Doss, Bobby

Bobby Doss was quite an imposing figure on the mound standing at 6’5”, and sometimes, his ankles became impending targets for the awaiting batter.

However, it didn’t take long before these middle hitters decided it might be better to try another strategy because more often than not Bobby would scoop up the missiles headed toward the mound and calmly make the batter exit stage right toward his dugout.

Bobby began his pitching prowess at the ripe young age of 16, and now 40 years later he still makes an appearance or two in senior ball.

Mr. Doss made his initial rounds at the Frankfort league ball parks like Peaks Mill, East Frankfort Park, Bendix in the Capitol City, Alton in Lawrenceburg, and Clear Creek Park in Shelbyville.

His Bandits team was lucky enough to open up the Frankfort ball park, Wild Turkey Capitol View, back in 1993. They (the Bandits) played an exhibition game against former Major League baseball Hall of Famers and Legends like Boog Powell, George Foster, and Doug Flynn, a Lexingtonian who was a baseball Gold Glover and is in the Kentucky Softball Hall of Fame that Bobby is being inducted into today (April 24, 2022).

Among Bobby’s many softball highlights was the memory of “warming up” with Big Red Machine’s Hall of Famer, George Foster. “We exchanged knuckle balls while getting loose before the exhibition,” recalled an excited Bobby Doss.

Graduating from league ball to tournament play, Bobby became a softball weekend warrior including a stint from 1987-1990 with the United States Infantry Division Post team that travelled up and down the California coast.

Once back home, the trophy case started to mount up—first with CDS of Central Kentucky who won the NSA State in 2003 and then the NSA World Championship held in Kankakee, IL that same summer. Pitcher, Doss, was All-Tournament selection that season both at the State in Lexington and at the Worlds in Kankakee.

From 2003 through 2010, Bobby’s glory days included a National MVP award at the Industrials for Topy in Indianapolis, IN, another All-World selection in 2005 playing for the church NSA champions, Forks of Elkhorn, six Kentucky State titles with CDS in 2003, 2005-2007, and 2010.

Bobby Doss’ love for softball has endured through the years and decades, and he hopes his most recent championship at the TPA Nationals just 2 years ago won’t be his last.