I received three calls today to try and recall the old days of travel softball, back in it's infancy as we moved from slow pitch to fast pitch.
Back in the early 80's, I coached a great group of girls on the Central Ohio Bank One, then the Randy's Raiders. We had to play a women's team out of Ashland that Chuck Smiley hooked us up with. The teams back then, and Mitch Wagner of Hoban should remember these as his sister played for Manchester and his dad was the coach -
Doc Montgomery and Holly Hills, the Green Excel teams, Mary Ann King, the old Hoban coach and her Akron Knights teams, and the Pitt Patriots. Tallmadge had some very good squads also.
We would get Todd McKinney to come throw batting practice, if anyone remembers Todd there hasn't been another like him. Our teams consisted of Rene Pearson, Lisa Shavers, Sandy Krebs, Kelly Carson, Karen Krautz, Beth Greathouse, Kim Still, Lori Patzer, Vicki Volpe, Denise McMillian, Marilynn McDonnel, and the list goes on. We faced Michelle Granger and a at the time 13 year old Lisa Fernandez. But those girls could play, and they definately could play today. Legends grow, but there is a reason with the above mentioned players.
Les Randolph's team got the birth the following years with Lori Randolph and Rhonda King, and Joe Francisco had some great younger teams that developed, the Jets with Raven McElwee and Carrie Volpe.
I'm researching to remember, but those were some good teams and they could show these girls of 2011 a thing or two. A big reason why I have my kids talk with some of the players of the past so they learn and appreciate the heritage of fastpitch softball.
John Abbruzzese
Ohio Nightmare