“Pitching and winning the final game of the national championship,” was a career highlight that Diane Warriner says is one of her favourite moments in a long and distinguished career in women’s softball.

The Orangeville resident was recently honoured with five other nationally known athletes by the CNE Softball Committee during a special ceremony on the ball diamond at the CNE fairgrounds on August 25.

Living in a small community near Kleinburg she began her career on the local diamonds.

“Growing up in Pine Grove it was very country and rural,” she says. “That was the sport we played. We had a public school team and we played other schools.”

Her natural talent was soon noticed by other players and coaches.

“One of the coaches from another school asked me play for his team and when I was 16 I was scouted by an American team”

This was prior to Canada even having a national team and the opportunity to go south to play provided the experience of playing with a nationally ranked team in Connecticut.

“My coach got me together with one of the local teams and I went down there to play when I was 18,” she says of signing up with the Raybestos Brakettes. “They paid all my expenses and flew me down to play. That’s how I got to pay my tuition for my schooling.”

She played on the team from May to August then would return home to attend University in September.

The Brakettes were a top team with an impressive portfolio at the national level winning three silvers and sive play with Mathew Fontana and rookie Jason Grimm getting credit for some key points.

The semi-final round resulted in the Elites losing to the Kingston Pegasus 25-22, 19-25, 14- 16, to take the bronze.

ACTS Elites’ Markus Trence was awarded the Ontario Volleyball Associations’

Award of Excellence after the tournament.

The 2010/11 season tryouts begin Thursday, September 16.

You can find out more information by visiting the club website at www.actselites. com. three gold medals at the American Softball Championships when Warriner was on the team.

She had to make a decision on continuing to play in the States when Canada developed its own national team and eligibility rules changed.

“By then we had our own Canadian National team. It would have meant giving up my final year in university to play,” she explained.

She thought her playing days were over and began coaching a team in Willowdale. But a call from the Kitchener Keiwswetters convinced her to get back on the mound.

“The did have a committed attitude,” she says of the Kitchener organization. “We went to the nationals in Calgary. I pitched the final game and we won the championship.”

Warriner has been inducted into the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame as well as the National Softball Hall of Fame.

She was also honoured as the top female coach in Canada. A recognition she says, was an “outstanding” part of her career.

After he playing days ended she got back in to coaching leading the Chinguacousy Senior Ladies to provincial and national titles.

Although no longer involved in softball she continues to lead an active lifestyle and is an avid golfer and skier.

In between innings she also had a long career as an educator teaching physical education at Mayfield Secondary School and Turner Fenton Secondary School in Brampton.