Jim Marsh didn’t have an especially long career in fast-pitch, about 15 years, but he certainly made the most of it and especially when he competed in the ASA Men’s Major Fast-Pitch National Championship. Between 19777 and 1981 Jim played in five consecutive ASA national championships and each year was named an ASA All-America. In fact, in his first game in an ASA national championship Jim hit a pair of homers in a 12-1 win over Oklahoma City leading Napa Auto to a fifth place finish in Midland, Mich. Besides the five All-America selections, Marsh played in the first National Sports Festival in 1978 in Colorado Springs and helped his team win a silver medal. He finished the season with a .327 batting average, hitting 10 homers and driving in 45 runs. Three years later, in Syracuse, N.Y. Jim batted .333 in the National Sports Festival, which was later changed to the U.S. Olympic Festival. After batting .333 in 1979, Jim was again named All-America in 1980-1981, batting .571 in the latter event. He also played in World Games One in 1981 for Guanella Brothers of Santa Rosa, Calif. In four years with Guanella, Jim posted a .287 batting average and smashed 27 homers. Besides being a threat on offense, Jim was solid defensively and kept runners honest with his outstanding arm. The wear and tear of catching, however, took its toll, forcing Jim to retire from playing in 1990 and eventually have both of his hips replaced. Jim is one of nine former Guanella Brothers elected to the Hall of Fame. He and teammate Mitch Munthe were both enshrined on November 12, 2008 in Oklahoma City.
