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Stars of the I.S.C. - October, 2003 - Jody Eidt
(A Tribute to Past, Present and Emerging Stars of the
ISC)
October, 2003 Star - - Jody Eidt
Dust off a special shelf at the International Softball Congress Hall of Fame in Kimberly, Wisconsin. Make room for a young man who is on his way to fastball immortality. The actual crowning with HOF laurels is likely some years away, but the track record is being laid in place.
The object of this tribute is a young Canadian who has made an enormous stride toward inclusion among fastball's elite during the 2003 season.
His name is JODY EIDT. He is a 29-year-old infielder, a native of Mitchell, Ontario, currently residing in New Jersey.
And his achievement in 2003?
He just happens to have been selected as the "Most Valuable Player" at BOTH the International Softball Congress World Tournament AND the Canadian Nationals when these events were held in Kimberly, Wisconsin, and Owen Sound, Ontario, to cap the 2003 fastball seasons in the U.S. and Canada.
With that amazing sweep, Eidt joins ISC Hall of Fame member Marty Kernaghan, a fellow Canadian, who captured both MVP awards in the same season back in 1985.
And just what did Jody Eidt do to convince those voting for MVP to choose him at both events?
For openers (since it was played first) at the ISC World Tournament, he blasted a game-winning two-run homer in the finals against County Materials to power his Broken Bow Spirit team to a 3-1 victory; he belted a homer in three of the four playoff games; hit .333 for the tournament, and tied for most RBIs in the event with 10. He was human though, and actually had one error while playing third base for the entire tournament.
Reflecting on that triumph, he recalls that, "The highlight for me in Kimberly was playing in the winners' bracket finals against County Materials. I had played in the tournament six times before and never came close to making it that far. Going into that game, confident that we had a strong enough lineup to have a shot at winning a world title, was a great feeling."
In addition to his selection as MVP, Eidt was also named to the first team All-World team.
Not long after at the Canadian Nationals, he again hit three home runs, including a two-run shot in the finals against Waterloo. Also in that final game, he had four RBIs, and in one key inning with the game hanging in the balance he prevented a score with his glove, registering all three outs with a force play throw on a bunt, held runners at second and third with an assist on a grounder, and made the third out with a diving catch in foul territory against the fence. Oh, yes, in this tournament, he committed NO errors in the field.
Eidt recalls the highlight of the Canadian Nationals as "just being there after a three-year absence due to work commitments." He is especially grateful for the chance to shine so close to home, "It was held in Owen Sound, which is only two hours from my hometown, so a lot of my family and friends from Mitchell were there to support me. That was really special. Winning the national title for all of the local guys was great, and the MVP was just a bonus."
In spite of such performances, Eidt was modest to the point of embarrassment at getting the award in Owen Sound, observing "I honestly thought Frank Cox, our pitcher, deserved it more than I did, but I was honored that they chose me."
No stranger to the game, Jody Eidt started playing fastball (backyard style) at age five and followed his older brother, Darryl, into the game at the tender age of six, making his debut in the Sebringville, Ontario, Minor Fastball system. Eidt is quick to credit his parents for getting him and his brother exposed to the sports of fastball and hockey early in life and praises them for "carting us all over Ontario so that we could play at the highest level in both sports."
Cutting his teeth in the sport as a catcher "by default" (he was the only six-year-old who could hang onto the hurling of Don Scott himself now one of Canadas top pitchers), Eidt moved to the infield by the time he was 10.
After reaching Pee Wee age (12), he moved into the Mitchell Minor Fastball system and at 15 was recruited by his uncle, Doug Eidt who was then coaching the Sebringville Junior team.
The young Eidt remembers that move as a career key, "This was a huge opportunity for me as it enabled me to face better pitching every night and to play against the best 19 - 21 year old players in Ontario. I owe a lot to my Uncle Doug for this opportunity AND he drove me to all of the games because I wasn't old enough to drive!!" Picked up by the Stratford Memorial Midgets, he led his team to the title in the U-19 Championships and was named MVP of the tourney.
Two seasons later, he played with his own Sebringville Junior team in the U-23 ISC championships in Portage, Wisconsin, helping them to the championship. Reflecting on that experience, he notes, "It was then that I realized that there was a world of fastpitch beyond the local leagues in which all the Ontario junior and intermediate teams participated."
In 1993, young Eidt was a pickup player for Owen Sound Tiremen in the ISC Travel League of Eastern Canada. Following two seasons with the Napanee Junior team, Eidt joined the senior ranks with the Owen Sound Selects in 1998. He played for the Oshawa Gators in 1999, the Can/Am Windmillers in 2000 and 2001, and the New York Spirit in 2002 before joining Broken Bow in 2003.
Pressed to name the person most influential in his life, Eidt quickly selects his older brother, Darryl, whom he describes as "a great role model - - great athlete, good student, great person - - to look up to, a great friend to talk to, and always capable of keeping my ego in check when I would return home from a road trip with a medal, and a little too much self confidence."
The biggest fastball influence in his life is his uncle Doug Eidt who gave him the opportunity to play junior ball as a 15-year-old and who was "a constant reminder as to what else was out there in the fastball world." Jody sums up his feelings for the contribution of his uncle with this tribute: "Everything I have accomplished in fastball, I owe to Uncle Doug!"
Fastball is not the only sports activity for our ISC star. Eidt played both soccer and basketball while in high school, but his first love in school sports was (what else?) hockey. He played minor hockey, then junior hockey and when he studied at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, he played varsity hockey for four years. He stayed on at Colby, after graduating with a B.S. in History, as an assistant hockey coach for three years before leaving coaching behind and moving to New Jersey in the spring of 2003.
Jody and his wife Stephanie reside in Margate, NJ, where Jody is currently substitute teaching while working toward a full time state teaching certificate.
The pathway to the ISC Hall of Fame is laden with just such career highlights and achievements as Jody Eidt has experienced to this point in his exciting and productive trek through the adventures of the sport of fastball. Bring it on!
October 23, 2003
By: Gordon L. Wise - - - ISC Information Officer
sgwise@woh.rr.com
http://www.iscfastpitch.com/