CEDAR RAPIDS – Jeff Clement is adding a new first to his long list of accomplishments and accolades.

The 2002 Marshalltown High School graduate and former first-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners will become the first Bobcat inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame as a player, joining a pair of MHS coaches in the distinction during the 48th annual induction banquet Jan. 23 in West Des Moines.

Clement is one of five inductees in this year’s Hall of Fame class, joining fellow Major Leaguer Casey Blake from Indianola along with current high school coaches Tim O’Neill (Dowling Catholic), Steve Daeges (Harlan) and Jeff Scharn (Sioux Central).

Jeff’s father, Brad, and current Bobcat head coach Steve Hanson are Marshalltown’s only other members of the IHSBCA’s Hall of Fame. Brad Clement coached Bobcat baseball teams to the state tournament in 1981, 1985 and 1986, with each winning championships. Hanson has advanced MHS to state six times, winning a title in Jeff’s senior season of 2002.

The induction ceremony will be held next Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in West Des Moines.

Clement will be honored for a prep career that included a pair of state and national career records that still stand – 75 home runs and 214 walks. He remains the only four-time IHSBCA Elite All-State selection after batting .515 in a career that saw three state tournament berths prior to being named the 2002 Gatorade Player of the Year in Iowa.

At the University of Southern California, Clement honed his craft as a catcher and continued to hit. He batted .314 in three seasons with the Trojans, racking up 46 home runs (second in USC history only to Mark McGwire, 54) and a pile of honors including Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year, Collegiate Baseball All-America first team, and Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s top catcher.

He played on the U.S. National Team in 2003 and 2004, leading the Americans to gold in the SISU II World University Baseball Championships in Taiwan in 2004.

In 2005, the Seattle Mariners selected Clement with the third-overall pick in the draft. He played for the organization for parts of five seasons, primarily in the minor leagues, before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Moving from catcher to first base after having knee surgery, Clement played three years in Pittsburgh and at Triple-A Indianapolis before his contract ran out. The Minnesota Twins signed Clement to a year’s worth of service at Triple-A Rochester (N.Y.) before the former Bobcat called it a career.

The 32-year-old father of four is now a year into his current position as the volunteer assistant coach with the University of Iowa baseball team.