• Saturday, February 13th, 2016
BIO:
Jon Jamison is considered to be the preeminent player in the history of Greater Cincinnati class “B” men’s softball. From starting his playing career with the Wilmington Rebels in 1995, Jon would ultimately reach the pinnacle of the game fourteen years later when he competed in the USSSA Men’s Major World Series in 2009. In between – and since then, Jon has powered local and regional men’s “B” powers like DeClaire Insurance, Lucke Homes, James Arnold, Freeze Concrete, Columbus Pipe, Blitz/Watanabe, and Pure Romance to untold invitational, National Invitational, State, National and World Championships. His teams have won four Metro crowns, seven State Championships, a National Championship, and two World Tournaments titles – including the NSA B World in 2007 and USSSA B World Series in 2011. And he has participated in three USSSA Men’s Major World Series. Jon’s individual awards include being selected to over thirty All-Tournament teams, most notably in four Metro, State and World Tournaments, and a USSSA National Tournament. He has also won a multitude of home run leader awards and six tournament MVP awards, including the 2007 USSSA B National and in both the 2007 NSA B and 2011 USSSA B Worlds. Jon was also named to seven Cincinnati Softball News All-City teams, was runner-up Greater Cincinnati Player of the Year in 2003 and 2010, and Player of the Year in 2007 and 2009. In 2010, he was named to the Greater Cincinnati All-Decade 1st team. He has also been a three-time Conference USSSA All-Conference pick. A lifetime .735 hitter, Jon has clubbed almost 2,000 home runs during his career.
• Saturday, February 13th, 2016
BIO:
Bob Shad has been sponsoring men’s softball teams under the EAP name for the past 28 years, which is believed to be the longest, continuously running softball sponsorship in Greater Cincinnati. During that time he has been involved with his teams in the role of player, coach, sponsor, statistician, travel agent and father figure. Over the last three decades, his teams have played almost 2,900 games ranging from the lowest level all the way to the highest. EAP has captured over 40 National Invitationals, five State Championships, two National Championships, and three Metro Championships, including one Major title. Though still chasing that elusive World title, EAP has recorded six top-five finishes in World Tournaments. But more importantly, Bob and his teams are known for much more than wins and losses. Bob has always taken pride in the fact that EAP is recognized for setting the gold standard for good sportsmanship, fair play and honesty. Bob is also widely known in the softball community for helping any team that is running a fund-raiser and for promoting the game through his service on numerous committees and panels. Three years ago Bob was the recipient of the John Earls Memorial Award, the highest honor in local softball aside from being inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Softball Hall of Fame.
• Saturday, February 13th, 2016
BIO:
Eron Smith, aka “Big E,” managed NSA and USSSA Men’s “B” level teams, ASA and USSSA “A” teams, ASA “Major” teams, and NSA 35-Over and 40-Over teams for over two decades from 1989-2011. Eron spent his career with three teams – Bruce Miller Oil from 1989- 91, Backstop Easton from 1992 – 97, and EMR/Meiners Café/Worth from 2000- ’11. He is best known for winning ASA “Major” Metro crowns in 1995 with Backstop/Easton, and in 2000 with EMR/Meiners Café/Worth. His teams were double-dipped in five Metro finals. Other notable championships included a “B” National, 35-Over and 40-Over World titles in NSA; and a USSSA “B” National and “A-AA” One-Pitch National in USSSA. In the “A” Metro, Eron recorded five top-seven finishes, and in the “Major” division four top-two finishes, six top-three and eight top-four finishes. In ASA “A” National Tournaments, his teams placed in the top seven on four occasions. In NSA, Eron finished 2nd in an “A” National and 4th in a “B.” And in USSSA, his teams finished 4th and 7th in “B” Worlds, and 7th in an “A.” Eron consistently surrounded himself with outstanding talent, and has managed eleven Greater Cincinnati Softball Hall of Fame players during his career. He was recognized not only for being an outstanding organizer and motivator, whose players were always ready for the big games, but also for building strong relationships with players, who became fiercely loyal to Smith and his sponsors. Eron compiled an overall won-lost record of 1,086-408 during his career. With his own induction into the Hall of Fame this year, he joins his father, Loyd, a 2012 inductee, as the third father-son duo to be inducted.
