Hays, Butch

Like fine wine, Butch Hays from Falmouth, Kentucky got better as he got older. A softball career that began in 1963 blossomed some 20 years later in the 35 & Over division when Mr. Hays earned his first memorable MVP honor on a national level at Tifton, Georgia.

From there Butch never looked back, and he accumulated more senior softball hardware from the 35, 40, and 50's agegroups and beyond totaling at least 50 such awards ranging from All-Tournament selections to MVP honors to national titles.

Perhaps one reason for not taking softball hardware home every weekend as a youngster was because, as a multi-sport athlete, he was busy honing his skills in his many other sports. For example, his four years playing basketball and baseball at Pendleton County High School were just a couple of Hays' sports that kept him very busy. Butch also excelled in gymnastics (a floor exercise specialist), track and field as a long jumper, and as a diver for EKU's diving team where he was a collegiate champion on both the high and low board.

Besides tackling many sports as a young man, he also played a number of positions on the softball diamond from pitcher to shortstop to outfield. From the right field position comes one of his most intriguing softball stories--"My brother's church team was short a player, so I filled in at right field. Problem was, that at one of those typical country church fields, the outfield sloped so badly that I could not see the batter. So, when the ball was hit, the first or second baseman would raise their hand, and I would take off in that direction."

From church ball to the senior circuit, Butch Hays has seen and accomplished it all including being selected to six other softball Hall of Fames. The Northern Kentucky Hall of Fame and the Greater Cincinnati Hall of Fame both cover his young man's feats, and four other Senior Hall of Fames pay tribute to his senior days.

M&M of Falmouth, Kentucky, Cincinnati's Suds pro team, Jessie's Boys, Jay's, and MW Tribble are just a sampling of Hays' superior teams and softball Hall of Famers, Myron Reinhardt, Whitey Brown, Tom Taylor, and Sonny Rider are among some of his favorite local teammates.