Mike Nye learned from an early age what it took to win games. Getting his start in softball at the age of 12 after playing pickup for his brother’s team, four years into his playing career Nye got his first taste of upper level slow pitch softball and never looked back. Winning his first National Championship in 1976 with Warren Motors, Nye earned MVP accolades after hitting .793, a noteworthy accomplishment considering there was no limit on the pitching arc. A 12-time USA Softball All-American during his 25-year career at the Major level, Nye accumulated 12 USA Softball National titles – including two in 1989 in the Super and Major divisions. With lightning-fast speed, Nye is considered by many to be the greatest pure hitter that ever played and gave everything he had on both sides of the ball. “I like to play the game the way it is supposed to be played,” he once told fellow Hall of Famer Mike Macenko. “Take that extra base, break up that double play and always think positive.” Playing every game like it was his last, that mentality fostered a passion for the game that can only be described with one word – winner.
