2006 Inductees

Nick Berardi, Sr. of Lexington, KY has worn many hats in his illustrious softball career dating back to when he was a ball player through his 40’s in New York before planting himself in the Bluegrass.

In Kentucky, Nick established Berardi’s softball in 1980 at the men’s slow pitch and church divisions. As a sponsor, coach, and team manager, Mr. Berardi slowly built “Berardi Ball” to championship caliber at the highest level. His success began with his first Kentucky State title as a church winner, Downtown Baptist, in 1985 and 1986.

From church he moved from “C” to “B” to “A” winning at each level -- “B” Runners Up in 1992, “C” State Champ in 1994, and finally winning the first of three “A” Kentucky State championships in 1998 and then again in 2002 and 2003.

Nick Berardi’s rise to the top did not stop at the state but skyrocketed through the country winning not just one, but two, National Championships in a three-year span. His 2003 ASA “A” East Championship won in Valdosta, Georgia was followed closely by his crowning jewel, the Hooter’s ASA “A” Championship Series. In the Hooter’s Series, the East winner, Berardi’s/TPS, met the West winner, Meridian of Texas, and Berardi’s won the best 3 of 5 format for the “thrill of Nick’s softball career”.

Berardi’s was not finished in 2003 with their success, duplicating their ASA “A” East feat again in 2005 and finishing Runners Up at the Hooter’s Series.

Like John Elway of the Denver Broncos and Jerome “the Bus” Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Nick retired (2005) at the pinnacle of his sport.

Alan Stein, a Lexington native, has been involved in the sports industry throughout his entire life. He has served as athlete, coach and spectator, and his true love has always been baseball. Alan has accomplished much

success professionally, but is probably most well known in the sports industry for bringing professional baseball back to Lexington.

Alan realized a personal dream of his in 2001 when the Lexington Legends minor league baseball team opened their first season in Applebee's Park. Alan has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Legends for six years and also serves as Chief Operating Officer for Ivy Walls Management Company.

He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues and was recently inducted into the South Atlantic League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mr. Stein’s love for baseball just recently carried over to the softball diamonds as he and one time Lexington Legends’ owner, Brad Redmon, donated the space in front of Applebee’s Park where the Kentucky Softball Hall of Fame and Honor will be permanently housed.

Having the Hall of Fame in Central Kentucky is a dream come true for the board members and past and future inductees, especially next to beautiful Applebee’s Park. A million “thanks” would not be enough to show the gratitude towards Mr. Stein for his contribution giving the Hall of Fame the recognition and home it deserves.

In the Spring of 1971, Gerald Childers, Production Inventory Coordinator started a Southern Belle Dairy men’s softball team. As recently as two weeks before their induction into Kentucky’s Hall of Fame and Honor, Southern Belle, from Somerset, was still going strong and finished 2nd at the prestigious Hooter’s softball qualifier in Lexington.

In its first 34 years, Southern Belle not only “Got Milk”, but they got and earned respect from their peers by winning two state titles (1995 and 2003) and three consecutive regionals. A silver and three bronze medals at the Bluegrass State Games plus 6 appearances at National Championships are just part of their winning tradition.

Sponsoring men’s softball is just part of what makes Southern Belle a special addition to Kentucky’s softball world. The dairy provided two softball fields of their own for their teams from 1979-1990, and these diamonds are now being used by local little leaguers. They also sponsored a women’s team for 5 years.

Gerald Childers was the original coach for Southern Belle, and he managed from 1971 - 1977 until Harrison “Hot Dog” Childers took over and is still seen most weekends in the coaches box.

Sometimes the far western part of Kentucky seems to be left out because it is such a distance away from the media outlets in Lexington and Louisville and news does not always travel swiftly from the west to the central parts of the state.

Terry Cook from Pembroke, KY fits both “lonely” categories being from the western tip of Kentucky and being a softball commissioner and umpire.

