John Warren

Elected : USSSA New York Hall Of Fame in 2004
Inducted : April 2005, Syracuse, NY.

John, like many of his teammates from Rochester, NY was one of the first to cross the line to play in the USSSA. It can be said that John was a loyal teammate, goal-oriented and a fierce competitor, however he is most remembered as a student or historian of the game.

John was an above average hitter with sneaky power on a great hitting team and contributed several big hits in key situations. In John's playing career he participated in (9) USSSA Regional, (8) USSSA World and (3) USSSA World Series Championships, the ultimate experience coming in 1977, as his Mazzolla Castle team won the USSSA World Series.

John was one of the best defensive pitchers of his time. Players would alter their hitting styles because of his strength up the middle. John played a significant role in a double play combination that in a (5) year span turned an amazing 179 double plays originating from the pitchers position.

His tournament record was exemplary, helping to defeat such teams as past World Champions Little Caesars, Dinos and Snyders from Detroit, Cooper Hearth and Transport Oil from Milwaukee along with Jim's Sport Shop, The Iron Dukes, Brookline Sports and Sol Mintz all from the Pittsburgh area. John was the winning pitcher in over 200 of the Mazzolla Castle 600+ tournament and league victories. John once faced the minimum 21 batters in one game. Giving up a hit to the first batter he got the next batter to hit into a double play and then with the help of his teammates retired the remaining hitters in order.

John was a player who never asked for special consideration, he always did what was asked of him. He knew his role and did it to the best of his ability. He demonstrated on a daily basis his love for his teammates and the game he loved. When it came to slo-pitch softball, John wore his heart right out there so everyone knew where it was.