Paronto named to NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas - Jim Paronto, a Class of 2024 College Baseball Hall of Famer, has been announced to the 2026 induction class to the National Junior College Athletic Association's Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony will take place on the eve of the 2026 JUCO World Series during the pre-tournament banquet on May 22, in Grand Junction, Colo.
Paronto, a baseball umpire and administrator at the collegiate and national levels. He served as the JUCO World Series coordinator of baseball officials from 2003 to 2021 and worked 15 JUCO World Series as an umpire. Paronto also umpired five times at the Connie Mack World Series and served as a past president of the Colorado High School Baseball Umpires Association.
Others to be inducted in the 2026 class are Dusty Hart (Blinn College), Michael Martin (Dallas College Eastfield) and Steve Murray (Neosho County Community College).
Hall of Fame Bio:
Jim Paronto dedicated over five decades to baseball as an umpire, coach, administrator, and one of the nation’s leading rules experts. A longtime umpire, Paronto officiated games in the Pac-12, WAC, Mountain West, and Junior College World Series, working the JUCO World Series 15 times and the Connie Mack World Series five times. He also served as the coordinator of umpires for the Mountain West (2003–2021), Scenic West, and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (2015–2022).
In 2003, Paronto became the NCAA Baseball Rules Secretary, a role he held until 2015. Beyond umpiring, he was a teacher, coach, and administrator, leaving a lasting legacy on the game of baseball.
