Sports in RI: 8th Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 – Tix on Sale – John Cardullo

by John Cardullo, sportswriter

The Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame 2025 Induction Dinner is only a month away, time to purchase your tickets!

The Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame has come a long way since it’s first induction dinner that took place in November 2018. Then, 325 people squeezed into the Cranston Country Club. Then 33 people were enshrined into the Hall of Fame either as Men and Women players, Directors, Umpires, Sponsors or Coaches. “It was decided to induce a bigger than normal class for our first induction,” said a spokesman for the RISPSHOF. “We went in that direction because we felt those inducted in 2018 were the most deserving, plus we didn’t know at the time how the Hall of Fame was going to be received, or if there was even going to be a second induction class.” Well, there was a second class – and counting.

As a matter of fact, when the class of 2025 gets inducted, it will bring the total amount of inductees to 163 members. A couple of new categories had been added throughout the years, “Pioneers who Enhanced and Enriched the game of softball” and “Past Teams of Excellent”.

Softball is played all over the world, but it is the number one participation sport in the United States, with soccer coming in a close second place. Softball that has several different affiliations, the USA Softball affiliation (formerly ASA), this organization is the governing body of softball and offers the sports to the youngest players. The United State Slow Pitch Softball Association (USSSA) is a distant second largest affiliation with the National Softball Association (NSA) and Freedom Softball rounding out the major affiliations, along with a few smaller ones trying to make it to the National scene.

In Rhode Island, most of the Hall of Fame members either have played their careers in the ASA, since the 1960s or USSSA since the 1980s. The NSA came into Rhode Island in the mid-1990’s and have had members get elected into the Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2025

Included in this year’s class are: Billy Read, Chris Petrucci, Craig Bassett, Ed Catelli, Dennis Lynch and Michael Donofrio – all will be inducted in the Men Player’s wing. Jim Thompson will be inducted in the Coaches wing. Jim Rock will be inducted in the Coaches wing. The two women going to be inducted are Amanda Charest and Cherra Wheeler. This year the Team of Excellence will honor the A.T. Cross Men’s Industrial Team. They were one of the most dominated Industrial teams ever to step on the field.

Induction Dinner Set
This year’s dinner event will once again be held at the Crowne Plaza in the center of Warwick, RI on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Doors will open at 4:00 pm. Tickets for this even is $50.00 per person and must be ordered in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door for this event. If you are interested in attending this year’s induction dinner, please contact John N. Cardullo at 401-206-6648 to reserve your tickets.

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John Cardullo, sportswriter. John is a lifelong Rhode Islander. His sports experience is extensive, as a player, coach and sponsor of youth and high school sports. He has been the Public Address Announcer for the CCRI Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams. Both the Cranston East and Cranston West football, Cranston East Boys and Girls basketball for 12 years before moving onto the Central, Juanita Sanchez and Mt. Pleasant football teams. Also, Central HS Boys and Girls Basketball, Scituate High School Boys and Girls Basketball, Johnston High School Girls Basketball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Softball, Boys and Girls Soccer teams, and CLCF football.

John has been involved in Men’s softball for 61 years, starting as a batboy for his father’s team in 1964. He moved to the teams scorekeeper then became a player in 1975, and created the men’s team, Players Corner Pub, that went on to win 20 State Championships in their 35 year history. In the 1990’s he published the statewide softball magazine “The Fielders Choice” which was dedicated to all topics related to adult softball. As a feature writer, John and the publication won several media awards. In 2019 he was elected and inducted into the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame which he also helped create. John is a softball umpire in Warwick, Rhode Island.

In his spare time John golfs with his life long friends in season. After retiring from the printing Industry after a 45-year career, he now writes specialty sports columns for RINewsToday.com, is still actively engaged in the high school sports scene, and will soon launch a radio show/podcast on high school sports.

More Sports in RI stories – HERE