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Midland’s Dresch going into softball hall of fame
By John Kennet
of the Midland Daily NewsMidland’s Gary Dresch was on his way to becoming a professional baseball player when an inopportune injury forced him to switch sports.
But the change turned into a boon which, 44 years later, has culminated in his election to the Michigan Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame.
“I had been drafted by the New York Yankees,” said Dresch, 61. “But in 1965 during my senior year in high school, I broke my shoulder playing football. At that point, the Yankees dropped me.”
This Saturday, at the Midland Holiday Inn, Dresch will be recognized for his outstanding abilities on the diamond as he is inducted into the MASA Hall of Fame. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m.
“The award means everything,” said Dresch. “All the travel, playing and coaching for 25 years was worth it.”
Love of softball ran in the Dresch family, and Gary’s first exposure to the sport came at a young age.
“When I was six or seven, my two older brothers would take me to softball games,” he said. “Then (at home), they would put me up against the barn to be their catcher.”
After playing baseball at Chelsea High School, Dresch shifted his talents to the softball field. While playing for Lite Crete in the Detroit area, he had the opportunity to play against some of the best softball players in the world, including pitcher Bonnie Jones of Nothdurft.
“Jones was one of the best pitchers ever,” Dresch said of the National Softball Hall of Fame inductee. “In a 1973 East Central Regional game against Nothdurft, I went 4-for-4 against Jones. Not many people can say that.”
After becoming a teammate of Jones, it was a home run against McArdle that gave Dresch the opportunity to relocate to Midland and play for McArdle.
“While playing for Nothdurft in the 1975 regional, I happened to hit a home run against McArdle which allowed us to go to Bakersfield, Calif., for the ASA National Championship,” Dresch said.
A phone call from McArdle player Jack Starling, who had known Dresch since their Little League days when they had been opponents, persuaded Dresch to bring his softball talents to Midland in 1976.
Three years later, Dresch was a vital member of the 1979 McArdle team that won the ASA Men’s National Fastpitch Championship in Midland. The versatile Dresch played outfield and first base and pitched.
“He was one of the most feared hitters,” said Starling, a 1983 MASA Hall of Fame inductee. “He had no fear. He was the one we wanted at bat if we needed a big hit. Along with that, he was a tremendously loyal teammate.”
Dresch has fond memories of his time with McArdle.
“We had so much fun,” he said. “It was a great group of guys to play with.”
Following his playing days, Dresch took to managing and became manager of Valley Mechanical where he witnessed one of the most memorable pitching performances of all time.
“Watching Peter Finn throw 34 innings during the 1981 (International Softball Congress) tournament was a thrill,” Dresch said of Finn’s 64-strikeout performance in a 2-1 win over The Farm of Madison, Wis.
The next year he was named manager of the first Midland Explorers’ team and was attributed with coining the team nickname.
“Marty McGuire asked me what I thought we should name the team, and I said, ‘Since Midland is the city of modern explorers, why not the Explorers?'” Dresch said.