Greg Jelks, a native of Centre, had dual citizenship in Australia and played baseball with the Phillies, as well as in Italy and Australia.
A native of Cherokee County is being hailed as a baseball "legend" in Australia this week following his death.
Greg Jelks, who was born in Centre, died last week of a preexisting medical condition while flying back to Australia from the U.S. He was 55.
Jelks played 10 games with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1987 and later played in the Italian Baseball League.
But it was in Australia in the 1990s that he made his mark with the Perth Heat.
Described as "a household name in Perth" during his time there, Jelks hit 63 home runs in 264 games for a .334 batting average.
"He was integral to the success of the Perth Heat and WA Baseball over the past 23 years," said Baseball WA (Western Australia) chief executive Lachlan Dale. "Many people will still remember the days of watching the famous 44 play at Parry Field during the 90s."
Jelks gained Australian citizenship in the 90s and was a member of the Australian National Baseball Team at the Baseball World Cup 1998, as well as a coach at the Olympic Games Sydney 2000. He served as a coach for Australia over the last decade.
He also managed, in the U.S., the Evansville (Ind.) Otters, Slippery Rock Sliders and Washington Wild Things in the Frontier League, according to MLB.