• Friday, February 06th, 2015
BIO:
Dayton native Tim Klemm has been one of Southwestern Ohio’s most respected umpires for over four decades. A 43-year officiating veteran, Klemm has served as a registered umpire for Kettering Umpires and Dayton Umpires before moving to Cincinnati, where he continued his officiating career for Queen City Umpires and Blue Chip Umpires, while working for such associations and organizations as ASA, ISF, NCAA and ASA Elite. A fixture in the Cincinnati Metro Tournament every year, Klemm has worked numerous State Championships, and over twenty ASA National Tournaments, including the Men’s C, Men’s Industrial, Men’s 40-Over, Men’s 16”, Women’s, and Junior Olympics in the 16, 14 and 12 age groups. He was Umpire-In-Chief in twelve of those events. He has been selected to work in fifteen NCAA tournaments, and umpired in the first ISF College World Games in 2004. He has attended National Umpire Clinics all across the country, and is a reputable clinician.
• Friday, February 06th, 2015
BIO:
Robert “Red” Moore has been associated with the game of softball for over 50 years as a player, manager and sponsor. A former ball boy with the Cincinnati Reds, he began managing teams in 1972, eventually molding them into regional, then national powerhouses under the “Red’s Boys TPS” banner and “Red’s Astros Louisville Slugger.” In ASA, ISA and NSA World Tournament play from 2003-’08, Moore’s Red’s Boys teams earned three runner-up, ten top-five, and fourteen top ten finishes. His players were named to 24 All-World teams, and Moore collected three All-World manager awards. Over the last three seasons, Red’s Astros has emerged as one of the top teams in the nation while competing in Conference USSSA. In 2012 they earned their first World Series berth as a USSSA “B” team. That year they upset eight-time USSSA World Series champion Resmondo at the Windy City Classic, and went on to shock the softball world with a 5th place finish at the World Series. A year later they captured a runner-up finish in the U-Trip “A” World, placed 2nd in Conference USSSA, and 7th in the World Series. Then last year they finished 3rd in the “A” World, and 9th in the Series.
• Friday, February 06th, 2015
BIO:
Jason Roesch’s fifteen-year career was relatively short among today’s softball players, but he made the most of it. Equally comfortable at 1st or 3rd base or in the outfield, Roesch shined as a situational hitter who could hit behind the runner or go deep as needed, as evidenced by his .670 batting average and 700 career home runs. If you wanted to win the Major Metro, putting Jason Roesch in your lineup was mandatory. From 2005-2011, Roesch’s teams reach the finals seven times, and won five. Roesch was named to four Major Metro All-Tournament teams, and was Metro MVP with Blitz Watanabe in 2007 and in 2012. Roesch also made his mark at the state and national level, winning a pair of USSSA State and World titles, including a USSSA “B” World title with Blitz Watanabe in 2011. He was a member of the Blitz Watanabe “B” World runner-up team in 2009, when he was selected the tournament’s Offensive MVP. A ten-time Men’s Major All-City selection, Roesch has picked to fifteen All-Tournament teams – including a Conference USSSA event in Cincinnati – and won three MVP awards during his careeer. He also made a USSSA World Series appearance, finishing 4th with Alpine Mortgage in 2004. In 2010, Roesch was named to the All-Decade team and “Player of the Decade.” He was also a two-time runner-up “Player of the Year.”
• Friday, February 06th, 2015
BIO:
After a celebrated career playing industrial softball with the Cincinnati Firefighters from 1960-’75, Walt Shroyer returned to the game in 1992 to excel on the Senior Softball circuit for sixteen years. From 1992 through 2007, Shroyer starred with national powerhouses like Joseph Chevrolet, MVM, Wopac/Donato’s Pizza, Nothdurft, Papa John’s and Dayton Legends, winning fifteen national tournaments in ASA, SSUSA, and SPA sanctioned events. He has been named to a dozen All-American teams and was selected Most Valuable Player in numerous events, including the 65+ division of the SPA National Tournament in 2005. He was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 1996. A left-fielder who batted leadoff throughout most of his career, Shroyer has a career batting over of over .600, an on base average of over .800, and has belted over 200 home runs.
