to - USSSA - United States Specialty Sports Association

Winter 2012
USSSA Pride’s
Caitlin Lowe
recognized as
2012 National
Pro Fastpitch’s
MVP
Meet the 2012
USSSA National
Hall of Fame
Inductees
Watley, Sandberg
Celebrate NPF
Finch & Rookie
of the Year Awards
LaserVision/Easton Claims USSSA’s Most Coveted
Achievement: The 2012 Major World Series Championship
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Executive Director, CEO USSSA
CONTENTS
Don DeDonatis
Publisher, USSSA Today
Stafford Connor
Managing Editor, USSSA Today
NPF Regular Season
6 2012
Champions- USSSA Pride
Pride’s Caitlin
9 USSSA
Lowe named 2012 Player
Tom O’Hara
Design / Printing
Contributing Writers
David Brasher
Mike Macenko
Mike Cornell
Larry Meraz
Jared Dan
Matt O’Hara
Adrian Ellis
Paul O’Leary
Don Eminizer
Van Galeon
Rick Phillips
12 LaserVision/Easton
captures Men’s Major
Kaylen Shimoda
Bernie Guenther
Matt Trebuchon
Dennis Turner
Brett Helmer
Jeremy Isenhower
Ken Weimer
Dale Weiser
Scott Kuhnen
Photographers
Brianne Cisneros
Scott Duffy
Rachel Goossens
Q Ball
Brian Ragan
Pete Spatula
USSSA Today is published quarterly. Publishing offices are
located at 6028 Rayburn Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76133. One
year subscription is $25; two year is $40. Reproduction or
use of the contents in whole or in part without prior written
permission of the publisher is prohibited. USSSA Today
welcomes unsolicited articles or photographs, but must be
accompanied with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for
return of unsolicited material.
Participants
Grows To Be
60Volleyball
USSSA’s Sixth Largest
Reebok
22 TYJA-Suncoast
uses defense to claim
2012 Conference USSSA
Championships
honors inductees
32 USSSA
into the National Hall of
Fame
Sport
Adds Jeff Hall to
66Worth®
Slowpitch Advisory Staff
Metals Walks
68R&M
Off with A World
Championship
Softball players that have
38 helped
Teams
pave the way
72 Worth-Sponsored
Finish One and Two at B
World
40
USSSA College
Scholarship Program
Continues To Grow
Equipment Logistics
Roy “Heavy Peanut” Dean
USSSA Soccer Reaches All
58 Time
High in Teams and
World Series
Craig Scriven
Rachel Goossens
Diego, CA
REEDESIGN
Lebco Graphics
America’s Finest City
56 Showcase
Thriving in San
of the Year by NPF
Greg Huchingson
Communications Director, USSSA
54 Fast Pitch On Fire
Historic Brownsville
76 serves
as site of
USSSA Hispanic World
Tournament
42
USSSA - A Dominating
Presence Not Just on the
Field, But Online
Reds Astros/TPS make
81 big
splash in first year of
Martial Arts
44USSSA
Striking Hard
Conference USSSA
Texas teams crowned
86Top
at ‘Battle for the Rings’
Bandits Repeat...
50 Stingrays
Threepeat Astros Add One for the
Thumb
The Whole Enchilada
91 Invades
Las Cruces
USSSA TODAY
5
2012 NPF Regular Season Champion
Cowles Cup Play Cancelled
by Matt O’Hara
2012 NPF Regular Season Champions- USSSA Pride.
Head Coach Beth Torino and Assistant GM Gordon
Glennie.
The USSSA Pride enjoyed an extremely successful 2012 Regular Season in
the National Pro Fastpitch League, going 31-12 to be declared the Regular
Season Champions by 6 games over opponents, the Chicago Bandits.
2012 was not a normal year for the
NPF as the circumstances that took
place this year in Rosemont, IL for the
Championship Series meant that no
champion was declared due to adverse
weather conditions. This means that the
Regular Season champion carried more
significance for this year than ever.
Ending without a champion was a first
in the nine-year history of the Women’s
Professional Softball League. The decision to cancel the championship game
was made due to severe weather delays
at the field and what the league cited as
scheduling conflicts for players on both
teams barring the chance of a rescheduled game. Since no champion was
declared, for a fan, the Regular season
champion could and would be the next
best thing. The USSSA Pride ended their
impressive season on an 8-game winning
streak tear and was 15-1 in their last 16
games. The chemistry that was created
6 USSSA TODAY
between the players to develop this
kind of success was indeed exceptional.
While not having a 2012 Champion is a
black spot in the NPF’s history, there was
much to learn by League Commissioner
Cheri Kempf. In the coming week after
the NPF Championship mishap, Kempf
announced the “planned formation
of a committee to look at the league’s
post-season policies and procedures.
The new committee will examine the
rules and guidelines in place in other
leagues, as well as the unique conditions under which NPF operates” so that
changes can be made to NPF policies to
help prevent the situation seen this year
in the future. She then issued a statement to the fans and the owners of
the league:
“I deeply regret our inability
to complete the Championship
Series. Like all of you, I am a
Pride pitcher, Danielle Lawrie
Francesca Enea
#10
Jessica Mendoza
#2
Ashley Charters
#11
softball fan at heart and was eager, after seeing the first 3 days
of spectacular competition showcased by our talented players,
to see the final day of action unfold. I was also eager to share
the experience with a worldwide audience through ESPN2. It
is a great loss to our teams, players, owners, and of course all
of you, the fans of professional softball, to lose our final day
of competition due to rain. I understand the disappointment
of so many, including players, fans, coaches and staff. I assure
you we are working on planning that will improve this situation and the outcome in the future. I hope you will join me in
looking forward to the 2013 season being bigger and better
than ever.”
Sadly, instead of finishing with a nationally televised championship game on ESPN, the season ended in confusion for the
four-team league. Players on both sides including Pride Utility
player Lauren Lappin were open in expressing their frustration
at not having an opportunity to settle matters on the field.
USSSA Pride players (left to right) Jamee Juarez, Andrea Duran and Ashley
Charters
“It’s really tough to end a season like that,” Lappin said. “I
don’t think anyone in that dugout, and I know no one in our
dugout, wanted to finish things like this. We want to play.
That’s why we do this; we want to play to be a champion. And
that’s done on the field. I don’t really know what to say about
the final result, final decision. I definitely think there will be
things done differently in the future to prevent anything like
this from happening again. If we want to be taken seriously,
I think this needs to have a final result for our fans, for the
players in the league, for the owners in the league who invest
so much in this.”
Despite a bitter sweet end to the NPF season, playing the game
of softball for the professional athletes did not end there for
many players each of the teams coming together to form
“Team NPF” for the post season “Back to School Tour”.
Pride outfielder, Jessica Mendoza
The NPF Back To school Tour, sponsored by USSSA, with support
from Major League Baseball started soon after the end of the
NPF Championship Series, marking the third consecutive year
the NPF has placed a team made up of all-stars from all 4 NPF
teams, on the road to compete in exhibition games against
colleges all across the U.S.
This year’s Tour will make 21 stops across 16 states, and compete
against 22 different schools in a 40 day span. The 22 university programs include 8 who were ranked in the Top 20, and
2 ranked in the Top 10, on the final USA Today/NFCA college
softball poll. This year those programs in the 2012 NPF Back
to School Tour schedule are: Oklahoma (2), LSU (7), Louisiana
Lafayette (12), Arizona (13), Washington (14), Michigan (15),
Florida (18), and UCLA (20). In addition to the rankings, 14
of the 22 scheduled Tour teams qualified for the 2012 NCAA
Tournament.
Over the two year history of the NPF Back to School Tour, the
team of professional All-Stars has a 41-1 record, with the only
loss coming at the hands of the University of Oklahoma on the
Fall 2011 Tour. Oklahoma would go onto finish runner-up in
the 2012 WCWS. This year Oklahoma will be the finale of the
Tour, taking place on November 1.
The National Pro Fastpitch League star players on its teams are
8 USSSA TODAY
Assistant Executive Director Jim Swint, CEO/GM Don DeDonatis and Assistant
Executive Director Danny Brown enjoy a moment at U.S. Cellular Field, Home of
the Chicago White Sox, with the US Olympians that play for the Pride (left to right):
Andrea Duran, Jessica Mendoza, Leah O’Brien-Amico (coach), Natasha Watley,
Lauren Lappin, Caitlin Lowe, Cat Osterman and Kelly Kretschman.
definitely a great role model for youth Fastpitch softball players
to inspire them to live their dream of playing professional ball
when they are older. For college athletes, programs like the
Back to School tour showcase the game and prove the athletes
that they can continue to play softball beyond college at the
pro level. Stay tuned for the upcoming 2013 NPF Draft and be
ready for the start of the 2013 NPF regular season next year.
USSSA Pride’s Caitlin Lowe named
2012 Player of the Year by NPF
by Co-Contributing Writers, Rachel Goossens and Kaylen Shimoda
Caitlin Lowe was named the 2012 Player of the Year by the National Pro Fastpitch league,
after leading the USSSA Pride to the regular season championship. The 5-foot-7, left-handed
hitting outfielder led the league with a .440 batting average. She also led the league in hits
with 52, was third in stolen bases with 12, and tied for third in runs scored with 32.
Lowe’s prowess led the Pride to a 31-12
regular season record, which was a
whopping 6.5 games ahead of the
league runnerup Chicago Bandits at
25-19. Lowe is joined in the formidable
Pride lineup by seven former American
Olympians and two former Canadian
Olympians, in addition to numerous
former collegiate All-Americans.
Other Pride players were also recognized at the annual National Pro
Fastpitch Awards Banquet, which was
held just days before the Championship
Series in Rosemont, IL. First-year Pride
player Kristyn Sandberg was presented
with the Rookie of the Year Award for
finishing fourth in the league with a
.355 batting average, first in RBI’s with
33, second in on-base percentage at
.504, and second in slugging percentage
at .624. Pride shortstop Natasha Watley
was the recipient of the Jennie Finch
Award, which is presented to the player
who shows excellence in sportsmanship,
leadership and humility both on and off
the field. In all, seven Pride players were
selected as All-NPF Team members.
Lowe, who hails from Tustin, CA, joined
the Pride for her first NPF season in
2009 and has since set the bar for
many players in the league. Lowe is no
stranger to success, as she is a former
Olympian and collegiate All-American
at the University of Arizona. In her time
at Arizona, she won two NCAA National
Championship titles (2006 & 2007)
and was a Lowe’s Senior Class Award
winner. She also was a USA Softball
Player of the Year finalist three times
Caitlin’s parents,
Dave and Dawn
Lowe, taught her
the love of the
game at an early
age.
USSSA Pride’s Caitlin Lowe was selected 2012 NPF
MVP. Caitlin’s speed, good eye at the plate, glove and
work ethic makes her the best at what she does.
(2005, 2006 & 2007) and was also recognized as the Pac-10 Defensive Player of
the Year in her senior season. While at
Arizona, Caitlin was a member of the
USA National Team. She won a Silver
Medal at the 2008 Bejing Olympics, a
Gold Medal at the Pan-American Games
in 2007, and has won three World Cup
Championships (2006, 2007 & 2010).
Lowe has established a phenomenal
career already, having received some
noteworthy awards which she humbly
says could not have happened without
her amazing teammates and coaches.
Her most recent accomplishment is
one for the record books, as she was
inducted into the University of Arizona
Hall of Fame.
“It’s a huge honor to even be associated
with some of the names in our Hall of
USSSA TODAY
9
Fame,” said Lowe. “I really owe everything to my teammates
and coaches. I couldn’t have been surrounded by a better
group of individuals. Bear down!”
Lowe, who is the current Director of Softball Operations at the
University of Arizona, is continuing to stay involved and carry
out her passion for the game. While handling recruiting visits
and team travel, she also travels with the team throughout the
season. In addition to her work with the softball team, Caitlin
hosts slap-hitting clinics as well as Triple Threat Camps with
her fellow teammate Kelly Kretschman and Chicago Bandits
pitcher Monica Abbott.
Lowe is excited and honored to be a representative of
UnderArmour as well as Wilson/Demarini, where she played
a key role in the design of her signature glove, the A2KCL26.
“UnderArmour has really redefined what it means to be a
female athlete and I’m honored to be a part of their vision,”
said Lowe. “And with Wilson/DeMarini, I wanted to design
something specifically for the outfield as well as a female
hand.”
Caitlin believes in paying her wonderful softball experiences forward. She is very
active in Triple Threat Camps.
Lowe explains that both companies have played major roles in
the development of the fastpitch game, as well as the women’s
professional league.
When asked about her inspiration, Lowe says it’s hard to
pinpoint just one. “My idols growing up were Laura Berg and
Alison Johnsen, and one of the best experiences of my career
was playing with ‘Bergy’ on the Olympic Team,” Lowe said.
She specifically notes that her parents have been a major inspiration to her ever since she was a little girl. “My parents taught
me to love the game from a very young age and pushed me
to get better every day,” and that is something she has taken
with her to every game as well as within her everyday life.
Lowe also wanted to thank Don DeDonatis and USSSA, as
her professional achievements would not have been possible
without the hard work and passion that DeDonatis has for the
sport and the league.
Always looking to advance a base (third in NPF with 12 stolen bases), Caitlin is
forced to dive back into first on this play.
“Thank you, Don, and the entire USSSA family for everything
you do for us,” said Lowe.
With all that Lowe has been recognized for, she is still one of
the hardest working athletes you will ever meet. She knows
the league is full of talent, and is amazed by the quality of
players she has the opportunity to compete against.
“It’s not just one through nine, but you look at one through
20 on every roster and it’s insanity,” said Lowe. “In a Pac-10
game, you’d have Natasha Watley at shortstop. But in the NPF,
we also have Jenn Salling as a shortstop and Lauren Lappin as
a shortstop, all on the same team. The depth of these lineups
is incredible. You’re not pinch-hitting Joe Schmo, you’re pinchhitting someone that would hit .400 in the Pac-10. Nobody is
an easy out in this league and nobody has an off day as a hitter
in this league. You have to be on your ‘A’ game every day.”
Lowe credits her success to her teammates and coaches over the years.
10 USSSA TODAY
Lowe knows how to bring her “A” game and that has definitely been reflected in her numerous titles and awards she has
received throughout her career.
