Known for his outstanding speed and high batting average from the left-handed side of the plate, Tom Bliznawicz will be inducted into the Trenton Softball Hall of Fame’s Men’s Player Division at its banquet and scholarship awards dinner in May. Bliznawicz first started making a name for himself as a productive player for the Steinert baseball team and as the center fielder for the Mercer County Community College team that won a GSAC championship. From there he embarked on a softball career that led to him playing on over 100 teams in either league or tournament play, and being a member of teams that won all five of the Mercer County Park Commission’s leagues. Those teams were Leonard’s Hurry Back Inn (Mercer Minor and International), Appliance Tech (Mercer National), Castletermini (Mercer American) and Zip’s Steak House (Mercer Major). Bliznawicz was named the league’s most valuable player on the Leonard’s team that won the Mercer International crown. In addition, he played with the professional Trenton Statesmen team and won four straight Chambersburg Singles Tournaments with either Zip’s or Loffredo Roofing. He also played on the Triple A over-60 level with Delaware Jack Hammers. His many other accomplishments included playing for championship teams in the Hamilton A league, and he won four titles with either Leonard’s II or Priori-Nami in the Mercer Over-60 League. As a member of Lowenbrau, Bliznawicz was named MVP of the Ewing Tournament of Champions. His speed and ability to place the ball led to him usually being among the league leaders in batting average. He was also an excellent defensive infielder and often played third base or shortstop despite the fact he was left-handed. The other inductees in the Men’s Player Division are Mark Heltzman, Eddie Ervin and Kirk Hvasta. Tim Gandy will join the hall in the Player/Manager division and the sponsor is Villa Mannino’s. The softball players receiving scholarships are Ariana Tomlinson of Robbinsville, Steinert’s Katie Simonka, Notre Dame’s Bianca Pesce and Madelena Creo, and Olivia Pignatello of Hightstown. The baseball scholarship winner is Andrew Maddalena of Hamilton. The banquet will be held on May 18 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Mercer Oaks Golf Course. Tickets can be purchased in advance by contacting Artie Kearns nddart@aol.com 609-771-6143, or John Adubato at john_adubato@yahoo.com 609-273-4496. ...read more read less