Marengo County Sports Hall of Fame inductee: Diana Parten Miskow

Published 3:49 pm Wednesday, January 31, 2024

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Diana Parten Miskow was raised in Nanafalia by her father Manly Parten, mom Patsy Ezell and stepmom Gloria Parten. She was a cheerleader for Sweet Water High School until she transferred to Marengo Academy where she played basketball and softball graduating in 1982. She was a forward for the Lady Longhorns basketball team where she was named to several All-Tournament Teams, the All-District Tournament Team, and was named to the All-State Basketball Team in 1982.

Softball is where Miskow really excelled, playing for Jimmy Crawford (MCSHOF 2022). She was a key player at shortstop and third base in helping Marengo Academy win back-to-back state championships in 1981 and 1982. She batted an impressive .565 her senior year.

Shelton State Community College Softball Coach Steve King signed Miskow to a scholarship that allowed her to continue her softball career. She made an immediate impact in the Junior College division playing shortstop in both the 1983 and 1984 seasons. In her freshman year, she helped lead the Lady Buccaneers to win the state championship and earned the Most Valuable Player in the AJCAA State Tournament with a .388 batting average and 29 runs batted in. The Lady Bucs traveled to Hanceville where they played in the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament and made it to the final four where Miskow was selected to the National All-Tournament Team.

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The next year, as a sophomore, she again helped lead the Lady Bucs in winning the AJCAA State Tournament and for the second straight year, Miskow was named the AJCAA MVP. Shelton State improved its record to 41-6 heading into the NJCAA tournament. Shelton State did not fare as well the second year in the National Tournament.  She graduated from Shelton with a 3.5 Grade Point Average in 1984.

Miskow, from 1984-1986, completed her four-year degree from Athens and continued to play softball for the Tuscaloosa Tops/WJRD Tops in Tuscaloosa. She played in more than 10 tournaments in the state and won one championship and was selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Miskow moved a short distance from Tuscaloosa to Grand Forks, North Dakota where she played for the Burger King Class B Travel Team from 1989 to 1993. While there, she collected two state championships, 3 Defensive MVPs, and 7 All-Tournament Team honors.

She must have grown tired of the cooler climate as from 1996-2011 she moved to Orlando, Florida, and played for the Florida Storm and All Pro Sporting Goods Travel Team. The team won one state championship, placed 3rd in the Nationals and was Runner-up in USSSA Masters in Lexington, South Carolina earning an All-Tournament Team honor. The team was also Runner-up in USSSA Masters in Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, where she earned an All-Tournament Team honor. She earned 5 additional All-Tournament Team awards and one MVP honor. In addition to playing softball, she completed a Masters’ Degree from the University of Phoenix in 2004, and has been in the banking business for the past 35 years.

Miskow was inducted into the West Alabama Softball Hall of Fame in 2021. She has a daughter, Darby, who is in Civil Engineering.