ISC Hall of Famer Steve Schott Passes

Blair Setford • June 22, 2022

ISC Saddened by Passing of Hall of Famer Steve Schott

The ISC is saddened by the recent passing of 2013 ISC Hall of Fame inductee Steve Schott.


Steve was a five-time ISC All-World selection during the 1990s. He followed his father, AJ Schott, into the game of fastpitch softball. Originally a baseball player, Steve started playing fastpitch at age 15 with Farrell Mobile Homes, a team managed by his father in the Kelso, MO area.


In the late 1980s, he was asked to play at the elite level and that began a 20-year career that included stints with Decatur Pride, Sioux City NHCD, Green Bay All-Car Roadrunners, Tampa Smokers and Broken Bow Travelers - some of the biggest teams in the game.


He was a six-time ISC World Champion and spent three years with Team USA.


Schott, a former standout baseball player at Notre Dame Regional High School where he was the MVP on the 1983 state championship team, told the SEMissourian at the time of his Hall of Fame induction that he was humbled by all the recognition and looking forward to being honored.


“I’m just glad those guys really thought about me. It’s where it all started. I played many games on that field,” said Schott, talking about the Kelso ballpark where he threw out the first pitch prior to the 2013 Kelso Classic - in honor of his then pending Hall of Fame induction. “That’s [the ISC Hall of Fame] a tough one to get into. That’s with players all over the U.S, Canada, New Zealand. … that’s a big honor. It was a long road getting there.”


Schott said he became hooked on fastpitch softball at an early age. Not only was Kelso a hotbed for the sport but his father, A.J., was also heavily involved.


“Back when dad played around here, every town had a team. Softball was a big, big deal around here back in those days. I’m sure that’s what got me into it,” Schott said. “Pretty well everybody in my family. … my mom played, my sister, my brother played. We grew up with it from day one.”


Schott, primarily an outfielder, was also a 10-time All-American and was inducted into the Missouri ASA Hall of Fame in 2010.


“It was a great ride,” he said back in 2013 to the SEMissourian. “Friends … absolutely. I could probably go to just about any state around here, Canada, New Zealand, and find some people I know. Softball is that kind of sport. It’s really neat.”

Bear Creak Sports and Entertainment Awarded World Tournament

By Blair Setford • July 30, 2025
The ISC is excited to announce the 2027 World Tournament is awarded to Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment! Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment’s new two-diamond complex, the JDT First Energy Veterans Memorial Fields on Chippewa-of-the-Thames First Nation, in southwest Ontario will be the main facility with additional games being played in Glencoe at Southwest Middlesex Recreation Complex. “We are really looking forward to visiting Bear Creek’s new venue to play our 2027 ISC World Tournament,” says ISC President Chris Santos. “We’ve always enjoyed going to new locations to showcase our great game of men’s fastpitch softball.” “Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment has a brand new ball park that they’ve built and they’re excited to show off this great facility to the softball world and to welcome all of the teams and the fans,” said Gregg Leather, manager of the Bear Creek Gremlins, on behalf of Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment. “We’re looking forward to building on the success that the Bear Creek organization is developing and everyone is really committed to making this a huge success,” continued Leather. “With the players who will be living and staying in the area for the summer, we’ll have the opportunity to do clinics and play in leagues and help the game to grow. There’s already a lot of great ideas.” It’s expected that there will be 36 teams competing for the ISC World Championship and the ISC II Championship with another 12-16 teams playing in the ISC 50+ Legends division. Teams and fans will be able to book accommodations in London, St. Thomas or Strathroy. For fans in the fastpitch hotbed of Ontario, it will be back-to-back ISC World Tournaments in their backyard. The 2026 ISC World Tournament will be played from August 8-15 in Kitchener. For more information on the ISC, please visit www.iscfastpitch.com. You can follow Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Six Nominated for ISC Hall of Fame

By Blair Setford • July 29, 2025
The International Softball Congress is pleased to announce the three players, one administrator, one manager and one sponsor that have been nominated for induction into the ISC Hall of Fame at the 2026 ISC World Tournament in Kitchener, ON. Congratulations to Canadian players Jeff Ellsworth and Ian Fehrman, Argentine pitcher Lucas Mata, manager Jeff Borror, former ISC President Dean Oscar and long-time Gremlins sponsor Bruce Tanski in the Bob Welby Memorial Award category. Jeff Ellsworth, Albany, PEI, combined the gifts of speed, power, batting average and elite fielding over a 17-year career. He was selected to six All-World teams, twice to the first All-World team and four times to the second All-World team. Jeff was the Cleo Goyette MVP of the 2014 ISC World Tournament, winning one of his five ISC championships. Ian Fehrman, Townsend, ON, made every team that he played on better. In a game blessed with premier athletes at shortstop, Ian was a rock in the middle of the infield. Every one of his six All-World selections was to the first team – a huge accomplishment considering the quality of shortstops in the game. Lucas Mata, La Pampa, Argentina, was a trailblazer, among the first of the Argentine players to play in the ISC, paving the way for the multitudes to follow. Lucas was named to six ISC All-World teams, four to the first team and twice to the second team. He pitched his teams to five straight ISC championship games between 2003 and 2007 and was the Leroy Zimmerman Most Outstanding Pitcher in 2012. Dean Oscar, Reedsburg, WI, was the longest-tenured ISC President in the history of the organization, serving from 2007 and 2022. His clear thinking and calm demeanor helped him to lead the organization toward being leaner and more efficient. Dean always led the ISC to ensure that the organization was focused on meeting the best interests of players, sponsors and administrators. He can always be found at the ballpark on summer weekends enjoying the best game in the world. Jeff Borror, Shoreline, WA, had a storied softball career as player and coach, and was an outstanding leader on the diamond his whole career. He took over the managerial duties of the powerful Seattle franchise in 1989 when sponsorship changed to Seafirst Bank. In just two years under Jeff’s leadership, Seafirst won the 1990 ISC World Championship. Jeff managed the team until 1996 and the team was a perennial top contender in the powerful Norwest ISC Travel League and at the World Tournament during his tenure. Bruce Tanski, Clifton Park, NY, was the long-time sponsor of the Gremlins organization from 2007 – 2024, resulting in a tremendous run of success with three ISC World Championships in 2018, 2019 and 2023, five second-place finishes and a record-breaking 14 consecutive Final-Four finishes. A softball sponsor since 1970, Bruce also co-sponsored the Heflin Gremlins, Broken Bow Gremlins and Chicago-NY Gremlins. The 2025 ISC Hall of Fame Breakfast and Induction Ceremony will be held August 9, 2026 on the opening Sunday of the 2026 ISC World Tournament in Kitchener, ON.