Olympian Valerie Arioto among nine new inductees into USA Softball Hall of Fame

Olympian Valerie Arioto among nine new inductees into USA Softball Hall of Fame
23/01/2023
The inductees are set to be enshrined at the 42nd Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, October 28 at the Oklahoma City Convention Center.

USA Softball announced nine new members of the USA Softball Hall of Fame with the selection of the Class of 2023. Honored for their accomplishments and dedication to the sport of softball will be meritorious leader Doug Lindaman; standout umpires Joe Massaro and Jim Craig; coaching legend John Stratton; Olympian Valerie Arioto; slow pitch greats Sue (Corcoran Bupp) Ilyes, Monty Tucker and Ray Fleetwood; and the Sikorsky Aircraft softball team.

Recognized for his dedication to the sport, Doug Lindaman will join the meritorious service category following a 37-year career on the USA Softball council. He also served in various positions for the USA Softball national teams programs including Team Manager for the USA Softball Men’s National Team at the 1995 World Championship and the USA Softball Junior Men’s National Team at the 2008 World Championship.

Selected for their experience in the umpire category are Joe Massaro and Jim Craig, both of which kickstarted their umpiring careers in the late 1970s and continued for a combined 80 years.  

Enshrined for his impact as a manager/coach, John Stratton has over 40 years with the Raybestos/Stratford Brakettes program – 28 of which he has spent as the team manager, with more to come as he continues his tenure with the squad. 

Earning her place among USA Softball legends, Valerie Arioto gained the Hall of Famer tagline after a long – and storied – career competing for the USA Softball Women’s National Team. Throughout her 11 seasons representing USA, Arioto helped the U.S. to 13 medals including four World Cup gold medals, three Pan American Games gold medals and two World Championship gold medals before capping her career with an Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.  

The slow pitch category increases by three with the selection of Sue Ilyes, Monty Tucker and Ray Fleetwood – each of which had distinguished careers, including one of the top all-around players in the women’s game and two power-hitting legends from the men’s game.

Sikorsky Aircraft earned its place in the National Softball Hall of Fame in the newly added team category after fielding one of the most dominant Men’s Slow Pitch teams for over 50 years.