SOFTBALL CANADA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

ATHLETE CATEGORY (Chronological Order)

1993 PATTY POLYCH (WABUSH)

Patty-PolychA native of Newfoundland, Patty finished her career in Softball in British Columbia after 18 years of competition.

Her determination to succeed and her willingness to make sacrifices made Patty one of Canada’s Top Pitchers.

Some of her Accomplishments include:

Represented Newfoundland/Labrador in two Summer Games, her first as a 16-year old in Burnably, BC in 1973 and in 1977 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

In 1980 she was the first female to win three Individual Awards and she set three National Records at the Canadian Championships in Hull, Quebec:

  • All-Star Pitcher
  • Tournament Most Valuable Player
  • Top Pitcher
  • Pitched 6 of 7 Games and allowed four unearned runs
  • Pitched her third Perfect Game in the 1980 season, striking out sixteen batters (nine consecutively)

Inducted into Softball Newfoundland and Labrador’s Hall of Fame.

In 1981, Patty moved to British Columbia where she played until 1987. During this time she played on 6 Provinal Championship Teams (every year except 1986) and on 5 National Championship Teams (1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1987).

During her time in BC, her accomplishments include:

  • TopPitcher Award at the 1981 National Championships
  • All-Star Pitcher at the National Championships in 1983 and 1984
  • Most Valuable Player at the 1983 National Champaionships
  • Inducted into the British Columbia Hall of Fame

Congratulations on your Accomplishments, your Selection and your Induction into Softball Canada’s Hall of Fame.

1995 MARG DAVIS (FOX HARBOUR)

Marg-DavisA native of Fox Harbour, Placentia Bay, Marg starred in several sports including softball, field hockey, soccer, ice hockey and ball hockey. A member of 17 St. John’s League Championships and 15 Provincial Championship teams, Marg also played for 5 years with M.U.N. Varsity Field Hockey Teams and was named to the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union All-Star Team in 1985.

Marg has been the recipient of numerous individual awards including M.V.P.’s. She was a member of 34 teams which represented Newfoundland and Labrador in Canadian Women’s Play. A National Batting Champion, and selected All Star on a number of occasions, Marg played for Canada’s Silver Medal Team in the World Women’s Softball Championships in 1978 in El Salvador.

In 1987, Marg was named the Best Female Softball Player in the province for the quarter century, (1963-1987). Chosen St. John’s Female Athlete of the Year on two occasions, she is a member of the St. John’s and Provincial Softball Hall of Fame.

Marg’s accomplishments and examples encouraged young girls to become athletes, attracted expanded media attention and generally boosted female sports

1999 LEN BERESFORD (ST. BRENDAN’S)

Leonard (Len) Beresford has represented Newfoundland and Labrador with distinction over many years at the National Level.

From 1973 to 1988, Len played with eleven Provincial representatives at Softball Canada’s Senior Men’s Canadians. Nine of those appearances were with the St. John’s Capitals, and in 1979, he helped that team win a Bronze Medal in front of the hometown fans. His other two appearances were with St. John’s Best Western Travellers and St. John’s Green Sleeves respectively.

Len Beresford’s most notable moment in Nationals play came in 1974, when in a game against the Yukon, he smashed three home runs to establish a new single game record for round trippers. He was Named to the All-Canadian Team as an Outfielder that same year. Len also had an outstanding performance in the 1979 Bronze Medal victory as he batted .500 and finished second in hitting during the Qualifying Round.

All told, Len played in 60-Games at Nationals, hitting 12 Home Runs and collecting 33RBI’s.

Len had a long and distinguished career in both Local and Provincial play. He competed in the St. John’s Senior Men’s League for 18-Years and dominated play at that level. He was a member of seven teams that won Newfoundland and Labrador Senior Championships.

Len Beresford was Inducted into the Softball Newfoudland & Labrador Hall of Fame in 1990 and the St. John’s Softball Hall of Fame in 1992.

Softball Canada Congratulates Len Beresford on his Induction into the Hall of Fame.

1999 ROSS CROCKER (HEARTS DELIGHT)

Ross Crocker’s performances at Softball Canada’s Canadian Championships are significant, both for their quality and longevity.

During a career that ran from 1968 to 1989, Ross played in seventeen Canadian Men’s Senior Championships and coached in another. From 1971 through 1984, he was at every national in that category. In 1982 and 1988, he was also the pitching coach for the Newfoundland and Labrador teams that attended Softball Canada’s Senior Women’s Canadians in St. John’s.

