Duvall, Anthony "Sluggo"

After several seasons of assisting other managers and coaches, he began managing in 1976 leading his team to the District 9 Championship. After winning two more District Championships and being Regional Runner-Up once over the next eight seasons, he took his Edmondson Merchants team to the ASA ‘A’ State Tournament in 1985 in Hopkinsville.

His team later became Bertie’s/Bank of Edmondson County and returned once again to the State Tournament in 1988. They have been every season since then. In 1995, they finished in the top ten at the State Tournament and as a result participated in the Midwest Regional in Chicago. His Bertie’s team won the 1995 fall State Tournament and went on to represent Kentucky in the World, Class B, tournament in Hastings, Nebraska.

In 1998, Bertie’s moved up to class A and finished a strong fourth in the State after losing a close game to powerhouse, Riverside Paving. In 1999, they were State Runner-up losing the championship game to Cynthiana Merchants by a score of 2-1. In 2000, he managed his team to their second World Tournament which was played at Lakeland, Florida.

Since the inception of the Kentucky Softball News rankings in 1993, his teams have been consistently ranked in the top twenty. In 25 years, his teams have won over 1000 games.

He has coached two Hall of Fame players, Donnie Meredith and Bennie Britt. He has also coached Bill Skillian, who went on to play professional ball with the Kentucky Bourbons.

This award bears witness that his name shall forever be in the Kentucky Softball Hall of Fame.