Neeley, Nora Lee

SHE HAS PLAYED IN 5 DECADES AND STILL COUNTING BUT DON’T TELL THE SOFTBALL SENIOR CITIZEN SHE IS OVER THE HILL JUST YET.

64 YEAR OLD NORA LEE NEELEY IS JUST GETTING STARTED—IN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, THAT IS. LAST SUMMER (2002) PITCHER NEELEY PLAYED IN HER FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN 27 YEARS AT THE ASA ‘’D’’ EAST IN OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY FOR J.C. TECH OF JACKSON COUNTY, AND SHE PITCHED IN AN ERA WHERE BATS AND BALLS ARE MORE SCARY THAN EVER.

ALTHOUGH SHE HAS PLAYED IN ONLY ONE NATIONAL, SHE HAS BEEN BUSY ON THE KENTUCKY STATE WOMEN’S CIRCUIT PARTICIPATING IN 23 KENTUCKY STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM ‘’A’’ TO ‘’D’’ CLASS.

AMONG THOSE MANY STATE TOURNAMENT AND LEAGUE TEAMS IS A LIFELONG LIST OF TEAM NAMES INCLUDING GRAYHAWK, U NAME IT, J.C. TECH, NICKI’S ANGELS, DARRELL’S DARLINGS, MARCUM ELECTRIC, TOM BOYS, FARM BUREAU, MCKEE COAL MINING, DENHAM & LEWIS COAL, JACKSON MAN, CHARLIE’S ANGELS, THOMPSON SIDING, CARPENTER CONSTRUCTION, ATTIC BATS, TOP KATS, THE ‘’A’’ TEAM, NAPA, CBS, THIS & THAT, BAT CATS, L&R TRUCKING, JASPERS, AND CLAY CO. MERCHANTS.

THE ‘’CAL RIPKEN’’ OF WOMEN’S SLOW PITCH BEGAN IN 1966 ON THE GRAYHAWK LADIES SLOW PITCH LEAGUE TEAM AND HAS BEEN PLAYING EVER SINCE WITH A BRIEF RESPIT IN THE LATE 60’S UNTIL JACKSON COUNTY LEAGUES RE-FORMED.

AMONG HER AWARDS WERE MVP FOR NICKI’S ANGELS IN 1976 AND 1979, HIGHEST BATTING AVERAGE IN 1985, MVP OF DISTRICT IN 1985, AND ALL-TOURNAMENT IN BOTH THE DISTRICT IN 1985 AND THE KENTUCKY REGIONAL IN CORBIN.

THIS AWARD BEARS WITNESS THAT HER NAME SHALL FOREVER BE IN THE KENTUCKY SOFTBALL HALL OF HONOR.