Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame Unveils Class of 2019

SPRINGFIELD — Seven individuals and one team will be inducted into the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2019. They include Justine Siegal, Dana LeVangie, Karl Oliveira, Mike Laga, Jim Jachym, Mark Belanger, Candy Cummings, and the 2018 Pittsfield Little League team.

The class will be inducted at the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, presented by Westfield Bank, on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at the La Quinta Inn and Suites Ballroom, 100 Congress St., Springfield.

The keynote speaker for the evening’s ceremonies will be Siegal, president and founder of Baseball for All, a nonprofit organization that empowers women to play, coach, and lead in baseball. Siegal became the first female coach of a Major League Baseball team in 2015, when the Oakland Athletics invited her to be a guest instructor for two weeks in the instructional league in Arizona.

This year’s class is the sixth since the inaugural banquet in 2014. Since its inception, 35 individuals and four teams who have represented and served the baseball community of Western Mass. have been honored.

Tickets for the banquet are $50, or $450 for a table of 10. Dinner and dessert are included. To purchase tickets, call (413) 533-1100 or visit valley-blue-sox.ticketleap.com/2019-hof.