“It is an honor to be selected to the Hall of Fame with all the other great players.” After playing with the Cadets for five years, Louis Zielinski and the Cadets learned a hard truth about 16”softball . George Morse at Clarendon would not let them play in the Majors (A League) until they won the B League. So they did what any self-respecting softball team would do, they won the B League. From 1964 to 1966 Louis Zielinski played with the Cadets in the A League at Clarendon, Kosciusko, and Hamlin Parks. He switched to the Beetle Bomb’s in 1967 and to the Rogues in 1968 before joining the Dr. Carlucci Bobcats in 1969. Louis Zielinski was instrumental in leading the Carlucci Bobcats to the World Series title in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. That same year he continued playing with the Rogues when they won championships at Kosciusko and James Parks and in the Alderman John Marshcin Tournament, a championship tournament for winners of other park tournaments. 1970 found the Bobcats and Zielinski capturing the World Series title at Waukegan. That year Zielinski joined the Lyon’s 45’s and helped them to the Portage Park title. During the next seven years, Louis Zielinski and the Bobcats won the Kelly Park championship (1975) and a World Series berth at Athens, Georgia. Playing with Lyon’s 45’s, he won four Portage Park titles and the championship at Clarendon Park in 1973. Known as one of the top short centers of his time because of his speed and sure hands, Louis Zielinski, playing with the Rogues, once started a triple play against the Bobcats that ended a late inning rally and clinched the James Park championship. Zielinski was a slot hitter who batted 4th or 5th on most of his teams. Louis Zielinski is a semi-retied printer with Burke Communications in Chicago. He and his wife, Brenda, have a daughter and two grandchildren. He and Brenda live in Niles, Illinois.