LaserVision/Easton captures
Men’s Major World Series
By Greg Huchingson, Managing Editor
LaserVision/Annihilation/Supreme/D2E/Easton 2012 USSSA Major World Series Champions
LaserVision’s Jason Kendrick slides in home safely.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL – New England eye surgeon Dr. Pierre
Alfred corrects other people’s vision for a living.
But pardon him for rubbing his own eyes these days, as he
can hardly believe what he sees sitting on his desk – the 2012
USSSA Men’s Major World Series championship trophy.
“When I first started playing softball, I never dreamed something like this was possible,” said Alfred. “It wasn’t even an
ambition. But as time progressed, anything seemed attainable.
After a lot of hard work and perseverance, everything finally
paid off.”
LaserVision/Easton’s Brett Helmer (left) and Alfred Pierre accept the 2012 USSSA
Major World Series Championship trophy from Elliot C. Clark.
12 USSSA TODAY
Dr. Alfred is the lead sponsor of LaserVision/Annihilation/
Supreme/D2E/Easton, which won its first ever world championship at the Men’s Major World Series played Sept. 19-23 at the
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“We’ve been close several times before, finishing
second in both the B and A (World Tournament), but
for the first time winning a ring to come on the biggest
stage in softball has been simply amazing,” said Alfred.
The ophthalmologist, who owns several Eye & Lasik
Centers in western Massachusetts, began playing slowpitch softball 30 years ago while in the military. He later
got involved in local USSSA tournaments as a player,
coach and then sponsor.
2012 USSSA Major World Series All-World Team
“As I developed professionally, I also developed my
hobby,” said Alfred. “Our teams always had a need for
more money, and when I got in a position to be able to
support the game, that’s what I wanted to do.”
LaserVision had come close to the crown in the past.
In 2011, the team run-ruled their first three opponents
at the Major World Series, before getting crushed by
Resmondo/Worth, 27-7, in the winner’s bracket finals.
Then, LaserVision came out flat Sunday morning and
lost to B team TaylorMade/Mizuno, 18-3, to settle for
third place.
DeMarini/Dirty/3N2 2012 USSSA Major World Series- Third Place
The year before, after finishing second at the Class A
World Tournament, LaserVision lost its first game at the
Major World Series, before battling back to win four
games in the loser’s bracket to finish fourth. Prior to
that, LaserVision went 2-2 at the 2007 Major World
Series, and 0-2 at the 2008 Major World Series.
After the 2011 season, Alfred broke ties with his West
Coast partner and revamped the team with input from
manager Dan Fruwirth and captain Brett Helmer, a Hall
of Fame player.
“We had been with Combat the past couple of years,
and decided it was time to do something different
this year,” said Alfred. “So when situation with Brett
and Easton became an opportunity, we decided to go
with it. Brett was very instrumental in pulling this team
together.”
LaserVision/Easton’s coaching staff (l to r) Pierre Alfred, Dan Fruwirth and Bill “Taz” Tasinari
visits with National UIC, Rick Robertson.
DeMarini/Dirty’s mgr. George Quinones (left) and sponsor/mgr. Mike West accept the third
place trophy from Elliot C. Clark.
14 USSSA TODAY
Helmer, a 41-year-old left-handed slugger, has had an
illustrious career as one of the greatest power hitters of
all-time. He was the anchor of the Dan Smith teams that
won world championships in 2004 and 2008, as well as
numerous runnerup and other high finishes. Helmer is
third on the All-Time USSSA World Series Home Run list
with 104 and is by far the leader during the Disney Era
(2000-present). The huge yellow wall across the parking
lot from the right field home run fence has been unofficially dubbed “Helmer’s Wall” because of his propensity
for clearing the structure with mammoth home runs.
In selecting the 2012 squad, LaserVision focused on
veterans Helmer had gone to battle with in the past.
They started by luring infielder Bryan Baker and
outfielder Brian Rainwater away from 2011 world
champion Resmondo. Added to the mix were longtime teammates Jason Kendrick, Dal Beggs and Brian
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Wegman, along with others from the 2011 LaserVision
squad such as pitcher Geno Buck, speedy centerfielder
Spike Baker and versatile Scott Kirby. Rounding out the
team were the additions of shortstop Kevin Kennington
from TaylorMade, third-baseman Sam Lopez from R&M
Metals, and first-baseman Ryan Theide from EWS.
Among the backups on the team was pitcher Billy
Messina, who will be joining Helmer in the USSSA Hall
of Fame this November.
Christan Dowling, Derby Girls, thrilled the crowd, during the Home Run Derby, with several
blasts over the stadium’s wall.
Runner-ups in the HR Derby were Dirty DeMarini’s Chris Larsen and 2012 All-World
selection, Resmondo/Worth’s Greg Connell.
The team was certainly loaded with experienced players
with proven track records, but some wondered if the
veteran group could be the best in the new era, where
there is more of an emphasis speed, defense and athleticism than just brute power. LaserVision opened the year
as the favorite at the Sin City Classic in Las Vegas, but
stumbled to a fifth place tie. The team bounced back
at the Hall of Fame Dual in Florida, going 14-4 to finish
second in both events. Laser Vision then went 5-0 to
win the Mike Turney Memorial in Kansas City in what
would be their only championship of the Conference
USSSA season.
At the end of the regular season, with the one championship and six runner-ups among their 11 tournaments, LaserVision/Easton was a distance second
behind Resmondo/Worth in the Conference USSSA Final
Standings. Then, the unthinkable happened – BOTH
LaserVision and Resmondo went 0-2 at the Conference
Championships! Suddenly, the race at the World Series
was thrown wide open.
“I was extremely concerned (after the Conference
Championships),” said Alfred. “There is so much parity
in the game these days. The so-called A teams are just
as good as the Major teams. And because the A teams
have more playing opportunities late in the year, they
are what I call ‘tournament-tough’ at the end. Our
confidence was certainly not as high as it needed to
be.”
All-World selection, LaserVision/Easton’s Brian Wegman. Wegs had a very solid 2012 season.
Easton’s Brett Helmer, a true ambassador for the game of softball, was according to sponsor,
Pierre Alfred, “very instrumental in pulling LaserVision/Easton team together.”
16 USSSA TODAY
On the opening night of the World Series, both of the
powerhouses put to rest any thought of a repeat from
the Conference Championships, as Resmondo/Worth
blasted Primetime/Easton, 23-3, while LaserVision/
Easton had a tougher time with scrappy BuziniSports.
com/BWW/Worth, with a narrow 17-13 win.
The following night, after LaserVision snuck past
Conference Championships winner Tyja/Suncoast/
Reebok, 25-24, Resmondo was upset by Class A world
champion R&M Metals/Easton, 25-18. That turn of
events left LaserVision as the lone Major team left in
the winner’s bracket along with three A teams, while
their nemesis Resmondo was sent to the shark-infested
loser’s bracket that included the two other Major
teams, plus Class A powerhouses such as Tyja/Suncoast,
Shoppe/Team TPS and Team 454/Worth, among others.
Suddenly, Resmondo was facing the challenge of having
to win seven games in a row in a span of just over 24
hours if they wanted to claim their fourth world championship in a row.
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In the semi-finals of the winner’s bracket on Friday
night, LaserVision/Easton throttled Reds Astros/TPS,
29-5, in the bottom half of the bracket, before local
favorite DeMarini/Dirty/3n2 edged out R&M Metals/
Easton, 17-15. Then, in the all-important winner’s
bracket finals on Saturday night, LaserVision/Easton
knocked off DeMarini/Dirty, 18-13, to put themselves in
the enviable position of having to win just one more
game on Sunday.
Tournament director, Elliot C. Clark, presents HR Derby Champion, Chad Durick, Team 454/
Worth, his trophy and a check.
2012 Major All-World, HR Champion and World Series co-MVP, Resmondo/Worth’s Andy
Purcell. Andy’s pitching and defensive skills have been well-proven over the years and now he
has honed his hitting talent. His World Series stats......... .738 average, 15 HRs and 31 RBIs.
Meanwhile, Resmondo/Worth began its run through
the wretched loser’s bracket by beating BuziniSports.
com/BWW/Worth, 22-6, on Saturday morning. They
came back later the same day to defeat Shoppe/Team
TPS, 21-17; Reds Astros/TPS, and R&M Metals/Easton,
17-8, to make it to Sunday morning. In the finals of the
loser’s bracket, Resmondo put up 15 runs in the first
inning on their way to a 31-12 win over DeMarini/Dirty
to make it back to the championship.
Needing a pair of wins over well-rested LaserVision
to win the crown, Resmondo got off on the wrong
foot by losing the coin toss and having to be visitors.
LaserVision got out to a lead in the first inning, and
added to it over the next three frames. Resmondo was
actually in danger of being run-ruled in the fifth inning,
before an 11-run outburst put them right back in the
game. The prospects of Resmondo pulling it out and
forcing a winner-take-all “if” games seemed like a real
possibility. But LaserVision clung to their narrow lead
heading into the seventh. After the bottom three of the
Resmondo lineup all reached base, the team was soon
faced with two outs and the tying run at the plate. But
LaserVision pitcher Geno Buck enticed an infield fly to
end the game with a 27-25 victory, and the LaserVision
celebration erupted.
“I want to thank all the sponsors, fans and players of
LaserVision that made this happen,” said manager
Dan Fruwirth. “It was a long year with a lot of ups and
downs, and we all climbed the mountain but never
reached the top (during the regular season).”
All-World selection, Resmondo’s Jeremy Isenhower. Miken Sports has recently released an
Isenhower signature bat, the Miken Ink.
Fruwirth added, “We finally put it all together at the
right time by playing one game at a time by beating
whoever they put in front of us. And we beat the best
program in softball history, Resmondo, and that alone
is a huge task. For me, Pierre and Taz (statistician Bill
Tasinari), it’s our first ring and it feels great.”
LaserVision/Easton, based in Helmer’s hometown of
Cicero, NY, averaged 23.2 runs per game during their
5-0 run. Resmondo/Worth, based in Winter Haven,
FL, averaged the exact same number in compiling a
6-2 record to finish second. DeMarini/Derty/3n2 from
Orlando capped a breakthrough year by placing third
with a 3-2 mark. R&M Metals/Easton, from Waterloo,
Iowa, added icing to their Class A world championship
season by finishing fourth at the Major World Series.
Resmondo/Worth’s BJ Fulk’s son, Weston, was a big hit with the ladies.
18 USSSA TODAY
Reds Astros/TPS, a B team from Indianapolis, and Team
454/Worth, an A team from Glen Allen, VA, tied for fifth
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place, while Tyja/Suncoast/Reebok from Great Neck,
NY and Shoppe/Team TPS from McKenzie, TN tied for
seventh. Buzinisports.com/BWW/Worth, a B team from
Jackson, MS, capped their first season of Conference ball
tied for ninth, but their one win came over the team that
beat them in the championship of the Men’s B World
Tournament, Down2earthsports, and their two losses
came to the two teams who finished first and second in
the Major World Series. Other teams tying for ninth place
were Line Drive Sportz, a B team from Detroit; West Coast
Doerflinger/Easton, an A team from Los Angeles; and
Team Combat, a Major team from Seattle.
LaserVision’s pitcher, Geno Buck, was an All-World selection.
LaserVision/Easton’s Brian Rainwater was selected the Outstanding Offensive Player of the
tournament. Presenting him with his award is USSSA VP, Gerry Turnberg.
Andy Purcell of Resmondo/Worth had one of the
greatest individual performances in USSSA Major
World Series history. In addition to being the best
pitcher and most dominant presence in the game,
Purcell was magical at the plate as well – hitting.738
with 15 home runs and 31 RBIs. In the championship
game, Purcell was 5-for-6 with five home runs to help
keep his team in the running until the very end. Purcell
shared Co-Most Valuable Player honors with infielder
Scott Kirby of world champion LaserVision/Easton.
Kirby’s tournament was highlighted by a mammoth
home run well over the 400-foot sign in straight-away
center-field, reminiscent of the blast he hit completely
over the scoreboard at the 2008 World Series. For the
tournament, Kirby batted .773 with seven home runs
and 13 RBIs.
Brian Rainwater of LaserVision/Easton batted .667
with six home runs and 15 RBIs and was named the
Outstanding Offensive Player of the World Series,
while Resmondo shortstop Don DeDonatis III was
tabbed the Outstanding Defensive Player. Dan Fruwirth
of LaserVision/Easton was named the Outstanding
Manager. Rainwater was actually the Co-MVP of the
2011 World Series, while DeDonatis was the MVP of the
2010 World Series. Rainwater, DeDonatis and Purcell
are the only players to ever win the MVP Awards more
than once.
LaserVision/Easton’s Scott Kirby receiving his co-MVP award from Assistant Executive
Director Danny Brown.
Resmondo/Worth’s Don DeDonatis III receiving the Outstanding Defensive Player award from
USSSA VP, Bob Holland.
20 USSSA TODAY
Players named to the All-Tournament team were Kirby,
Kennington, Rainwater, Wegman, Lopez, Buck and
Bryson Baker, of LaserVision/Easton; Purcell, DeDonatis,
Bobby Hughes, Bubba Mack, Greg Connell and Jeremy
Isenhower, of Resmondo/Worth; Adam Rockoff,
Andrew Collins and Terry Baggs, of DeMarini/Dirty;
Mike Umscheid and Reggie Schulte, of R&M Metals/
Easton; Wally Maybrier, of Reds Astros/TPS; and Chad
Durick, of Team 454/Worth.
Durick was also the first place winner of the Home Run
Derby held Friday night. The event was for the top
power hitters in the sport, and was broadcast by ESPN3.
The event was held as scheduled, despite almost continuous rainfall at Champions Stadium. The most popular
hitter in the contest was Christan Dowling, from
Women’s B world champion Derby Girls. Dowling actually hit several balls over the fence and was rewarded
with an ovation from the large crowd.
