By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Three from Savannah are set to be inducted into the USA Softball of Missouri Hall of Fame later this month.
Wayne Miller, Edwin Smith, and Rodney Gray, will be inducted into the USA Softball of Missouri Hall of Fame on January 24th at Canterberry Hill Winery near Jefferson City. The trio will join fellow Savannah natives Kirby Hatcherm Savannah High School Class of 1970, and Robert Newhart, Savannah High School Class of 1978, in the Hall of Fame.
The inductions honor more than four decades of fastpitch softball excellence. All three were teammates in 1982 on the Walnut Products team of St. Joseph and also represented USA South at the USA Olympic Festival in Indianapolis that same year.
Miller, a member of the Savannah High School Class of 1965, played from 1963 to 1984 for teams in Columbia, Kansas City, Savannah, St. Joseph and Springfield. A dominant pitcher and switch hitter, he earned multiple ASA All-Regional honors and competed in eight ASA National Tournaments.
Smith, Savannah High School Class of 1970, made his mark as a coach and manager from 1968 to 1986, leading teams from Savannah, St. Joseph and Jefferson City. His teams captured an ASA Midwest Regional title, appeared in three ISC World Tournaments and five ASA National Tournaments, and finished fourth nationally in 1981.
Gray, Savannah High School Class of 1978, a catcher and third baseman, played from 1974 to 1998. He won three Junior/Senior Boys National Championships in 1974, 1975 and 1977, along with an ASA Men’s Major National Championship in 1998.
Gray competed in 13 ASA National Championships and 14 ISC World Tournaments, earning three ASA All-American honors and one ISC All-World Team selection. He has also been inducted into the St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame with teammates from the Meierhoffer/Frontier Casino era.
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