GREENSBORO, N.C. — USA Softball inducted nine members, including NFCA Hall of Famer and Arizona head coach Mike Candrea, to the National Softball Hall of Fame at the 37th Annual celebration at the Sheraton Greensboro.  

The 2017 class consisted of Candrea – Meritorious Service, Jimmy Derrick (Douglasville, Ga.) – Umpire, Gary Evans (Mason, Mich.) – Umpire, Dick Gulmon (Valley City, N.D.) – Meritorious Service, Mark Martin (Fayetteville, Ark.) – Slowpitch Player, Rick Minton (Cerro Gordo, Ill.) – Fastpitch Player, Bob Quinn (Branchville, N.J.) – Fastpitch Player, Willie Simpson (Oak Lawn, Ill.) – Slowpitch Player and Evans Telegadas (Scottsdale, Ariz.) – Fastpitch Player.

Mike Candrea (Tucson, Ariz.) – Meritorious Service

Mike Candrea is synonymous with softball success.  His resume with the USA Softball Women’s National Team spanned over a decade, starting first as an assistant coach in 1994 on the Women’s World Championship team that captured the Gold Medal in Canada.  Beginning in 2002, Candrea took over the helm of the Women’s National Team, during which time the U.S. captured two World Championship Gold Medals, two Pan-American Gold Medals, two World Cup titles, one Olympic Gold Medal and one Olympic Silver Medal.  With a passion for making world-class athletes and individuals, Candrea was a driving force behind some of the most dominating performances in international softball.  “I don’t just want to win, I want to dominate,” is a phrase Coach Candrea echoed during the journey to the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.  Making his words a reality, Team USA recorded one of the most dominant Olympic performances in history, outscoring opponents 51-1.  After retiring from his Head Coach duties following the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Candrea continued his involvement with USA Softball as the Director of Coaching Education, where he took on a series of educational roles to continue the development of the sport both domestically and internationally.

In addition to honoring eight individuals with their induction into the National Softball Hall of Fame, the Class of 2018 was also announced following the conclusion of the Hall of Fame Committee meeting earlier in the day.  The Class of 2018 inductees include: Dick Brubaker (Fastpitch Player), Crystl Bustos (Fastpitch Player), John Daniels (Sponsor), Ricky Huggins (Slowpitch Player), Todd Joerling (Slowpitch Player), Bill Silves (Umpire), Christa Williams (Fastpitch Player), Charles Wright (Slowpitch Player).

The 38th induction ceremony will take place at the 87th Annual USA Softball Council Meeting, which will be held in Oklahoma City, Okla.  Rules and guidelines to nominate potential Hall of Fame candidates for 2019 are available at USASoftball.com.  There is a deadline submission of September 1, 2018.

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