Tom Pickett’s Music dominated the city and Bakalar softball leagues from 1971-75. Team members included (not in order in photo) Ray Anderson, Bobby Bennett, Kirk Detty, Rob Garrett, Lou Giovanini, Larry Holden, Steve Imlay, Rick Jones, Dave Lanham, Clint Moran, Gerry Schooler, Steve Stillinger, Gary Welmer and Steve Welmer.
Submitted photo
The 2022 Columbus Indiana Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame class includes players, coaches, an umpire, a team and even the Columbus Softball Association.
In all, the fourth class to the Hall, which began in 2019, will include 14 inductees. The latest honorees were selected on Saturday, and the induction ceremony will be Nov. 5 at the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Charlie Swengel
Two people were automatic inductees because they are members of other state or national Halls of Fame. Charlie Swengel played for Mahan Ford, which was considered the city’s best softball team at the time, and won national championships and made several All-Tournament teams.
Steve Corya
Steve Corya has coached Wilson Concrete to multiple state and regional championships and last year’s WSL Midwest National Championship. He was inducted into the NSA Hall of Fame-Coach Category, in 2020.
Dave Cleland
Among the other individual inductees, Dave Cleland managed teams to five city league top division titles and six city tournament championships. His Mahan Ford team went 216-68 from 1965-68, and his Columbus Athenians teams went 209-66 from 1969-73.
Tom Crawford
Tom Crawford began playing in 1980 and was on the Golden Foundry national championship team that year and the Columbus Comets co-ed national championship team in 1983. Following a career in the military, he returned to win multiple league and tournament titles and has seven senior championships.
Rich Delay
Rich Delay was one of the more skilled infielders to play the game during his career. He played many years on some of the top teams in the city league and also played for the Indiana Classics.
Mike Gehring
Mike Gehring has spent 46 years in softball, the past 33 as an umpire. He estimates he has worked more than 2,500 games, mostly in the city weeknight leagues and the “Open” league.
Steve Hollenbeck
The late Steve Hollenbeck, a basketball and baseball star at Columbus High School, played softball from 1964-85. The third baseman has generally been regarded as one of the best softball players ever in Columbus.
Randy Lawson
Randy Lawson has been playing softball in Columbus since 1985. He has won numerous state, national and world tournaments, coached a travel team for 10 years and was an assistant at Columbus East for four years when his daughter played there.
Jerry Littrell
Jerry Littrell began playing softball at age 15 and won the King of Slow Pitch Tournament in North Vernon in 1976. He coached and played on the Cummins Engine Company State Industrial championship and runner-up teams, was assistant coach for the Major Plus team that won a national title and played on a National Seniors 55-and-over championship team in 2001.
Steve Pavey
Steve Pavey played from 1976-92, won a tournament MVP and multiple batting average honors. He played on the Deco’s Class A state championship team in 1980 and was on 10 city league championship teams in the highest division during his career.
Dan Reynolds
Dan Reynolds has been playing since 1971 and also has been a coach and umpire. He played and coached with the Indiana Legends, made several All-American and All-Tournamnet teams and won the Doug Webb Coach of the Year Award after winning the Dalton, Georgia, National Championship in 2010. He won the Columbus Senior World Tournament in 2014 and 2015 and also won the Northern Nationals and several league championships in Shelbyville.
Donn Voyles
Donn Voyles played from 1960-2018, more recently in 40-and-over and 60-and-over senior travel leagues. The pitcher and infielder was known for his hustle, effort and competitiveness.
Tom Pickett’s Music was selected for induction as a team after dominating the city and Bakalar leagues from 1971-75. Team members included Ray Anderson, John Arterburn, Bobby Bennett, Kirk Detty, Rob Garrett, Lou Giovanini, Larry Holden, Steve Imlay, Rick Jones, Dave Lanham, Clint Moran, Gerry Schooler, Steve Stillinger, Gary Welmer and Steve Welmer.
Finally, Columbus Softball Association was selected for induction as an organization. Since the reorganization of the adult slow-pitch leagues more than 30 years ago, CSA has administered and run the leagues for adult recreation, sponsored and run tournaments and served thousands of men and women as a home for their teams.
