SPRINGFIELD, MA – The Western MA Baseball Hall of Fame committee officially announced today that they will be inducting 7 new members into the Western MA Baseball Hall of Fame.
Each member will be inducted at a special banquet on Wednesday, January 28 at 6:00pm at La Quinta Inn & Suites in the 12th floor ballroom in Springfield. The 2015 class is comprised of a wide range of baseball players, coaches and personalities who have left an indelible mark on the game in the region.
Red Sox radio broadcaster and personality Joe Castiglione – who called his first ever game at Mackenzie Stadium in Holyoke – will give the keynote address.
“We’re really proud of this class and feel that their inclusion is a precise representation of what we want this to be,” said Blue Sox Team President and Hall of Fame Committee Member Clark Eckhoff. “There’s a tremendous amount of diversity in this class and a wonderful blend of professional, amateur, collegiate and high school representation.”
The banquet will be presented in a joint effort by La Quinta Hotel & Suites, MassLive/The Republican and The Valley Blue Sox. Tickets are $45/individual or $425/a table of ten. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Blue Sox front office at (413) 533-1100, via email at tickets@valleybluesox.com or by clicking here!
The 2015 inductees are:
• Joe Castiglione – The 2015 season will mark Castiglione’s 33rd season in the Red Sox broadcasting booth. During his tenure, Castiglione has called over 5,000 regular season games and 112 post-season games for the Red Sox – including four World Series. Castiglione called his first game at Holyoke’s Mackenzie stadium – the current home to the Valley Blue Sox of the NECBL, Elms College Baseball and Holyoke High.
• Joseph McCarthy – Served as the Coach of Holyoke High School from 1981-1989 where he posted a 143-46 record during his tenure. His run included four Valley League titles, 2 co-championships and was punctuated by a Division I state championship in 1985. McCarthy’s teams never finished lower than 2nd place.
• Art Ditmar – Ditmar won 72 games during his Major League career, including starts in Games 1 and 5 of the 1960 World Series. He played for two teams during his nine year career, and won the final game the A’s played in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City.
• 1934 Post 21 American Legion Team – Post 21’s junior baseball team has a special place in local baseball lore. The team of 15 boys agreed together to withdraw from an eastern sectional tournament in Gastonia, N.C. when they learned that officials would not allow their team’s only African-American player – Ernest “Bunny” Taliaferro – to play. The team’s willingness to forfeit a shot at a National Championship to stand by their friend and teammate ranks as a dramatic strike against not only segregation in the game itself, but racism as a whole – and came 13 years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball.
• Vic Raschi – Perhaps one of West Springfield’s most significant contributions to baseball history, Raschi was a member of the ‘big three’ from the New York Yankees pitching staff from the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. In addition to winning six World Series championships with the Bronx Bombers, Raschi was also named to the American League All Star team four times.
• Richard Bedard – Bedard’s accomplishments on the field are as significant as his achievements off it. After being named All-State at Springfield Technical High, Bedard would go on to have a highly successful collegiate baseball career at Amherst College under Western Mass Baseball Hall of Famer Bill Thurston before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 18th round of the 1971 MLB draft. Upon returning to the college ranks as a coach, Bedard built American International College baseball into a regional power – winning the ECAC Division II-III championship in 1979. After nine successful seasons, he took the reigns of the AIC athletic department as its director; to which the college’s programs have thrived under his tenure.
• Stan Ziomak – For over 60 years, Ziomak presided over Amherst Junior Baseball – starting the community’s Babe Ruth and Little League programs in 1952 and not retiring until 2012. His years in junior baseball include a term as national president of the Babe Ruth League and he served many times as director of state and regional tournaments. In January of 2011, he was elected to the Babe Ruth League Hall of Fame and is a winner of the Ed Hickox Award for meritorious service in youth baseball. He served all his years in the game as a volunteer.
The night will include sports memorabilia auctions, a cocktail hour and buffet dinner. A cocktail hour starts at 6:00 p.m., with the dinner and program set for 7:00pm.
Local TV personality Scott Coen will be the Master of Ceremonies.
2015 inductees were chosen by a committee of local baseball executives, media members and former area players. Reader-submitted nominations contributed to the selection process.
