One of fast pitchs all-time best shortstops, Nolan Whitlock came through in the clutch time and time again for the Clearwater, FL Bombers between 1953-1959. Who can forget the pair of homers he hit off Hall of Famer Harvey Sterkel in the 1954 national for a 7-6 victory. Not only did she score the winning run in the championship game, but she batted .393 with 11 hits in 28 at-bats, which was fourth highest in the tourney. ASA of PA Hall of Fame. The building was opened to the public July 1, 1973. Home; All About NAFA; NAFAsince 1993; . Hess worked for Sealmaster 37 years. Except for a brief period, he continued as president until September of 1980. Of particular note for fastpitch fans is the inclusion of Valerie Arioto, one of this years honorees after starring at Cal where she was a 1st Team All-American in 2012 and then helping Team USA win championships at the WBSC World Championships and the Pan American Games. 2014 Bill Prunkl. Solt fanned 26, Gerber 25. Come check out our redesigned Hall of Fame plaques and the updated Olympic room! Massaro began umpiring in 1979, which saw a career that featured seven national championships and the Womens Major Fast Pitch championship game in 1996 and 2000. She, however, came back to play the 1967 season before retiring for good. Members Inducted into the ASA Softball of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. 2022 United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. By 21 he had become one of the top pitchers in his hometown of Milwaukee, WI. The Great Falls team captured four state championships in five years in the Open Division. Hughie Johnston, Detroit, Michigan Mens Fast Pitch First Base. In 1952, the distance from home plate to the pitchers mound was increased from 35 to 38 feet and Kay again batted .400, with six of her eight hits for extra bases and a tourney-leading 17 total bases. Honored for their accomplishments and dedication to the sport of softball will be meritorious leaders Doug Lindaman and Jim Craig; standout umpire Joe Massaro; coaching legend John Stratton; Olympian Valerie Arioto; slow pitch greats Sue (Corcoran Bupp) Ilyes, Monty Tucker and Ray Fleetwood; and the Sikorsky Aircraft softball team. Dedication ceremonies for the expansion were held July 23, 1977. In addition to Lindamans committee involvement, he also served in various positions for the USA Softball national teams programs including Team Manager for the USA Softball Mens National Team at the 1995 International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championship and the USA Softball Junior Mens National Team at the 2008 ISF World Championship. Before joining the Army, West pitched in Kentucky. Your donations help keep this history of softball alive through exhibit updates, upkeep and restoration projects. With softball now an Olympic sport, it was appropriate to have a room to display the memorabilia and chronicle softballs long road to Olympic recognition, said Don Porter, executive director of the ASA. The person nominating the proposed inductee does not have to be a member of the Fast Pitch Legends. Your support is critical to these efforts. The National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1957. In 1954, he logged a 3-1 record with 59 strikeouts in 36 innings. Due to the volume of offers we receive, we cannot accept the donation of an artifact without a completed artifact description form. She was born November 20, 1930 and passed away March 10, 1996 at age 65 after battling MS for more than 20 years. The L-shaped, bi-level building houses more than 18,000 square feet of fascinating memorabilia. During his career with the Bombers Hunter won 275 games and lost only 19 before hip and back problems forced him to retire after the 1958 season after helping the Bombers win four national titles and place runner-up four other times. Dave grew up in the Midwest, in a fastpitch household, with his father Ernie, an Indiana ASA Hall of Fame pitcher. The present facility was officially dedicated May 26, 1973 and has since had two additions. I used to practice for hours. State Office. Known as one of the top hitters in the 1980-90s, Tucker slugged over 2,000 home runs during his career with over 100 tallied in a single season nine times during a 10-year span including 413 during the 1987 season. There were no inductees into the National Softball Hall of Fame in 1962. Click here for the Donor QuestionnaireForm, Warren Fireball Gerber, Columbus, Ohio Mens Fast Pitch Pitcher. Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association, Wisconsin Soccer Hal Known for not only his contribution on the field, but off the field as well, Craig contributed to the reformat of National Umpire Schools in 2018, which has proved to be a huge success for the USA Softball Umpire Program. They joined former Dubuque standouts Dave Bakey and George Peterson, who gained induction in the Hall of Fame in 2021. Korgan continued to play for the Jax until retiring in 1949. USA Men's National Team Snaps 22-year medal drought with bronze medal finish at 2022 WBSC Men's Softball World Cup; The Greater Washington Fastpitch Softball Hall of Fame held its 52nd Annual Hall of Fame Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 5, 20146. Ramage remained an employee after the team disbanded and worked 42 years. In bridge theres an expression, When in doubt, lead trump. In fast pitch softball the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons would say, When in doubt, pitch Bill West. More often than not the 6-foot-2, 225-pound West would win. In 1952, Miller was 3-2 in the national tourney with an ERA of 0.48 with 55 strikeouts in 44 innings. He played for Bendix Brakes for 5 1/2 years, compiling a 113-19 record with 1936 (25-3) and 1937 (25-4) his best seasons. youth fp news; tournaments; youth slowpitch . He was 56 years-old. A second expansion was added July of 1980 for an additional 5,182 square feet of space, with total footage 18,140 square feet of space. Miller finished the tourney with 101 strikeouts. USA Softball will