TYJA-Suncoast Reebok uses
defense to claim 2012 Conference
USSSA Championships
by Dale Weiser
TYJA-Suncoast Reebok 2012 Nationwide
Conference USSSA Champions
The 2012 Conference Championship
were held in their traditional location,
the Osceola County Stadium, home of
the Houston Astros spring training. The
tournament featured the top 16 teams
in the Conference according to the
league point standings which earned
throughout the season at 22 separate
events. The Conference Championships
are broken up into 3 brackets. The top
16 teams in the Conference, regardless of team classification, start in the
“Open” division on Friday night. Seeds
9-16 begin in round 1. The 4 winners
move on to round 2 to face seeds 5-8.
The 4 winners from round 2 move on to
face seeds 1-4. The loser’s of round 1
and 2 drop into the “Lower” bracket and
R&M Metals/Easton 2012 Nationwide Conference USSSA Second Place
22 USSSA TODAY
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AFF-0101FP (4/11)
start a new double elimination tournament of their own over at the Fortune
Road softball complex on Saturday. The
top 4 seeds in the “Open” division and
the 4 teams that win their way into the
“Open” division “final 8”, square off
in a double elimination tournament to
determine the Conference Champion!
The third bracket is the ‘B’ Conference
Championship and that consisted of 5
‘B’ teams squaring off in a 3 game guarantee bracket at Fortune Road.
The weekend was hot and humid but
it never did rain. The ball used on the
baseball fields was the stadium ZN and
it was not flying all that well on the
stadium or on field #1 where the wind
was blowing in. It flew a little better
and scores were higher on field #2
where the wind was blowing out. On
Friday night the upsets were early and
often as 3 major teams all lost their first
game. Team Combat, Resmondo, and
Laservision all lost and Nordkap/Desert
Falls just barely pulled out a late inning
win against Team 454.
Lee Trotter(left) and Mark Weber(right) with
championship trophy.
TYJA-Suncoast Reebok’s Luis Reyna, the acrobat.
It quickly became evident that infield
defense was the key to winning and one
team stood out in that category - TYJASuncoast Reebok. With Dennis Rulli at
third, Luis “The Acrobat” Reyna at short,
Matt Crawford up the middle, Victor
Cordova at second base, and Jason
Baxter at first, they were holding teams
to less than 10 runs on a regular basis.
The pitching combo of TJ Thompson
and Perry Hensley along with their 3 left
handed and speedy outfielders David
Kessler, Sid Stephany, and Neil Haglund
chipped in to hold their opponents to
just 58 runs over 6 games. Less than 10
runs a game!
When the games finished on Saturday
night, Nordkap/Desert Falls was the only
top 4 seed left in the winner’s bracket
and they were joined by the 3 best
‘A’ teams in the game TYJA-Suncoast
Reebok, R&M Metals (who recently won
the ‘A’ Worlds), and Shoppe.
On Saturday morning TYJA and
Nordkap both advanced behind some
big defensive plays and TYJA came out
in the winner’s bracket finals and beat
Nordkap 27-16 to be the undefeated
team.
2012 Conference USSSA outstanding defensive player,
Resmondo’s Don DeDonatis III
24 USSSA TODAY
First team all-conference 2B Dirty DeMarini’s Adam
Rockoff
Meanwhile R&M Metals ran through
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the losers bracket and held off Nordkap 27-22 to make it
to the championship where they scored 3 runs in the top of
the 7th and held TYJA scoreless to force an “if” game 9-8.
In the final game, R&M Metals scored on a 2 run homer by
Keith Anderson in the first inning and a 2 run homer by
Reggie Schulte in the 2nd to take a 4-3 lead. Then TYJA
was sparked by run scoring triples by Neil Haglund and Sid
Stephany which led to a 9 run bottom of the 2nd and a 12-5
lead. David Kessler then hit a home run in the bottom of
the 4th for TYJA which led to a 6 run 4th and TYJA went on
to win the Conference Championships by the run rule over
R&M Metals 24-9!
TYJA-Suncoast Reebok becomes the first ‘A’ team to win
the Conference Championships in its 7 year history!
First team all-conference 3B and John Glidewell Award recipient, Shoppe/TPS’s Lee
Powers.
First team all-conference OF Nordkap’s Donovan Pokraka
TYJA-Suncoast Reebok’s Vic Cordova (left) and Dustin Roberts (right).
First team all-conference 1B Nordkap’s Brett McCollum
2012 Nationwide Conference USSSA batting champion, TYJA-Suncoast Reebok’s
Dennis Rulli.
26 USSSA TODAY
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Here is a list of past Conference Champions:
n 2012 TYJA-Suncoast Reebok
n 2011 Resmondo-Specialty Tank / Worth
n 2010 Dan Smith/Menosse
n 2009 Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth
n 2008 Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth
n 2007 Resmondo Softball
n 2006 Bell Corp/Taylor/Belcher/Easton
Meanwhile in the “Lower” bracket Linedrive Sportz/SSS
Softball out of Michigan beat Down2EarthSports, Buzinisports,
and Reds Astros to make it to the Championship game undefeated. Reds Astros came out of the losers bracket and beat
Linedrive on Sunday morning to force an “if” game where
Linedrive won the Championship of the “Lower” bracket 15-9.
In the ‘B’ Division Magic / S&S / TYJA / Easton defeated B&B / Sears
/ N&N Finishing 24-13 in the “if” game to win it.
Some interesting notes on the tournament:
n The visiting team in each game was automatically the lower
ranked team in conference points.
n 85% of the wins on the stadium field were upsets.
n Major teams had a 2-9 record on the weekend.
n There were only 4 run rule games out of 38 games in the
“Open” and “Lower” brackets.
R&M Metals/Easton’s Kyle Yerkes
Outstanding co-outstanding offensive player, Laservision/Easton’s Brian Wegman
receives his award from USSSA’s Kevin Naegele and Danny Brown.
2012 Nationwide Conference USSSA’s co-MVP, Resmondo’s Andy Purcell.
2012 Nationwide Conference USSSA’s co-MVP, Resmondo’s Jimmy Salas.
Shoppe/TPS’s Tim Cocco receives his co-outstanding offensive player award from
Louisville Slugger’s Dennis Turner.
28 USSSA TODAY
Proud Member and finalist in the
Nordkap celebrates a grand slam by Ryan Robbins
Conference USSSA continues to increase
teams and events in its seven year history
The Nationwide Conference USSSA men’s slow-pitch softball
league just completed another successful season of growth
and unprecedented parity! The league began back in 2006
and was formed by USSSA in an effort to save the Major level
of softball which was suffering from a lack of organized tournaments and tournaments that were seeing a diminishing
number of quality teams participating. Sponsors were tired
of flying their Major teams into tournaments that had 4 or 5
teams in them and others that would be cancelled at the last
minute due to a lack of teams. So the Nationwide Conference
USSSA was formed. In its inaugural year, 2006, the league
had 18 teams from 13 different states and played a 14 tournament schedule. The teams earn points based on their finishing
position in each tournament and the standings at the end of
the season “seeds” the teams into the USSSA Major World
Series! That first year BellCorp/Taylor/Belcher/Easton won the
Conference Championship and Resmondo-KME Softball won
the Major World Series.
City Classic”, through the “Music City Classic” in Nashville in
May, the “Windy City Classic” in Chicago, to the famous 31st
Dudley in Minnesota in June, and the 45th annual Smoky
Mountain Classic in Maryville, Tennessee in July. And all of
these great tournaments in between lead up to the Conference
Championships, ‘A’ and ‘B’ World Tournaments, and finally
culminate in the USSSA Major World Series which is played
at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, Florida in
September of each year. That tournament crowns the best
team in softball!
Each year since 2006, the Nationwide Conference USSSA teams
and tournaments have grown in both quantity and quality.
The league uses some unique rules for slow pitch softball. If
a Major classified team plays another Major classified team,
each team can hit 16 home runs. In Major vs non-Major games,
both teams can hit 12 home runs. And in non-Major vs nonMajor games, the teams can hit 8 home runs apiece. There is
no foul ball allowed after the first strike in Conference play.
The pitchers have to be touching the rubber when they pitch.
And the league uses a group of “conference” umpires that
travel the nation in order to give players a uniform and consistent strike zone and quality game management.
2006 - 18 Teams - 20 Tournaments with 8 different winners
2007 - 32 Teams - 20 Tournaments with 8 different winners
2008 - 34 Teams - 24 Tournaments with 7 different winners
2009 - 37 Teams - 25 Tournaments with 12 different winners
2010 - 34 Teams - 27 Tournaments with 13 different winners
2011 - 40 Teams - 27 Tournaments with 10 different winners
2012 - 40 Teams - 28 Tournaments with 13 different winners
The Conference USSSA is covered by live broadcasts on
USSSALive.com and covered by reports in magazines like
USSSAToday, and websites like ConferenceUSSSA.com and
SoftballCenter.com. You can follow all of the action, statistics,
league standings, and tournament brackets in these websites
and publications. The Major World Series was even broadcast
in its entirety online, including a couple of games and the prestigious home run derby which were on ESPN!
The 2013 season looks to build upon the unprecedented parity
of competition that the Conference witnessed in 2012. The
best tournament in the nation on any given weekend is the
Conference USSSA tournament wherever that happens to be
held - starting at the end of March with the Las Vegas “Sin
In 2013 the Conference USSSA looks to expand its team base
and the number of Major level teams that are in the program.
They will also add some new events in the west and east coasts,
and add some new corporate sponsorship as well as more ESPN
coverage!
30 USSSA TODAY
©2012 Anheuser-Busch, Busch® and Busch Light® Beers, St. Louis, MO
USSSA honors inductees into
the National Hall of Fame
by Kaylen Shimoda
Looking back in time, USSSA has come a long way in securing itself as one of the most prestigious and well-known slow-pitch softball organizations in the United States. Founded in the spring of 1968, USSSA provided amateur athletes with an avenue to play the
sport they love and also laid the foundation for an organization that would grow exponentially in years to come. In 1979, USSSA
hosted its first Hall of Fame induction ceremony though it wasn’t until 1984 that the Hall of Fame Museum was born. Headquartered
in Petersburg, Virginia, the Hall of Fame Museum was introduced to the world and the association continued to blossom.
In 1998, Don DeDonatis was named the
new CEO and during his first few years,
he created change that would help the
organization spread its wings across the
country. He implemented the relocation of USSSA’s Hall of Fame to Osceola
County Heritage Park in Florida. The
move wasn’t complete until 2005, but
when it was done, they couldn’t have
asked for a better turn out.
The move and current setup was orchestrated by Robert Still under the watchful
eye of DeDonatis.
Billy Messina
Currently, USSSA governs 13 amateur
sports and over the past 40 years has
grown from a couple thousand to over
3.7 million participants. This organization would not be where it is today
without the growing sponsorship of
some great organizations as well as
the directors, coaches, and players who
manage and play the sports they love.
Today, the museum is home to some of
USSSA’s most prominent artifacts and
memorabilia related to its proud history
and the evolution of softball and it’s
other affiliated sports. This year, USSSA
will be hosting the 45th annual National
Meeting from November 11th to 17th
at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in
Temecula, California. Following the
National Meeting is the Hall of Fame
induction ceremony where a group of
talented inductees will be recognized
for their tremendous achievements and
contributions to USSSA throughout the
years. Here is a list of our inductees:
Billy Messina
Charles Wright
32 USSSA TODAY
Billy started playing softball in 1981 and
played his first USSSA Softball tournament in 1983. In 1992, he was part of
Dan Smith’s AA team and played in his
first Major World Series, an experience
that he will never forget. In 2002, Billy
pitched for Chase Reece Roosters who
won the USSSA Men’s Major World Series
Championship and his ERA during the
series was 8 runs per game. His mental
toughness shined through and the
victory was ever-so sweet. In 2007, Billy
remembers winning against Resmondo
at the Smoky’s with KME, only their 3rd
loss of the year! Just last year, he pitched
for Combat Laservision and remembers
holding GTL (ranked 2nd in the USA) to
only 2 runs. They came out of the game
victorious.
This year, Billy’s team won the Men’s
Major World Series for the second time,
which was such a major accomplishment. “I felt all year long that our team,
Laservision/Easton/Annihilation,
had
a chance to win the World Series, but
throughout the season we were falling
short at the tournaments we attended.
When we won, it was amazing and it
didn’t matter that I wasn’t on the field for
the last pitch. What mattered was that
our team never stopped reaching for our
goal and I got to share the moment with
my wife, Cheryl. This was the 21st Men’s
Major World Series that I played in.” A
proud moment it was, Billy has made
tremendous contributions to the game.
Charles Wright
Charles Wright was known in the softball
world as the “Georgia Peach”. He just
loved the game. Some of his greatest softball accomplishments include; in 1986,
he broke the world record hitting 503
home runs in one season and that same
year he was the National Softball player
of the year. In 1993, he was selected as
the player of the year for both Softball
USA and Slow-Pitch News. Throughout
his years of playing softball, Charles won
33 All-World Series Championships, 4 of
which he was selected the MVP. Today,
he is listed as the 5th best softball player
of all time.
Charles’ wife, Tammy, reminisces on his
softball days, “Charles truly enjoyed
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talking about sports and reminiscing
about the good old days, but it was
never about his accomplishments. He
was very humble when it came to talking
about his athletic abilities.” Tammy
adds, “Charles not only impacted his
generation, but many generations to
come. At his funeral, I had fathers that
played ball with Charles introduce me to
their sons who had also played with him.
They talked about how he was a man
of integrity, compassion and with such
a selfless heart. His legacy will live on
for years in the hearts and lives of many
generations of ball players.”
Mike Shenk
Jeff Hague
Mike Shenk
Mike Shenk is a 2-time USSSA Major
World Series Champion, a 4-time
All-World Series Selection, the 1998
World Series MVP and now, a USSSA
Hall of Fame member. A third basemen
who has been affiliated with the association since 1990, Mike remembers
the World Series of 1998 like it was
yesterday. “I was playing for TPS and
we were told on Saturday that we were
part of the leaders bracket playing
Sunday morning,” he reminisces, “We
headed out to a 7am batting practice
for an 8am game and after playing
five games in a row, we didn’t step off
of that field until 9 at night. We came
back and became the 1998 World Series
Champions, winning the final game on a
walk off walk. I’ll never forget it.” With
an impressive career behind him, Mike
has made his mark on USSSA history.
