Berardi Sr., Nick

Nick Berardi, Sr., has worn many hats in his illustrious career dating back to when as a native New Yorker he started out as a fast pitch player playing through his early thirties before bringing him & his family to the bluegrass state. Once in Kentucky, Nick began establishing Berardi’s Softball as a force with which to be reckoned. He began in 1980 in the Men’s Slow Pitch and Church Divisions. As a sponsor, coach, and team manager, he steadily built “Berardi Ball” to championship caliber at the highest level. His success began with his first Kentucky state Title in 1985 with Downtown Baptist which he repeated the following season. From Church division play he moved up to C and then to B, winning at each level. In 1992, Berardi’s was the B state Runner up, 1994, the C State Champions, and in 1995 they were the B state champions. In just three short seasons he built & evolved his B classification team into an extremely competitive A squad, resulting in them winning the first of five consecutive A state championships in 1998. They also won four Daniel Boone Classic Championships during this period. Nick Berardi’s rise to the top did not stop at the state level as his teams excelled nationally, winning two national championships in three seasons. In 2003 Berardi’s went to Valdosta, Georgia, and won the ASA Eastern Championship- then went on to win Nick’s ultimate goal, the Hooter’s ASA A National Championship in Oklahoma City defeating the Western Championship, Meridian in a best 3 of 5 series. In what was to be Nick Berardi’s final season, Berardi’s won the prestigious 2005 Twitty Classic during the regular season then then followed that by repeating in the 2005 ASA A Eastern Championship, then finished Runner-up in Hooter’s A National Championship. Like John Elway of the Denver Broncos and Jerome “The Bus” Betties of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Nick retired at the pinnacle of his sport. To go with the many hats that he’s worn over the seasons, he now has championship rings to compliment his softball wardrobe.