Vern Martineau
Softball, Fastpitch-Mens (2006)
Hall of Fame Inductees
Softball (fastpitch) (1989)
Vern Martineau began his fastpitch softball career in 1951 with the Irwin Jones Dodgers, and his offensive and defensive prowess as a catcher would lead to his 1986 induction into the Northwest Region Softball Hall of Fame.
Born in Yakima in 1926, Vern was a center in football, guard in basketball and catcher in baseball while at Bellarmine Prep. He earned All-City honors in football and did the same on two occasions in basketball. In baseball, he and brother, Vic, formed the Bellarmine battery. He went on to attend College of Puget Sound where he played football for four seasons. Vern picked up Northwest College all-star honors as a center and also served as captain on the 1949 league championship team.
While attending college and during the late 1940s summers, Vern hooked up with his brother while playing City League baseball for K Street.
Vern played fastpitch softball through the late 1950s with the Dodgers and Wood Realty and three times was named to the all-regional team. The Dodgers won consecutive regional titles in the early 50s, and the 1952 team qualified for the World ASA Championships held in Bridgeport, Conn. The following year, Vern took over as manager late in the year and directed the team to the regional crown in Pendleton, Ore. It was here that Vern had the highlight of his career, slugging a home run off the legendary Bob Fesler to win the game, 1-0. The ball carried to dead center field and landed in Chute #6 of the adjacent rodeo grounds.
He was a 1944 graduate of Bellarmine and was inducted into the Bellarmine Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. He is also a member of the Tacoma-Pierce County Baseball-Softball Oldtimers Hall of Fame in the Fastpitch category.