Bob Holland, USSSA’s Atlantic Coast
Vice President for 30 years running,
re-iterates Mike’s accomplishments and
athletic talents, “Mike Shenk was the
best slow pitch player to come out of
Pennsylvania.” Bob adds, “I had the pleasure to watch him grow as a young raw
talent, to one of the best that slow pitch
has seen in his era.” When asked what
it means to be inducted into the Hall
of Fame, Mike said “This means everything to me. I was fortunate enough to
play for some of the best teams to ever
play. Throughout my career, the goal
was to be there and give 110% to my
team. That’s why it’s hard to go into the
Hall of Fame, because without my team
this wouldn’t be possible.” His advice to
young and aspiring baseball and softball
players, “You can never take enough
batting practice and always be prepared
and there for your teammates.”
Mary Crechiolo Papiersky
34 USSSA TODAY
Jeff Hague
Jeff began playing softball in 1976 and
three years later, was running his own
team; Hague Softball. By 1993, he and
his team were playing at the AA level,
which at the time was the highest
amateur level in USSSA. Jeff’s team won
6 USSSA Championships from 1991 to
2003, two of which were USSSA Major
World Series Championships, in 1995
and 2003. They were the first and only
non-major team to ever win a major
world series.
Over the past 20 years, there have been
more than 25 major championships won
by teams sponsored and/or based out
of the Central Ohio area. Jeff adds, “It
means a lot to be the first person from
Columbus, Ohio to be inducted into the
USSSA Hall of Fame.” Currently, Jeff
owns and operates a water treatment
business (Hague Water Conditioning), in
Groveport, Ohio.
Mary Crechiolo Papiersky
Mary was part of Women’s Class A
Softball from 1976 to 1989. She was a
part of 3 world championship teams;
the Stingers in 1980 and Little Caesars
in 1983 and 1984. Mary remembers
winning each world championship; they
were exciting and memorable accomplishments for a number of reasons.
The 1980 championship was a dream
come true and in 1983, she remembers
her team coming back to win 6 games
in a row on the last day of play, to win
the tournament. In 1984, she played
in Southgate, Michigan in front of her
family and friends; this was so important to her and a day that she will never
forget. In 1991, Mary was inducted into
the Michigan USSSA Hall of Fame and
she was also part of the 1980’s Team of
the Decade.
“I would like to thank my family, friends,
teammates and coaches for all of their
support, friendships and life-long memories,” Mary said. She also adds, “Thank
you to Don DeDonatis and USSSA for
giving so many of us an opportunity to
play the great game of softball at such
a competitive level.” Long time fellow
teammate and friend, Kim SchwartzAlexander, will be speaking on behalf of
Mary at the induction ceremony.
Rick Brockwell
Rick has been an integral part of USSSA
for many years. In 1994, he received the
Virginia USSSA Director Achievement
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Rick Brockwell
Award and in 2002 he was named the
National USSSA Baseball Director of
the Year. In 2009 he was inducted into
the USSSA Virginia Hall Of Fame and
throughout his career with the association, he played in numerous softball leagues and tournaments, church
softball leagues and tournaments,
directed softball and baseball tournaments and managed successful softball teams. Since Rick has taken over as
State Director of Baseball in Virginia,
they have experienced major growth. In
2000, there were six tournaments with
33 teams participating and in 2012 there
were 520 tournaments with 3,745 teams
involved. Bob Holland adds, “Rick is one
of the nicest people I have ever met.
He is an outstanding director and more
importantly, an outstanding person.”
Rick is also known for starting up a USSSA
sanctioned Instructional League for 4 to 6
year olds in his community and expanded
these leagues throughout communities
within Virginia. He and his wife have
attended every National Convention
since 1986 and are looking forward to
continuing the tradition. Rick adds, “My
proudest achievement is that I have never
played, managed, or directed any other
sport association other than USSSA,” and
what a career it’s been. His family has
even played a part in helping to run tournaments, whether it’s his wife working
concessions, selling t-shirts or keeping
stats or his son working as a ball-chaser
or in the score box announcing games.
Larry Brushett
Larry Brushett
Gordon Glennie
36 USSSA TODAY
As Softball Promotions Manager for
Mizuno, Larry partners closely with
USSSA within the softball and fast-pitch
markets. He has been working with the
organization for a number of years and
was elected to initiate a fast-pitch footprint for USSSA within the market. Larry
also participated in the development of
Comfort Lite Protective Equipment, the
first protective catcher’s gear that was
specifically designed and created for the
female athlete. He also worked on the
development of female specific batters
helmets and has sponsored and worked
with the Women’s Professional Softball
League since it’s creation. Larry assisted
with the development of the USA
Olympic Team batter helmets in 2000,
2004 and 2008 and worked with the
development of the Hollywood Impact
Base used by Parks and Recreation
departments throughout the country.
Larry pitched fast-pitch competitively
until the age of 50 and has won the
USSSA Achievement Award.
When asked how it feels to be a USSSA
Hall of Fame inductee, Larry adds, “It is
an incredible honor and truly humbling
to be considered, and then nominated
and chosen. When you look at the Hall
of Fame, you look at players and statistics so it’s humbling to be an inductee
since I’ve dedicated my career to help
players and organizations achieve their
goals.” Larry also tells us that it makes
him happy to be a part of USSSA and
help give advice and direct efforts
towards the sport. “For me, it’s really
been the mindset of getting out of life,
what you can help others achieve too.”
Gordon Glennie
Currently
the
Assistant
General
Manager of the USSSA Florida Pride,
Gordon Glennie has been involved with
USSSA since 1986. He has played an integral role in implementing the fast-pitch
program within the organization, a feat
he will never forget. “It was interesting
because up until that point, USSSA was
the United States Slow Pitch Softball
Association, they really didn’t have fastpitch. We found some loopholes in the
rule book and were able to implement
fast-pitch, it was great.”
After implementing fast-pitch, it’s taken
off like a rocket. At first, there were 11
teams in the Michigan program and
today there are about 130 teams in the
state tournament. Gordon is now part
of USSSA Pride fast pitch team as the
Assistant General Manager. In order to
be in this position, he gave up his role as
the VP of Fast-Pitch within USSSA and it
has been an exciting time watching them
grow. Gordon adds, “Since then, we’ve
taken the USSSA Pride and have formed
some junior teams as well, it’s great to
see 10+ kids at every game worship our
players, they are idols to these kids.” On
being inducted into the Hall of Fame,
Gordon says, “It’s an awesome feeling; a
reward for hard work and perseverance,
it’s a very select group of people and I
consider this a prestigious honor.”
USSSA is excited and thrilled to host its
45th Annual National Meeting and is
looking forward to a wonderful week
in Temecula, California. Come and be a
part of this spectacular event and watch
as our new USSSA honorees are inducted
into the Hall of Fame. We’re excited to
see you there!
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Softball players that have
helped pave the way
by Mighty Mike Macenko
Stan Harvey
Bert Smith
Another softball season is winding down
and we have new champions crowned
all around. Softball has been in my
blood since I was 16 years old. I am 56
today, so that is 40 years of some great
memories and friendships. . Memories
that I will always cherish and hopefully I
will be able to take them with me when
I leave this world. The friendships are
second to none and I always said that
softball was just like a big fraternity on
a college campus. It is tough to get into
the upper level of softballs fraternity,
but once you make it there then the rest
is up to you. How long you stay on the
upper level will be up to you. To this day,
players are still asking me “ how do I get
to the upper level of softball”?. So, if
you are one of the few that get to make
it there, remember to work your butt off
and you should do just fine and don’t
forget about the players from the past!
I am writing this article to talk a little
bit about some of the players that in the
last couple of years have gone to the
playing field in the sky. These players
helped pave the way for future softball
players. They set the bar with their play..
First there is Stan, the Man, Harvey. Stan
passed away on January 5th 2012, at the
age 69 of a stroke. Stan was one of a
kind as a person and as a softball player.
I don’t think I ever heard him swear but
I am sure he might have. He was like a
gentle giant who could wheel a big stick
game after game after game. In 1978, in
Sacramento, he put on one of the best
displays of hitting I ever saw. He set the
38 USSSA TODAY
Charles Wright
record with 23 homers in ASA championship play. He was part of 2 way punch
that kept Howard’s Furniture at the
top of the heap for a long time when
it came to Big Time Softball. He had
one of the smoothest swings you will
see. Today, Denny Crine reminds me of
him. He has the same swing every time.
He knows his pitch and when it comes
in he would let you know it. Stan was
your ultimate softball player…. could
run, could throw, played the outfield,
1st base and he would come in and try
to help Don Arndt with the pitching. My
man, Stan….
Bert Smith, 66, passed away on Feb.
25, 2012 from injuries suffered in an
auto wreck. Bert had a unique style
when he played, but he could back
up his words on the softball field by
becoming one of the best players of
his era. Softball seems to be separated
in different eras. The different eras
pertain to the field sizes and equipment. Bert played when the fences were
275 and they used aluminum along with
wooden bats. Four times he earned ASA
All-America honors, including being
named the tourney MVP a record three
times. He played in nine ASA National
Championships and compiled a .619
batting average, hitting 74 homers and
driving in 160 runs. He was a member of
four national championship teams.. Bert
was inducted in the ASA Hall Of Fame
in 1994 after a stellar career. Bert also
played for the Detroit Caesars in the Pro
Softball League in 1977 and hit over 50
homeruns his first year.
BIG CAT
STILL PROWLING THE SOFTBALL FIELDS
Charles Wright, we lost Charles a year
and a half ago at the age of 59. He was
doing what he loved to do best and that
was hitting softballs. Charles really loved
to hit softballs a long way. He really got
into trying to perfect his swing at a young
age. .At 6’5 and weighting 240 lbs., he
was your ultimate athlete. He had a big
frame and could play basketball better
than anybody in the county. Charlie is
going into the USSSA Hall Of Fame this
year. He will be inducted in California at
the USSSA Convention along with teammates Mike Shenk (Ritch’s Superior) and
Dave Steffen (Ritch’s Superior). Charles
played with such teams as Nationwide
Advertising (81),York/Sanders (82), Elite
(83, 84), Steele’s (86), Marlton, (88),
and Ritch’s-Superior (91, 92)…. He was
known as the Georgia Peach throughout
the softball circles. I feel Charles did a lot
for softball helping to promote it over
the years. He hated losing and did not
want anything but 1st place. In 1985 he
left his team’s runner up trophy on top
of the hotel they stayed at. Whenever
he did hit a homerun he had the same
trot every time. He always had a certain
look about him when he hit a home
run. He was that good. Pair of the best
hands you could ever want to see. Top 5
all time player.
Next issue I will remember Jacques
Millier, Kenny Carver and Ken Loeri.
Remember to work hard in the off
season. It is the old lesson, hard work
pays off. Good Luck.
(800) 327-0074
USSSA College Scholarship
Program Continues To Grow
by Scott Kuhnen
“What a great list of candidates!”
says Scott Kuhnen, chairperson for the
USSSA A.E. Ramsey College Scholarship
Program.
“This year we took applications
from five sports in 22 different states,”
explains Kuhnen, “and narrowing the
list of winners to meet our budget allotment gets harder every year. The evaluation of college scholarship applications
is accomplished by vice-presidents from
each of these five sports, include Joey
Odom, V-P for Baseball, Bill Dowell and
Jeremy McDowell, V-Ps for fast pitch,
Robert Boudreaux, V-P for Junior Golf;
and Conrad Foss, V-P for Basketball.
This year, with continuing support
from USSSA CEO, Don DeDonatis, and
the entire USSSA Board of Directors,
USSSA has awarded more than $15,000 in
college scholarship money to loyal USSSA
participants.
“This is one of the finest programs
USSSA has to offer,” says DeDonatis.
“Not only do we reward student-athletes
Scott Kuhnen- chairperson for the USSSA A.E.
Ramsey College Scholarship Program
for participating in USSSA sports and
excelling at academics, but we also honor
one of the association’s founding fathers
and our former CEO, Al Ramsey.”
The A.E. Ramsey USSSA College
Scholarship Program is named for one
of the founders of USSSA and former
National President, Al Ramsey
SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Baseball
Nicholas Laber
Jack Sanchez
Austin Daus
Quentin Moore
George Mitchell
Jacob Krehbiel
Fast Pitch
Carson Catasus
Naomi Posada
Jesse Rocha
Caroline Johnson
Courtney Bristow
Madison McDowell
Jessica Ramos
Kayla Sory
Haley McDonald
Avery Cranford
Amber Oxford
Chrystal Reese
Makenzie Rome
Laura Erickson
Danielle Johnson
Taylor DeBoer
Ciara Kimminau
Brooklyn Colvin
Anna Corch
Nicole Krebs
Slow Pitch
Lacy Painter
Emily Maloney
Golf
Joseph Fruge
Basketball
Jessica Hundley
Christopher Walker
40 USSSA TODAY
Ovideo
Kansas City
Peoria
Maxton
Crosby
Bixby
FL
MO
AZ
NC
TX
OK
University of Central Florida
Ellsworth Community College
University of Arizona
North Carolina State
Southwestern University
Independence Community College
Palm Beach Gardens
Midland
Simsbury
Firestone
Bradenton
Parkville
El Paso
Bryant
Greenley
Whitewright
Huntington
Pilot Point
Kansas City
Sioux Falls
Fountain
Broomfield
Arvada
Stillwell
Emmaus
Eudora
FL
TX
CT
CO
FL
MO
TX
AR
CO
TX
AR
TX
MO
SD
CO
CO
CO
OK
PA
KS
St. Thomas University
Midland College
Western Connecticut State University
Chadrin State College
Stetson University
Truman State University
University of Minnesota at Crookston
Henderson State Univ.
Adams State College
Eastern Oklahoma State College
Ouachita Baptist University
Cisco Jr College
Johnson County Community College
Dakota Wesleyan University
Trinadad State Junior College
Lamar Community College
William Penn University
University of Arkansas-Montichello
Lehigh University
Ottawa University
Manchester
Middletown
TN
OH
Motlow State Community College
Miami University-Middletown
Lafayette
LA
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Palm Beach Gardens
Fort Lauderdale
FL
FL
University of Florida
Bethune Cookman University
This year’s scholarship money goes
to 31 student-athletes in fast pitch and
slow pitch softball, basketball, golf, and
baseball. Each scholarship recipient was
awarded $500 and, unlike many scholarships which are awarded to the schools
to defray solely tuition costs, the USSSA
scholarship funds are sent directly to the
students and their families and can be
used for tuition, books, housing, or just a
living allowance.
