Long, Sydney

“I’m just a country girl that loved to play sports and was always athletic,”—that’s how Sydney Long described herself, and that athletic ability and sheer determination kept her playing softball for 45 years plus.

Sydney’s lifelong softball journey began in 1963 when she had to play baseball, because there was no softball in Richmond, KY for her until 1970 when the Downtown Park started a Parks and Rec league. Her first women’s team was the Roadies of Richmond who started out as a Rec league team in 1970, yet quickly moved to tournaments, and by 1976, the Roadies had turned Sydney Long into quite a pitcher and player, or maybe it was the other way around.

In 1976, Sydney earned the Regional All-Tournament award, and one year later she was hailed as the 1977 Best Pitcher of the Regional.

Sydney Long shipped her talent south to Jacksonville, Florida for a brief three-year stint (1978-1980), and she picked up with Corkey’s who won three invitationals in the Sunshine State.

Then, from 1980 to 1990, Sydney took an extended time off from softball before returning in 1991 to suit up for the Risk Takers from Lexington. She helped them win the ASA “B” Women’s State Championship plus taking home 1st in the Corbin Women’s Championship and 2nd at the Clay City Invitational.

In 1993, the Richmond native took off her playing hat and replaced it with a coaching cap. Her new team aptly named Winner’s Bar won the ASA “B” State and the “B” Regional Championship. What sticks out the most in Long’s memory was a rarity on the softball diamond. Her Winner’s team won that Regional Championship with the last play of the tournament being a shortstop to second to first to home triple play.

In 2004, Sydney decided to both play and coach, and her experience carried her and her Edward Jones team to multiple Kentucky State Championships. From 2004-2008, Edward Jones won five consecutive state titles and then finished 2nd at the ASA East “D” National Championship.

At 53 years young, Sydney Long was named 1st team All-American at the ASA “D” East, and that was really her defining moment as a softball enthusiast.

One final award that she was very proud of was the 2005 NSA Women’s Softball Dedication Award presented by NSA and personally handed to Sydney by longtime NSA Director and Kentucky Softball Hall of Famer, Sonya Ritchie.

The NSA Dedication Award was bestowed upon Sydney Long for her above-and-beyond contribution to softball as a great winner and an even better person.