Calling fast pitch softball “the greatest team sport that I ever played,” Caserto was a pitcher’s nightmare between 1971 and 1984 playing for the Little Brahaus Brewers of Poughkeepsie, NY, the Raybestos Cardinals of Stratford, CT and the Franklin Cardinals of West Haven, CT. A four-time All-American, he smashed 170 homers and drove in 583 runs during his career to go along with his .329 lifetime batting average. Four of the eight years he played for the Cardinals he led them in batting and was twice named an All-American (1976 and 1983). He also twice was an alternate for the USA Pan American team (1979 and 1983). He also batted .280 in the 1984 ISF World Championship. In his first year (’76) with the Cardinals, Caserto led the team in batting (.384) and homers (11). In 1979, he again led the team in batting (.360) and homers (18). He played in 11 ASA national tourneys and twice was a member of a national championship team (1976 and 1983). Before joining the Cardinals, Caserto starred for Little Brauhaus and helped them finish third twice in the national championship. Caserto batted .336 in his first year with Poughkeepsie and was an All-American. He batted .444 in the 1972 national championship to lead all hitters as well as being named an All-American again. Caserto was born June 12, 1946.
Vinnie Caserto, who passed away on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. He was 77 years old.
The softball community in mourning the loss of National Softball Hall of Fame member and Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Head Softball Coach, Joan Joyce, who passed away on Saturday, March 26, 2022. She was 81 years old.
Softball is a team sport. But Hall of Famer Joan Joyce dominated it if it was an individual sport during a 21-year career for the Orange, CA Lionettes and the Raybestos Brakettes, Stratford, CT. Born August 19, 1940, Joyce made her debut with the Brakettes in 1956 and played for them through 1963. From 1964-1966, she compiled a record of 80 wins and six losses pitching for the Orange, CA Lionettes. She re-joined the Brakettes in 1967 and remained until retiring after the 1975 season. As a Brakette, she won 429 games and lost 27 and struck out 5,677 batters in 3,397 innings. She hurled 105 no-hitters and 33 perfect games. Besides being a great hurler, Joyce also was one of the game’s all-time top hitters, finishing her career with a .327 batting average that included leading the Brakettes in batting times six times (1962, 1960, 1967-1969, 1973). Her highest single season average was .406 in 1973. She was a member of 12 national championship teams and 18 times was named an ASA All-America. Eight times she shared or won outright the MVP award in the Women’s National Championship. In 1974, Joan led the Brakettes to the world title in the third ISF Women’s World Championship. She was inducted into the ISF Hall of Fame in 1999. Named by Sports Illustrated that year as the 13th greatest sports figure in Connecticut history.
“Joan Joyce was one of those rare people to enjoy success as both a player and a coach. After concluding an illustrious playing career that spanned parts of four decades in numerous sports, Joyce was named Head Softball Coach at FAU in 1994. The 2022 season was her 28th with the Owls. She was the only FAU softball head coach in program history, racking up 1,002 wins and eight Conference Coach of the Year titles in three different conferences along the way. Under Joyce, the program’s accomplishments are unparalleled: eight-consecutive Conference Championships (1997-2004) – 12 in all (2006, 2007, 2016, 2018) – and eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1997-2004) – 11 in all (2006, 2015, 2016).”
Herman Rathman, a legendary slow pitch slugger from Leavenworth, Kansas passed away on December 11, 2021. Herman played for Steele’s Hitmen and Nelson’s Painting among others. We will be posting his obituary as it becomes available.
Below is an interview with Herman from 2018.
One of the top athletes in Leavenworth High School history said race relations are much better for athletes today than during his time.
“Guys today are treated way better than back then,” said Herman Rathman, a 1960 graduate of Leavenworth High School.
Rathman said it is important to recognize Black History Month, which is celebrated every year in February.
Rathman, 76, was a two-sport star in football and basketball at Leavenworth High. He excelled in summer league baseball as well.
He played all three sports at the College of Emporia, now known as Emporia State University. He excelled in each sport, but signed a professional baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles organization after his sophomore year at Emporia. His first professional stop was in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in the Northern League.
He played professionally from 1962 to 1968.
“During my time,” he said, “segregation was still alive.”
He would ultimately reach as high as Class AA before injury stalled his baseball career.
Rathman would later become a standout slow-pitch softball player for high-level teams for about 13 years.
