BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame Committee announced the election of Midwestern State's own Mark Ryal into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this week.
 
Ryal, who completed his first season at the helm of MSU's softball program this spring, will be formally inducted during special Hall of Fame ceremonies during the Buffalo Bisons' Hondafridaynightbash! on June 30 against the Syracuse Chiefs at Coca Cola Field in Buffalo. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. (Central Time).
 
The Bisons compete in the International League as the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
 
Ryal played two seasons with the Bisons, first appearing with the club in 1985 before returning to the team for the 1990 campaign. In 215 total games in a Buffalo uniform, the outfielder hit .299 with 55 doubles, 22 home runs and 115 RBI.
 
Ryal was signed by the Chicago White Sox before the 1985 season and appeared in 106 games with the Bisons. Hitting .265, the left-handed slugger led the Herd with 66 RBI and 21 doubles in the team's first season back at the Triple-A level.
 
Following Major League time with California and Philadelphia, the veteran outfielder signed on with Pittsburgh in 1990 and produced one of the best hitting seasons in the Bisons modern era.
 
Ryal delivered the Herd's only American Association batting title, pacing the circuit with a .334 average that still ranks as the third-best single-season mark in the team's modern era. Ryal added 34 doubles, nine home runs and 49 RBI in 109 games during his year that garnered him both midseason and postseason All-Star nods as well as the Bisons Stan Barron Most Valuable Player award.
 
In all, Ryal played 127 Major League games over six seasons with the Royals, White Sox, Angels, Phillies and Pirates. He hit .211 with seven home runs and 31 RBI from 1982-1990.
 
Following his stellar baseball career, Ryal has spent the last 17 years in the softball coaching realm including eight seasons at the Division I level with stops at Oklahoma State, South Alabama and Auburn.
 
The native of Dewar, Okla. returns returned to the Sooner State to serve as head coach at Prague High before coming to Midwestern State as an assistant for the 2015 season.
 
Former standout pitcher Jason Jacome is the other member of the 2017 Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame class. He pitched two seasons with the Bisons going 17-3 with a 3.24 ERA in 31 total starts earning International League All Star honors in 1998.
 
Jacome pitched five total season in the big leagues for the Mets, Royals and Indians.