The Lehigh Valley Softball Hall of Fame inducted five new members on Wednesday night at Allentown\u2019s Patriots Park, but it was a previous inductee who had the biggest honor.<\/p>\n
Don Hunsicker, the longtime caretaker of the South Allentown softball shrine, was stunned when it was revealed prior to the induction ceremony that the field he has taken such good care of for much of its 75-year history will be named Hunsicker Field.<\/p>\n
While other members of the Hunsicker family have been fixtures at Pates Park over the years, no one has put more hours into the place than Don Hunsicker, who is in his 90s and still has the energy of someone half his age.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour timeless devotion to the building, persevering, scheduling, administration and maintenance of this classic ballpark is legendary,\u201d said Patriots president Marty McLean in announcing the name change. \u201cThis field will be remembered by players, coaches and fans for many, many years to come. \u2018Hodgie\u2019 we now give you Hunsicker Field at Patriots Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we all earned this together,\u201d: Hunsicker said in giving a brief, unexpected speech. \u201cAlways remember that if you do something right, down the road they will appreciate it. With your help over the years, we\u2019ve been going strong and have done so much for 75 years here. When I am gone, I am quite sure Patriots Park will go on. Thank you for the honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was one of several emotional moments during the night which also featured tributes to Jim Adams, Ed Stinner and Oliver \u201cBugs\u201d Resh, who all died in the past year. Each was a member of the Hall of Fame and a member of the Hall of Fame committee.<\/p>\n
The new inductees, who bring the Hall of Fame total to 128 including the 1975 Parkland High girls softball state champions, were:<\/p>\n
![\"Parents](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789269130_243_TMC-L-softballhalloffame_6_33ccdb.jpg\")
Parents Gary and Joann Warmkessel stand for their late daughter Nicky Warmkessel, Lou Frey, Mike Dartouzos, Judy Lawes, and Jean Buskirk are inducted into the Lehigh Valley Softball Hall of Fame during its 25th annual induction ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, at Patriots Park in Allentown.
\n(April Gamiz\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n
Jean Buskirk: She graduated from Lehighton High School in 1989 and was one of the school\u2019s most successful and honored athletes. She earned nine varsity letters and was named the top Scholar Athlete for the Class of 1989. She was an all-league selection in both basketball and softball her sophomore, junior and senior years.<\/p>\n
She continued her excellence in softball at Bloomsburg. When she graduated in 1993, she was the all-time leader in hits (235) and led the team to a record of 170-25 during her four years.\u00a0Buskirk was twice named as an NCAA Division II first team All-American, twice as the ECAC Division II South Region Player of the Year and twice to the NCAA all-Mid-Athletic regional team. She was a Bloomsburg University Hall of Fame inductee in 2010.<\/p>\n
After her stellar collegiate career, she played ASA fastpitch softball where she was named an ASA All American four times. Finally, she was selected to compete for the USA Olympic Team in 1993 and made it to the final round of 60 players. She participated in the 1994 Olympic Festival.<\/p>\n
Buskirk coached softball at West Chester University from 1995-97 as an assistant and then served as interim head coach. She was an assistant for three years at Wilkes University and then joined the Muhlenberg staff in 2020.<\/p>\n
This past spring, Muhlenberg softball set a school record for wins by any athletic team by going 36-13, and the Mules were NCAA regional champs. They advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals before losing a best-of-3 series to Trine.<\/p>\n
Mike Dartouzos: He was an outstanding men\u2019s fastpitch player in Bethlehem leagues for several decades.\u00a0But according to fellow Hall of Fame member and longtime area softball player and coach Denny Hollinger, Dartouzos brought more than playing ability to the game.<\/p>\n
Hollinger said that while Dartouzos was one of the top five players he encountered in a lengthy career dating back to 1969, it was Dartouzos\u2019 \u201ccharacter and good sportsmanship that made him a total player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dartouzos played for nine different men\u2019s fastpitch teams during a 25-year career.\u00a0A fixture in the East Penn Fastpitch Men\u2019s League, Dartouzos was an outstanding shortstop, and pitcher and hitter.<\/p>\n
In 1963, he was selected as the most valuable pitcher at the Alburtis tournament and his team won the championship, besting the legendary Ty Stofflet. Dartouzos pitched in three games on the tournament\u2019s final day. In 1973 and \u201974, he led the Ski Brothers in home runs with seven and eight, respectively.<\/p>\n
He played in many games and tournaments at Pates Park over his career, often competing against legendary players such as Hall of Famers Stofflet and Larry Bergh.<\/p>\n
He once broke up Larry Bergh\u2019s no-hit bid at Pates Park and had a grand slam against another Hall of Famer, Jack Ohl. In the mid-70s he pitched all 20 innings in a 4-hour marathon in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