Terry served as the Kentucky District 4 commissioner from 1989 - 2005 registering as many as 85 teams in one season alone in the Hopkinsville region. Hopkinsville, under Mr. Cook’s tutelage, hosted a total of 10 Kentucky State Championships including 7 men’s, 2 women’s, and one youth.

Most recently (2002) he brought the ASA Men’s “A” State to Hoptown to enjoy a new complex, Tie Breaker Park, which is a state-of-the-art softball facility. The “D” West State tournaments from 2003-2005 brought in several teams from around the state, and they were the last 3 state tournaments that Terry Cook served as commissioner.

Terry’s behind-the-scenes work was not always visible to the public, but one could always see him behind the plate as he umpired for 25 seasons on the adult, youth, fast and slow pitch levels. Among his ASA State tournament umpiring stops he called games in Hopkinsville, Owensboro, Bowling Green, and Madisonville.

What Leon Mattingly of Mt. Washington accomplished on the softball field from 1966 to the present (2006) has not been seen by many in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. And, what his teams have accomplished, much of that could not “literally” be seen, at least not through the eyes of Leon himself. Coach Mattingly was diagnosed in the early 80’s with a hereditary eye disease known as Retinitis Pigmentosa, and his prognosis was that he would eventually become blind.

Three years ago, Leon lost 99% of his eyesight, yet with his cane and coaching assistants he still has plenty to offer to the softball community.

Like many in softball, Mr. Mattingly started at the bottom coaching “D” ball and now he will join his Kentucky Hall of Fame sponsor, George Hoffman from the Mt. Washington Miller Beer team.

From New Hope Miller Beer and Mt. Washington Miller Beer, Leon Mattingly climbed the softball ranks progressing to the “A” level. His Riverside, Gateway Press, and Underwood Cattle teams were not only among the finest in Kentucky, but they achieved top 40 rankings among the nation’s superior men’s softball squads.

Ironically, as Mattingly’s sight got worse, his teams got better, culminating last summer (2005) with the NSA “B” North National Championship as Spitz Seeds/TPS.

Mattingly’s love for the game and his infectious spirit will keep him coaching as long as it continues to be “fun” for him. And, although he can’t see, his feel for the game should bring him many more honors in the future.

In the 60’s and throughout the 70’s there was only one national powerhouse from Kentucky and that was the Jiffy Club from Louisville. Jiffy produced 21 ASA All-Americans, won the 1972 ASA Open National Championship, and the 1973 World Series defeating Pharr-Yarn of McAdenville, NC in three games.

The brain child behind Jiffy’s success was manager and sponsor, Bud Gagel. Manager Gagel began in 1958 and continued through 1976. Besides his two national titles, Gagel owned the Louisville Metro with 13 championships in 16 years and his Jiffy Club also captured 7 ASA regionals.

From 1961 through 1976 Bud Gagel’s Jiffy won 77% of their 1100 games and was 37-20 in national tournament competition playing a total of 12 ASA National Championships.

Mr. Gagel has been honored in the past by the Louisville Area Chamber of Commerce in 1973 and in his dream-come-true moment by the National ASA Hall of Fame in 1977. We are proud and privileged to be able to induct Bud Gagel to the Kentucky Softball Hall of Fame and Honor.

Brad Redmon, from Lexington, KY, was a rarity in softball circles from 1983 to 1999 as a gifted 5 tool softball player. He possessed a strong and accurate arm from the outfield, played outstanding defense, his speed allowed him to lead several of his slow pitch clubs in doubles, he had power when called upon, and his handling of the bat earned him more than 10 team batting average titles including 4 straight with Berardi’s from 1983 to 1986.

