University of Delaware Athletics
Four Baseball Alumni Selected for Induction Into Delaware Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame
4/1/2026 12:35:00 PM | Baseball
NEWARK, Del. - Three alumni, Dave May, Dr. G. Willy Miranda, and Brian Wallace, from the University of Delaware baseball program have been selected for induction into the Delaware Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Wednesday.
The 2026 Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for June 16 at the Wilmington Blue Rocks game against the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Dave May
The third member of his family to earn a place in the DBCA Hall of Fame, Dave May was a standout player at Newark High School, played infield at the University of Delaware, and has served the last 30 years as a distinguished Major League scout, most recently with the 2025 World Series runner-up Toronto Blue Jays.
He played baseball and football at Newark High School, earning All-State honors in baseball and All-Blue Hen Conference notice in football. He also played in the 1985 Blue-Gold All-Star Baseball Game. He went on to play three seasons as an infielder at regional power Delaware for Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hannah in 1985-87.
May began his career in baseball as a player development intern with the Atlanta Braves in 1993 and followed with roles as a scout and cross-checker with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2001 World Champions), Seattle Mariners, and currently the Toronto Blue Jays. During his tenure, he has played a key role in scouting, trades, free agent signings, international acquisitions, and advance team scouting. He was named Pro Scout of the Year in 2013 for the Blue Jays.
May's younger brother, Derrick, played 10 seasons (1990-99) in the Major Leagues, mostly with the Chicago Cubs, and earned induction into the DBCA Hall of Fame in 2019, and his father, Dave, who played 12 seasons in the Major Leagues (1967-78), was a 1973 All-Star, and was an inductee into the inaugural DBCA Class of 1994.
A native of Newark, Del., Dave and his wife, Donna, have one son.
Dr. G. Willy Miranda
Willy Miranda has been an icon in high school sports for nearly five decades, coaching the sports of baseball, field hockey, football, softball, basketball, swimming, and lacrosse at numerous high schools in Delaware.
Miranda is the son and namesake of former slick-fielding Major League shortstop Willy Miranda Jr., who played primarily with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees in 1951-59.
An outstanding player himself, Willy was drafted out of high school by Milwaukee in 1966 and played three seasons at Baltimore Junior College in 1967-69, and was a member of the University of Delaware's 1970 baseball team that reached the College World Series – still the only UD team to accomplish that feat. He also played in the summer professional leagues in the Dominican Republic and with the Wilmington Semi-Pro League for Canada Dry.
He moved on to a stellar coaching and administrative career in the Delaware high school ranks. He served as baseball head coach at Wilmington, Sanford, and Brandywine, and enjoyed a 38-year stint in field hockey at Brandywine until 2019. As a field hockey coach, he won 450 games, 10 Blue Hen Conference titles, and reached four state championship games. Combined for all his coaching, Willy led his teams to over 1,200 career victories.
Miranda won the Delaware Women's Alliance for Sports and Fitness Outstanding Coach Award (2000), was inducted into the Delaware Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2006), the University of Delaware Wall of Fame, the Maryland Baseball Hall of Fame (2021), and the Delaware Sports Museum & Hall of Fame (2025), was named Coach of the Year for Field Hockey (2008), and won the Herm Reitzes Award for public service to Delaware athletics by the DSBA.
The Delaware Lacrosse Coaches Association named Willy as their Person of the Year for Girls Lacrosse in 2015. He was a long-time member of the DSMHOF Board of Directors before stepping down in 2024.
Willy is retired and resides in Newark, Del. with his wife, Stacey. They have one daughter and two grandchildren.
Randy Simmons
A slugging outfielder and fire-balling left-handed pitcher, Randy Simmons was an outstanding two-way baseball star at both St. Mark's High School and the University of Delaware.
Simmons was one of the state's top players his final two seasons at St. Mark's as he earned All-State honors as a pitcher in 1984 and as an outfielder in 1985 while earning all-conference honors at both positions. As a junior, he went 6-3 with a 1.74 earned run average in 56 innings while batting .265 with two home runs. As a senior, he batted .517 with 46 RBI and went 3-1 with a no-hitter on the mound.
As a three-year standout at the University of Delaware in 1986-88, he led teams to a combined record of 88-42-1, a 1987 East Coast Conference regular season title and two other runner-up finishes. A career .348 hitter, he went 8-2 with a 3.80 ERA on the mound in 1986, earned All-ECC honors as an outfielder in 1987 when he batted .343 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI, and closed out his career with a fantastic campaign in 1988 when he was the ECC Player of the Year and earned second team All-East honors after hitting .360 with 10 home runs, 50 RBI, and 22 stolen bases.
Following his senior year at UD, he was drafted in the 19th round of the Major League Draft by Atlanta and played four minor league seasons (1988-91), reaching the AA level. He hit 33 home runs and stole 56 bases for his career and was a South Atlantic League All-Star.
Simmons also has worked in a coaching capacity, serving as interim head coach at Glasgow High School in 1992, volunteer assistant at St. Mark's High School in 1993, and as an assistant with a Stahl Post Legion Team with Head Coach Paul Murphy(2024 DBCA HOF) that won the 1995 state championship. In addition he was Associate Head coach with Murphy from 1997-2002 with the Grand Slam Diamonds.
Randy is works as a senior director of trade and distribution with Day One Biopharmaceuticals. He has three daughters and resides in the Wilmington area.
Brian Wallace
Another standout who played his high school ball at St. Mark's High School and later starred at the University of Delaware, Brian Wallace earned a slew of honors during his illustrious playing career.
Wallace made news from a young age. He played on the 12-year-old Newark National Little League squad that won the state championship in 1984 and for the 14-15-year-old NNLL team that won the state title and the Mid-Atlantic Championships in 1986.
At St. Mark's, Wallace played shortstop for the St. Mark's High School team that won the state title in 1988 and earned first team All-State honors the following year when he hit .417. During the summer, he was named the state's American Legion Player of the Year in 1990.
At the University of Delaware, Wallace played for Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hannah and was an instant hit. He earned All-North Atlantic Conference, 1st team All-East, and College Baseball Magazine Freshman All-America honors in 1991 when he batted .365 with 14 home runs, 56 RBI, and a 21-game hitting streak.
The following year, he earned NAC Player of the Year honors, was a 1st team All-East pick, and was selected third team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association after hitting .408 with 10 home runs. That 1992 team went 40-13 and advanced to the NCAA Regionals.
Wallace was drafted in the 14th round of the 1992 Major League amateur draft by Seattle and played four minor league seasons with the Mariners and San Francisco Giants. He hit 11 home runs in 1995 playing for the Giants' high-A team.
Brian and his wife, Colleen, have one son and reside in the Wilmington area. He is a strategy analyst with Bank of America.
For more information on the Delaware Baseball Coaches Association and the Hall of Fame go to sites.google.com/view/debca.
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