According to Mr. DeDonatis, scholarships have been available for some years
now to our youth softball programs
(slow pitch and fast pitch), baseball, and
basketball. Starting just three years ago,
the popular USSSA Junior Golf program
was added to the list of recipients, and
as additional sports begin to grow and
our involvement by high school students
begins to expand in those sports, USSSA
will award even more scholarships.
“We look forward to receiving more
and more applications from our participants,” says DeDonatis.
“While we
hate turning some applicants down, we
appreciate that our Directors and our
participants recognize the value of this
program. We are anxious to help those
student-athletes who have participated
in our USSSA programs.”
Interested student-athletes should
go to www.USSSA.com to download an
application form and begin the process
of applying today. The application form
can be found on the various home pages
for slow pitch, fast pitch, baseball, and
basketball.
The application must be endorsed
by a USSSA Sponsor (manager/coach,
State Director, National Board Member),
forwarded to the State Director in the
sport for which you are applying, must
be accompanied by a letter of acceptance
from the college you are attending, a
photo, and a brief essay (200-300 words)
explaining how USSSA sports helped you
prepare for college and future endeavors.
USSSA College Scholarship applications are due to the USSSA National
Headquarters by 15 August of each
year. If there are any questions, please
direct them to your USSSA State Director
or Scott Kuhnen, So/Central Ohio State
Director, (937) 429-0029 or e-mail:
[email protected].
USSSA - A Dominating Presence
Not Just on the Field, But Online
by Paul O’Leary
Back in 1998 the web was a very
different place than it is today. There
were only just over 3.5 million websites
online, AOL, Yahoo, Geocities and MSN
were the kings of the information superhighway. Google? Well the now giant
Google was incorporated as business in a
garage in Menlo Park, California. USSSA
at that time had teamed up with ISTS to
launch a new kind of sports statistics and
management system for the association;
USSSA.com. More than just a website,
USSSA.com revolutionized the way the
industry and the association was able to
organize tournaments, share data and
statistics as well as provide information
to its fast growing membership base
and the public.
Fast forward to 2012 and Geocities is
defunct, Yahoo, MSN and AOL are way
behind Google in product offerings,
rankings and are constantly working
to play catch up. As for the number
of websites worldwide, figures are
changing all the time but the current
estimate puts the number of sites at over
half a billion - more than 650 million
to be more precise! USSSA in this time
period has continued to grow exponentially with USSSA.com being the toolkit
that helped aid much of the growth.
Visitor numbers to the site have grown
year over year from over 26 million hits
in 2003 to more than 261 million hits
today. What is even more impressive is
that 303 million hits are estimated for
2013. With so many websites in the
world, it is hard for any organization to
be on top in search rankings but USSSA
does just that through it’s use of unique
and fresh content on its sites. Beyond
that, the national site is also within the
top 4,000 sites worldwide during the
summer months and frequently averages in excess of a million hits a day.
The growth and visitor numbers online
don’t stop with USSSA.com – broadcasting of tournaments online by USSSA
Live has increased this year with a total
of 1664 hours being consumed– that’s
42 USSSA TODAY
Making things happen online for USSSA are (left
to right): Paul O’Leary, Bernie Guenther, Brittany
Wiegert and Matt O’Hara. Not pictured staff
members include: Steve Celuch, Rachel Goossens and
A.R. Pallab.
just over 69 days of video! For the
second year that USSSA Live broadcast the Men’s Major World series live
on the new Nationwide Conference
USSSA website, rather than on the old
USSSA Live webpage. Just as in 2011,
we saw more than 100,000 page views
for those watching the tournament
this year. Along with the Men’s Major
USSSA Live broadcast the Hall of Fame
Classic, Conference Championship and
the Men’s A and Men’s B World Series
to several thousand more viewers. The
USSSA Pride, National Professional
Fastpitch team website has also seen
many thousands of people throughout
the year visit the site – with over 430,000
page views to the present date for
2012. Traffic levels on each of the USSSA
National
websites
increased
during
times of increased
publicity and awareness, such as broadcasts on ESPN. Other
new national sites
like USSSASoccer.com
and USSSAToday.com
are also seeing rising
levels of traffic as
more members in the
association become
aware of all that the
organization
does
to promote your
sports.
USSSA’s YouTube Channel - youtube.com/
usssatoday - has also seen great results
and is the official archive of USSSA Live
video. The channel is just over a year old
and already has had more than half a
million video views. This new method
of archiving not only saves USSSA bandwidth and storage space, it also allows
videos to be viewed in different quality
levels – including full HD video, just like
the broadcast. Meaning that fans can
relive their favorite games over and
over again. This has definitely made the
archives easily viewable by more people
from more devices, including a phone,
tablet, PC and internet enabled TV, all
aiding to the online presence of USSSA.
This doesn’t even touch on the amount
of Facebook and Twitter activity this
year for USSSA. The USSSA Slow Pitch
page is approaching 15,000 fans and
is growing steadily, while other sports
grow the number of likes and followers
on their pages.
USSSA has more than 3.9 million
members across 13 nationally sanctioned sports. Every day as players,
managers, coaches and fans discover
what USSSA online has to offer, USSSA
dominates the online sports world in
the same way as we do on the field.
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For more information or to book your teams
call Terri O’Neal at (407) 997-1106 or email: [email protected]
USSSA Martial Arts Striking Hard
By Don Eminizer / Adrian Ellis
USSSA Karate’s Adrian Ellis
Who doesn’t want to be a part of
the fastest growing Martial Arts
Organization in the world? Who doesn’t
want to get fit, to compete, to gain selfesteem and enjoy themselves while they
learn the art of self defense? Who in
the world doesn’t want to be the best
that they can be, to learn the biggest
and best secrets that the Martial Arts
world has to offer? It’s one thing to
think about learning Martial arts, of
taking the time and effort and discipline
to better yourself, it’s another to actually do it. Anyone can want, but it takes
winners to try. And if you do decide to
try, where do you start? Where do you
44 USSSA TODAY
go? Why learn from just anyone or
compete against just anyone or waste
all your valuable time learning Martial
Arts or practicing Martial Arts in just any
organization?
Do the best in the world want to work
together, to help people enjoy the true
fruits that the Martial Arts tree has to
offer?
There are certainly plenty of people,
plenty of extremely talented people,
some of the best Martial Artists and
Martial Arts teachers and coaches in the
world, who do want to be part of such
an organization.
What about Mahmoud Bambouyani
Sensei, known worldwide as a master
instructor? Mahmoud Bambouyani
Sensei has been seen talking the finer
points of karate almost everywhere on
television, from CBS, NBC and ABC Cable
Networks and local TV. What about
Hanshi Ricardo John, a highly respected
USA Karate National Team coach? All
of these people and many more Karate
Masters and novices want to be a part of
the biggest and best Martial Arts organization in the world, and they are.
Because they’re part of USSSA Martial
Arts Program, one the most innovative
and explosive martial arts organizations
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on the country and one of the fastest
growing. But these aren’t the only
people affiliated with USSSA Karate,
and they aren’t the only reason that the
organization is growing so fast.
Welcome to USSSA MARTIAL
ARTS
USSSA Karate is attracting some of the
best known martial artist aficionados
from around the country, and that is
one of the many reasons that organization is filling out its membership. They
also have developed an excellent track
record in a very short period of time.
Some of the supporter that have championed USSSA martial arts accomplishments in its first few years are some
of the biggest names in martial arts
community
“We have our challenges but we
are fully committed to the group of
martial arts and providing opportunities for families to participate under our
umbrella in a safe, fun environment”.
States Ellis, National Director of Martial
Artist Adrian Ellis. We have attracted
martial arts veterans, rookies and kids
alike because of the name USSSA.
USSSA is expanding so rapidly, and is set
to blow up on the International scene,
because of what they are doing now
and what they are preparing to do in
the future.
Why USSSA Martial Arts
USSSA Martial Arts is about more than
just kicking and punching or a particular style or system. They accept free
style martial artists, traditional martial
artists Chinese martial artists, Tae Kwon
Do organizations and Jujitsu, among
others. Ellis states, “Our diversity is part
of our appeal, but the inclusion that we
provide coaches, teachers and members
has been key to, now we ready to move
forward, having established our brand
in the Martial Arts community, our
coaching standards, referee standards
throughout our ranks. We are finalizing key appointments to prepare for
growth.
Recently, USSSA has appointed Bob
Leiker as National Director of Open
/ Freestyle Martial Arts, Bob is from
Kansas City, MO, and is the owner of
AmericKick Martial Arts studio, Bob has
46 USSSA TODAY
host one of the most successful Martial
arts tournaments in the history of the
United States, so he understands the
nuances and complexities of organizing
large events and mobilizing leaders
on state and regional levels. He has 4
decades of experience in Martial Arts
and was a very successful competitor
himself during his career.
“ Ellis states, Bob’s participation and
leadership in the USSSA martial arts
program will actively promotes martial
arts tournaments at every level, from
elite competitions on down. These
tournaments are extremely successful,
drawing thousands of athletes from all
over the Nation, and I look forward to
working with him.”
But USSSA hasn’t stopped with Bob’s
appointment. They have appointed
Grant Campbell as National Director of
sports Jujitsu, Grant Campbell’s dedication to the martial arts is an inspiration
to all. One of the few American martial
artists to be fully trained in Japan, he
has successfully undergone the most
demanding and rigorous training in the
world, studying under the best teachers
in Asia, and he fully understands
the standards of the International
governing body. Grant has taught thousands of students the art of Karate in his
many years of teaching and coaching
experience. He is another International
Karate Hall of Fame Inductee, a 7th
Degree Black Belt Master Teacher, and
has 35 years’ experience under his belt.
He is also the youngest American to be
awarded the acclaimed Master level of
Karate in Japan. Grant even earned his
Master’s Degree in Japan.
USSSA martial arts is happy to have Mr.
John Emmons is National Director of
Tae Kwon Do, not only is he a full time
martial arts instructor, a successful business owner he has lead one of the most
successful Martial Arts organizations in
the United States, with a very strong
membership base and a loyal following.
“John is a visionary and no nonsense
individual and knows exactly what we
wants so it only makes since that we
align ourselves with people whom we
have synergy with and can share the
vision of the USSSA, states Adrian Ellis,”
Adrian Ellis, states,”We are not simply
a collection of some of the most
talented Martial Arts leaders in the
country, We have leaders on all levels
state and regional, instructors/coaches
who understand that martial arts help
youth in every aspect of their lives from
academics, self-confidence, self-esteem,
and it’s a great cross training program
for kids who participate in other sports
during the off season. These martial art
instructors/coaches have a passion for
the martial arts and the personal development of its participants.”
Some of our goals for 2012-13 is to grow
our membership by 50%, double the
number of events sanctioned under the
USSSA umbrella and develop alliances
with other organization that share
the vision and mission of the USSSA
National Headquarters and the Martial
Arts Program.
They’re also implementing plans, policies and programs that will push them
even further forward. As of now, USSSA
Karate program has:
n Appointed 9 of 15 regional directors
of the Karate committee, covering 44
of the State’s zones in the US
n We have filled approximately 50% of
our state/zone directors positions
n Implemented
an
Anti-Bullying
Program, wherein Martial Arts
instructors offer seminars in school
systems
n Implemented a Child-Safety Program,
teaching awareness and basic selfdefense to children
n Hosted fifteen successful, exclusive
USSSA martial arts events around the
country
n Hosted six seminars/training (one
every two months) under the USSSA
banner
n Appoint a national
Freestyle Martial Arts
Director
of
n Appointed national Director of Tae
Kwon Do Martial Arts
n Appointed national Director of Sport
Jujitsu Martial Arts
Ellis states, “I am excited about the
direction and the individuals involved
and we look forward to a great year and
fun exciting competition.
28th
presents
Annual Budweiser
Softball Festival
In Bryan/College Station on
May 4th & 5th, 2013
Brought to you by
Jack Hilliard Distributing,
Bryan/College Station,TX
To enter your team,
contact Greg Huchingson
at (979) 774-9408
TWO USSSA WINTER
Start your 2013 season off with a Big Ban
DIVISIONS OF PLAY (for both weekends): Men’s B,
South Texas Winter Worlds
January 12-13, 2013
January 12-13, 2013
HOST
HOTEL
Big League Dreams
League City, TX
(Houston area)
(281) 724-6091
Ask for Chenille
BIG LEAGUE DREAMS / LEAGUE CITY
To Enter Either Tournament
or Get More Information:
[email protected]
(979) 774-9408
WORLDS IN TEXAS
ng of National Tournament Level Points
Men’s C, Men’s D, Men’s E, Women’s C, Women’s D
North Texas Winter Worlds
January 19-20, 2013
January 19-20, 2013
Big League Dreams
Mansfield, TX
(Dallas-Ft.Worth)
BIG LEAGUE DREAMS / MANSFIELD
★
★
★
★
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Bandits Repeat...Stingrays Threepeat
Astros Add One for the Thumb
by Matt Trebuchon
Team Manager Dave Roberts receives a congratulatory hug from Cam Shepherd after the 14U East Cobb Astros win their unprecedented fifth Elite World Series Championship.
As in years past, the USSSA Baseball
Elite World Series did not disappoint
and remains the absolute best amateur
baseball championship in the world…
period! The 2012 installment saw repeat
winners, threepeat winners, and one
club securing its fifth title. Nothing
short of another two incredible weeks
of baseball played at the highest level
on the grandest of all stages!
Session I (July 14 - 21) was represented
by ninety-six 10U, 12U and 14U teams
playing 330+ games in Florida’s sweltering summer heat, humidity and
afternoon showers and in the end, the
10U Central Florida Wolverines, 12U
Southern California Phenom and the
14U East Cobb Astros prevailed.
The Wolverines went 2-1 in pool play
securing the five seed heading into the
double elimination tournament bracket.