Brad won 6 Kentucky State Championships--one in the peak of his career in 1989 with Kentucky’s #1 “A” powerhouse, Buffalo & Dad’s. That 1989 team, besides winning the ASA “A” State in Owensboro, captured the Thoroughbred, Lake Cumberland Classic, Bluegrass State Games, and every other “A” event they played in around Kentucky that season. They were featured in the premier of Lexington’s Herald Leader Weekender section. Redmon’s MVP at the 1989 Thoroughbred was perhaps his ultimate accomplishment.

Mr. Redmon played with several “upper” Kentucky squads from Berardi’s, Fraley’s, and Buffalo & Dad’s, but he equally enjoyed his time playing on the local level with his church and league teams. He won 9 Lexington city championships, and among his state titles, the Southland Christian and Rosemont Baptist victories were two of the sweetest.

Off the field, Brad Redmon became just as valuable as on. As the majority owner of the Lexington Legends single “A” professional baseball team, he was very instrumental in allowing the Kentucky Hall of Fame and Honor to move from Owensboro to its newest location in front of the Legends home, Applebee’s Park.

The headlines in the early 1950’s from Louisville’s Courier Journal and Frankfort’s State Journal were pretty much the same -- “Al Gustafson tosses no hitter”, “Al Gustafson gives up 2 hits, strikes out 11”, “Little Gus of the Sters shuts out the Jeffersonville Soapmen”, “Gustafson records 15 strikeouts, no hits Bourbon Club.”

The headlines were similar but reading between the lines one could really see how dominant the diminutive fast pitch hurler was because he was winning his games versus future softball Hall of Famers, Lloyd Crane, Louis Tolle, and other pitching greats.

In one marquis duel, Gustafson fanned 15 Knoxville Fertilizer players and allowed only two hits in a 10 inning war with Lloyd Crane of Sterling Beer. the 1-0 outcome at picturesque State Stadium in Frankfort was one of many pitching highlights versus top notch competition.

Al lent his arm first to the Bonnycastle Cubs in 1943 who were the 18 and Under champions. In 1945, he joined the Army and played for Army teams in Camp Walters, TX and Fort Sills, OK and came back to Kentucky in 1946 at Fort Knox.

From 1947-1949, Al led the Sportsman’s Bar to the Louisville Metro and Jefferson County championships and in 1949 he pitched a perfect 2-0 game to defeat Frankfort in Newport.

From 1950 to 1954, while with Sterling Beer, Gustafson threw a couple of other perfect games against National Regional competition, one being a 3-0 shutout over Wisconsin.

He retired after the 1955 season as Louisville Metro Champs for 9 consecutive summers dating back to 1947 and from 1950 to 1954 he was 24-0 in Metro tournament games.

Bill Gatti, aka “The Great Gatti” and the “Louisvlile Slugger” was one of the greatest Kentucky athletes to ever put on a softball uniform.

Before smashing his infamous monster home runs for such teams as the professional Kentucky Bourbons and his amateur clubs, Jiffy, Elite Coating, Smythe Sox, and Ritch’s Salvage, Bill mastered another sport, football. After an Honorable Mention All-American year in 1970 for University of Louisville’s football team, he went to the World Football League where he played for the Florida Blazers and the San Antonio Wings. His accomplishments on the football field from High School through the WFL earned him Hall of Fame status in 1989 at U of L and he was also inducted into the Waggener High School Hall of Fame.

As a softball star, Bill was inducted into the Louisville ASA Hall of Fame in 1987, the ASA National Hall of Fame in 2000, and the USSSA Hall of Fame in 2001.

--Jiffy Club --1971 ASA All-American and Batting Average Leader (.867); 1972 ASA All-American World Champ, Home Run Title (14); 1973 ASA All-American

--Kentucky Bourbons -- All Pro, 1977-82; Pro League MVP, 1980-81; World Champs 1981, World Series MVP, 1981; Triple Crown winner, 1981 batting .662, 38 HR’s, 99 RBIs.

--Elite Coating, Smythe Sox and Ritch’s--1983-1989--won 6 Major/Super National Championships; 6 All World selections; MVP Open World, 1989.