Wabash Little League

from The Paper of Wabash County April 19, 2023, Issue

by The Paper of Wabash County

Talk about Lagro was interesting

League at that time played its games at the diamond near the Honeywell Pool.

That diamond is now the home of the Wabash High School girls softball team.

“Todd Titus told me that they started that diamond behind the pool and then it kind of went dormant,” Dillon continued.

“The Lions Club came in and put the lights in. He thought that was 1968.”

Many consider Wabash to be a “baseball city.”

“I think Little League is a big part of that,” Leland said. “I think even before that, softball was a big deal. I know my Dad talks about all kinds of teams and all kinds of great players. I think if you love baseball, Little League is a great starting point.

“Kids love to play it. Moms and dads love to follow it. It’s been strong here.”

Wabash has had great success, having an all-star team in the state finals every year from 1983 to 1989. Three of those years, 1983, 1986 and 1988, Wabash won the state championship and continued on the road to try to earn the right to advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Unfortunately, the three teams fell short in that endeavor.

“Little League started in the 1940s in Williamsport, and it wasn’t long before it came here,” said Widner, who coached on the All-Star teams of the 1980s. “It was just an opportunity for people like Doc Pfeifer, he had an appreciation for baseball, Rex Price, who was a teacher, and a lot of parents” to get involved.

The four estimated that an average of at least 500 youngsters per year participated in the program, which today includes T-Ball, Rookie Coaches Pitch, Coaches Pitch, American League, National League and the Jr.Sr. League, with youth ranging from 4 to 16 years of age.

Just as Duker and his fellow Lions Club brothers were instrumental in developing Little League here, the four agreed that the late Bill Hensley was instrumental in helping make the League what it is today.

It was Hensley who had the vision to develop the Field of Dreams, Widner said, recalling a conversation her had with him. It was also Hensley who came up with the idea to help raise funds for it through bingo.

Sticker sales have also been a part of the League’s fundraising efforts since the early days.

“I remember, when I played, the top 15 salesmen would get a Rawlings baseball glove,” Leland recalled. “Boy, did I want one of those.”

The 2023 sticker sales kicked off on April 15.

Dillon is in his eighth year as League president.

“Every year I say I’m done,” he said. “But then I get my second wind. My son played, and here comes my grandchildren. I’ve got to grandsons in the League.”

The League also helped some players continue on to become professional baseball players. Perhaps the most notable is Keith Shepherd, who played four years in the Major Leagues with Philadelphia, Colorado, Boston and Baltimore.

Leland was drafted by the Houston Astros and made it as high as Triple A, playing for Tucson in the Pacific Coast League.

Donnie Blair was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, playing for four years for Minor League teams in the Arizona Rookie League, the California League and the Midwest League.

Zach Dials spent five years in the Minor League, making it as high as Double A for three seasons with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Harrisburg Senators.

Dillon, Leland, Long and Widner all agreed that the League wouldn’t have been as successful as it has been without the support of the businesses and individuals in the community.