After knocking off the Slammers from
Lakewood, Colorado; Triad, North
Carolina’s Evoshield Canes and the RBI
Rangers from Knoxville, Tennessee, 15-6,
9-7 and 12-0, it was time to again face the
revenge minded Evoshield team looking
to take down the Wolverines and even
the score. The North Carolina based
Canes did just that in a 9-6 bout forcing
the two squads to the “if” game. In the
50 USSSA TODAY
“Loser Go Home” game the Wolverines
showed no mercy outscoring their foe
7-1 to advance to the semi-finals and
face the undefeated (7-0) 10U East Cobb
Astros of Marietta, Georgia. With all
teams fresh on Saturday, the Wolverines
first took down the Astros 11-5 ending
their quest for a championship and then
topped the BPA Rawlings Elite from
Southern California 6-3 to earn the
Central Florida squad its Elite crown. For
the week, the Wolverines played to an
8-2 record scoring 84 runs. BPA Rawlings
Elite wrapped up their World Series with
an 8-1 record scoring 85 runs while the
10U East Cobb Astros finished 7-1. The
Rawlings team’s Harrison Owen was
named 10U Elite World Series MVP.
In the 12U division, Team Phenom ran
the table with a perfect 8-0 record
outscoring their opponents 86-7 and
winning seven of their eight games by
mercy run rule. In Elite World Series
history no team has ever so completely
out shinned the competition as Team
Phenom did. After winning 3 pool play
games 37-2 and advancing to bracket play
as the #1 seed, the Southern California
squad continued their assault by
knocking off Oklahoma City’s Oklahoma
Elite, Perfect Game from Cedar Rapids,
Iowa; Gallagher Select from Hamilton,
New Jersey; Perfect Game again and
finally the Next Level Tornados from
Plainfield, Illinois by an amazing 49-5
total combined score. Phenom’s Michael
Montes DeOca and Kewin Ledesma
were
named
Co-Offensive
Most
Valuable Players while teammate Emilio
Vasquez was awarded the Elite World
Series Most Valuable Player. Next Level
Tornado, Clayton Thompson was named
Defensive MVP.
This year’s 14U division was all about the
older East Cobb Astros and their quest for
a fifth Elite World Series Championship
under manager Dave Roberts. His squad
played a perfect 3-0 in pool play out
scoring their competition 29-5 but only
managed the three seed for bracket
play and what a wild ride that was!
After dropping the Louisville Longhorns
of Kentucky in the opening round
with a nail biting 2-0 final, the Astros
rolled over the Sacramento Showcase
of Northern California 12-0 setting up
the natural Georgia – Florida rivalry
with the Tampa Crush. In a true pitcher’s
duel that accounted for a combined 29
strike outs between the two staffs, the
Crush came out on top 2-1 sending the
Astros to the loser’s bracket. East Cobb’s
first elimination contest aligned them
with the Detroit Bees. The squad from
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Michigan gave the Georgia boys all they
could handle but the Astros pulled off
a late inning rally to win 7-4 and reset
the showdown with Tampa. The Crush,
being the undefeated team, had to be
beaten twice by the Astros and that’s
exactly what East Cobb did, 4-2 and 10-2
in the “if” game. In the semi-finals the
Astros matched up with Team Reebok of
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and wasted
no time jumping out to an early 4-0 lead
before settling on a final 5-2 victory.
Their championship opponent was the
undefeated (8-0) Lamorinda Monarchs
from Northern California. The East Cobb
team scored early and often in what
ended as a very lopsided 14-3 championship contest securing Dave Roberts and
his 14U East Cobb Astros’ fifth (2006,
2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) USSSA Baseball
Elite World Series Championship! MVP
honors were bestowed upon Reginald
Pruitt of the Astros.
Cooper Krause awaits the pitch in a 9U Elite World
Series elimination game versus the Motor City Hitdogs.
East Cobb’s Cade Roberts stretches his lead on the
pitch.
East Cobb Astros’ first baseman Connor Davis holds
Dion Henderson of the Midland Tomahawks close to
the bag during a 14U Elite contest played at Disney’s
Champions Stadium.
52 USSSA TODAY
Session II (August 4 - 11) was on par with
the prior with ninety-eight 9U, 11U and
13U teams playing 340+ games in the
same sweltering summer heat, humidity
and afternoon showers however this
time the Elite produced a threepeat
champion, a repeat champion and for
the first time in USSSA history, saw both
11U semi-final and the championship
game televised live on ESPN3.
In the always exciting 9U division, the
Sand Diego Show ran away with the
show (no pun intended) going a perfect
9-0 while plating 57 runs for the week.
In route to their perfect week they
knocked off in order, Ankeny Iowa’s
Warhawks 7-5; Eagle Lake Florida’s
Team Avalanche 8-3; the Alabama Elite
from McCalla 9-7, Iowa’s Des Moines
Yankees 4-2, Whittier California’s So
Cal Outlaws Elite 8-4, the Atlanta
Angels from Georgia 6-4, again the So
Cal Outlaws Elite 4-3, the 9U Oakley
Stingrays from Norwalk California
3-0 and in the championship game a
rematch against Team Avalanche with a
final 8-2 score. The Avalanche’s Ty Evans
was named Defensive MVP while San
Diego’s Julian Nunez and Kyle Carr were
awarded Offensive MVP and Elite World
Series Most Valuable Player honors
respectively.
In a threepeat performance, this year’s
11U Oakley Stingrays picked up right
where they left off in previous years
by continuing their onslaught of domination! In 2010, the 9 year old team
won its first Elite title with an impressive 7-1 record outscoring the competition 78-33. In 2011, the 10 year old
squad won its second Elite crown with
a perfect 9-0 record outscoring the field
71-25. This year’s group showed no
mercy playing yet another perfect tournament going 9-0 and this time topping
their opponents 82-21 in the runs category. Victims included the Farmington
Hill Warriors from Michigan 10-3,
Jacksonville, Florida’s CBC Riverhawks
8-2, Florida’s Pembroke Pines Bengals
5-2, the JTB Tigers out of Auburn
Hills, Michigan 16-3, Union County
North Carolina’s Waxhaw Vipers 13-0,
Alabaster, Alabama’s Outlaw Baseball
10-1, Russellville, Arkansas’ Mighty
Ducks 7-5, an ESPN3 televised semi-final
clash with Jackson, Mississippi’s Athletics
Gold 10-5 and the televised championship versus Southern California rival
Santa Ynez Titans 3-0. Moises Guzman
was honored as the Offensive MVP
and Chase Adkison was awarded the
Elite World Series Most Valuable Player.
Santa Ynez standout Conagher Sands
was awarded Defensive MVP.
The 13U division scored a repeat title
holder in the Georgia Bandits. In 2011,
the Bandits won the 12U division by
going 10-1 while averaging 8.8 runs
per contest for a total of 97 runs scores.
This year’s 13U squad one-upped itself
by playing 8-1 baseball, scoring 94 runs
(10.4 runs per game average)!!! The
Bandits dropped their first pool game to
a very scrappy Mission Viejo, California
So Cal Rebels squad 4-2, and then never
looked back. The next eight casualties were the Blue Water Attack out of
St. Clair, Michigan 15-2 & 7-5, Hialeah,
Florida’s Fire Line and Des Moines, Iowa’s
Knights both 17-3, South Florida’s MBA
Pride Elite (the only team to beat the
2011 championship squad) twice, 12-3 &
9-1, Pembroke Lakes, Florida’s Bulldogs
10-9 and in the final, undefeated
South Florida Giants of Miramar 5-3.
Superlatives were awarded to the Giants’
John Merrill as Defensive MVP while the
Georgia Bandits’ William Lumpkin was
Offensive MVP and teammate Tucker
Bradley was awarded with Elite World
Series Most Valuable Player honors.
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Available in: -3, -8, -10, -11
Fast Pitch On Fire
By Rick Phillips
The timeline was November of 2009, the
place was Temecula Ca. and the gathering was the opening meeting at the
USSSA convention.
Hundreds of Directors from many
different sports were in attendance and
were about to witness a statement and
prediction from our CEO Don DeDonatis.
At that time Mr. DeDonatis had just
introduced the top Softball players in
the world as our USSSA Pride was born!
There was a buzz in the arena as a new
change was in store as all USSSA Fast
Pitch Directors were challenged by these
words, “In five years USSSA Fast Pitch
will be #1, I guarantee it “.
This plan had been put in place a few
months earlier as Vice-Presidents Jeremy
McDowell (KS), Bryan Sage (IA) and
Bill Dowell (MD) were appointed and
briefed to begin the change in the new
philosophy for Fast Pitch and by starting
at the State levels.
As the VP’s met individually with all
Fast Pitch State Directors numbers were
discussed as to where you are now and
where you will be in twelve months.
Goals were set, idea’s developed and off
we went.
54 USSSA TODAY
To start was the idea for more recreational league registrations. This ultimately leads to more USSSA visibility
which always turns into club teams
who now turn to USSSA Fast Pitch
Tournaments and guess what, it worked!
In 2010 our team registrations were
13,538 compared to 2012 where we
amazed 17,200 teams; this is a 27%
increase. What happened almost simultaneously was that teams participating
in tournaments grew in that same time
frame from 25,942 teams to 41,222
teams, a staggering 59% growth.
In order to account for as many teams
playing USSSA we need to recognize
that the number of events/tournaments
held throughout the U.S. went from 794
events in 2010 to 1148 events in 2012,
another impressive increase of 45%.
Accordingly, with more events being
played the need for more NIT’s were
developed and again the numbers rose
from 48 to 85, up 77%.
As this domino effect continues some
have asked, what about Official’s. Once
again, from 2010 to 2012 Official’s registrations went from 2576 to 3325, up
29%. This number speaks volumes and
here is why. These are individuals who
register for Fast Pitch specifically. Very
profound statistic as many official’s who
register for other sports can and do
cross over to Fast Pitch. More officials
have gravitated to Fast Pitch because
of the speed of the game as well as
the competitive nature of these young
ladies’!
As we move into the 2013 season
the pressure is on to continue the
momentum and growth set forth. From
our VP’s to the State Director’s our quest
to improve remains intact. As other
organizations unravel under poor leadership or out dated arrogance, USSSA is
now the association leading from the
front. We have bounced our numbers
every year since 2009 in every category
including a 29% hike at our World Series
in the 2012 season.
The giant step has been taken by all
committed to USSSA Fast Pitch, no
mercy can be had on any one person or
association who tries to derail, instigate,
or harm what so many have worked for!
The time is now, the heat is on, the shift
is in place, and USSSA Fast Pitch is on
FIRE!
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America’s Finest City Showcase
Thriving in San Diego, CA
by Ken Weimer
The America’s Finest City Showcase
Tournaments was started 11 years ago
drawing some of the top teams in the
country to San Diego. It has become
one of the “must” enter Fall Showcases
along with the Surf City and So Cal’s
Finest Tournaments. Over the past
decade they have done their best to
turn their events into something a little
different than most of the other showcase events.
Friday nights consist of the four
main fields hosting the local San Diego
teams in games that allows family and
friends to all come out and root for their
favorite local players. This year will mark
the second year that they are giving out
scholarships to seniors attending the
tournament...last year they gave out
a total of $3,000 to four tournament
participants...this year they will raise
that to $4,000 to six players.
Four years ago America’s Finest City
Showcase started the Unsigned Games
which are provided at no charge to
the players in the tournament and are
made up of the top unisgned players
from each participating team. This gives
college coaches an easy way to find
high quality athletes in the class and
position they are looking for to fill out
their roster needs. Teams are coached by
USSSA Pride players as well as NAIA and
JuCo coaches...after the games are over
the coaches bring the teams together to
discuss recruiting and answer any questions the players may have about the
process.
America’s Finest City Showcase
continues to strive to improve the tournament every year and looks to add a
Summer Showcase in the next year or
two.
56 USSSA TODAY
Ken Weimer with scholarship winner.
Unsigned games prep.
The largest city on the Mississippi
River, Memphis serves up a warm
welcome and plenty of good times. And
it’s not just the live music of historic
Beale Street, world-famous barbecue or
award-winning zoo that brings people
to town – Memphis is home to
Gameday’s First Tennessee Fields, a
premier youth sports destination and
host of the HotelPlanner.com National
Youth Baseball Championships.
In August, Gameday proudly hosted the
National Youth Baseball Championships for the fifth time, televised on the
CBS Sports Network. Former Yankees
pitcher Jeff Nelson, color commentator
for the tournament, welcomed other
MLB legends: White Sox hitter Frank
“The Big Hurt” Thomas, White Sox Vice
Chairman Eddie Einhorn, and retired
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.
From pristine T-10 Bermuda fields to
unbeatable amenities, Gameday makes
every event a winner.
Fans of Gameday, L-R: Frank Thomas, Eddie
Einhorn, and Jeff Nelson. Far left: Tony La Russa
greets the crowd at the 2012 NYBC.
Gameday, named 2011 USSSA Complex
of the Year, draws teams from across
the country for youth baseball and girls
fastpitch league and tournament play.
For more information about Gameday:
gamedaybaseball.com or call
(901) 531-7410.
GAMEDAYBASEBALL.COM
MEMPHISTRAVEL.COM
USSSA Soccer Reaches All Time
High in Teams and Participants
by Jared Dan
2012 has been another successful year for USSSA Soccer as the
continued growth of the program hit an all time high, which
continues from 2009, 2010 and 2011. Last year (2011) a strategic plan was developed to reach 75,000 members by 2013
and a revamp of the national committee saw Erick French
appointed Adult Director and Ross Paule taking on the role
of Youth Director. Erick and Ross both work closely with Craig
Scriven in creating programs for members to continue playing
the game of soccer in competitive and fun formats.
In 2013 US Soccer will celebrate their centennial and USSSA
through our membership with the federation will be involved
heavily. Craig Scriven has been named to the centennial
committee to help with the input of how US Soccer will celebrate this landmark. It has also been agreed that USSSA will
receive 0.5 of a bid to the oldest soccer tournament in the
country, The US Open Cup. This year’s winners were Major
League Soccer side Sporting KC who are coached by Peter
Vermes.
This year (2012) has seen two new programs created for youth
soccer players in the country. One of the programs will be
piloted in spring 2013 and is aimed at providing structured
development for both boys and girls aged 6-13 years of age.
