In 1968, a talented young shortstop returned home to Artesia from the Los Angeles Dodgers' Pioneer League in Ogden, Utah.

The draftee had been highly touted by the Dodgers and was expected to have a promising career in the big leagues, but "I was just homesick," he said.

His decision made and his baseball career behind him, Chava Flores settled into small town life with his new wife, Shirley.

But at only 21 years old, he wasn't ready to give up entirely on his athletic career.

He played baseball at the semi-pro level with the West Texas/New Mexico League in Hobbs for five years before a friend persuaded him to take a look at a sport that, for Flores, would evolve into an obsession that surpassed two decades — men's fastpitch softball.

Chava Flores was born in 1947 in San Angelo, Texas. He came to Artesia in 1953 at the age of six and has been a resident since.

Active in Little League as a youngster, he continued playing baseball throughout high school and also played Connie Mack baseball for the state champion Rose Gravel team out of Carlsbad. His dedication to the sport paid off - 1967, his graduation year, was the same year he was drafted by the Dodgers.

To prevent a second drafting of their newfound shortstop (the one that would send him to Vietnam), the Dodgers transferred Flores to Daytona Beach, Fla. After a short stint there, he was transferred to Ogden and the Pioneer League.

He had played in just two games when he decided life away from Artesia was not for him.

Six years later, when he was introduced to the game of men's fastpitch softball, Flores was at first reluctant to play.

"I thought, ‘That's a girls’ game,’" he laughs. "But once I started playing, I liked it. It was like playing baseball, but better, because the pace of the game was a lot faster. And I just got addicted to the game."

His first team was known as Garrett's. Flores also went on to play for Mack Chase, MYCO, Valley Savings and the Skaters, each team and each experience increasing his love of softball.

During Flores’ early playing years, men’s fastpitch was a thriving area sport, boasting leagues of several teams from throughout southeastern New Mexico. By 1984, however, every Artesia men’s fastpitch team was gone.

Rather than let his hometown slip into fastpitch history, Flores decided to form his own team. They called themselves the Sluggers, and they became a 12-year force to be reckoned with in the world of men’s fastpitch.

"We wanted to keep playing," Flores says. "We gathered up the best Artesia players. We just wanted to keep competing."

The Sluggers were definitely significant competition. By the time the team disbanded in 1998, they had won one state title, one regional title, and competed in two national tournaments.

Flores recalls the Sluggers’ regional championship tournament in 1986 as his favorite fastpitch experience.

"That was before they had a Class B national tournament option, so we were playing against teams from New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado and Utah."

Men’s fastpitch is divided into three classes, A-C, based largely on pitching depth and expertise. In the early years of the sport, there were no class divisions. Once divisions were formed, the Sluggers competed in Class B.

"To me, that trip to regionals was neat, not only because we won, but because we flew into Las Vegas and there was a lot of stuff to do there."

While that tournament may have been the high point of the Sluggers’ softball careers, the years ahead were full of travel, competition and memories for both Flores and his teammates.

1988 and 1992 saw the team competing in nationals in Las Cruces. 1996 marked their last year as a team.

After the Sluggers disbanded, Flores and a few teammates found a new home with Hudson Packer from Hobbs. With that team, Flores made his way to one more national tournament in 1998 in College Station, Texas.

Hudson Packer tied for 13th place in that tournament, but Flores points out that it was never about winning or losing. It was all about loving the game.

During his softball career, Flores played shortstop, outfield and second base, but shortstop always remained the position closest to his heart.

"I was comfortable playing there," he says. "I'd been playing shortstop since Little League."

Men’s fastpitch also involved a good deal of travel, and while some may have found that tedious, Flores remembers it as a favorite aspect of the sport.

"I just enjoyed all the traveling and having fun with my friends," he says.

In addition to playing all over the state of New Mexico, Flores participated in tournaments in Tucson, Phoenix and Prescott, Ariz., Ely and Elko, Nev., College Station, Texas, and twice traveled to Baton Rouge, La.

Of all of them, however, Flores recalls his last national tournament in College Station the most fondly.

"That was my favorite trip, to College Station," Flores says. "Something about the weather there made me feel 20 years younger," he chuckles. "All that humidity - my joints didn't ache."

Aching joints might seem like a minor complaint to many athletes. But at the 1998 College Station tournament, Flores was playing fastpitch softball at 51 years of age.

It was that dedication to and love for the game that brought Flores to the Stevens Inn in Carlsbad on Feb. 2. Selected by numerous recommendations to the executive board of the New Mexico Amateur Softball Association, Chava Flores was inducted into the NMASA Hall of Fame for "dedication and contribution to the game of softball."

He left an indelible mark on the game he almost chose not to play and a legacy that is recognized by fastpitch aficionados statewide.

Even now, at age 54, Flores may not be hanging up his glove - there is an ASA 40 and over league he'd like to contend with.

Flores’ selection to the Hall of Fame was timely, considering he continued to compete until 1998 and may soon be competing once again. For his teammates, his opponents, and those who know and love the game, however, Flores’ honor could not have come soon enough.