Two former area softball standouts were recently inducted into the Lehigh Valley Softball Hall of Fame.

Lehighton graduate Jean Buskirk, and the late Nicky Warmkessel of Northern Lehigh, were both honored at a ceremony at Pates Park in Allentown.

Buskirk, a 1989 Indian grad, earned nine varsity letters in multiple sports in high school, excelling mostly in softball. She moved on to Bloomsburg University where she enjoyed an outstanding career.

A four-year softball player at Bloomsburg, she led the team to four NCAA championship finals appearances, including a runner-up, two third-place finishes and one fourth-place finish. A two-time first-team All-American, she was the 1993 PSAC East player of the year and a two-time ECAC Division 2 South Region player of the year, graduating as Bloomsburg’s all-time leader in career hits with 235 and helping the Huskies to a four-year record of 170-25.

After her collegiate career, Buskirk was selected to try out for the USA Olympic team in 1993. She made it to the round of the final 60 where she was selected to participate in the 1994 Olympic Festival.

Buskirk then moved into coaching, joining the West Chester University staff for the 1995 through 1997 seasons as the assistant and then interim head coach. She later was an assistant for three years at Wilkes University before eventually ending up at Muhlenberg, where she still coaches today.

Buskirk was inducted into the Bloomsburg University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.

Warmkessel was a standout pitcher for the Bulldogs from 1987-90, helping the program win a state title in 1988.

During her career, she set career school records for wins (41), strikeouts (384) and shutouts (13). She also held single-season records for shutouts (7), innings pitched (117 2/3) and strikeouts (121).

The Nolehi grad took her talents to Rutgers University, where she earned Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman. During her time with the Scarlet Knights, she was also named to the Atlantic 10 all-tournament team in 1993, and was a four-year letterwinner.

Unfortunately, Warmkessel passed away at the age of 49 in 2021. Her parents accepted the award in her honor.