Ross had four particular championships of note. In 1973, he was named Most Valuable Player in the Qualifying Round in the Canadians held at Hull, Quebec. In 1976, he won three games while losing one, struck out 29 and had an ERA of 0.88. This performance, on behalf of the Argentia Seals, netted Ross the Top Pitcher Award as well as a share of the All-Star Pitcher Trophy in Senior Canadians of that year. The 1982 Canadians saw Ross show a different side to his game as he hit .625 to win the Top Batter’s Award. It was in 1979, however, that Ross had his greatest team moment. He helped the Host, St. John’s Capitals, to a Bronze Medal at the Senior Canadians. Over the years at Canadians, Ross had the unique distinction of playing at all nine field positions.

Ross Crocker has made major contributions to softball in Newfoundland and Labrador, both as a player and as an instructor. As a player, he excelled in Provincial Championship play andin the St. John’s Senior “A” Men’s League. He was the unanimous selection as Newfoundland and Labrador’s Top Male Softball Player for its first twenty-years as a sport in the Province. As an instructor, Ross has held nearly 500 pitching and batting clinics in the Province.

Ross Crocker was named St. John’s Male Athlete of the Year for 1972 and 1973.

Softball Canada Congratulates Ross Crocker on his Induction into  the Hall of Fame.

2006 BILL WINDSOR (AQUAFORTE)

Bill_WindsorBill Windsor was born on June 24th, 1963 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and began his softball career at age ten in Ferryland, NL. By the age of 20, Bill returned to St. John’s and started to compete in the Junior and Senior Men’s “A” Leagues. In 1983, he competed in his first of two Junior Men’s Canadian Championships before becoming a Senior in 1985 where he competed in 12 Senior Men’s Canadian Championships.

On the national level, Bill helped his team earn a Silver Medal at the 1984 Junior Men’s Canadian Championships and a Bronze Medal in 1989 at the Senior Men’s Canadian Championships. In recognition of his exceptional play, Bill was a three time All-Star and was crowned Top Batter at the 1984 Junior Men’s Canadian Championships with a Batting Average of 600.

After enjoying much success on the national level, Bill moved on to the International Softball Congress (ISC), in 1993 and 1994, to play with Team Atlantic, where he was named Top Batter at the ISC Qualifier in 1993 with a 700 Batting Average.

In 1994 and 1995, his final two years of competitive softball, Bill continued to play the St. John’s Senior Men’s “A” League and competed in his final two Canadian Championships. In 1995, with the Canadian Championships returning to St. John’s Newfoundland, Bill helped his team, once again earn a Silver Medal, bringing to an end an incredible 22 year career.

2017 COLIN ABBOTT (Portugal Cove)

Colin Abbott was one of the World’s most feared power hitters and had a lengthy playing career that spanned nearly 30 years. Competing in the St. John’s Senior Softball League, he inspired a new generation of softball players from Newfoundland Labrador who have gone on to make their own mark at the international level, including five members of Canada’s 2015 World Championship Gold Medal Team. Over the course of his career, he played in 17 Canadian Championships racking up a total of 11 medals, including six Gold, two Silver and three Bronze.

Abbott’s first Gold medal at the national level came at the 1988 Midget Canadian Championship as a member of the Stokes Canada Games Team, and he followed that up by winning Gold at the 1990 and 1991 Junior Canadian Championships as a member of the Lloydminster Liners. He represented his province in 11 Men’s Canadian Championships accumulating one Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals, and added Gold medals as a member of the Saskatchewan Rempel Brothers (1994), the Victoria Legends (1997) and the Halifax Jaguars (1998). Individual awards won at the Canadian Championships include two Most Valuable Player awards (1988 and 1990), two Top Batter awards (1995 and 1997) and one Top Player of the Championship Round award (1988) to go along with six All-Star Team selections (1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2001). He also completed at the 1989 Canada Games where Newfoundland Labrador finished fourth.

At the international level, Abbott spent 15 years as a member of the Canadian Men’s National Team Athlete Pool and completed in seven major international events. He completed in the 1989 WBSC Junior Men’s Softball World Championship and won Bronze, took two Gold medals home from the Pan American Games in 1995 and 1999, and played in four WBSC Men’s Softball World Championships, winning Silver in 1996 and 2004, Bronze in 2009 and finishing fourth in 2000.

Bios from Softball Canada