• Friday, February 06th, 2015
BIO:
Like most Senior players, Jan Worley’s 52-year softball career began at the “open” level. When she was only 13, Jan was already playing with national champion Rutenschroer Florist against some of the best competition in the nation. Rutenshroer won back-to-back ASA Metro titles in 1967 and ’68, and went on to place 3rd and 4th, respectively, in National Tournament play. After continuing her career with Riverside Ford, the Cardinals and Jake Sweeney in the seventies, and then Empress Chili in the eighties and nineties, Jan found her way onto the Ohio Cardinals senior team in 1999. Since that time, she has been part of over twenty World Championship teams and a Gold Medalist in five Senior Olympics. Her individual honors include six All-World selections and being named as the Outstanding Defensive Player in the 2011 SPA World Tournament. A 3rd baseman with a lifetime .550 average, Jan was named to the Greater Cincinnati All-Century team in 2000. In 2012 she was part of the Ohio Cardinal team that was inducted into the Ohio Senior Olympics Hall of Fame, and was also named Senior Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Association.
• Friday, February 06th, 2015
BIO:
George Young sponsored softball teams in Greater Cincinnati from 1982 through 1994 through his business, Weber’s Café, which he purchased some 26-years ago. Playing as Weber’s, Treb-de-Fox, and Joe & George’s, Young’s team left its mark on local softball, winning several prominent league and tournament titles. They accomplished a three-peat in Rumpke Park’s Wednesday night major league in 1985, 1986, and 1987, and also won the Expressway Park Monday night major league in 1986. In 1983, despite being over-matched against some of the area’s top-ranked teams, Young’s Joe & George’s stunned a field that included area powerhouses like Jay’s, Bushelman Construction, VIP and Avoca Park to capture the ASA Major Metro title at Rumpke Park. Hall of Fame manager Don Schachleiter managed the team. The 1990 season was the most successful for Young, as his Treb-de-Fox team won the prestigious Thoroughbred Classic National Invitational Memorial Day Weekend in Lexington, Ky. behind Hall of Fame pitcher Mark Huber. Then in August, Treb-De-Fox defeated three former World champions – Bunca Car Wash of Michigan, Maroadi Transfer of Pittsburgh, and VIP Limousine of Cincinnati – en route to a runner-up finish in the Hudepohl Classic at Northside K of C. Softball was a big part of Young’s life from 1954 through the ‘90’s, and he forged many life-long friendships through sponsoring teams and attending games. Weber’s Café served it’s last cold beer and last hot mett in 2013 after serving the South Cumminsville area for 122 years. Young says he has crossed paths with over 75 Hall of Fame members during the nearly thirty years he operated his bar.
• Tuesday, January 28th, 2014
BIO:
Jeffrey Dale “Jeff” Click was the pre-eminent shortstop in Greater Cincinnati softball during from the late ‘90’s until he retired in 2010. Respected as a complete hitter, Click hit for power early in his career, then changed his approach while batting leadoff for Watanabe. However, he was able to produce with whatever the situation called for. He was best known for being able to play a solid shortstop for his size, and his ability to hit from that position. Click spent most of his career with two teams: six with Watanabe Optical from 1999-2000 and 2007-2010, and ten with 1st American Title/Freeze Concrete (1996-1998 and 2002-2007). He had a lifetime batting average of .610-plus and started every single game of his career at short. Click’s teams won some fifteen National or World Tournaments, including an ASA A National title, three USSSA B National titles, and an NSA B World title. His teams also captured seven state championships, over twenty USSSA B NIT’s, and three ASA Open Metro crowns. Twice he appeared in the USSSA Men’s Major World Series. Click has been named tournament MVP eight times, and to thirty-one All-Tournament teams. He was selected B co-Player of the Year in 2003, has been named 1st team All-City more than ten times, was picked to the All-Decade team in 2000 and 2010 and was named runner-up Player of the Decade in 2010.
