Information courtesy of Softball BC:
2014 ISF HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
MIKE PIECHNIK
Mike Piechnik will be inducteed into the ISF Hall of Fame during the Softball BC Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday October 18, 2014. The event will take place at the Executive Airport Plaza Hotel in Richmond, BC.
Mike Piechnik began his softball career at the age of 15 as an outfielder with a strong arm and bat. He quickly became interested in pitching and started to practice by pitching to his older brother Andy at their farm home. His dedication to fitness and his strong work ethic shaped by his father, quickly propelled his softball career to become one of the top left-handed pitchers in the game. He went on to win over 10 provincial Championships, and would go on to have great success at the Senior Men’s Canadian Championships from 1991-2001. During this time he became a dominant Pitcher on the World stage.
Mike has won four Canadian Championship Gold medals (1991, 1992, 1997 and 2001) and earned numerous awards, including Top Pitcher (1990, 1993, 1995 and 1998), Most Valuable Player – Qualifying Round (1993), and Top Player – Championship Round (1992 and 2001). Some of his major accomplishments included pitching six games in two days to win gold (1991), winning Gold and pitching with a perfect earned run average of 0.00 (1992), and pitching back-to-back perfect games (1993). After having back surgery in 2000, he came back to win the 2001 Senior Men’s Championship at the age of 40.
Mike has also won two U.S. Men’s National Championships (1993, 1996) and won top pitcher honours in both. He is the current record holder for most strikeouts in a U.S. National Championship (1998) with 140 strike-outs in 7 games! One marathon game went an amazing 20 innings, where Mike struck out 46 batters on route to winning a 1-0 pitching duel.
Mike was a valuable member of Canada’s Men’s program from 1987 to 1999. Highlights in his career with Canada include winning two Gold medals at the Pan American Games (1995, 1999), and a Gold and Silver medal at the I.S.F. World Championship (1992, 1996). At the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina, he went 3-0 and helped Canada win Gold. He then backed that performance up at the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, with a 4-0 record, including being the winning pitcher in the Gold medal game.
When Canada competed at the 1992 ISF World Championship in Manila, Mike went a perfect 5-0 as Canada won the Gold medal. He then backed that up with another perfect 4-0 performance at the 1996 I.S.F. World Championship in Midland, Michigan, where Canada won the Silver medal. He also played in three North American Challenge Cups, winning Gold in 1991 and Silver in 1992 and 1993, and was Most Valuable Pitcher and Most Valuable Player at the event in 1992.
As one of the top pitchers in the World during his career, Mike is truly deserving of his place in the ISF Hall of Fame.
Tickets are $65.00 each. Please CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets today!
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