As a teenage American Legion player, Rathman remembered a road trip to the state tournament. The team stopped for a meal at a diner in Junction City, Kansas. He said the waiter took the meal orders of each of the other members of the team – who were white – but refused to take his. He said the waiter told him he could order food and take it outside to eat. Rathman said the team picked up their food and ate outside with him.
“I always remember that,” he said. “That made me feel good.”
After his athletic career, Rathman worked as a recreation specialist at the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth. He retired about 25 years ago.
Herschel Tucker Waller, Jr., 76, of Panama City, FL, died on November 29, 2021 after a brief illness. Born on January 12, 1945, he grew up in Vernon, FL and graduated from Vernon High School. He then attended the Florida State University on a football scholarship, graduating in 1968. He lettered multiple years and was extremely proud to have played on FSU’s first team to defeat the University of Florida in 1967.
After college, H.T. worked as a teacher and a high school football coach before launching a successful business career. He also played slow-pitch softball from 1965 through 1980 for some of the nation’s top teams (most notably Joe’s Pizza of Milton, FL and Howards Furniture of Denver, NC), including two ASA national title teams and three runners-up. In eight American Softball Association (ASA) national championships, Waller hit 74 homers and batted over .600. He had the distinction of hitting more than 2,000 home runs in his career and was inducted into the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame in 1997.
He was also an avid outdoorsman and careful steward of his family farm, passing his love for hunting and fishing on to his daughters and then to his grandchildren. Some of their fondest memories involve time spent with their Pa on the water or on the farm.
He is survived by his former wife, Paula Lovett Waller, and their children Ashley Waller of Panama City, FL; India Witte, husband David and his two beloved grandchildren Ingalls and Tucker Witte of Tampa, FL; sister Marlene Brock, husband Kelly and brother Larry Waller of Chipley, FL, as well as extended family. He is predeceased by his parents Donie and Herschel Tucker Waller, Sr., and his brother John Waller.
CAREER STATS
Year ABs Hits HRs Avg. Team
1966 30 Bondy's Ramblers
1967 128 .586 Bondy's Ramblers (53 in 29 games), News-Herald (50) and Vernon's (25)
1968 209 .647 Jo's Pizza House (102 games) 104-18 264-408 -1.95
1969 213 .641 Jo's Pizza House (117 games) 96-22 300-468 -2.20
1970 489 341 195 .697 Jo's Pizza House (107 games) 89-19 -2.51
1971 529 370 225 .699 Jo's Pizza House (102 in 57 games) & Angelo's Steak Pit (123 in 60 games) -2.35
1972 297 195 136 .657 Indian Lakes Pile Drivers (90 HR) & Angelo's Steak Pit (46 HR) -2.18
1973 384 263 176 .685 Howard's Furniture (ASA Regional MVP) - 2.18
1974 329 203 135 .617 Howard's Furniture -2.44
1975 104 .625 Ken Sanders Ford & Warren Motors *
1976 299 172 87 .575 Howard's Furniture - 3.44
1977 526 337 212 .641 Howard's Furniture (387 RBI) - 103 games - 2.48
1978 335 201 113 .600 Howard's Furniture -2.96
1979 222 110 49 .495 Howard's Furniture -4.53
1980 11 .545 Howard's/Western Steer (Retired from tournament play in early 1980, played locally)
1981 Local Leagues
Total 3401 2187 2005 .643 INCOMPLETE - (Estimated to have 2500 HR, missing local stuff from 1966-67 and 79-81)
* Ruled ineligible for Howard’s due to ASA residency rule, just played tournaments with both Ken Sanders and Warren’s.
NOTE – newspaper articles said Waller hit 842 HR in the 1968-1971 time frame.
Christan Dowling of Rochester, New York has unexpectedly passed away on April 13, 2021.
Christan was named the USA Softball Female Slow Pitch Athlete of the Year in 2018. She will go be remembered as the most feared women’s slow pitch batter of all time. She once played in an ASA Open Women’s National where she hit a home run her first time at bat and then was intentionally walked the next 16 at bats.
Christan has won numerous ASA and USSSA Championships at the highest level of each association.
Christan was an employee of Easton Sports since 2013. Prior to that she was a rep at Combat Sports Group.
Christan was inducted into the USSSA Hall of Fame in 2019.
As more information becomes available we will post it here.
In 2012, Christan batted in the USSSA Men’s Major World Series Home Run Derby, the first time ever a woman has hit in it. She did not let us down. See the video below.
Longtime Worth Softball rep and USSSA Hall of Famer, Denny Helmig has passed away.