“Both Ross and I see a worrying trend in the country right now
with the players that programs are currently developing. The
focus has moved towards relying on physical attributes of naturally gifted athletes instead of training a strong technical base
to help all players attain a higher level” Craig Scriven said. “The
program we are currently developing will be a unique curriculum for our members who will teach players to be creative,
more technically proficient and develop a fun relationship with
soccer from a young age.”
The champions of USSSA National Tournament Elite Bracket
will advance to a play in game with another team represented
from a member of US Soccer. The winner of the play in game
will then compete in the first round with teams from amateur
to the highest level professional in the country. “This is a major
milestone for USSSA and the teams that compete in our championships.” Adult Director Erick French said. “We now have the
possibility of seeing a USSSA team play against a major MLS
team in the coming years. This will help build our registration
base and make the Elite bracket at our events something very
special.”
Outside of the training program which will be followed at
least twice a month by the USSSA members, there will be an
annual festival tournament where members will play smaller
formatted games in a unique environment. “We want to
develop an environment which rewards risk takers, encourages
creativity and helps children to fall in love with the game.”
Ross said.
58 USSSA TODAY
In September 18 teams competed for the title of USSSA
National Champions and in the hunt for that history making
bid to the US Open Cup. Rovers FC (Denver, CO) took advantage of home field as they won at Dicks Sporting Goods Park
in Colorado which is the home of MLS team Colorado Rapids.
With the win Rovers FC now have the chance to be playing in
the same tournament as the Rapids next year, what a story it
would be if they ended up being pitted against each other in
the draw.
Volleyball Grows To Be
USSSA’s Sixth Largest Sport
by David Brasher
USSSA Volleyball offers opportunities
for play from the most competitive club
team to the most laid back recreational
player. USSSA Volleyball registers teams
for $25 per year, and insures teams for
$66 per year for youth teams and $118
per year for adult teams. Volleyball officials register for $65 per year. To find
USSSA Volleyball tournaments, go to
www.usssa.com and click on volleyball,
look on left tool bar for the tournament/
league link. New tournaments are being
added on a regular basis. By registering
with USSSA Volleyball teams not only
have the ability to participate in USSSA
Volleyball events but, with approval of
their state director, may host their own
60 USSSA TODAY
USSSA Volleyball events to raise money
for their programs or any other cause
they may have an interest in furthering.
USSSA Volleyball has grown to include
activities in 14 states with projected
growth in 2013 to include an additional
12 states for a total of 26 states participating in the program. The 2013 USSSA
World indoor Adult Tournament will be
held in New Orleans for the first time.
This event will offer divisions of play for
all ability levels for adult teams in Men’s,
Women’s, and Coed play. Bids for the
2013 Youth Indoor World, Youth Beach
World, and Adult Beach World will be
accepted through November 30th with
those locations to be announced before
the first of the year. Local and State
tournaments will be held in various
locations around the country preceding
these events.
Anyone interested in becoming a part
of USSSA Volleyball as a director or
player and anyone having questions
about USSSA Volleyball, should contact
David Brasher USSSA Volleyball National
Chairman at [email protected].
Photos by Kirk Tarabokia
USSSA Volleyball provides recreational
opportunities for youth and adult
players of all ages and ability levels.
There are different variations of USSSA
Volleyball including indoor, sand, grass,
and differing combinations of play,
including varying number of players ( 6,
4, 2) and sex ( male, female, coed). By the
end of the past year, USSSA Volleyball
was the 6th largest USSSA sport.
2012 USSSA World Champions
MEN C
1
CT Jammedup.com/ManhattanBeer
2
AL Livingston
3
OH Pure Romance/Easton
4
RI Valley Motors/Reebok/TYJA
MEN D
1
NC TAI Sports
2
GA SPN Drywall/CA Gear
3
MI Detroit Elite
4
MI Trust Sports Worldwide
MEN E- EAST
1
VA Go Time
2
NH Nu-Coast Auto Body/Meineke
3
CT 0611’ers
4
KY Mr D’s Pizza/ Hammered County
MEN E- WEST
1
NV Infamous
2
CA Slap Addicts
3
CA Junk Yard Dawgs
4
CA SBL Softball/DSS Bats
WOMEN A
1
FL Enough Said/Easton
2
CA Karphone
3
OH Kinder/Sharks
4
MI Incognito
WOMEN B
1. WA Bully’s
2
MN Thunder Boltz
3
WA Derby Girls
4
CA Chata
WOMEN C
1
TX Team Dallas
2
CA NTL/Worth
3
OH Godbey Law/Jakes
4
MD Mid-Atlantic/Red-Eye Sports
WOMEN D
1
IL Team DeMarini/Guiness
2
MD Team Satyagraha
3
MO KC Sker’s
4
IN Snyder’s/Red-Eye Sports
USSSA TODAY 63
Corny’s
Corner
Mike Cornell
Softball fans,
the season is finally
coming to a close. It’s been one crazy
year, and seems like only yesterday we
were kicking things off in Las Vegas.
In 2012, the Conference USSSA
season did not disappoint. It was full
of comebacks, upsets and the immergence of some real good teams that had
flown under the radar for most of the
year. It was quite an exciting year when
you consider the competition level and
parody that made this season one to
remember.
The 2012 Worth teams all had a
pretty successful year. First, I would like
to congratulate Travis Resmondo and his
fine organization for another solid year.
The Sod boys’ had a remarkable run in
2012, winning a conference-high seven
events. Resmondo had 10 players with a
.700 OBP or higher to finish out the year.
This is quite remarkable considering the
level of competition and great pitchers
they face each weekend.
It was also a great year for a veteran
player who had spent a year away from
the game. Resmondo’s Jeff Hall finished
second-overall in regular season OBP,
hitting .805 just behind Tyja’s Dennis
Rulli.
The Resmondo team made a strong
run during the regular season and
came into the postseason hitting fullstride. It was a bittersweet end as the
64 USSSA TODAY
number-one seed finished second in this
year’s USSSA Men’s Major, fighting hard
out of the loser’s bracket and finally
succumbing to a veteran squad from
Laser Vision in the championship round.
Andy Purcell had a great tournament,
and was the event’s co-MVP. Purcell was
locked in at the Men’s Major, blasting
15 home runs to lead the tournament
in that category.
Pretty impressive
considering the veteran pitcher from
Kissimmee, Florida, also had to pitch
eight games in the heat and humidity to
keep his team’s march to the finals alive.
Resmondo’s slick-fielding shortstop Don
DeDonatis III was the tournament’s
defensive MVP.
Worth’s top “A” class squad Team
454/Worth also had a pretty solid
year. Bill Rhew and his crew won two
conference events and took third at the
Smoky Mountain Classic as the highestfinishing A class team in this prestigious
event. 454’s Chad Durick had one heck
of a year, finishing in the top ten of total
OBP for the conference, and winning
the Men’s Major Home Run Derby held
on Friday night that was televised for
the first time on ESPN3.
D2E/Worth also had a great finish
to the 2012 season. Drew Dubberly
and his crew from Baxley, Georgia, won
the USSSA “B” class world, defeating
a scrappy group from Buzini/BWW/
Worth. The championship game came
down to one swing off the bat of Geno
Burdick as the big man from Minnesota
blasted a 3-run walkoff to win the game
and the title for D2E.
Worth teams taking first and second
in what is considered as one of the
toughest tournaments of the year was
quite a tribute to these two squads.
Overall it was another strong year
for the Worth teams. I would like to
thank all the sponsors, coaches and
players that represented our brand in
2012. It was a great summer and I am
already looking forward to fall. This is
my favorite time of year. College football is in full swing, and Worth has a
new line up of bats on the way. There’s
nothing better than going to play in a
local fall tournament playing some softball and then getting to hang out with
your buddies at a sports bar watching
football. Thanks to all you softball
geeks out there for an eventful 2012. I
hope all of you have a great winter and
we will talk again next spring!
Corny
Down 2 Earth’s Drew Dubberly’s team won the
B World and Drew was recognized as the 2012
Nationwide Conference USSSA Class B Manager of
the Year.
Travis Resmondo holds the crystal bowl trophy
representing the 2012 Nationwide Conference USSSA
Regular Season Champion based on overall points.
Team 454/Worth’s Kyle Moyer was a first team
all-conference performer. Team 454 was Worth’s
highest finishing A team with NIT Championships at
the Texas Legends and Windy City and a third place
finish at the prestigious Smoky Mountain Classic.
Resmondo/Worth’s slick
fielding shortstop, Don
DeDonatis III, was the
2012 Major World Series
Defensive Player.
Resmondo/Worth’s
pitcher, Andy Purcell,
was the 2012 USSSA
Major World Series
co-MVP.
The Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission provides the ultimate sporting
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Alabama’s Gulf Coast has been home to many events, such as numerous Alabama High School Athletic
Association games, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Championships, and the SEC Women’s
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shoulders and the breeze in their hair, making Gulf Shores & Orange Beach the ideal place for sports.
Visit gulfshoresorangebeachsports.com for information and to plan your next event.
Worth® Adds Jeff Hall to
Slowpitch Advisory Staff
Jeff receiving his MVP awards at the 2012 44th Annual Smoky Mountain Classic
from Joe Huff and Chris Clark.
USSSA Hall of Famer, Jeff Hall, signs on to Worth’s Slowpitch Advisory Staff as
Worth’s Sports Marketing Manager, Mike Cornell, looks on.
GASTONIA, NC – October 12, 2012 – Worth today announced
the signing of one of slowpitch softball’s marquee players, Jeff
Hall, to its advisory staff. Hall is currently the first baseman
for the top-ranked Men’s Major slowpitch team, Resmondo/
Worth.
Other Worth Advisory Staff players on the Resmondo roster
include Travis Resmondo, Andy Purcell, BJ Fulk, Don DeDonatis
III, and Greg Connell.
Hall has been a member of four USSSA™ Men’s Major World
Championship teams, and was the most valuable player of the
2000 event. In addition, Hall has been selected to 13 Men’s
Major All Tournament teams, and is also a member of the
All-Disney team. Hall was the first and only player in USSSA
major softball to win the Triple Crown. Hall was inducted into
the USSSA National Hall of Fame in 2006.
This signing continues St. Louis-based Worth’s aggressive
initiative to add the best players and coaches to its roster of
product development advisors. Worth’s fastpitch advisory
team includes: Patti Gasso, head softball coach University of
Oklahoma; Ralph and Karen Weekly, co-head softball coaches
at University of Tennessee; Deana Gumpf, head softball coach
University of Notre Dame; and Sharon Perkin, head softball
coach at Georgia Tech.
About Worth
Worth® is a leading marketer and manufacturer of softball
and baseball equipment and part of the Jarden Corporation
portfolio of brands. Worth is the official softball of the NCAA®
and NAIA® softball championships, the official helmet and
66 USSSA TODAY
official bat of National
Pro Fastpitch™, and the
official bat and ball of
USSSA™. For more information, please visit www.
worthsports.com, find us
on Facebook, or by phone
at (314) 819-2800.
About Jarden
Corporation
Jarden Corporation is
a leading provider of a
diverse range of consumer
products with a portfolio of over 100 trusted,
Always a threat at the plate, Hall was an
quality brands sold globall-tournament selection at the Space City
Classic at Big League Dreams-League City,
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2012 USSSA Men’s ‘A’ World Tournament • Kissimmee, FL • August 17-19
R&M Metals Walks Off with
A World Championship
by Dale Weiser
R&M Metals/Troupe/Pipac/S&R/Easton, Champions
The 2012 USSSA Men’s ‘A’ World tournament was full of drama from the start
with close games, and walk off homers
being the norm. The scores were low
because of the hot and humid air
which kept the ball from flying out of
the extra-large 325 foot fenced fields.
The team that won all of their close
games in the end was R&M Metals/
Troupe/Pipac/S&R/Easton based out of
Waterloo, Iowa! They went an undefeated 5-0 to win the tournament! R&M
trailed Taylormade/TM Sports/Mizuno
on Saturday night in the winner’s
bracket championship game 7-3 most
of the game. In the bottom of the 7th
they rallied and capped off a comeback
win with a walk off grand slam homer
with one out by middle infielder Steve
Whaley. On Sunday around noon, R&M
met Taylormade again in the finals and
jumped out to a big early lead and won
the game and the title 25-5 in just 4
innings.
68 USSSA TODAY
There were 17 teams from 11 different
states in the tournament. 9 ‘A’ teams,
5 ‘B’ teams, and 3 ‘C’ teams. 14 of
the teams were from the Nationwide
Conference USSSA. The tournament
had 11 games decided by 4 runs or less,
and 9 of the games were decided in the
last at bat including 5 walk off home
runs!
Easton overcame an early 13-0 deficit to
beat Blitz/Weller/Watanabe/K&G/Easton
19-16 on a walk off homer by third
baseman Joe Gordon. And Taylormade/
TM Sports/Mizuno used a walk off gap
shot by shortstop Branden Blake and
the subsequent steal of home by second
baseman Billy Moran on an errant throw
to beat Primetime/Easton 15-14.
The tournament began on Friday night at
7 PM and the games Friday and Saturday
were played under overcast skies and a
very real threat of rain. The tournament
was only delayed once however, for two
hours on Saturday afternoon by a downpour and lightning. On Friday night
those first 3 games of the tournament
at 7 PM were decided in the last at bat
on each field. Headhunter/Cancooker/
SHSsports.com used a walk off homer
by second baseman Robert Canceran
to beat their in state Georgia rivals
Down2EarthSports.com/SBC/Worth
19-17. R&M Metals/Troupe/Pipac/S&R/
The Friday night upsets continued as
Line Drive Sportz/SSS Softball knocked
off West Coast Doerflinger - Easton
24-14, and Westshore Pizza/TPS capped
the night with a walk off homer by
Dan Dillingham to beat Shoppe/Team
TPS/Elite 22-20. Team 454 also run
ruled local Florida ‘C’ team Demarini
Headbangers. TYJA - Suncoast Reebok
run ruled Sonny’s / Louisville Slugger
and
Demarini/Dirty/3n2/ATWLDesigns
came from a 19-13 deficit on the power
of two Adam Rockoff homer’s late in the
game to beat upstart Jolt 25-19.
