The fast pitch league featured 8 teams and all were considered to be capable of winning a championship. The rivalries of the league assured all softball fans of the City some action packed and exciting nights at the Hayden Schofield Park on Lawrence St.
Each night would feature a double header and this season it looks like each team has a pitcher that could knock off the best of teams on any given night. The Turn Hall featured on the mound big Phil Corriveau, a legendary pitcher for the fabled Holihans Team. Phil was guard at the Hampshire St. jail and is now pitching in the big softball team in the sky. Charlie St. Paul was a catcher and is now a retired LHS teacher; today, he still lives in Methuen.
Dennis McCarthy was a slick fielding third baseman who left us early to play for Phil’s team in Heaven. Brian McCarthy still lives locally and was an outfielder in those days. A third brother Sean was the catcher and a former LHS baseball coach who after retiring from the Bellevue Cemetery as the director was the catcher, he and family live in Salisbury these days.
Tim Karekas worked as a lineman for the electric company.
Larry Reusch was a tremendous athlete at LHS and later coached football at that school. He became a 9 letterman for the Lancers and was as good a first baseman as you could see. Larry just recently left to play for the team in Heaven.
Bernie Doyle also a worker for the electric company played third and he could slap some leather. Dukie Kanaan was a reserve and was a true Turn Haller; he also just recently left us. Ray Lacroix was a pitcher and worked as a painter. Bill Watkkevitch a reserve was a great street hockey player and worked for years for Dailey Drugs.
John Kelleher one of the greatest LHS athletes ever played the infield. He later became a teacher coach at LHS and was instrumental in starting the Lawrence Xmas basketball tournament.
Al Nichols was an outfielder who now resides in California.
Fred Dennen was an LHS gridiron coach and a reserver for the Turners.
Terry Kelly who does some acting these days and works for some City agencies also spelled Larry at first base. Henry Solomon now a City of Lawrence employee was also part of this team.
Gordon Dunkley a former Woodbury High of Salem super star was a guy that could play any position. The Turn Hall had some good talent and would be worthy adversaries to all teams. Ray Tremblay, manager of Perdis Roofing was at the helm for many years.
Don Tremblay a great athlete at CCHS and a member of that school’s Hall of Fame is remembered for his talent as a basketball player, but he was a real good player in softball and later became a pretty good pitcher.
Dick Drummond was the team’s top pitcher and also a real good hitter. He is retired from the telephone company and still lives locally. Dick was a great star and Hall of Famer at Methuen High and until recently had the homerun record of the Methuen Little League.
George Panusky a big man and a long ball threat played first base.
Don Auger was an outfielder.
Jimmy Prins was the catcher and a good one his son Jim Jr still coaches youth teams and was a professional 10-pin bowler.
Bruce Franklin was a reserve. Bob Marchand a former CCHS hoop star was a tremendous second baseman, he later converted to become a pitcher. Dingo as he was called, was a great bowler and in later years supplemented his income as a DPW employee by tending bar at the French Social and later at the Knights of Columbus.
Chuck Gillo patrolled the outfield. Fred (Moose) Assad would become a big star in the league and was an outfielder.
Lennie Olenick a former CC hoop coach played the infield for the Perdismen. Bill Bray was a reserve and Larry Godin was an outfielder.
Dick Reming a member of a fine athletic family in the City was an outfielder and later became an Alderman for the City he and his family now reside in No. Andover.
Lou Tremblay was a reserve and Billy Hoegen now of Florida, was in the outfield and works for Rockingham park security each summer. Tom Landau and Ray Jackson were willing subs that were ready if Tremblay needed them.
The Perdis that were formerly the Post 122 were one of the league’s perennial challengers to the championship of the league.
We’ll be featuring more teams in the near future. I hope you can enjoy these writings of these 1968 teams.
