Dale McGregor, Umpire Category

When it comes to being an umpire, Dale McGregor has the secret to the success. “If you are hustling (on the field) to make the call, then there is no room to argue,” said the 20 year veteran.

As the Washington State Umpire-in-Chief since 1991, Dale has been instrumental in the development and growth of the Umpires Association within the state of Washington.

Dale has umpired over 60,000 games including the Church World Tournaments in 1987 and 1991, the Men’s NIT’s from 1992-1995 and the Women’s NIT in 1993. He has also worked several divisional tournaments. However, without hesitation, Dale’s highlight as an umpire came in 1993 when he was chosen to work the Women’s World Series in Rockford, Illinois.

Dale graduated from Roosevelt High School where he played football, basketball and baseball and continued on to play baseball while in the Army. While being an umpire can be a thankless job, Dale still enjoys his craft because of the people he meets in the game.

Russ Christiansen, Coach/Manager Category

Russ Christiansen became interested in coaching and set his sites on a new challenge – making his mark on the game of softball. Russ has been managing, coaching and sponsoring in the women’s program for twenty-one consecutive years. His loyalty, dedication and class have been his trademarks that have complemented his success in the dugout. “I love the competition and the game of softball,” said Christiansen, who owns a Seattle commercial construction business called Case Construction, which has sponsored his women’s team the last 12 years. Russ has directed his team to two ‘B’ Regional titles in the last three seasons. He also won a Washington State ‘B’ Championship in 1992 and was runner-up in 1993. While his teams have always been successful and competitive, his pride is in the loyalty and respect of his players and coaches, many of whom have had careers with his teams.

David Nusser, Special Category

Without question, David has made significant contributions to USSSA since joining the organization in 1984. Besides running the Washington Church Program, David has been a Program and Regional Director, Executive Board and Classification Committee member and Executive Committee member, to name a few aspects of his involvement in USSSA softball.

David’s strong leadership in the Church program has also been recognized nationally, twice being named the USSSA National Church Director of the Year. David has also achieved success on the playing field. With a lifetime batting average of over .500, the longtime member of the People’s Church team in Tacoma has also won two ‘A’ World Series titles in 1991 and 1993 and played in three other World Series championships. What sets the humble Dave apart from his peers is his tremendous energy and desire to contribute to the game that has been so good to him. Dave still travels throughout the state to help promote the USSSA program stating, “I love the administration part even more than I do playing because you have a chance to touch more players and there is a great feeling of satisfaction knowing you had a part in putting together a tournament or program that the participants enjoy.  

Randy “Nate” Lawson, Male Player Category

As 3^rd baseman, Nate set the standard for excellence. He also plays the game with an intensity and competitive fire only few players achieve. Nate wears his emotions on his sleeve when he steps onto the softball diamond, but also happens to be one of the best softball players Washington has ever seen and is arguably one of the top performers in the nation. For 20 years, Nate has consistently put up awesome numbers on offense and is widely considered the best defensive 3rd baseman in the state. “He is intense and he plays to win,” said his coach Dan Lowery, who has played with and managed Lawson the last eight years. “He works so hard to be consistent and he knows what to work on to improve his game. Nate is clutch all the time.” To back up Lowery’s claim, this past season, at 40 years of age, Nate hit .702, belted 84 home runs and had 238 RBI’s. He led his team, Long Pest Control/TPS, to an impressive 68-23 record and the ‘A’ state title. “Nate makes the hard plays look routine. He is a team leader and one of his plays on defense can really fire up the team.”

Jack Orewiler, Male Player Category

Jack has played softball with USSSA since it started here in Washington State.  He was a member of the 1984 Men’s “A” World Championship Team, Price Enterprises, winning the Defensive M.V.P. in the tournament.  Jack was considered to be one of the best infielders to play in the state of Washington and also a feared hitter, combining power, speed and hitting for a high average.  He has played for some of the best teams this state has seen such as MPM, Price Enterprises, Marlton Enterprises and the Pacific Blues, all which were comprised of the same core group throughout their run.  Jack continues to support the USSSA men’s program, playing with the Northwest Legends 40+ Masters.  The Northwest Legends team comprises most of the top players that participated in USSSA throughout the 80’s and 90’s in Washington State.

Rich Plante, Male Player Category

If you are a softball player, there is a good chance that you have heard of Rich Plante, considered to be one of the best players ever to play softball. A look at his lifetime stats confirms a .710 batting average, over 2000 home runs and more than 4,000 RBI’s. In short, Rich averaged seven homers every 10 at bats (100 HRs per season) and drove in at least 200 RBIs per season.

In twenty years with USSSA, Rich “powered” his teams to the highest levels, winning the 1989 World Series (7 for 8 with 6 home runs in the title game) and being the 1985 ‘A’ World MVP, 9 for 9 in the 1988 World Series, 1992 U.S. home run champ and the 1990 Canadian home run champ. Rich’s mammoth numbers drew the attention of Louisville Slugger, who made a TPS bat with his signature. Later, Powerflite wooed Rich away from LS and he actually helped design his own bat, the JA7 model, in addition to making hitting videos and writing a monthly column for Slo-Pitch News.      

Laurie Callaghan, Female Player Category

To be outstanding in any sport, an athlete must be intense, give 100 percent and be a great leader. Laurie Callaghan possesses all of these qualities. Laurie has been around sports all her life and has played softball for 30 years, the majority of those years as pitcher. Those who play with and against Laurie agree that her knowledge of the game along with her skills have made her a welcome addition to any team. Her determination to be the best has helped her excel in this realm. Her work ethics, knowledge of the game and leadership skills have made her an asset to the teams for which she has played. Laurie has played for three teams throughout her Washington career – ODD Tanaimo, BNI and OMT and had no favorites.  “They were all unique,” said Laurie. One of her favorite moments was winning the USSSA Western Regional Tournament in 1991.