BUTLER TWP — Hall of Fame inductions are nothing new for Ralph "Sonny" Westerman.

The 81-year-old Sarver resident and founder of the Freeport International Baseball Invitational will join the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame at the 45th annual banquet April 24 at the Butler Days Inn.

"This is my fifth one," Westerman said. "I couldn't believe it when they called. What did I ever do to deserve getting into even one Hall of Fame?"

Westerman was inducted into the American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968, the Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame in 1987, A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

"Kentucky has sent teams to our Freeport International for years," Westerman said. "Rob Saunders is a guy I've coached with and a good friend. I'm sure he had plenty to do with that one."

Westerman's career has everything to do with this one.

His baseball coaching career has spanned six decades. Westerman was a player-coach in the Butler County League at age 19. He began coaching Pony League in 1961 and American Legion in 1964.

He returned to coaching after a 14-year hiatus in 1994 and managed the Freeport Colt team to three division championships.

"The children told me their dads talked them into asking me to help coach," Westerman said. "We won the Allegheny County title, a big achievement because we played against teams from schools much bigger than us.

"They called us a bunch of farmers."

A 1946 Freeport graduate, Westerman played football for the Yellowjackets and became the team's kicker after suffering a broken nose.

"I played in the era when players didn't wear facemasks and paid for it," Westerman said, laughing. "It was OK. I was referred to as Automatically Automatic as a kicker.

"Baseball was always my No. 1 thing. When I was a kid, I got mad when my dad wouldn't let me go down to the ballfield. I wanted to play baseball. He said we had to plant a garden."

Westerman's favorite baseball story was an Allegheny County championship game that lasted 15 innings. With runners on second and third, Westerman's team won the game when Dave Charlton hit a ball well over the left fielder's head.

The left fielder never bothered to retrieve the ball. After Charlton finished celebrating his game-winning hit with teammates, Westerman approached him.

"He thought I was coming over to hug him," Westerman recalled. "Instead, I told him 'Davy, you hit the ball way out there. Now go get it.' Almost shocked, he jogged out there and retrieved the ball.

"When he went to hand it to me, I said: 'You keep it, son. You earned it.' Then I hugged him."

Joey Charlton was one of the baserunners on that play and is now a local attorney. He vividly recalls his brother running out to get that baseball.

"I couldn't believe Coach Westerman made him go get that ball," Charlton said." Then when I saw what he did afterward. ... That was Coach. He was always full of surprises."

Westerman learned how to teach his pitchers the curveball through former major league pitcher and Pirate broadcaster Nellie King. His baseball contacts are endless.

The Freeport International Baseball Invitational began in 1995 and has brought youth teams to the area from Japan, Puerto Rico, Australia, The Netherlands, Israel and Canada.

"We had a tournament each summer to raise money for our ball team," Westerman said. "Frank Ballina, a friend of mine who umpired in the major leagues for a while, knew a friend coaching a team in Canada and asked if we could call him and invite his team down for that tournament.

"They came, a Japanese guy was one of their coaches, so Japan got involved ... Next thing you know, the thing took off. It takes a budget of $40,000 to run that event annually now. I don't think it can get any bigger."

Neither can Westerman's legacy in baseball.

Tickets to the banquet are $20 each with tables of eight available. Tickets are available at Bill's Beer Barn, Moses Jewelry Store at the Clearview Mall, Parker's Appliance in Chicora, Snack 'N' Pack in Butler and Saxonburg Drug.

<i>This is the third in a series of seven articles profiling the 2010 inductees into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame.</I>