The NFCA welcomed The Class of 2008 into its Hall of Fame Friday night at the 25th annual NFCA Convention being held at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort in Marco Island, Florida.

The six member Hall of Fame class included Gary Bryce, Sandy Fischer, Eugene Lenti, Jay Miller, Donna Newberry and Gary Torgerson.

Bryce is entering his 28th season as head coach at Wayne State University. During the past 27 seasons, Bryce has compiled a 885-561-6 record, including 22 national rankings and 14 appearances in the NCAA Division II tournament.

Fischer retired from Oklahoma State University after the 2003 season. In her 26 seasons with the Cowgirls, Fischer led her squad to nine Big Eight championships and 17 AIAW or NCAA regional appearances. Presently, Fischer is coaching with the Professional Fastpitch Extreme Tour.

Lenti is beginning his 28th season with the DePaul University Blue Demons. Builiding the program from scratch, Lenti has carried the Blue Demons to four Women’s College World Series appearances, including back-to-back trips in 2007 and 2008.

Miller is entering his seventh season at Mississippi State University and his 28th season as a Division I head coach. A charter member of the NFCA, Miller surpassed 900 overall wins during the Bulldogs run to NCAA regionals this past season.

Newberry, the head coach at Muskingum College, enters her 35th season as a collegiate softball head coach. She is the winningest coach in NCAA Division III history with a career record of 858-382-1 (.692 winning percentage).

Torgerson had a legendary career as coach at California State University, Northridge. A 1994 inductee into the Cal State Northridge Athletics Hall of Fame, Torgerson collected 636 victories and a .744 winning percentage during his 13 years with the Matadors.

A total of 47 members now make up the NFCA Hall of Fame. Scott Whitlock, a 2005 inductee, served as the emcee for Friday night’s activities.