2023 Pioneer Player: Johnny "Tiger" Frisella

Tiger (no one would know him by Johnny) began playing slow pitch softball in the early 70’s with the powerhouse Club 51. He played with Club 51 with two eventual Hall of Famers, Clancy Horn, and Ken Franzen. After Club 51 broke up 4 years later he then played with Cypress Lounge and Pabst Blue Ribbon. 

Back in the day he remembers playing at Rockford area park district diamonds like Searles Park, Francis and Talcott Page.

Then came the start of the Classic 8 League at Churchill Park, with no fences but then the move to the new diamonds at Forest Hills for the Thursday night premier league and who can forget the leagues at the Ace of Diamonds!

Tiger recalls all the tournaments that took him to cities and towns like Dixon, Clinton, IA, Whitewater, WI, along with the national tournaments in places like Michigan and New York in 1975 for the USSSA Class B  World Tournament.

Being a left-handed batter and lead-off man his speed on the bases was renowned. Per Jim Yeager, 1996 Hall of Famer, “No one was faster from home to second and cut first base at a 45-degree angle.”  After he retired in 1985 Tiger became a USSSA Umpire for a few years.

“The best thing that came out of playing was the new friends that I made from those on teams like The Grasshopper Tap, Booker Washington, Ken Becker, Rockford Rams, Town Hall, RMA, and others.

I thank you for this honor.”