He burned up under the sun and burned up his summers playing baseball because, well, that’s what kids did the 1970s in Springfield.
And the evenings? For Tim Blasi, was there anywhere else to be?
“I grew up at Fassnight Park with the AAA softball. That was the only show in town,” Blasi proudly says. “I was a bat boy and my two older brothers were on the team. All I knew was ball.”
Blasi’s love the game led to a memorable career in baseball and softball, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will soon celebrate his successes during its Baseball Sports Enthusiasts Luncheon on May 27 in Springfield.
In the same ceremony in which the Hall will name former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa a Missouri Sports Legend, Blasi will be recognized as part of the Diamond 9, a group of former high school and college standouts.
Click this link for luncheon tickets & sponsorships
Coached by notable names
Blasi played fast-pitch softball from 1985 to 2011, playing in nine American Softball Association national tournaments.
He won the 1991 ASA state championship with St. Louis GMC and the 1993 ASA state championship with the Ozark Mountaineers. Blasi also was a three-time ASA first team All-American and played shortstop for a Springfield team that traveled to Japan in 1993 and was a shortstop in the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1994.
All this after graduating from Hillcrest High School in 1980 and Missouri State in 1984. He was a member of Hillcrest’s incredible 1979 season in which the Hornets won high school and American Legion state championships with a combined record of 84-16, including 24-1 in high school.
Blasi also played on Missouri State’s 1982 team that advanced to the NCAA Division II College World Series, and he was the Bears’ team captain in 1984.
All told, he played for Hillcrest coaches Dick Birmingham, Mike Keltner and Jim Vaughn; Missouri State coaches Bill Rowe and Keith Guttin; and fast-pitch icons Bonus Frost, Jim Little and Ron Clawson. Those are some of the biggest sports names in southwest Missouri.
“I felt very blessed in that regard,” Blasi said. “(In softball), we got to travel all over the world from Canada to Japan and all across the United States. I still have very, very close friends that were great teammates.”
Raised on the diamond
Blasi’s father, Doc, enjoyed the fast-pitch game and served on the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. He passed away when Tim was 6. Fortunately, Tim’s mom, Willie, and brothers Pat and Mike furthered his love for the game.
However, his amateur baseball career was briefly halted during his sophomore year of high school, as state regulations required Blasi sit out after transferring from St. Agnes Catholic School. Fortunately, Blasi returned the field the next season and played left field for Hillcrest’s 1979 team, the one named as the All-Century team by the Springfield News-Leader.
“I had played for Hillcrest Legion before my sophomore year and had a good summer there. Coach Birmingham knew my family because my brothers played for him. And that’s how I started. Once I got on the Hillcrest field, I didn’t leave.”
These days, Blasi is an assistant coach at Glendale High School, where the head coach is a former teammate from the 1979 Hillcrest Hornets, Mike Snodgrass.
Blasi and his wife, Christie, are parents to Tia and CeCe. He also is a step-dad to Andy and Abby Greene.
“I was very fortunate and feel very blessed,” Blasi said. “I’m just a by-product of all the coaches and all my teammates.”
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WANT TO GO?
The ceremony: The Baseball Sports Enthusiasts Luncheon presented by Ozarks Coca Cola/Dr Pepper at is 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 27 at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield.
Tickets & sponsorships: $40, or $100 for a head table ticket. Numerous sponsorships are available, including a table of eight for $400, which includes associate sponsorship recognition in the printed program. Call 417-889-3100.
For Tim Blasi tickets & sponsorships, ask for Kari Crawford.
Honorees
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will be honored as a Missouri Sports Legend, in which a specially commissioned sculpture, cast in bronze, will line the Legends Walkway.
Byron Hagler, who won almost 600 baseball games and reached nine state final fours as the head coach of Licking and Hillcrest high schools. His 1988 and 1989 Licking teams won Class 2 state championships.
Diane Juergensmeyer, the former St. Elizabeth High School coach who won more than 400 games and three state championships in 1992, 1994 and 2002.
Roy Burlison, a former fast-pitch standout on the American Softball Association circuit. He played on teams in St. Louis and Springfield.
John Schaefer, CEO of Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper, is the recipient of the President’s Award.
Diamond 9: baseball standouts Jack Burrell of Humansville and Southwest Baptist; Brad Simmons of Glendale High School and the Kansas City Royals; Kelly Snider of Hillcrest High School the Oklahoma Sooners and the Los Angeles Dodgers; Barry Short of Mansfield High School, Three Rivers Community College and the New York Mets; Jim Lumpe of Glendale High School, the Mizzou Tigers and Montreal Expos; and former American Softball Association or college/high school softball standouts in Marionville’s Janice Crumpley Bluebaum, Hillcrest graduate Tim Blasi, Caitlin Chapin of Ozark High School and Missouri State; and Missouri Southern graduate Diane Miller.