Dennis C. “Hawk” Helmig, 72, passed away 10:45 a.m., Sun. Feb. 21, 2021, at his home surrounded by his family following a courageous battle with Lewy Body Dementia. He was born Aug. 15, 1948, in Lima, the son of Charles & B. Maxine (Wright) Helmig, who preceded him in death. On Dec. 19, 1972, he married Polly (Forton) Helmig, and she survives.
Other survivors include, children, Gavin (Alisha) Helmig, Lima; Dr. Sara Helmig, Memphis, TN; Kara (Donovan Shuster) Helmig, Grand Forks, ND; grandchildren, Teagan Helmig, Lima; and Gavin Sargent, Minot, ND; siblings, Teresa DeCurtins, and Brent (Marsha) Helmig, both of Cincinnati, OH; Connie (Jeff) Partee, Painsville, OH; Carl (Dawn) Helmig, Lima; sister-in-law, Betsi (Pat) Hurd, Chesterfield, VA; brother-in-law, David (Sharon) Forton, Villa Hills, KY, several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his in-laws, Gordon & Rosemary Forton, his brother-in-law, Dennis DeCurtins, and a nephew, Jonathan Hurd.
Denny was a 1966 graduate of Lima Central Catholic High School, and then attended the Ohio University, Athens, OH, where he was a member of the baseball team. He was a sports enthusiast supporting his alma mater, working with Lima youth sports and also enjoyed coaching his children in basketball and softball throughout their years. His participation in sports also included coaching the men’s basketball team at Northwestern Business College now know as UNOH. Hawk’s (No. 44) involvement and success in the softball field resulted in earning his induction into Ohio Softball Hall of Fame, the National Softball Hall of Fame, and the USSSA Hall of Fame. He was employed by Steele’s Sports, Worth Sporting Goods, and recently retired from Rawlings as a Regional Sales Manager. Hawk enjoyed following the Lima Central Catholic teams and especially watching his granddaughter play sports. He enjoyed playing golf, gambling, cheering on his teams, especially Notre Dame, the Cleveland Indians, and the Cleveland Browns. Hawk would travel to Kentucky, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus to follow his special friends and family participating in their sports events. His memberships included St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, the Shawnee Country Club, and the Knights of Columbus.
A special thank you to St. Rita’s Hospice, and the many friends who helped and visited the past months.
When he broke the record in 1986 ASA Nationals beating Midland 1-0 with no hitter to win 45th career ASA National tournament game, he was 45-14 at the time. He lost his next two games at the 1986 Nationals and then went 1-5 in the next 3 Nationals he played in.
Statistics for just advanced play tournaments like states/regionals/nationals/worlds.
ASA Nationals – 46-21, 518 IP, 762 K, 3 National Championships, 11 All Americans, 5 MVP, 5 Most Valuable Pitcher
ASA States – 16-1, 126 IP, 211 K, 5 Championships, 2 MVP, 2 Most Valuable Pitcher
NSF Festival – 9-4, 80 IP, 109 K, 2 Championships
ISF World – 4-2, 59 IP, 98 K, 1 Championship, 1 MVP, 1 Most Valuable Pitcher
Pan Am Games – 6-1, 51 IP, 87 K
ISC National – 38-20, 449 IP, 661 K, 1 Championship, 5 All Worlds, 2 MVP, 1 Most Valuable Pitcher
ISC States – 26-2, 229 IP, 422 K, 12 Championships, 3 MVP, 4 Most Valuable Pitcher
TOTALS – 168-55, 1733 IP, 2714 K, 26 Championships, 16 All American/World, 16 MVP, 14 Most Valuable Pitcher
In ASA National Play, he hurled close to 20 shutouts and 8 no hitters, including 4 perfect games.
In ISC World play, he had another 21 shutouts with 3 no hitters and 2 perfect games.
In State and regional play, he probably had another 15 no hitters and 10 perfect games.
He saved his best for the big stage. In what is still considered the greatest pitching performance of all time in the 1972 ISF World Championships, he pitched an incredible 1-0 win over New Zealand and its ace pitcher, Kevin Herlihy, in 20 innings. For 18 2/3 innings Stofflet had a perfect game before a batter was hit by a pitch. Stofflet had two of the five hits off Herlihy including the game’s only RBI with a single in the top of the 20th inning. Stofflet finished with an incredible 32 strikeouts in a game.
He was a pitcher with no equal and what people fail to realize it that he also had a career batting average of over .300.
