Herb Matthis
Fastpitch Softball

Herb spent 23 seasons in the 1950’s through 1975 as a fastpitch softball pitcher in Seattle and Everett. He was one of the most dominant pitchers in the Pacific Northwest and was known as a tough competitor and tireless workhorse with a strong arm. He often pitched all of his team’s games in invitational tournaments and once pitched in 7 of his team’s 8 games in a Bremerton tournament as the team came through the losers’ bracket to win the championship. In a Seattle tournament in 1958, he pitched all but 3 innings of his team’s 7 games as the team climbed through the losers’ bracket to finish second to Seattle’s nationally ranked Federal Old Line Club.

Herb began his career in Seattle with Beacon Hill Merchants in the 1950’s. In 1962, he continued in Everett with the Everett Oly’s, then Longshoremen, Everett Auto, and Western Gear. During his career, fastpitch was very popular. As many as 1500 people often attended an Everett recreational league game and the crowds would wildly cheer for Mathis as he went to the mound and promptly struck out his younger opponents. He retired in 1975 at age 49 and around this time, started a youth league in Everett that produced many successful players. The league grew from two teams in the beginning to eight teams during the 1980s.

Some of his other accomplishments include: 1) pitched 6 perfect games, 2) won 26 Most Valuable Player/Pitcher Awards, 3) pitched in 3 Pacific Northwest Regional Tournaments, 4) once pitched 65 consecutive scoreless innings, and 5) selected to many All Star teams. In 1967, he was a finalist for the Everett Herald’s Man of the Year in Sports Award. At age 75, Mathis was inducted into the Greater Seattle Fastpitch Hall of Fame. He died in Everett in 2006 at age 79.