BUTLER TWP — The Butler County Sports Hall of Fame has announced the seven inductees who will be honored at the organization's 45th annual banquet at 6:30 p.m. April 24 at the Butler Days Inn.

This year's inductees are Don Gaiser, Eugene "Pud" Craig, Ralph "Sonny" Westerman, Les Shoop, Elaine Carson, Jennifer Kopac and Matt Clement.

The 2010 inductions will bring the Hall's membership to 325.

Here are capsule biographies of the 2010 inductees:

Don GaiserA stellar baseball player who died in 1977, Gaiser played on the Petrolia team that won the National Sandlot Baseball Championship in 1935. He played on numerous league championship teams, was a co-founder of the Petroleum Valley Little League in 1950 and played organized baseball until age 44.He signed a professional contract with Frederick, Md., a farm team of the Cleveland Indians, but the league folded before he had a chance to play.Gaiser coached his sons' team to the inaugural Petroleum Valley Little League title. He also won the Ridgeview Golf Club (now St. Jude) title in 1942.

Eugene "Pud" CraigA four-year basketball and baseball standout, Craig attended Chicora High and played from 1948-51.He played basketball for the Butler Cubs all-star traveling team in 1958 and 1959. He bowled the first sanctioned 300 game at Bruin Lanes.He scored 814 points in his high school basketball career, averaging 18 points per game his senior season. He went on to play basketball and baseball for numerous teams.

Ralph "Sonny" WestermanA Freeport graduate and longtime Sarver resident, Westerman is best known for starting the Freeport International Baseball Invitational, an annual event since 1995.He helped organize the Armstrong County Baseball League with teams winning titles four times in the 1960s. He returned to coaching after a 14-year hiatus in 1994 and managed the Freeport Colt team to three division titles.Westerman is a member of the American Legion Baseball, Armstrong County Sports, A-K Valley Sports and Kentucky Sports halls of fame.

Les ShoopA 1965 Shannock Valley graduate, Shoop is the second-leading scorer in the school's basketball history. He went on to tally 991 career points at Indiana (Pa.) University.His biggest claim to fame is in coaching. Shoop won 511 high school basketball games, including 299 wins and 11 WPIAL playoff appearances at Knoch.He guided the Knights to the WPIAL finals in 2003 and led Punxsutawney to five District 9 Class AAA championships, winning 212 games there.

Elaine CarsonA 1980 Moniteau graduate, she was the first girl to play on the Warriors boys golf team and was the No. 1 golfer on that squad.She was District 9 golf champion in 1980 and runner-up in 1979. Carson went on to golf at Florida State University and spent a few years in women's professional golf.Carson was the Butler County Women's Golf champion for five consecutive years and the Pittsburgh Public Links women's champion in 1979 and 1980.She has been a teaching professional at The Perfect Swing in Butler for 12 years.

Jennifer KopacA 1989 Knoch graduate, she was a four-year standout in volleyball and track and field.Kopac was a three-time all-section volleyball player and a two-time team MVP at Penn State.She was a three-time WPIAL and PIAA champion in the javelin and holds the WPIAL record of 165 feet, 9 inches.She also holds the school-record shot put throw of 43-7 and is a member of the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame.Kopac went on to become an all-Big Ten indoor and outdoor track performer at Penn State.

Matt ClementA Butler graduate who received Division I college offers in baseball and basketball, Clement wound up playing 16 years of professional baseball.A third-round draft choice of the San Diego Padres in 1993, he turned in an 87-86 career record as a pitcher in the major leagues, including one All-Star Game appearance with the Boston Red Sox and an NLCS victory with the Chicago Cubs.A member of Butler's 1991 WPIAL championship basketball team, Clement became the Golden Tornado's boys basketball coach in 2009-10, guiding the team to a 16-5 record and a WPIAL playoff appearance.Tickets for the banquet are $20 and table reservations of eight can be made.Ticket locations are Bill's Beer Barn in Butler, Moses Jewelry Store at Clearview Mall, Parker's Appliance in Chicora, Snack 'N' Pack in Butler and Saxonburg Drug.Tickect also can be obtained at the Hall's Website www.bcshof.com