• Wednesday, February 01st, 2017
BIO
Before his softball career would reach its zenith in the Senior Program, Bill Brown had previously distinguished himself in Industrial ball and with Men’s B and C teams. He led his CWA 4400 team to a National Telephone Company Championship in 1982, drove in the winning run to lift F & C Athletic to the ASA Major Metro title in 1986, and captured a Kentucky State Championship with Nix Construction in 1989 and Rick’s AC in 2001. But Bill’s career catapulted to an unprecedented level when he turned 50 and began competing as a senior. From 2003 to 2008, he won 17 National titles and was named to 17 All-American or All-World teams with clubs like Riverside Paving, Direct Hire and Travelodge. He won MVP honors with Direct Hire in the 2004 SPA Major 50-Over Nationals, was Offensive MVP in the 2005 USSSA Major 50-Over World with Travelodge, and in 2004 batted .929 (38-42) to lead Direct Hire to a runner-up finish in the USSSA Major 50-Over World. Overall, Bill has won 7 State and 17 World and National crowns, and was named to 4 All-State, and 19 All-World or All-American teams. A versatile defensive player comfortable at any infield or outfield position, Bill is primarily a 3rd baseman. He carried a .690 batting average during his 40-year career. His matchless softball bloodline includes his father, the legendary “Whitey” Brown, an ASA All-American and first team Greater Cincinnati All-Century 2nd baseman, and his son Jason, a first team Greater Cincinnati All-Decade 2nd baseman and winner of three Metro Championships.
• Wednesday, February 01st, 2017
BIO
Under the EMR banner, Don Holden has sponsored men’s and girls’ youth slow pitch softball teams for the last 30 years in Greater Cincinnati. During that time, the name EMR has become synonymous with championship softball, producing some 150 league and tournament titles. That legacy included 52 league and league tournament championships, 75 open and National Invitational tournament titles, eight Cincinnati Metro crowns, three state championships, and six National and World Championships in ASA, NSA and USSSA play. Those championships came in girls youth play, adult men’s play and in the men’s masters program. EMR/Worth’s breakout tournament came in the year 2000, when they won the first of two ASA Cincinnati Metro Major titles. A month later they captured a USSSA “B” National Tournament. In 2001, EMR won back-to-back USSSA NIT’s, bagging both an Early Bird and Louisville Slugger A-AA title. Later that spring they followed up with a victory in the ASA Super Shootout. A year later in 2002 they captured the inaugural USSSA City Slam, then in 2003 traveled to Atlanta Georgia to win the USSSA Peachtree Classic “B” NIT. 2004 brought their second ASA Major Metro crown, and NSA “B” and 35-Over World titles. EMR notched another World Championship in Panama City Beach in the NSA 40-Over in 2005, then won USSSA Girls Youth Worlds in 2007 (12-Under) and 2009 (14-Under). In 2014, EMR won a Men’s “A” and “Open” Metro, then successfully defended that “Open” title in 2015. Sponsor Don Holden says he will always treasure the sportsmanship and lifelong friends he experienced during his 30-plus years sponsoring teams.
• Wednesday, February 01st, 2017
BIO
Robert “Rosie” Kroell dedicated 45 years to the game of slow pitch softball as a player, manager, coach and umpire before retiring in 2010. As a player, Kroell competed as a pitcher and infielder with teams like Jones Café, Bud’s Café, Sweeney Auto, Eddie’s Café, Reading Motors, and Northside K of C, then later in a 50-over league at Randy Buck, and more recently in a 75-over league in Blue Ash. As a manager he guided his Rosie’s Boys/Webers Café team – consisting of his six sons – to a 1986 Metro title, winning 12 games in a row out of the losers’ bracket. Later that year the team finished 3rd in the ASA Nationals in Fairborn. He also coached Watanabe Optical from 1994-1997 as the team amassed numerous top three finishes in ASA Major and Super Major and USSSA A-AA Metros, National Invitationals, Nationals and World Tournaments. But Rosie is best known as one of Greater Cincinnati’s most recognized and respected umpires. For 25 years beginning in 1975, he distinguished himself calling Greater Cincinnati’s best leagues and tournaments for the only umpire association he would ever worked for, Ohio Valley Umpires. Rosie’s league resume included weeknight play at Avoca Park, Koenig Park in Reading, and Hartwell Recreation Center, as well as Greater Cincinnati’s elite Men’s Major play – the Tuesday-Thursday night Majors at Haubner Field in White Oak, and the Friday night Majors at Ross Park in St. Bernard. He also worked countless invitationals at Avoca Park and Sports Farm in Harrison, and in two of the nation’s premier National Invitationals – the Hudepohl Classic at Ross Park and Northside K of C, and the Ohio Valley Classic at Ross Park and Sports Farm. He was also honored with being selected to work in the Professional Softball League at Trechter Stadium in 1977 and ‘78. In 2002 he worked in “The Farewell to Riverfront Cinergy Field,” a softball game between Cincinnati Reds legends and retired major league players that played before a sellout crowd.
