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.”

Roster deadlines for 2025

By Blair Setford • May 4, 2025
Reminder for ISC and Legends teams to send in their pre-season roster. NEW for 2025: Official ISC team rosters are limited to 16 players. The limit is still 20 for Legends. You can download the roster form from the ISC website on the Forms page. Team rosters are due four times per season and are to be sent to the email addresses on the form. 2025 Due dates are: May 15 (preliminary season roster to be eligible for ISC rankings) June 15 (PRAWNs declaration and OOR exception) July 1 (deadline for rosters to appear in championship tournament programs) Monday preceding start of ISC World Tournament (final and official championship roster) Each team must acknowledge that at least one team official has reviewed the concussion protocol training by checking the box on the roster form and including the name of the person in the identification box. This is a requirement for insurance eligibility. Please download the form, fill it out in Microsoft Excel or a compatible program, save it as an Excel file (.xlsx or .xls) and email it as an attachment to the email addresses shown at the bottom of the form. Please DO NOT send pdfs, files in formats other than Excel or photos of hand-written hard copies. Anything other than an Excel file will not be accepted.

ISC Legends MVP Award To Be Renamed

By Blair Setford • May 2, 2025
Following the untimely passing of Ward Gosse at the young age of 56 in January, the ISC is announcing that, with the blessing of the Gosse family, the Legends Most Valuable Player Award will be named in his honor starting this year. “Ward meant so much to the Legends division with the contributions that he made during his playing days,” said ISC Legends Tournament Director Keith Erkenbrack. Ward was a two-time Legends MVP – in 2018 and 2022 – leading the Sudbury Relics to both their titles. “We are very appreciative that Ward’s family has agreed to let us honor his memory.” Ward finishes with 14 wins in his Legends career, and has the three highest total strikeouts in a tournament in division history. Prior to his Legends participation, Ward threw a no-hitter in 1994 for St. John’s and was named to the ISC Second All-World Team with Fargo in 2006. In 2012, he was a member of the Parry Island Hawks team that captured the ISC II Championship and was named Tournament MVP and Most Outstanding Pitcher. The 2025 ISC Legends tournament will take place over the final days of the ISC World Tournament at Caswell Park in North Mankato, MN July 26 – August 2.