Steve Barkin
Elected : USSSA New York Hall Of Fame in 2021
Inducted : March 2023, Lake Ronkonkoma, NY.
During Steve’s 50 year career in softball, he has served as a sponsor, manager, co-manager, and
coach. In that time, he was part of teams that won eight National Championships, one Regional
Championship, eleven state championships and some three-dozen league championships.
After three years managing a local team, in 1976, Steve joined the County Sports A and Major
teams. In his nine years with County Sports, in USSSA, they won the 1981 A World Series and
the Eastern Regional. They had two other top four finishes in Major Eastern Regionals as well as
a top seven finish in the 1978 Major World Series. With Steve as a co-manager, they won the
New York B State Championship in 1983 and finished 14h in the 1984 Class A World Series. In
1985, County Sports/Bombat won the National One-Pitch Championship and, in 1986, they has
three top eight finishes in Major NITs.
From 1988 through 1992, Steve was a coach with the Ma Grundy’s team, from Miami, FL that
won five Florida State and one National Championships in the 40+ division. From 1995 through
2006, Steve served as a coach for the New York Statesmen, in the USSSA senior division. In
those 12 years, the Statesmen won five Senior National Championships and had eight second
place finishes in National Championships in the Senior Division.
In the summer of 1993, Steve moved to Suffolk County and became fully involved with USSSA
softball. From 1994 through 2013, Steve was co-manager, with Ray Burr, of Brookhaven teams
(K-Plan Tel, Elk Street Grill and Schrank Sports) that won five consecutive NY 40+ State
Championships. It was during that time that Steve got to know Rick Marz, the downstate USSA
Commissioner and a relationship was born out of softball. A mutual admiration for Bike coach’s
shorts developed into a friendship.
As the Schrank Sports players began to “age out” of the Brookhaven Adult League program,
many of them moved up to the Brookhaven Senior League program and joined the Brookhaven
Silver Streaks. In 2014, after what turned out to be a three-month retirement from softball, Steve
was asked to come back and manage the Silver Streaks. In the Senior League, the managers work
closely with the town and the softball commissioner and that’s when the relationship between
Steve and Rik Marz flourished. Steve credits Rick with rejuvenating his love of softball and his
softball career.
In Steve’s eight years managing the Benchwarmers/Silver Streaks, the team has a record of 306
and 72 with 7 first place finishes and a playoff record of 24 wins and 4 losses with 7 playoff
championships.
