Cottonwood Chronicle

Mike Seubert of Spokane has been selected as one of the individuals to be inducted into the Spokane Metro Softball Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
The event will be held at the VFW in Spokane Valley on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Seubert was born in Cottonwood, Idaho. He graduated from the 8^th grade attending the one room school in Keuterville in May of 1953. He attended St. Gertrude’s Academy, graduating in May of 1957. He enrolled in Gonzaga University in September of 1957 where he majored in Mathematics and minored in Physics and Philosophy. He graduated in May of 1961. He completed the education classes necessary to earn a teaching certificate in May of 1962. Seubert began his teaching career in September of 1962 working for the Spokane School District. His teaching assignments were Math and Science in the District’s Alternative High School, Continuation High School.
Mike married Joan Stevenson on August 17, 1963. It was in May of 1964 that he began playing modified fast pitch softball. The first team he played for was sponsored by Olympic Sports. Then he played for Dartmouth Enterprises. By 1970 he was playing for the team sponsored by Continental Auto Parks and Al’s Body and Fender as one of the outfielders. By 1973 the team was only referred to as Al’s Body and Fender. It was during 1973 league play that during a game a runner on first base headed to second base when the next batter hit the ball to Al’s shortstop and as he was sliding into the base, he picked up dirt and sand and flipped it into the face of Al’s second baseman. Al’s pitcher tried to punch the player who was throwing the sand and dirt but couldn’t get his hand out of his baseball glove. So he just hit him anyway. The umpire had the pitcher thrown out of the game. Because Seubert had pitched for all the batting practices for the team, he was called on by the coach to finish the game on the mound. Al’s won the game and Mike had to pitch the next game as the rule stated a player ejected from a game had to sit out the next game. That is how Seubert became a pitcher. Al’s Body and Fender went on to win the Columbia B League with 13 wins and 2 losses.
From the Softball Chatter column in the Spokane Chronicle, they gave the following information: The Columbia League Champs Al’s Body and Fender won the First Spokane Metro Softball Recreation B Tournament. There were 24 teams in the tournament. Al’s lost game 6 and then won the championship game 7-5. By winning the B Tournament Al’s played in the A Tournament and placed 5^th out of 12 teams.
For league play Seubert’s batting average was .559 and his tournament average was .484. Seubert played all sports as a left-hander. To continue pitching he learned how to throw a knuckle ball. It became his primary pitch. He holds the ball in different ways to change the desired movement as it crosses home plate. He is a left-handed knuckleball pitcher.
In the Softball Chatter of the Spokane Chronicle dated May 20, 1975 the headline said 5 hits work earns win. Mike Seubert pitched a five-hitter as Al’s Body and Fender edged Forum Tavern 2-1 in Federal League softball action last night o highland Softball Metro play. In 1975 Al’s Body and Fender took 1^st place in the Esmeralda Invitational Modified Fast Pitch Softball Tournament.
The Softball Chatter of July 4, 1975 had this heading: Seubert Produces. Mike Seubert had quite an evening in the Bicentennial League leading Al’s Body and Fender to a 20-10 verdict over Jerry’s Billiards. He had a single, double and a grand slam home run driving in seven runs in the bottom of the third inning off of three different pitchers.
As Seubert continued to pitch for Al’s Body and Fender, his wife Joan, not only spent time looking after their children, she became a great keeper of the scorebook for the games. Often times if the umpire had questions during a game, they would ask Joan what she had in the scorebook. On one occasion as Al’s Body and Fender were playing in a tournament in Colvill, WA, the team won the first game. Then they had to drive 5 miles to play the second game. The umpire said hurry, we need to get this game going. Joan said, “No one has given me the list of players to put in the scorebook.” The umpire said just enter the name or number as they come up to bat. In the second inning Al’s starting pitcher was having trouble throwing strikes. Mike was told to go in the game to pitch. The umpire said his name is not on the list. Joan walked over to home plate and said, “You told me to enter the names in the scorebook as they entered the game.” As she was talking to the umpie he started backing up and ended up at the pitcher’s mound waving his arm over his head saying you can do whatever the want lady and it is okay. Mike pitched the rest of the game and Al’s Body and Fender won the game. Then they had to drive back to the other field for the third game. Mike was selected as one of the players on the all-tournament team.
