Electric-Press
Elected : USSSA New York Hall Of Fame in 2023
Inducted : March 2024, Syracuse, NY
Almost 30 years ago in 1997, I had the pleasure and good fortune to recruit a group of players
that allowed me to enjoy one of the most successful years in my coaching career. This team
competed in USSSA “D” division tourneys where speed, defense, and clutch hitting were
important because a HR was an out. It was a very exciting brand of softball. Double plays, rifle
throws or putouts from the outfield, and speed on the base paths are part of the game.
Therefore, I recruited these players to achieve success in this brand of softball and in 1997 they
succeeded in doing this beyond my expectations.
Our team won our first USSSA NIT tourney at Fort Devens, Massachusetts on June 6-7th, in
1997 to win the berth to the USSSA World Series. We earned a bye in the first round of the series
by entering as the number one ranked team in the Northeast and 4th in the country. This ranking
was earned by finishing 1st in the Fort Devens NIT, 2nd in the Syracuse NIT, 2nd place in the
USSSA Class D State tourney, and 3rd in the 58 Northeast “D” regional in Fort Devens, Mass
.
As a result, we were seeded 6th out of 48 teams in the World Series at Sterling Heights, Michigan
September 20-21st. We won 3 games before losing to Tully’s (another Syracuse team) late
Saturday night. We started Sunday morning beating Floyd’s Mfg (winner of the Northeast
Regional) 25-10, J.B. Bulldogs (ranked #2 in the Northeast) 22-10, along with a rematch with
Tully’s 13-6to advance to the championship game versus AV Hawaiian (ranked #1 in the
country), AV Hawaiian scored 7 runs in the bottom of the first inning before we switched to a
five man infield defense allowing us to lead 15-13 after 4 innings. Unfortunately, we lost by 1
run in the bottom of the 7th inning to finish in 2nd place. Members of our team making the allworld
team were Don Livingston (.687 avg), Brian Rogers (.766 avg), Jack Durant (.727 avg),
Bobby DaMore and Todd Fazio. My son Michael Sharkey, 17 at the time scouted the teams we
were about to play next, so we knew where they hit when we played them.
I want to thank this fine group of players that I had the pleasure to work with in our Cinderella
season. They never gave up and showed a lot of heart in every tourney we played in. I am forever
grateful for their cooperation and willingness to do whatever was asked of them for the good of
the team. Thanks guys!
