Male Player - Jerry Henderson

Jerry began playing softball in 1971.  Jerry started his association with Washington USSSA in 1981, the first year USSSA was offered in Washington.  Jerry has played USSSA every year since up until the time he retired from the game in 1998.  Jerry has participated in 19 World Championship tournaments, during which time he was honored to be a member of the People’s Church/Worth team.  During this time he played in six Church “A” World Championship games, winning 3 Church “A” World Championships, 1991 and 1993 with USSSA and 1995 with another association.  He was first attracted to USSSA because of “the quality of umpiring, great National events and the level of professionalism that the administration was bringing to the game of slow pitch softball”.  When asked of his individual accomplishments, he answered that there were many, but he never kept track of any individual honors as he always “felt it was secondary to our teams’ success”.  Jerry said he would rather see one of his teammates be named to an All Star team.  I received more satisfaction from that.  Jerry’s coach, Steve Shackett, tells us that Jerry was named to the All World team two times, was MVP of the Church “A” State Championships two times and was selected to the All State team in 12 State Championship tournaments.  When asking fellow players about Jerry, these were some of the comments:  “Great teammate and hated to lose”, “Made all his teammates around him better players”, There is no other player that I would rather play with when we needed to have a hit in a clutch situation”, One of the greatest single hitters in softball that could hit with power if he was asked to do so”.  In the 1993 Church “A” World Championships Jerry was asked to fill the roll of pinch hitter.  He went seven for seven all in crucial situations to start a comeback or to drive in the winning run to win the game.

Male Player - Steve Bull

Steve’s involvement with softball and USSSA started at the same time in his life, with an opportunity to join some long time friends and play a game he had never played before at the “Rec” level.  From this start, Steve moved on to play for the Creekwater Dispensary “C” team in 1982 and 1983.  He worked very hard on his game and his athletic prowess over the next few years and spent 1983 thru 1989 with the Schooner Tavern team in the “A” and “B” divisions of play.  During this time the game of softball here in Washington was exposed to a new look at the ball park, “The Bull”.  In 1990 and 1991 he joined the Shipper Service/Gateway team out of North Bend and excelled at the Men’s “B” classification.  This team qualified to play in the first ever USSSA “B” World Championship tournament.  In 1992 Steve joined the Slo-Pitch News squad, coached by Dick Calvo, and participated in the Men’s Major World Series in Datona Beach, Florida.  From this exposure on the National scene, Steve was picked up by the St. Louis/Worth Major team, and again traveled to the Men’s Major World Series.  For the 1994 – 1996 seasons Steve decided to stay closer to home and his family and played for the Schooner Tavern, once again, Rainier/Caddyshack and Long Pest Control.  Over this span of time Steve compiled a batting average of approximately .635, while hitting over 500 home runs and batting in over 900 rbi’s.  Over the years he has been named to numerous All Star teams and been selected as the MVP at least three times.  Steve’s name appeared on the very first Washington State Major Players list, and the very next year was named to the National Major Players list.  Only a few players from Washington have ever been honored with this distinction.  Steve spent the last 6 years playing some local Church ball and on most weekends could be found at the park with his wife, Lisa, playing some Co-Ed ball.  Steve is most proud of the fact that he was always known as an unselfish team player, and a player that would make adjustments needed to help his team.  “Never playing baseball, it took a tremendous amount of discipline and practice to reach my goals”.  “What I always wanted from softball was to earn the respect of anyone associated with the game”.  We in Washington USSSA feel that Steve has definitely succeeded in those goals.

Female Player - Natalie Long (MsNat)

Natalie, or “MsNat” as she is known by her friends and those that read the message board, began her involvement with USSSA over 27 years ago.  While growing up, Natalie was blessed with the ability to participate in many different sports.  Once finding the game of softball, her athletic abilities allowed her to compete at the highest levels of the sport.  She says that through softball she has been able to make new and close friends in many parts of the country and to see places that she would otherwise not have ever been able to see.  Natalie was a member of the 2001 USSSA Women’s “B” World Championship team and was named to the All Tournament team.  She has played on the top teams in the Northwest in both the Women’s and the Mixed programs, and just this past year was part of the USSSA Women’s “A” World Championship team, Seattle Express.  She feels very fortunate to have been part of some of the best teams in the country in both Women’s and Mixed programs and has been blessed with being coached and sponsored by some of the very best in the Northwest.  These would include Clarence and Sandra Williams, Carl Riedel, Mark Lewis, Edgar Colon, Ron Martinez, Al Medley and Al Chalker.  As with most of the top women’s players, Natalie has earned numerous All Tournament awards and many MVP awards.  Her greatest achievements in softball are those that she and her team earned together.

