• Saturday, March 17th, 2018
BIO:
For 40-plus years, Wayne Rust positioned himself behind many a home plate and shared ballfields with countless players while umpiring over 35,000 games prior to passing away in 2007. Wayne worked as an ASA umpire for Queen City Umpire Association for twelve years prior to joining the Buckeye Umpire Association at Expressway Park. There Wayne officiated over 300 USSSA National Invitational Tournaments, 225 USSSA State Championships, 25 USSSA National Tournaments, six USSSA World Tournaments, and a USSSA Men’s Major World Series in 1996. Long time friend Bob Owens, Park Manager at Expressway Park where Wayne worked the lion’s share of his games, said Wayne relished working any game at any level, whether it be a league game or tournament game. Wayne never missed an umpire assignment, Owens added, and no one was ever a greater ambassador for the game. Owens also praised Rust for being a mentor, teacher and father figure to Expressway Park’s umpires, and for his unmatched knowledge of the playing rules. He attended twenty USSSA Divisional Umpire Clinics, and fifteen USSSA National Clinics. He served as Umpire-In-Chief for over 100 USSSA State Championships, over 300 National Invitationals, twelve USSSA National Championships, and four World Tournaments. Locally, Rust received 17 Buckeye Umpire Service Awards from 1982-2007, was named Buckeye Umpire Association “Umpire of the Year” six times, and was selected Greater Cincinnati USSSA “Umpire of the Year” twice. He was honored as the “Ohio USSSA State Umpire of the Year” in 1996, and in 2002 was presented the USSSA “National Director of Officials Award” – USSSA’s highest umpire award except for induction into the National Hall of Fame. Rust was also an accomplished player, competing with nationally ranked teams like Greater Cincinnati Sports and Bushelman Construction. He was named to nine All-City teams and won four ASA Metro titles and four ASA Regional crowns. Wayne was also a longtime Ohio High School basketball and football official, and is a member of the New Richmond High School basketball and baseball Hall of Fame. would work any game at any level whether it be a league game or tournament game. Wayne never missed an umpire assignment Owens said. Russ was also selected as umpire of the year multiple teams by mulitple slowpitch associations including USSSA National Director of Officials Award in 2002, one of USSSA’s highest umpire awards..
• 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.
• Saturday, February 13th, 2016
BIO:
Tim Cocco launched his playing career almost 25 years ago after playing baseball at Northern Kentucky University, and quickly developed into one of the game’s most potent left-handed power hitters. First he competed locally with the Northern Kentucky Knights, then at the state level after catching the attention of fellow Northern Kentuckian Red Moore, sponsor of Red’s Boys. He quickly vaulted up the ladder to regional competition with Planet Softball, earning Kentucky co-Major Player of the Year honors. Then for the next 20 years, Tim exploded onto the Major level, starring with national powerhouses like R & D, Bell Corp, Budweiser, Chase, Sunbelt, Dan Smith, Long Haul, Jean Shoppe, Red’s Astros and Team Combat. In 2002 Chase captured the USSSA Men’s Major World Series, and Tim was the home run leader and tournament Most Valuable Player. In 2005 he won his second Series home run title with Bell Corp and was named Outstanding Offensive Player. He collected his third home run crown with Jean Shoppe despite a 7th place finish. Tim won an unprecedented three consecutive USSSA national home run derbies from 2009- ’11. In World Series play since 2000, he is ranked 2nd in home runs and rbi’s, and in the top ten in hits and batting average. Tim is a member of the “All-Disney Team,” and in 2012 set a Conference USSSA record for home runs and rbi’s, and was named Offensive Player of the Year. In 2013 in Ft. Myers, FL, he was inducted into the USSSA National Hall of Fame.
• Saturday, February 13th, 2016
BIO:
Amy Flaugher of Alexandria, Ky., began her 15-year softball career at the age of 13, playing in youth leagues in Maysville before competing at the collegiate level for Northern Kentucky University from 1978-1982. After graduating from Northern, she joined Sorrento’s Pizza for two years (1982-1983), earning All-American honors at the Amateur Softball Association Women’s Major National Tournament in 1983 when Sorrento’s captured a runner-up finish. Amy moved on to Northside K of C in 1984, then spent her final four years in the game (1985-1988) with the legendary Empress Chili team. In her very first season with Empress, Amy was named Most Valuable Player at the Ohio USSSA State Tournament. She was selected to All-Tournament teams in three USSSA National Invitationals during the 1985 and ’86 seasons, and pitched Empress to back-to-back USSSA World Series titles in 1986 and ’87. Amy earned All-World honors both years, as she compiled a 15-1 record and held her opponents to just 2.5 runs per game. She went on to win a third consecutive title with Empress in 1988. Amy’s lifetime pitching record was an impressive 469-70 with a world tournament won-lost record of 23-3. Offensively, she was a place-hitter with a lifetime batting average of .450.
• Saturday, February 13th, 2016
BIO:
After capturing untold open, industrial, military, and church league and tournament titles during a thirteen-year fast pitch and thirty-one year slow pitch career, Jack Hatter turned his attention to the Senior program in 1987. During the next twenty-five years, until he retired in 2012, Jack amassed over thirty 50+, 55+, 65+, 70+, and 75+ ASA, NSA, SPA, NASCS, SSUSA, ISF, ISSA, and LVSSA National and World Tournament crowns – including at the Major or Major-Plus levels – with teams like Masters 12, Cain Run Stables, Tri-State Masters, Joseph Chevrolet, WOPAC, H & W Sports, Car Center, Center for Sight, Stafford Sales and Ohio Tile. Jack was player-manager for most of these teams, and was named SPA Manager of the Year in from 2008-2010 after winning Major-Plus titles all three seasons. Jack was a lifetime .500 hitter, whose primary position was 1st base. He has been inducted into five Hall of Fames during his career, including the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, Anderson Softball Hall of Fame, Ludlow High School Hall of Fame, National Senior Softball Hall of Fame and Hartland Hall of Fame.
