LAFAYETTE, La. (January 21, 2022)—The 2021 Louisiana USSSA Hall of Fame Class and Hall of Honor Members were officially inducted into a prestigious class of USSSA athletes, officials and supporters during an event that was recently held in Lafayette, La.
This year, seven individuals were welcomed into the hall of fame, while three teams and a longtime sponsor were inducted into the Louisiana USSSA Hall of Honor. The hall of honor inductees were Visit Lake Charles, Bruce’s Distributing, Duffy’s Softball, and Steven’s Mobile Homes. This year’s hall of fame honorees were players Glen Boudreaux and Reuben Tatum; Raymond Guidry, manager; umpire Keith Menard; directors Prescott Dupuis and Jimmy Greer; and special category inductee Tereasa Palmer.
“Youth sports play a major role in the economic impact of tourism for SWLA with events that are held annually in the Lake Area. The staff at Visit Lake Charles is dedicated to ensuring the success of tournaments taking place in Southwest Louisiana, but beyond that, we strive for everyone involved to create lasting memories while vying for the chance to be named as champions by showcasing the area’s hospitality, culture, cuisine and attractions for visiting student athletes and their families,” said Kyle Edmiston, President/CEO, Visit Lake Charles.
“For over a decade, I have committed my time and energy into building up the sports market along with strong partnerships and support coming from volunteers, sports enthusiasts, governmental entities, the hospitality community and facilities throughout the area. It is rewarding for Visit Lake Charles to be recognized as a leader in youth sports, but my main focus is to ensure that each and every event is the best that it can be. Working with USSSA over the years has been a tremendous experience, and I am looking forward to many more events in the future,” said Eric Zartler, Senior Vice President of Sales, Visit Lake Charles.
Visit Lake Charles has been a vital partner of Louisiana USSSA for more than 20 years. Initially, the tourist bureau helped sponsor a small handful of USSSA baseball events each year. Today, Visit Lake Charles helps Louisiana USSSA host more than 20 annual tournaments, including three weekends of the Governor’s Games, two weekends of state tournament events, and the weeklong World Series. Visit Lake Charles worked with Louisiana USSSA to bring National Pro Fastpitch to Southwest Louisiana, and the bureau has also sponsored numerous Louisiana USSSA Golf tournaments.
Visit Lake Charles’ investment in youth sports and USSSA led to local governments making major renovations to their playing fields and working to bolster youth sports participation. In addition, their partnership has allowed USSSA to make donations and other contributions to local law enforcement, high school athletic programs, and the non-profit group Ainsley’s Angels.
Next year, the Louisiana USSSA Hall of Fame will welcome six more individuals into its ranks and three more teams into its hall of honor. The members of the Class of 2022 are Dwayne “Pookie” Bergeron (player), Brian Pierce (player), Hodge Thibodeaux (manager), Terry Benoit (umpire), Ken Lantier (director), and Kayla Carrier (special). The teams that will enter the hall of honor next year are Gerace’s Auto Parts (Plaquemine), Slocum Construction (Alexandria), and UPC/Rayville Blow Pipe (Rayville). The Class of 2022’s induction ceremony is scheduled for January of 2023.
For more information about the Louisiana USSSA Hall of Fame, visit www.lausssahof.com.
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