A native of Clinton, Tennessee, Wayne is the second of five children to parents Hoyt and Jane Seivers. In the Seivers family, church and family came first and athletics just came natural. Baseball was just a gift to all three brothers as they excelled in the sport. From the age of eight, Wayne played organized baseball in the community making the All-Star team at each level.
In high school Seivers played centerfield and batted clean-up, while setting the homerun record that remains intact three decades later. As a senior he was given the chance to pitch in three games late in the season, an uncomfortable proposition at first, but one he would grow into. He went on to be named Co-MVP of the team.
Seivers recalls, “(Cumberland College) Coach Walter Mathes came to watch me play three times during my senior year. It just so happened that the three games he came to were the only three games I pitched, during my entire high school career.” It took Coach Mathes two offers through a student secretary who Seivers grew up with to get him signed at Cumberland on scholarship.
As a freshman, Seivers was asked to pitch with the understanding he would bat for himself. In double header games when he was scheduled to pitch, Seivers would DH for the pitcher in the game ahead of him, then pitch and bat in the next game, too. The season ended with Seivers receiving team award for lowest ERA of 1.20 on a record of 9-1.
During the summer between his freshman and sophomore year, Seivers hurt his shoulder pitching. He pitched only 5 games as a Sophomore, going 3-2 but his hitting did not suffer, while continuing to hit well in the clean-up spot.
As a junior Seivers started the season hitting three homeruns (one grand slam) in a double header sweep of Eastern Kentucky University and made the All-Conference team.
His senior year was challenging as a Chemistry major juggling labs, practice, workouts, home games and road trips meant getting organized.
Seivers had a total of 352 at bats, 131 hits, 36 doubles, 28 home runs, 140 RBIs, and a career batting average of .373. His 28 home runs ranks him tied for 5 th best at Cumberlands. As a pitcher Seivers had a record of 12-3 for his career. He took the mound 93 innings, allowed 58 hits, collected 71 strikeouts, and gave up 20 earned runs for an ERA of 2.11. His single season mark of 9-1 and an ERA of 1.20 in 1975 ranks second all-time at Cumberlands. He was selected All Conference KIAC Honors in 1975-77.
As a freshman, his first game was on the road at Pikeville. Seivers hit a homerun in his first at bat. He went on to start all four years (1975-78) at Cumberland with one exception, a game missed while taking the MCAT his senior season.
Coach Terry Stigall, an Athletic Hall of Fame member himself who coached Seivers with Coach Mathes all four years stated, “Wayne is probably the best two-way player that our college has had in its baseball history. He was definitely a NCAA Division I prospect.”
He was selected Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities and graduated with a B.S. in chemistry and a minor in mathematics in 1978.
Since college, Seivers has worked as a chemist, compounder, lab manager, project coordinator, quality control engineer, statistical quality control engineer, statistical consultant (x-bar and r charts, ANOVA, testing of hypothesis). He has been a high school and college umpire. Currently he serves as East Tennessee UIC (umpire in charge) for the Independent Softball Association.
Wayne has been married to Libbye, for 11 years. They have one daughter, Megan, and four grandchildren; Payton, Paige, Grace, and Hope.
Wayne states, “I respect Coach Walter Mathes so much (and I miss him), as well as Coach Terry Stigall.”
