BIO:

When Pat Shanks led a USSSA “B” team, J. R. Express, to a stunning ASA Major Metro Crown in 1992 at the age of 32 and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, no one could have predicted that that bulk of his career accomplishments were yet to come.  Two years later he joined Watanabe Optical, and, for the next seven years, helped power them to a pair of Major Metro titles, and earn a top ten finish in the ASA Major Nationals three consecutive seasons.  During the 1999 season, Pat was the inaugural recipient of the John Earls Memorial Award as a tribute to his exemplary sportsmanship and character.  In 2001 at the age of 41, he joined Perkins Roofing, and led them to two Metro titles and a coveted trip to the USSSA World Series in 2002.  Yet a sixth Metro title came with EMR in 2004.  Pat was known as the complete package, possessing great speed, a great arm and extraordinary defensive skills in the outfield to compliment his lifetime batting average of .625 and 1500 career home runs.  He was named to the Men’s Major All-City team fifteen consecutive seasons and was named to the All-Decade team in both 2000 and 2010.