My name is Mike Macenko and I am a former professional softball player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest slo-pitch softball players and home run hitters of all time. I hit close to 7000 home runs in my career, which spanned over 27 years. I started my career in Cleveland, Ohio, playing for a team called Pesano’s Restaurant that was coached by Dave Neale. I played for teams that Dave Neale was involved in, such as Hillcrest Tavern and Nationwide Advertising Services before moving on to the Cleveland Competitors in the Pro League for 1 year. I played 27 years of slow-pitch softball and 22 of those were with Coach Neale….
When it comes to deciding who is one of the greatest men’s softball players of all time is, Mike Macenko’s name is right at the top of everyone’s list. Big Cat is from Brook Park, Ohio. I started playing softball at the age of 15 and after defeating all the home runs hitters in Cleveland, Ohio at the age of 17, I joined forces with Dave Neale. At 17, I was playing Big Time Softball. I have been working with Miken Sports since 2013 and I am better known as a Miken Pro with Rawlings Sports. I feel like I have left my legacy on the softball field… Softball fans know about Macenko’s tremendous slugging ability, yet many forgot how rarely he failed to reach base. In 1988, he hit 830 long balls, drove in 1667 runs, and hit for an astonishing .745 batting average.“I led our Steele’s team to the ISA World Series that season, where I was titled the Home Run King." Macenko went 23-25 and hit 13 home runs during the 5-game series. "In 1987 when I hit 844 home runs, I was put into the Guiness Book Of World Records. I retired with a remarkable .721 batting average and hit approximately 7000 home runs., I was selected unanimously to 34 All American teams." Arguably Macenko’s greatest and least talked about accomplishment was the impact that he had on his team… Thanks to his leadership and on field production, Macenko carried his team to 143 consecutive victories in 1990. His legacy will live on forever… Macenko retired in 1998 but decided to make a comeback in 1999 playing for R&D/Nike.
He has been a 5-time National Championship MVP award winner (2 ASA’s, 2 NSA’s and an ISA). He is also a member of 4 main Softball Association’s Hall of Fames. He was elected in the ISA Hall of Fame in 1997, the NSA Hall of Fame in 1998, the USSSA Hall of Fame in 1999 and the ASA Hall of Fame in 2006...