He is the guy that you dream about having as your teammate. The guy you wish would have been the coach of your high school baseball team. He’s that guy that when he does end up on your team, you breathe a sigh of relief that, win or lose, it is going to be a great season. That guy is Don Moritz. And, for the past 17 years the Emerald City Softball Association has been honored to have his wisdom, passion and his talents.
On the field, he exemplifies a true competitor with his prowess and skill. 13 of his 17 years, has been spent as a powerhouse in the Emerald City Softball Associations A or B division(s). His calm demeanor and consistency has made him an unflappable asset to any upper division team. During his time in the A and B divisions he has lead a number of his teams in both slugging percentage and walks.
He has represented the Emerald City Softball Association in tournaments from Vancouver, BC to Atlanta, GA. He has been a player at 6 Gay Softball World Series. In 2003, the B team he played for placed fourth at the Gay Softball World Series in Washington, D.C.
There is no doubt, that when Donnie steps on to the field as a player, he is a force and destined to be in the spotlight for that game. It is the fact that he can walk out of that spot light, just as quietly as he entered it and give so much back to the Emerald City Softball family that makes him so qualified to be a member of Hall of Fame. So many people would be satisfied with riding the laurels of their playing talents, but Donnie has also gone behind the scenes to help other players in the ECSA find their spotlight as well.
He has consistently come out to the annual ECSA Skills Clinics and helped to introduce the league to those men and women who are just getting their feet wet in an organized sport. His even keeled temperament has given confidence to even the most novice player. At many of those skills clinic he not only assisted in the mentoring but also has set up specific skill building drills for new players to the league and veteran coaches to take back to their teams.
In 2001 he stepped up and coached a struggling Titans C team. The team had gone through a handful of coaches in one season and helped the team gain its confidence to become a C division contender in the same season. Many of those players went on to coach or manage their own teams based on the mentoring that they received from Donnie. Since that year, it has been no surprise that, in addition to playing in the A/B division, Donnie has also spent his time coaching or mentoring a C division team.
In 2005 the C team he was coaching, Seattle Sting, team was crowned the “I-5 Champions” after winning tournaments in Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle. Based on that success, he assisted that team with a move up to the B Division. He is part of a very elite group of individuals that has helped the Emerald City Softball Association build their A/B division from talented players from our C division. In that same year, the Sting went on to win third place (out of eight) in the annual Emerald City Classic B Division Tournament.
Donnie’s coaching style was always a positive experience for those that played on his teams. People have said that his style is not intense enough, that when he coaches he is just “too nice”. However, it’s clear that those that believe that he doesn’t have a competitive edge – are those who confuse intensity with loudness. As a player on his team you quickly realize that you do not have to be yelled at to find your confidence or learn more as a player. When a player is having a ‘bad’ day, Donnie is one of the first to be there to bring that player’s confidence back. He does it with an encouraging word, a joke AND an explanation of how you can be better the next time you step onto the field.
For three consecutive years, Donnie has asked that his nomination be removed from consideration for the Hall of Fame. He has looked at his impressive resume’ over the last 17 years in the ECSA and has felt like he hasn’t been a difference maker in this league. It should be clear to anyone who knows Don Moritz that his modesty is obviously clouding his perception of what an AMAZING part of this league he truly has been. He has mentored so many players into better skilled softball players, but even more importantly, he has helped so many of our GLBT softball family become more self confident and more productive members of our society. Donnie is exactly the kind of person that deserves to be in the ECSA Hall of Fame.
Don Moritz is that guy. That guy that makes you want to put on your cleats every Sunday and head out to play softball in the ECSA. All it takes is his quiet “hi” and a flash of his smile that makes you realize, no matter if your team won or lost that day, you are proud to be a part of this organization. Don Moritz is that guy.
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