Jo-Lee Riddle inducted into HOF

By Kevin Taylor

Alma Schools 

For all of her life’s accomplishments, in athletics and her professional career as a Postmaster, Jo-Lee Riddle (Westfall) really never had any choice but to pick up a baseball glove. 

After all, not only did her dad play professionally, but her mom, Bettye, played as well. 

“I had four brothers, and we were all athletic,” recalls Westfall, a 1973 Alma grad. “Daddy (Ray Riddle) played semi-pro ball out of Memphis and was going to farm out with the Cardinals, but the Korean War happened. 

“I played boys’ baseball because there wasn’t a girls’ softball team.”

This summer, the former Arkansas Postmaster of the Year (2011) was inducted into the Arkansas Slowpitch Softball Hall of Fame. 

Her accomplishments are plenty, beginning with her first team, Whitson’s and Reeder Simco Softball team from 1971-75. For almost 25 years, Whitson’s (sponsored by Whitson’s Grocery) and Reeder Simco were two of the most prominent organizations for women’s competitive softball teams in the Fort Smith area (1960s through the 1980s). 

The second of Ray and Bettye’s five children, Jo-Lee, was only able to participate in high school basketball while at AHS, where she was all-conference and all-state. She participated in the 1973 Arkansas High School All-Star game. 

“In Alma, basketball was the only sport for girls,” Riddle said. “I played softball one year in Alma at 15, then played in Fort Smith the rest. I went on to play college basketball and volleyball at Southern State College (now Southern Arkansas University). 

Westfall’s brothers, Ray, Paul, Kyle, and Duane, had the distinction of attending West Point (N.Y.) 

Westfall said she became serious about softball the first time she stepped on a field. “It was when I started the first summer softball team (1971),” she said. 

In a 1972 tournament in Grand Prairie, Texas, she earned all-tournament honors after hitting a game-winning grand slam. 

“I batted second behind Linda Lowe,” Westfall said. “No one pitched to her, so she was the leadoff hitter. It came down to two outs, last inning, and the bases loaded. Their coach called a timeout after looking over at me. He pulled the infield in, and then he brought the outfield in, trying to plug all the holes. 

“So, I waited for the best pitch and hit a grand slam.”

Small in stature, size was never an issue for Westfall. 

“Being a small person, I was frequently overlooked for my hitting ability,” Westfall said. “Also, I was quick and could throw well, and loved to make great catches.

Westfall was a standout softball player through the 1990s before trading her glove for a coach's hat. 

In 1998, she helped a 12U softball team finish second at the National 12U softball tournament in Indiana. 

As a player, Westfall was influenced by the late Dr. Margaret Downing, her former SSC coach. Dr. Downing was a pioneer in advancing women’s sports in Arkansas. She coached the Riderettes to eight Arkansas Women’s Intercollegiate Sports Association (AWISA) conference titles in basketball, two state championships in swimming, and one each in volleyball and softball.