Patricia Polych – Athlete

Inducted November 2, 2002

A brilliant 18-year softball pitching career that overflowed with success and achievements at the local, provincial, national and international levels of competition earned Patty Polych the distinction of being one of the very elite athletes produced within Newfoundland and Labrador.

Her induction into the Canadian Softball Hall of Fame, the Newfoundland and Labrador Softball Hall of Fame and the British Columbia Softball Hall of Fame is a clear demonstration of the great respect that this great athlete has earned.

She was a valuable member of five teams that won the Canadian senior female softball championship, a member of nine teams that won provincial senior female softball championships and a member of seven teams that won senior female league championships.

At the 1980 Canadian Senior Female championships in Hull, Quebec, as a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador representatives, she recorded the first “perfect game” in a Canadian championship. Having 21 straight outs, she included 16 strikeouts, nine consecutively at one point. She set three national records and was named MVP, top pitcher and all-star pitcher.

She was 13 when she first attracted attention when she was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the 1971 Newfoundland and Labrador Championships. In 1976 she moved to St. John’s and dominated pitching in the best female league east of Ontario. She recorded nine no-hitters between 1976 and 1980 and led her team to three St. John’s titles and four provincial titles.

Her first national appearance came at the 1973 Canada Summer Games in Burnaby, B.C. and was followed by strong pitching at the 1974 national senior championships. She played in the national junior championships in 1975 and 1976 and at the 1977 Canada Summer Games in St. John’s.

She continued to star for Newfoundland and Labrador All-Star Teams in 1978, 1979 and 1980 and stood out for B.C. teams from 1981 to 1988 when shoulder problems forced her to retire from softball. During that period, playing against the best teams in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Japan, China, Australia, Taiwan and other countries, she posted 222 wins against only 35 losses. In 11 games she did not allow a base runner as she had an ERA of 0.254 after facing 5,295 batters.

Patty Polych was a world-class softball pitcher and continually demonstrated her ability during an exceptional 18-year career.

In addition to softball, she was a perennial all-star soccer player. From her backfield position she played important roles in the amazing success of the team with which she played in 1976, 1977 and 1978. She played varsity basketball at Memorial University and within the very competitive St. John’s “A” League, more than holding her own.