• Wednesday, February 01st, 2017
BIO
Bob Noeth’s 35-year legacy of longevity, individual and team accomplishments may be unmatched by any Greater Cincinnati softball player over the last three decades. Whether it was playing for Greater Cincinnati’s top men’s C, B and A teams, in the Masters or Senior programs, or with the top men’s teams in the nation, the common thread that all of Bob’s teams enjoyed was success. Pitching for teams like Angilo’s Pizza, UDF/Clifton Medical, Freeze Concrete, EMR, Blitz/Watanabe, D & S Engineering, Good Guys, 3rd Street Financial and Hague Water Conditioning, Bob became an iconic figure on the mound, and was featured on the covers of four Cincinnati Softball News during his career. He led his teams to six state championships, thirty-four National Invitational Tournament wins, three Metro championships, and six National and five World titles in four different organizations. Bob got his first taste of championship softball pitching Angilo’s to a first place finish in the USSSA “C” National Tournament in 1985, where he earned MVP honors. Over the next 22 years with Angilo’s, UDF/Clifton, and Freeze Concrete, Bob’s teams captured multiple state, National and National Invitational Tournaments, plus an NSA 35-Over World with EMR in 2004 and an NSA B World with Freeze in 2005. Then from 2008-‘10, Bob transitioned to the A level with Columbus Pipe and Blitz/Watanabe, competing in several Major NIT’s and the USSSA A World and Men’s Major World Series. He also won his first Major Metro title with Blitz/Watanabe in 2010. Over the next two years, Bob bagged two more World titles with Good Guys, winning an NSA Super C World in 2011, and a WSL C World the following year. He wrapped up his career playing in Conference USSSA for 3rd Street Financial, competing in the most prestigious tournaments in the nation, including the Smoky Mountain Classic. He led 3rd Street to a Level 1 Metro title in 2013, and also collected his 5th World title in the NSA Coed World with Flohmikyin. More recently in the Senior program, Bob won a 2014 Winter Nationals with AMR, and a 2014 ISF/ISSA World Series with Southside. Overall Bob has competed in 13 B Worlds, 4 A Worlds and 2 USSSA Men’s Major World Series. He has won countless All-Tournament awards in State, National, and National Invitational Tournaments, several MVP and ODP awards, was named Greater Cincinnati Men’s B Player of the Year in 2002 and to numerous Men’s B and Major/A All-City teams, was picked to the Greater Cincinnati All-Decade team in 2010, and was an All-Conference USSSA selection in 2008 and 2014. With his induction into the Greater Cincinnati Softball Hall of Fame in January of 2017, Bob joins his grandfather, Frank Harvey, a 1986 inductee. Another rewarding aspect of Bob’s career has been playing with and against his son, Bobby Noeth IV. The two shared All-Tournament team honors on their Good Guys team that won the WSL C World.
• Wednesday, February 01st, 2017
BIO
Melissa (Merrell) Stenger was a first-team Greater Cincinnati All-Century left-centerfielder for the Northside K of C team that captured three ASA National and two USSSA World Tournaments from 1977-1985. Missy was only 15-years old when she tasted her first national title, as she helped lead Northside to an ASA 15-Under Girls’ Youth National Championship in 1974. Then in 1977, Northside bagged its second ASA national title in the 18-Under Girls’ Youth National Tournament in York, Pa. Just a month later, Northside stunned the USSSA Women’s Class “B” World Tournament field with a victory in Beloit, Wi. Northside was the first youth team to win a USSSA “B” National Tournament. Missy was Most Valuable Player in both York and Beloit. Then in 1979, she collected yet a third national/world tournament MVP award when Northside captured the ASA Women’s “A” National Tournament in Grand Prairie, Tx. Missy also claimed the batting title in Grand Prairie with an .818 average. Even more astonishing than Northside’s Women’s B World title in 1977 was their 1985 victory in the USSSA Women’s Class “A” World Tournament in Concord, Ca., where K of C upset their heavily favored Cincinnati arch-rival, Famous Recipe, on the way to the title. Famous Recipe had been ranked the number one in the nation throughout the entire ’85 season. Missy was named to the All-World team. Overall she won 23 MVP or All-Tournament awards in ASA National, USSSA World or USSSA National Invitational Tournament play during her 20-year career with Northside K of C and then later with AES.
• Wednesday, February 01st, 2017
BIO
Mike Tribble dedicated 35 years to the game of slow pitch softball as a player, manager, coach and sponsor of men’s C, B, A and AA open teams, masters teams and co-ed teams before retiring from the game in 2002. His best known teams were Jewelry Company (1982-83), M. W. Tribble (1983-89), M. W. Tribble/Union Savings (1994), M. W. Tribble/James Hall Construction/Worth (1996-97), and Union Savings/Worth/Tribble (1998-1999). Mike tasted his first tournament championship of consequence when his Jewelry Company team captured the ASA Co-Ed Metro crown in 1983. Then from 1983-89 Mike’s M. W. Tribble teams were ranked among the top Men’s A-AA powers in the nation, achieving a number one national ranking in 1985. They won numerous prominent National Invitational Tournaments, including the Springfield Stroh’s, Agler-Davidson and Bluegrass. In 1985, fate intervened to prevent M. W. Tribble from winning a USSSA “A” World, as a hurricane forced tournament operators to stop play with Tribble ahead in the championship game. Tribble also won a USSSA Mixed World in the mid-80’s, and finished 2nd in the ASA Major Metro. Mike’s teams began focusing on the Masters program in the mid-90’s, capturing four World Championships. Those included the 1996 ISA 40-Over Major, 1997 USSSA 40-Over Major, 1998 USSSA 45-Over, and 1999 USSSA 40-Over Major. Mike was named to the All-World team in ’97, ’98 and ’99.