In 1980 Al’s Body and Fender had a good year. In June they played in the Founders Day Medical Lake, WA Softball Tournament. Mike pitched all 5 games. The scores were Al’s 5-Adam’s Cleaners 0; Al’s 14-Elegant Egg 4; Al’s 12-Viking Tavern 2; Al’s 2-Clark Evans 1; Al’s 6-Tavern 3. Al’s won all 5 games scoring 39 runs and giving up 10 runs for the tournament. They followed that by playing in the Eagles Softball Tournament played in Spokane. They won all 4 games and Mike pitched all 4 games. The scores were Al’s 11-Big Foot 6; Al’s 13-Brother Ray’s 2’ Al’s 10-McGinnis Paper 0; Championship-Al’s 14-McGinnis Paper 1. Al’s scored 49 runs while giving up 9. Seubert’s ERA was 1.75. He received the MVP trophy. With the 9 tournament wins and winning league games Al’s had a run of 16 consecutive wins without a loss. In July Butch Brown the Sports Journal editor interviewed Mike regarding how he throws the knuckle ball. The article accompanies this article as a photo.
In the article Softball Chatter, in the May 31, 1981 Spokane Chronicle it stated that Al’s Body and Fender played in the Invitational Modified Fast Pitch tournaments sponsored by the Flame Tavern. Al’s Body and Fender put together consecutive victories to take first place. Al’s outscored their opponents 32-9. Mike Seubert was on the mound for all the victories. He posted a 1.80 ERA. They had 17 extra base hits, 6 doubles, 6 triples and 5 home runs.
In 1983 Al’s Body and Fender played in a tournament on the two softball fields on the South Hill located close to 29^th and Ray. It was to be a tournament with a keg of beer at each of the two fields in back of a pickup. The prize for winning the tournament was a Crab Feeder at the Athletic Round Table. Al’s first game was against a team that had the shortstop from Washington State University and three players from Whitworth University’s baseball teams. Al’s won that game 6-3. Al’s players decided not to drink beer until the tournament was over. Al’s won all their games. Mike pitched all the games. Al’s players and their wives got to sit at the big round table to the Athletic Round Table Restaurant end enjoyed a crab feast. The crabs were brought over fresh on that day from Seattle.
As Al’s stopped sponsored softball teams, Mike began pitching for Liberty Lake Estates in 1985. They were the Lilac Men’s B League Champions. Mike pitched all the games. On July 5, 1985 Liberty Lake Estates were the champs of the Tekoa Modified B Softball Tournament. In 1985 we took 1^st place at the Fort Dent Invitational B Tournament in South Seattle, WA.
In 1986 Liberty Lakes Estates Team became the River City Athletics. Mike pitched most of the games as they were champs of the Spokane Metro Softball Association Sunset BB League. In a tournament played at Fort Dent in King County’s Park and Recreation Fast Pitch, River City Athletics took first place. Mike pitched all the games. In the championship game River City Athletics faced a team from Spokane. Their pitcher had attended the high school where Mike was a teacher. River City Athletics were Champions of the 5^th annual Ben Gay Invitational Tournament played in Spokane.
In 1988 River City Athletics joined the Cheney Medical Lake League. They won the pre-season Medical Lake Tournament on May 14, 1988. They won all 20 of their league games as well as the end of the season League Tournament. Mike was the pitcher for all the games.
In 1989 River City Athletics took 1^st place in the Glen Helmer Memorial Modified Fast Pitch Invitational Tournament that was played in Spokane. Mike was selected to the All-Tournament team.
In 1990 Mike pitched for the Grimmer Transfer Team and they won the Glen Helmer Memorial, a B Modified Fast Pitch Tournament. They were also the Spokane Metro Softball Association Sunset (BB) League Champs.
In 1991, back with River City Athletics, Mike pitched and on May 26^th they won the Glen Helmer Memorial Tournament again played in Spokane. River City also won the Men’s Modified Fast Pitch American Division of the Cheney-Medical Lake League.
In 1996 Mike began pitching softball in the Fall Softball League. The Fall League was a 10-game league playing 5 double-headers once a week. He played for R & M. They won the league.
Mike continued to play only in the Fall League. He usually pitched 3 innings in a game and was relieved by another pitcher. They had a winning record every year. Playing his last softball games in 2011. R & M won that final league with a record on 9 wins and 1 loss.
“It is truly an honor to be selected as a member of the Spokane Metro Softball Hall of Fame to join those elite softball players of Spokane,” said Seubert. “But my success as a pitcher is because of the great softball players on those teams. As a knuckleball pitcher I did not record many strikeouts. So it was the fielding plays that were made by my teammates that allowed me to record many victories. Playing softball has given me many life friendships that I treasure.”

Mike Seubert with the MVP trophy from the Eagles Tournament on July 6, 1990.

Mike Seubert holding the championship trophy of the Tekoa, WA tournament held on July 7, 1985.

Mike Seubert pitching in a league game in July of 1977.

Mike Seubert pitching in the Spokane Metro 1st ever B Modified Tournament. His team took first place.