Female Player -Cesilee Coulson (CES)

“CES” has been playing USSSA softball for 15 years of her thirty years of playing the sport.  She started playing women’s ball at the “C” level in 1990 while in the state of Oregon.  When her team played in Washington she had the chance to meet and make more softball friends and through her abilities be noticed by Washington State Hall of Fame coach, Al Medley of the Seattle Express team.  She was recruited to play at the “B” and then “A” level and has never looked back.  “CES” has always been one to praise the players that she has been associated with rather than try to count the numerous All Star and MVP awards received over the years.  A singles hitter to all fields and a .600 lifetime batting average ranks “CES” among the best in Washington.  Defensively she plays Short Stop and 3rd base, but can play other positions.  She is justly proud of being named MVP in the 2001 USSSA Women’s “B” World Championships, Offensive MVP and World Batting title in the 2003 USSSA Women’s “A” World Championships, and being named to the All Tournament team in the 2004 and 2005 Worth NIT in Rockford, Ill.  As a member of the 2005 USSSA Women’s “A” World Champion team, Seattle Express, “CES” was named Tournament MVP.  In “CES’s” words “I have been blessed to have had amazing teammates over the years”, when expressing how she feels about the game.  As for being on the “A” World Championship team and winning the World title, “I can’t describe what an awesome feeling it is to have accomplished that goal with my teammates and coaches.  I am very proud that Washington USSSA has a Women’s “A” World title.

Manager/Coach - Frank Coumont

Frank Coumont is a name that is very well known by all those involved in women’s softball.  Frank has been coaching for 35 years and has accomplished just about all the goals that he has ever set for himself and his teams.  His team won the “C” State Championship in 1988, finished second at the Women’s “C” Nationals in Colorado in 1995, and then returned to Colorado in 1997 and won the Women’s “C” Western Regionals.  His team finished 7th at the Women’s “B” Worlds in 1999 and won the Washington USSSA Women’s “B” State Championships in both 2001, ’02, ’04 and 2005.  To finish off the 2002 season his team traveled to Salt Lake City where they were crowned the Western “B” National Champions.  In 2005 his team, The Seattle Hawks took 5th place at the Women’s “B” World Championships in Orlando, FL.  Over the years Frank has compiled a won loss record of 1240 wins against 542 losses in all games that he coached.  In USSSA his record is 818/324.  Over the years Frank, and his wife Dee, have been the proudest of the fact that they do not allow drama to be induced in the ranks of the players, and that all those around them, in the Women’s program, think of his teams as more of a perpetual family.  The one thing that Frank has always demanded of his players is that win or lose, they do it with class.

Umpire - Joe Bailey

Joe began his umpiring career over 42 years ago.  He umpired the first ever USSSA league game held in Pierce County Parks and Rec back in the early 80’s.  Over the years Joe has traveled to Arizona, California and Colorado representing the Washington umpires by working various post season tournaments.  There are very few National, Regional or World events that have been held in the state of Washington that Joe has not been a big part of.  During Joe’s umpiring career he has been recognized for his abilities by being selected to the championship game in most of the tournaments that he has been involved with.  He was awarded the Outstanding Umpire Award the first time he taveled out of state for USSSA, which was at the Men’s “C” Western Divisional Championships in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Joe is best known by the players as being fair in his decisions and acting professional at all times.  Through Joe’s involvement with the Western Washington Umpires Association, USSSA has always been well respected and well represented in the Tacoma area.  There is not another umpire in the state that controls a game or tough situations better than Joe Bailey.

Special Category - Don Goldsby

Don began his involvement with softball over 30 years ago and became a part of Washington USSSA in 1983.  Don was introduced to USSSA by Carl Riedel at the time he was very dissatisified with another association that he was then associated with.  He saw an opportunity to “make a difference and represent the players and coaches of my area”.  “I believe that USSSA is the best of all of the available organizations, and I wanted to be part of it.  I wanted to help make the game better and be a part of a quality organization.  USSSA was the answer for me”.

Don became a USSSA umpire, and while working closely with the local umpires association and Washington USSSA, was able to become the President of the Olympia Softball Association, and a very big part of Washington USSSA.  When the local softball association came into some hard times, Don was the driving force that brought the Association back to respectability with the players, coaches, and the city of Olympia.  Don has always credited those around him for much of the success that he has had, but those of us close to him, know who the driving force has always been.  Don has been a member of the Washington USSSA Executive Committee and Board for over 14 years and has gladly taken on the role of making sure that our interests have always been the same as the teams.  He has worked very hard to expand USSSA into surrounding communities and has had much success.  He runs numerous tournaments each year and is always willing to do whatever is asked of him by the Executive Director of Washington USSSA.  Over the years Don has been an umpire, player, coach, sponsor, director, league director, Executive Director and has attended many National Conventions and fought for what he believed was in the best interest of the teams in Washington State.