2015 Male Player: Denis L. Fisher

Denis L. Fisher

After 23 years of participation in the USSSA program, “The Fish” remains competitive in the sport that has provided him numerous All-State and All-National honors. 

While playing for the Class B National Championship, Kluever’s Snap-On team in 1999, Denis received All-Tournament honors at the Great Lakes National in Milford, Ohio, Most Valuable Player honors at Kalamazoo, Michigan and All-Tournament honors at the Joliet, Illinois Class B National Invitational and Class B State Tournament. This was only the beginning of the notoriety “The Fish” would receive as he played shortstop, third base and first base for not only Kluever’s but the 2004 Montarra team. In 2005, he participated with Men’s Major team, Team Combat, followed by the Class A Team Illinois squad in 2006. In 2007 through the present, Denis has participated on such outstanding Class B and C teams as TCP Fieldhouse, TCP Easton, HRD, Full Tilt, KBI and Precision.

Denis remarked, “The KBI team and Coach Dave Catalani was very special. He is perhaps one of the most entertaining coaches I have played for as he is always making jokes and wants everyone to have a good time.” That KBI Class C team captured the Great Lakes National Tournament in Minnesota in 2013.

Presently, Denis is participating with the nation’s end of the season’s #1 ranked Class A team Precision and was also ranked #1 in 2014 as a Class B team with Coach Bill Wax. “What a great team this is,” he said as they became the first Class B team in 2014 to beat Laser Vision, the #1 nationally ranked Major team 35 to 34 in the Windy City Major Conference tournament and later run ruling Backman/Shoppe, another Major team in 6 innings. They ended up in 3rd place after losing to Resmondo and then losing to Backman/Shoppe, 36-33 after they came back thru the loser’s bracket to knock Precision out of the tournament.

Denis also feels that there is no finer sanction of softball than USSSA, as you have to be able to be solid offensively and defensively to be a top team. He also noted that many of his best friends have come from playing USSSA softball and he expects that to continue.

His career batting average of over .700 and over 800 home-runs against some of the best teams in the country clearly explains why he is now a member of the Illinois Softball Hall Of Fame.