Mike Heck of Emmaus, now residing in Catasauqua was honored along with five of his peers on the diamond and two former High School Multi-Sport athletes this week at The Gin Mill & Grille Music Hall, Northampton, PA coinciding with a Baseball Trivia Contest Fundraiser for Fall Sports Awards won by one of the Inductees Dick Prue of Emmaus. The benefit had a Catasauqua flavor to it, with former Catty High athlete Chris Horn conducting the contest. Gary Onufer a former baseball and football player for the Roughies also participated.
Heck played baseball for the Green Hornets and has played in the LVMSBL since 1988. Heck said “I played in the very first year of the Senior League. Back then a few of us played baseball and three types of softball, Fast Pitch, Modified and Slow Pitch. It never affected my timing. The popularity in Senior Baseball just continues to grow. Some players play in both the Lehigh Valley and Bucks Montomery”. Mike plays and coaches for the Franklin Red Sox in the BuxMont MSBL.
Dick Prue now residing in Emmaus played college baseball at King’s College, NY. After college he started playing baseball in the Perkiomen Valley Twilight League in the 1970’s. Prue was a two time MVP in the LVMSBL and has played and coached in the Lehigh Valley and BuxMont from 1991 through 2015. “We’re preparing right now to go to the MSBL World Series in Phoenix, AZ. There are now age division World Series from age 18 and up. This is the second year for 70 and under. It got started last year with five teams”. Dick has played on five World Series Championship teams.
Don Robertson from Bethlehem played for Duke University’s Blue Devils baseball team. In 1969 Don pitched in the Blue Mountain League, from 1971-1980 and the Twilight League of Harrisburg. Robertson has played in MSBL since 1991 and was an MVP in the LVMSBL. “I was happy to win a World Series Championship in Phoenix in 2012” Don was a runner up for three years.
Matt Mondschein of Lower Macungie played with Coplay Sports from 1966-1974. Mondschein played for Whitehall High School and won the Class of 1978 Zephyr Award. Matt played tournament softball while juggling baseball then went into the service. In 1981-82 was a member of the All Army Team in Germany. From 1984-1988 Mondschein played for Coplay in the Tri-County League and has been a mainstay in Men’s Senior Baseball League since 1988. In LVMSBL the Coplay native played for the Phillies, Indians and White Sox. From 2007 to the present Matt has played for the Emmaus Dodgers in the Bux Mont League. Mondschein said “this was a great day, getting together, playing trivia and rehashing past games, we’ll be doing it again next month. It’s a great cause and the LVSHOF will be honoring basketball, field hockey, football and racquetball players and coaches along with high school and college fall athletes in November.
Bill Fatzinger of Allentown has joined his father Horatio “Ishky” Fatzinger from East Allen Township in the L.V. Sports Hall of Fame. “we got to play on the same team and that was cool”. Ishky said “I played 20 years in each league. first the Blue Mountain and then Tri-County.” Bill played 25 years at Limeport winning two championships as a player in 1988 and 1991 and two more as the manager in 1996 and 1997. I was voted Manager of the Year in 1995. The younger Fatzinger had a .328 Career Batting Average with 675 hits and 510 RBI’s.
Gary Onufer played baseball and football for Catasauqua High School. After high school Gary was a top seed in the NPC Bodybuilding Federation and also competed at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Powerlifting. Onufer said “I am now and have been working with the University of Pennsylvania Science, Research and Development, one of the founding universities in the country”. Gary does radio shows for Health and Fitness Broadcast with other successful bodybuilders. “The topics of discussion are health, fitness and nutrition”.
Mike Stimpfl of Coplay is a 1981 graduate of Whitehall High School and was team captain of the cross country team from 1979-1981. Stimpfl was a wrestler from 1977-1981 and finished fourth in Districts in 1981. “I competed four years in track and field, ran the 440 and finished third in District in Pole Vaulting winning the Svetana Award in 1981”
A fundraiser for the Winter High School and College Awards will be held on November 21 Noon to 4 PM at The Gin Mill. For more information contact Joe Zemba at 484-597-9003.
Joe Zemba
joseph.zemba@aol.com
484-597-9003
Lehigh Valley Sports Hall of Fame
311 Mulberry St.
Catasauqua, PA 18032
