued his playing career at Bemidji State University, where he served as captain of the 1982 Bemidji State World Series team, was a three-year starter, and earned All-Conference honors in 1982.

He played amateur baseball beginning in 1974, a run that led to 14 state tournament appearances. That love for the amateur game continues to this day.

Jenkins’ coaching career spans 42 years. He began with six years as an assistant and junior high coach, then spent three seasons at Pillager, where his teams recorded 21 wins. He followed that with five years at Crosby-Ironton, earning 38 wins, before beginning a 28-year tenure at Eagle Valley/Browerville-Eagle Valley, where his teams amassed 263 victories.

Coaching since 1983, Jenkins compiled an extensive list of accomplishments. His teams captured district championships in 1983 and 1985 at Crosby-Ironton, with a region runner-up finish in 1985. At Eagle Valley, they had five Conference Championships, two Section Championships, two state appearances, 2009 Consolation Champion and 2008 placing sixth, 2004 Section Runner-up. He was also an assistant coach for two years, and one year junior high coach...

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