Lou Frey: He has been involved with softball for more than 50 years He started in sports playing baseball, specifically for the LCYA Little League program as far back as the 1950s and then played at Allen High School where he graduated in 1964.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I started, I loved playing baseball, but then men\u2019s fastpitch took over and I grew to love it even more,\u201d Frey said. \u201cI played almost every position. Whatever I could do to help the team, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frey\u2019s teammates included local men\u2019s fastpitch legends such as Brent Windsor, Ty Stofflet, Larry Bergh, Dale Culton, Chuck Billy, Gerry Mondschein and others.<\/p>\n
He had a 32-year stint as a men\u2019s fastpitch player from 1969 to 2001, shining for teams such as the Brass Rail, Wessner Beverage, Crest Sporting Goods and Allentown Patriots. He was a consistent .300 hitter and strong defensively in center field and at first base. He won league championships with both the Brass Rail and Patriots and went to states with the Pates.<\/p>\n
As his playing days began to wind down, Frey got more involved in coaching and began an assistant under Hall of Famer Bob Linn at both Allentown Central Catholic and Dieruff.<\/p>\n
At ACCHS, he was part of a championship team led by Shavaun Fisher, another member of the Lehigh Valley Softball Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
Judy Lawes: She completed her 39th season as head softball coach at Kutztown University in 2026 and has forged one of the most remarkable coaching careers in NCAA Division II history.<\/p>\n
Lawes has had a winning record in 37 of her 39 seasons at KU and holds an overall record of 1,214-686-2 (638 winning percentage), second among active Division II coaches in victories.<\/p>\n
All-time, Lawes ranks seventh in victories following the 2026 season. She is two victories shy of becoming the PSAC\u2019s all-time career wins leader.\u00a0In 2026, Kutztown claimed the PSAC East crown for the first time since 2022 and was NCAA Regional champs for the third season in-a-row and fourth in the last five, qualifying for Super Regionals. Lawes was named the PSAC East\u2019s Coach of the Year for the 10th time in her career and first since 2022.<\/p>\n
Lawes won her 1,000th career game in a 12-1 victory at Bloomsburg on March 21, 2021. Her 2021 Golden Bears won the PSAC East Division title and qualified for the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament, winning 33 games along the way.<\/p>\n
Lawes has led the Golden Bears to all 24\u00a0of their appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, including in each of the last six\u00a0seasons.\u00a0She guided them to three-straight appearances in 1994-96 and then every year from 2000-13. Lawes has also directed KU to 25\u00a0PSAC playoff appearances.<\/p>\n
Lawes is a 10-time PSAC East Coach of the Year (1989, 1994, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2026). She has won the PSAC East title 10\u00a0times \u2013 a share of the title in 1994, 2010 and 2017, and an outright title in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012,\u00a02021, 2022 and 2026,\u00a0winning\u00a0the program\u2019s first-ever PSAC Championship in 2013 and bringing home the second in 2022.<\/p>\n
She has coached and helped to develop numerous local high school players, including career coaches Terri Adams (Eastern University), Briana Knipe (Dieruff), Jaime Wohlbach (East Stroudsburg University) and Kristy Henritzy (Northampton).<\/p>\n
Nicky Warmkessel: The late Warmkessel was an outstanding pitcher at Northern Lehigh High School and Rutgers University.<\/p>\n
At Northern Lehigh from 1987-90, she set a school record for wins with 41 and the most career strikeouts with 384. She also set the Bulldogs\u2019 school record for career shutouts with 13 and the most shutouts in a season with seven in 1990.<\/p>\n
She set single-season school marks with 117.2 innings pitched and 121 strikeouts.\u00a0In 1988 as a sophomore, she helped to lead Northern Lehigh to the Centennial League championship and the PIAA 2A state gold.<\/p>\n
She was the winning pitcher with a 3-hit shutout of Daniel Boone in the first round of the state tournament and then came back with a brilliant 3-hitter and 10 strikeouts in a 2-1 win over the Big Blue Machine known as Minersville in the state semis.<\/p>\n
In addition to her high school success, she was also a star in the summer, pitching her team, known as the Valley Girls, to state and regional titles while earning all-tournament honors.<\/p>\n
From there, it was on to Rutgers University where she earned rookie of the year honors as a freshman in 1991.<\/p>\n
She was named to the Atlantic 10 1993 all-tournament team and when she graduated after being a four-year letterwinner at Rutgers, she also received the Scarlet Knight US Army ROTC Battalion certificate of appreciation. The inscription read: \u201cMs. Warmkessel significantly contributed to the success of our unit. Her diligence, attention to detail and proficiency in the administration field are assets that will be truly missed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warmkessel died in 2021 at the age of 49.<\/p>\n
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