2008 Hall of Fame Inductees

Courtesy the "Softball News"

Harvey Blaskowski began his softball career in 1966 when he began playing fast pitch in the Jamestown league.  He played shortstop, third base, the outfield and as a catcher.  He played fast pitch for twenty-one years and played in 22 state tournaments and four regional tournaments.  He was regarded as a good contact hitter with decent power.  On defense, he had a strong arm and was regarded as one of the best shortstops in the state.

His fast pitch batting average was .375 to .400 and he hit close to .500 during his dozen years as a slow pitch performer.  While he began his career as a shortstop and was outstanding at that position, he also was a superb catcher for a contending Class A fast pitch team and was noted for his strong arm and his savvy at controlling the game from his position.  He was willing and able to play almost every position on the field to help his team.  In 1983 with the demise of fast pitch in Jamestown, Harvey took up slow pitch and quickly became known as one of the best players in the game.  His teams took state titles in Old Pro 35 and Masters 40 as well as two championships in the massive McQuade charity tournament.

Ron Geffre, who is still an active slow pitch player, has been involved as a player in the state for over 30 years.  He began his career in 1974 in his home town of Mandan.  He is primarily an outfielder and offensively regarded as one of the best hitters in the state.  He has always been regarded as a power hitter and is capable of hitting line drives when the ball has to be kept in the park.  His lifetime batting average is near .600.

He has played on nine state championship teams including three Class A championship teams, one Class B team, one Class C team and four Old Pro state champions.

In addition to his outstanding skills on the field, Geffre has contributed greatly to the Mandan softball program and to NDASA.  He has served as Mandan Softball Commissioner, Vice President and now President of the Mandan Association.  On the state level, he has served as a league representative and is a registered ASA umpire.

Hi love of the game has also led him to contribute his talents by helping plan and develop two softball complexes in his home town.

Affectionately known as "Gabby" after the old Roy Rogers sidekick, Eugene (Gene) Hayes has been involved as a North Dakota player, manager and umpire for almost 35 years.  During his twelve year career as a slow pitch player and manager, he spent most of his playing time as a catcher and hit close to .400.  In 1972, he registered as an ASA umpire and has been active ever since.  He has umpired in sixty state tournaments of every class and in addition has worked three regional tournaments and seven national tournaments.  His national tournament credits include six fast pitch tournaments and one slow pitch tournament.  His fast pitch assignments included two Men's Class A Nationals and one Men's Class B National as well as two Men's Masters tournaments.

Regarded as an outstanding umpire, not just for his ability to call the game but for his calm and steady manner of taking charge of every situation without becoming a dictator.  His evaluations on all of his National Tournaments were excellent.

Hayes retains his enthusiasm for the game of softball and umpiring and is usually the first umpire to arrive at the ball park when scheduled to umpire.  He maintains a friendly atitude toward player and managers and is one of the most respected umpires in the game.

Steve Revland began his slow pitch career in 1969 as a sixteen year old and has spent his entire career in the Fargo slow pitch leagues.  He played for one of the best teams in north Dakota for the first several years when he was the third baseman and number three hitter for the Wimmer's Jewelry teams.  Rev, as he is commonly called, was known for his line drive hitting, speed on the bases and cat-like reactions at third base.  On a team known for their speed, he was the fastest on the team.  He was a consistent line drive hitter who could pull the ball down the line or hit it up the middle as the situation dictated.  Rev has played in 33 state tournaments with 3 state championship teams and 5 or 6 runners-up.  He also played in National tournaments in 1994, 1998 and 2001.  After spending his early years at the hot corner, he became one of the better shortstops in the state.  An outstanding fielder with a "gun" for an arm, he was also an outstanding field general and leader of his teams.  His lifetime batting average is over .500.

Tim Tweiten followed an outstanding baseball career with an equally impressive career as a fast pitch softball player.  As a baseball player, he was a member of the 1979 state championship team in American Legion baseball and was voted MVP of the state tournament.  He went on to play one year at NDSU, then transferred to a junior college in Iowa where his team won the state and regional titles to advance to the JUCO World Series.  He finished his baseball career at Mankato State and began playing fast pitch softball in Fargo in 1980.  He began playing with United Drywall, a Class C tea, where he learned the game of fast pitch.  He then moved up to play at the next level and was asked to play for the Moose Lodge, one of the better teams in the league and state.

His teams won state championships as Moose Lodge and a total of nine more state titles under the sponsorship of the Knights of Columbus.  Tweiten played in a total of 14 Class A National Tournaments, two Major ASA National Tournaments plus six NAFA World Tournaments and nine ISC World Tournaments.  He was selected to the second team All-American team in 1986 at an ASA tournament and was twice named to the first All-World team at NAFA AAA tournaments.

He is described by teammates as a feared power hitter who was also a great defensive outfielder with a rocket arm.  One of the most complete ballplayers ever to play fast pitch in the state was one of the descriptions of his abilities.