officially enshrine the group of Hall of Famers at the Oklahoma City Convention Center on Saturday, October 28 with the National Softball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony beginning with a happy hour reception followed by a dinner and banquet. Billy Wojie, Stratford, Connecticut Mens Fast Pitch Third Base. From there he went on to become one of the most feared left-handed hitters in fast pitch. Whitlock played in six national championships and was a member of three national championship teams, all with Clearwater, in 1954, 1956 and 1957. He also is a member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame and the Omaha ASA Hall of Fame. He had some outstanding years for the Pistons, winning 28 games and losing four in 1947, going 34-7 in 1948, 36-2 in 1949 with 452 strikeouts in 285 innings and allowing 93 hits, 32-4 in 1950, 24-2 in 1951 and 24-4 in 1952, with 350 strikeouts and 18-4 in 1954, his final year with the team. Sprentall passed away on April 18, 2013. Established in 1957 by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA), the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum is a permanent shrine to the men and women who played the game so well. Butler County Softball Hall of Fame. He was 73. Be sure to drop by the ASA Research Center and Library to find answers to such questions as Whats a fungo bat? and to browse through various softball publications including back copies of the ASA Guide, Rule Book and Umpire Manual plus the official publication of the ASA, USA Softball Magazine (formerly Balls & Strikes Softball), Doctoral dissertations, masters theses, magazine articles, video cassettes and numerous books and souvenir programs concerning all aspects of Americas Game are also available for reading in the museum library. John Hunter, Nashville, Tennessee Mens Fast Pitch Pitcher. 2023 Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees: Allyson Fournier Caron, E15. He also was a good hitter and averaged 20 homers per year with a total of more than 300 for his career. Pete Mercer. He compiled a 40-1 record for Ferguson Auditors of Columbus, OH in 1939, and hurled the team to a third place in the national championship five years later. As a player/manager in 1959, Hess led the Sealmasters to their first national title and a record of 74-10. He earned his third All-American award in 1957,recording 13 putouts and one assist in the national tourney. Dobsons performance earned her All-American laurels for the second year in a row. They came roaring back the next three. Before succeeding Michael J. Pauley as the ASAs CEO, Martin served as New Jersey state commissioner and Eastern vice-president. Born July 12, 1938 in Middlefield, CT, Stratton said her greatest thrill in softball was winning the 1958 national championship. He also worked Mens Major Fast Pitch and Slow Pitch, Womens Masters Fast Pitch and Mens Modified Pitch while attaining elite status, gold level in the medals program and being a member of the National Indicator Fraternity. The building was opened to the public July 1, 1973. Law hurled all of the Ramblers games in the 1955 national, winning four and losing two with 31 strikeouts and two walks allowed. The Softball Canada Hall of Fame exists to honour those individuals and teams who have served and represented fast pitch, orthodox and slo-pitch softball. The first two years, 1954-1955, she played for the Wallingford Owlettes before joining the Brakettes in 1956. . Seven times she earned All-America honors including first-team laurels in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1964 and 1965 and second-team honors in 1956 and 1963. Once USA Softball moved to Oklahoma City January 1, 1966 after having its offices in Newark, NJ, the decision to establish a Hall of Fame Building in Oklahoma City was made in January of 1965. Ruth Sears, Taber, Alberta Womens Fast Pitch First Base. He was a great coach, and I learned a great deal from him. Hart was anything but average. She followed with a .350 average in 1951 and a .343 average in 1953. men's slowpitch . In 1949, he batted .298 and hit nine homers and 16 doubles. An intense player who had a so what attitude when he did something outstanding on the softball diamond, Leroy Hess wore the Aurora, IL Sealmasters uniform from 1946-1963. Office: (570) 286-7070. . In 1948, Miller had one of his finest seasons, winning four games in the regional with three of the wins no-hitters and striking out 78 batters in 34 innings. Then, in 1956, his two homers in the finals beat the Raybestos Cardinals. Its second purpose is to help bring attention to the sport of softball to the people of Illinois. Jim Chambers, Oshkosh, Wisconsin Mens Fast Pitch Pitcher. The late John Nagy, former Cleveland Metro commissioner, was USA Softball President at that time. About winning the national title, Hunter said, Yes, we expected to win it. In 1937, Gerber and former Columbus, OH State Auditor star pitcher Ralph Solt went 17 innings with Solt winning 1-0. Hunter died November 7, 2000 at age 75 in Clearwater, FL. John Hunters debut as a softball pitcher wasnt one a pitcher would like to remember. She allowed only five hits in the four games. Additional honors include being named the Smokey Mountain Classic Co-MVP and OK ASA Co-Player of the Year in 1975. GUIDELINES MEN'S FASTPITCH WEBSITE . Following the meeting a staff member will contact you regarding the next steps. 1943 ASA Womens Major Fast Pitch Nationals, 1998 ASA Womens Major Slow Pitch Nationals, *1973 Myron Reinhardt, Alexandria, KY Catcher-Outfielder (Shields Contractors, Yorkshire Restaurant, Gatliff Auto MVP-1963), *1974 Frank DeLuca, Stratford, CT Pitcher (Industrial Softball Avco-Lycoming-Textron), 1975 Donald Rardin, Lexington, KY Pitcher-Infielder (Gatliff Auto, Yorkshire Restaurant, IBM Industrial MVP-1966), 1982 Bill Cole, Sterling Heights, MI Third Base (East Side Sports MVP-1962, Michaels Lounge, Little Caesars), *1984 J.D. Posted on February 6, 2017 by jovo23. 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