Dave Scott set two goals during his softball career. One was to be a member of a national championship team by the time he was 25, and the other was to be elected to the National Softball Hall of Fame. Scott achieved the first goal in 1981 when, at age 24, he pitched Decatur ADM of Decatur, Il to the ASA Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship, with the tournament that year held in Decatur at Borg-Warner Field. In the tournament, Scott compiled a 6-1 record and was named MVP of the championship. He fanned 76 batters in 50.3 innings and allowed only three earned runs. Scott’s second goal was achieved November 17, 2005 when he was formally inducted into the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame in spectacular ceremonies at the J.W. Starr Pass Resort and Spa in Tucson, AZ. Originally from Williamsport, PA, Scott was taught how to pitch as a youngster by is Dad, Woody. After entering the Air Force, Scott compiled a record of 117-12 in 1979 pitching for teams in Houston, San Antonio, Mexico City and Fort Worth, TX. He pitched well enough in the Pan American Trials to earn a spot on the U.S. Pan American team. The Games were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico—the first time softball was an official sport of the Pan American Games. The USA captured the silver medal, losing a heart-breaking 1-0 14 inning decision to Canada. Four years later, Scott was again named to the Pan American Team and compiled a 3-1 record as the USA again lost to Canada in the gold medal game. By 1979, Scott had been noticed by some of the top men’s fast pitch teams and he decided to cast his fate with Decatur ADM, which launched a sponsorship commitment to winning at the highest level of men’s play and needed an up-and-coming pitcher to anchor its pitching staff. It was a move that neither ADM nor Scot would ever regret in the years that following. Although Scott played for other teams beside Decatur in his career, he is still employed by ADM as the company’s corporate wellness/employee assistance director. He hurled for Decatur ADM and Decatur PRIDE from 1980-1989 and 1996. He is arguably Decatur’s most decorated athletes and he certainly helped put Decatur on the national softball map. After splitting four games in the 1980 ASA national for Decatur, which finished seventh, Scott hurled Decatur to its first ASA Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship in 1981. It remains one of the highlights of his career. Others include winning the gold medal game in the 1988 ISF World Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and striking out Terry Muck of Aurora, IL to win a 1979 national tourney game in which Scott drove in three of his team’s five runs off losing hurler Dick Brubaker. But Scott’s outstanding career also had its share of disappointments, including losing the 1983 ASA title game in front of more than 8,000 fans at Borg-Warner Field. Scott had pitched eight games in four days to help Decatur get out of the loser’s bracket, only to lose by a run, 4-3, in the if necessary game to the John Anquillare-led Franklin Cardinals. “That one tore my heart out,” said Scott.” It’s something none of us will ever forget.” In 1981, Scott compiled a 54-12 record and it was one of three times he won 50 or more games in a season. Besides being name MVP in 1981, he was selected an All-American and duplicated that honor in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1986 and 1993. In all, Scott compiled a won-loss record of 40-20 in ASA national championship play for a .667 winning percentage. In addition to the national championships, Scott played in a record 11 U.S. Olympic Festivals and fashioned a record of 18-11—second best in Festival history—and was on five gold medal-winning teams, also a Festival record. In 1982, Scott was named U.S. Olympic Committee Softball Sportsman of the Year and he capped his career by pitching the Decatur Legends 40-over team to ASA national titles in 1991 and 2000.