Top 4 Teams:
1 R&M Metals/Troupe/Pipac/S&R/Easton
Iowa
2 Taylormade/TM Sports/Mizuno
Virginia
3 Line Drive Sportz/SSS Softball
Michigan
4 TYJA - Suncoast Reebok
New York
Taylormade/TM Sports/Mizuno - Second Place
With the first round over and the typical
Friday night upsets occurring, the tournament moved to Saturday where it
became quickly evident that with the
heat index hovering around 100 degrees
and the home runs and scores very low,
each game became just a “flip of the
coin”. It didn’t matter if you were a top
‘A’ team, a lower ‘A’ team, or a ‘B’ team.
With the 325 foot fences and a soft ball
it was a “small ball” game with teams
having to earn their home runs.
The top 4 seeds were all knocked to
the loser’s bracket early on in this tournament. The highlight of the day on
Saturday was a loser’s bracket game
where Team 454/Emerald/Worth scored
14 runs in the bottom of the 7th against
Sonny’s to win 21-19 on a walk off homer
by Jason Branch with two outs.
On Sunday morning in the final 4, TYJA
lost to Line Drive Sportz 11-10 with
the bats in their hands in the bottom
of the 7th, and Taylormade then sent
Line Drive Sportz home 15-9 with the
help of a big pinch hit homer by Nate
Holcomb setting up the re-match with
R&M Metals who ended up run ruling
Taylormade for the title.
(left to right) All-Tournament Richard Salazar, Jr.,
All-Tournament Keith Anderson and Defensive MVP/
All-Tournament Steve Whaley.
Co-MVPs OF Brandon Dillon (left) and P Brendt
Newbill receiving their awards from tournament
director, Eliot C. Clark.
Tournament CO-MVP
Brendt Newbill
R&M Metals / Troupe / Pipac / S&R / EASTON
Tournament CO-MVP
Brandon Dillon
R&M Metals / Troupe / Pipac / S&R / EASTON
Offensive Tournament MVP
Jeremy Yates
TaylorMade / TM Sports / Mizuno
Defensive Tournament MVP
Steven Whaley
R&M Metals / Troupe / Pipac / S&R / EASTON
All Tournament Team
Joel Ramos
Line Drive Sportz / sSs Softball
All Tournament Team
Billy Barrett
Line Drive Sportz / sSs Softball
All Tournament Team
Christopher Kirian
TaylorMade / TM Sports / Mizuno
All Tournament Team
Thomas Luna
Line Drive Sportz / sSs Softball
All Tournament Team
Kyle Yerkes
R&M Metals / Troupe / Pipac / S&R / EASTON
All Tournament Team
Kevin Lucas
R&M Metals / Troupe / Pipac / S&R / EASTON
All Tournament Team
Brandon Jonas
TaylorMade / TM Sports / Mizuno
All Tournament Team
Dustin Roberts
TYJA - Suncoast Reebok
All Tournament Team
Brian Logan
TaylorMade / TM Sports / Mizuno
All Tournament Team
Joseph Gordon
R&M Metals / Troupe / Pipac / S&R / EASTON
All Tournament Team
Keith Anderson
R&M Metals / Troupe / Pipac / S&R / EASTON
All Tournament Team
William Moran
TaylorMade / TM Sports / Mizuno
All Tournament Team
Luis Reyna
TYJA - Suncoast Reebok
All Tournament Team
Michael Umscheid
R&M Metals / Troupe / Pipac / S&R / EASTON
All Tournament Team
Richard Salazar Jr.
R&M Metals / Troupe / Pipac / S&R / EASTON
70 USSSA TODAY
SOFTBALL IS MY GAME
by Brett Helmer
Hey Softballers, It’s hard to believe
but we have put another softball season
in the books! The 2012 USSSA Conference
season proved to be the best we have had
in its seven year existence. Never have so
many different teams won conference
events. I look for that trend to continue
for the 2013 season and beyond. The
talent pool has become deep and spread
out over a number of solid programs,
and that my friends is really good for the
game.
Congratulations are in order for a
number of our Easton Sponsored teams
that had tremendous finishes to the
2012 season. Led by veteran player
Josh Wiggs the American Legion/Easton
armed forces team won the A division
of their Worlds in Panama City Beach. I
have watched our armed forces teams
play many times and the competition
is fierce and the skill level high. At
the same time this was happening the
USSSA Men’s A world series was being
played at the Fortune Road Complex in
Kissimmee, FL. This was one of the better
tournaments I have watched in some
time. Many games were decided by
walk off hits and great defensive plays.
R&M/Easton ran the table in a perfect
5-0 record to win this prestigious event.
Two world titles in one weekend! Nice.
As it turns out our Easton Teams would
end up having an even better weekend
at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. This was
the site of the USSSA Men’s C, Women’s,
and Men’s Major World Series. Enough
Said/Easton after a slow start came
all the way back through to capture
the Women’s A Worlds. This group of
women has been the cream of the crop
at the Women’s game for years and has
amassed a record and winning tradition
that would easily rival that of any Men’s
team in history. A true dynasty they have
become! The competition was fierce in
the men’s C and when the dust settled
it was Manhattan Beer/Easton that held
on for the title in a hard fought if game.
A special shout out to my BP partner
Brian Titus for taking the MVP honors
in the C. That leaves the Super Bowl of
softball! The USSSA Men’s Major World
Series. The 16 teams this year were as
deep with talent as I can remember.
This lead to a bunch of great games and
close finishes. Laservision/Annihilation/
Supreme/Easton played our best ball of
Easton Sports’ Brett Helmer receiving his fourth
All-Conference award from USSSA VP, Kevin Naegele
(left) and USSSA Assistant Executive Director, Danny
Brown (right).
Scott Kirby had a great 2012 season....First Team
All-Conference and Major World Series co-MVP.
LaserVision/Easton’s Brian Wegman- Player of the
Year in the Nationwide Conference USSSA and an
all-world selection at USSSA Major World Series.
R&M Metals/Easton- 2012 accolades....A World
Champions, second place Conference USSSA
Championships and a fourth place finish at the Major
World Series.
the year this weekend and held off a
great rally by the awesome Resmondo
softball team to win the title. Easton’s
own Scott Kirby was the MVP and was
great from April right through the end.
I would call that a nice year for our
Easton sponsored teams! Thank you to
all of our Easton teams and best of luck
in 2013.
from this season and can’t wait for you
all to see what we have in store for 2013
and beyond! Best of luck to all of you as
you put your 2013 teams together. Stay
healthy and I will see you at the yard
soon!
Brett
Also congratulations to Team Easton
for winning the manufacturers cup on
the Long Haul Bomber Tour this season.
Brian Wegman and I led from wire to
wire and both made the finals in
Miami. What a great new ballpark
they have in Miami! If you get
a chance catch a game there,
you will not be disappointed.
Congrats to Kevin Filby from
Demarini for winning the
individual title and beating
the old man (me) in a hit off.
Make sure you are keeping
your eyes open for the
latest line of Easton slow
pitch bats that will be
coming this winter/Spring.
We have revamped the
already awesome line
USSSA TODAY 71
2012 USSSA ‘B’ Worlds • Kissimmee, FL • September 14-16
Worth-Sponsored Teams Finish
One and Two at B World
by Dale Weiser
Buzini Sports and Down 2 Earth represented Worth Sports in grand fashion at the B Worlds.
The USSSA ‘B’ Worlds were held
September 14-16 at the Fortune Road
softball complex in Kissimmee, Florida.
There were 27 teams - 24 ‘B’ teams
and 3 ‘C’ teams, 19 of which were
from Conference USSSA. The top 5
seeds - D2E, Line drive, Reds Astros,
BuziniSports, and Primetime received
byes from the first round. Scoring was
low on the big 325 foot fields and the
4 home run limit that each team was
allowed was not often reached and
upsets were commonplace.
There were a bunch of close games early
in the tournament ChecKing/Worth out
of Connecticut beat #5 seed Primetime
14-13 on a walk off single by veteran
Justin Valenti in the bottom of the 7th.
Fence Brokers tied Down2EarthSports.
com on Friday night 15-15 going to the
bottom of the 7th when D2E’s Leslie
Griffis hit a walk off homer to beat
them. In the bottom half of the bracket
Westshore Pizza from Tampa, Florida
used a 2 run homer by Dan Dillingham
in the first inning and never looked back
to beat TPS/Sports Center 11-6, and then
led the whole way again in an upset win
over #3 seeded Reds Astros 22-17. SBS/
CSC/Combat from northern California
72 USSSA TODAY
used a Joe Yusko inside the park grand
slam to break a 4-4 tie with 3rd Street
Financial in the top of the 7th and went
on to win 10-5. This set up a second
round 8 AM game with Headhunters/
Cancooker out of Georgia. It would
end up being one of the best games of
the tournament. The game went into
extra innings when SBS middle infielder
Joe Yusko hit a 2 run double to tie the
game in the bottom of the 7th. In extra
innings Headhunters jumped out to a 3
run lead. Then in the bottom of the 8th
after a couple of walks the bases were
loaded and the game winning run came
to the plate in the form of Kaeo Rubin
with one out for SBS. Rubin proceeded
to hit the ball over the 325 foot fence in
right center field but Headhunters right
fielder Raley Vincent made a running/
leaping two step push off the fence
to elevate himself up above it and got
enough glove on the ball to knock it
back into the field of play. The runners
had to hold, or thought it was going to
be a home run, and they only advanced
one base for a long single. The next
batter grounded into a double play and
Headhunters won 15-13!
In the final 8 on Saturday, ChecKing won
11-4 over Buzinisports with a strong
wind blowing in on field #2. D2E had a
5 run first and led the whole way against
The Scene but The Scene had a chance
in the 7th, coming up short in a 12-10
loss. In the bottom half of the final 8,
Westshore Pizza led the whole game
against Xtreme/Combat and held on
14-12, and Line drive used a Billy Barrett
bottom of the 7th walk off single to
beat a dejected Headhunters team after
Headhunters had tied the game at 9-9
in the top of the 6th and taken the lead
on a 3 run homer in the top of the 7th
by Larkin Grant.
The final 4 stage was set. D2E handled
ChecKing 20-7 to move to the winner’s
bracket championship. In the bottom
half of the bracket Westshore Pizza
stunned Line drive Sportz with a 7 run
bottom of the 7th to win 16-15. Shawn
Zipperer had a huge pinch hit single and
Joey Labriola scored all the way from
first base on the hit to tie the game.
Then Nick Utley won the game with a
deep gap shot to right center field.
In the winner’s bracket championship
game a confident D2E team found
themselves in a tight low scoring contest
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midway through the game. Late in the
game, Leslie Griffis struck again for D2E
with a big 3 run homer and D2E held on
to win 13-10.
On Sunday morning Buzini played
Westshore Pizza in the loser’s bracket
championship. The game was close and
the ball quit flying in the morning heat
and humidity and Westshore’s outfield
was running down most everything.
Then in the bottom of the 7th with the
game tied at just 10 a piece, a walk,
a single by Justin Stuart, and a game
winning single by Kelly Hartman ended
the game with a Buzini win.
In the championship D2E finally had to
play from behind for the first time all
tournament against Buzini and in the
bottom of the 7th needed 2 runs to tie
and 3 to win. A walk to Bruce Nail and
a single by Leslie Griffis set up a game
winning home run by veteran Geno
Burdick to win the game and the ‘B’
World title for Down2EarthSports.com/
SBC/Worth!
Manager/Sponsor Drew
Dubberly’s first world title.
Down2EarthSports.com/SBC/Worth
The tournament was played in humid
and warm weather but overall it wasn’t
bad. Conference USSSA rules with no
floating rubber and no second strike
foul were used. The tournament had
Conference USSSA and other veteran
umpires on all fields and the Fortune
Road fences were 310 down the lines
and 325 in LC, CF, and RC. The wind did
negatively affect most fields.
There were only 4 run rule games in
the tournament and 37 of the 52 games
were decided by 5 or less runs!
Sponsor/Manager Drew Dubberly and MVP Justin Mucciareli
Recent ‘B’ World Winner’s
2012
Down2EarthSports.com /
SBC / Worth
2011
Blitz / Weller / Watanabe
/ MAB / Easton
2010
AJS / Easton / Supreme /
Mike Foulks / Mojo
2009
Northwest Combat / Trojans
2008
Team Bud Light / Easton
2007
Showcase / J & H /
Chanticlear / Combat
2006
ABS / Team LTP / Easton
2005
Kirby Investments
74 USSSA TODAY
Buzinisports.com/BWW/Worth (Second Place)
Historic Brownsville serves as site of
USSSA Hispanic World Tournament
photos by Scott Duffy
By Van Galeon, Contributing Writer
Olmito Heat- Olmito, TX
2012 USSSA Hispanic World Champions
BROWNSVILLE, TX – The southernmost
city in the mainland United States was
the battleground for the 2012 USSSA
Hispanic World Tournament. Brownsville
is located at the southern tip of Texas,
just across the Rio Grande River from
Matamoros, Mexico.
The tropical community, which is just 15
minutes from the beaches of popular
Spring Break destination South Padre
Island, has historic significance due
to the fact that it served as a site for
several battles in the Texas Revolution,
Mexican-American War and American
Civil War. The community recently made
a multi-million dollar investment in
building the modern Brownsville Sports
Park, which is where the tournament
was played.
“We were honored to have the privilege of hosting the USSSA Hispanic
World Tournament,” said Bean Ayala of
76 USSSA TODAY
Making sure all teams felt welcomed to Brownsville, TX was Mariano “Bean” Ayala, President/CEO of the
Brownsville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc.
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the Brownsville Convention & Visitors
Bureau. “It was a great opportunity to
showcase our community, and we want
to thank former USSSA director Skip
Keller for helping us produce this event.
In the Men’s Hispanic Competitive
Division, Olimto Heat from nearby
Olmito went undefeated to claim the
world championship. After getting a
first round bye, Olimto Heat defeated
Puro-Sho from Hermiston, Oregon (17-4)
in their first game. They followed that
with wins over MTS from McAllen, TX
(14-9) and JV Trucking from Edinburg,
TX (24-19) to advance to the championship. Olmito Heat then topped MTS
again to win their first ever world title.
2012 USSSA Hispanic World Runner-Up – MTS- McAllen,TX
Team manager Mark Burnias owns the
Flying Pig Bar & Grille, which is located
less than a mile from the Brownsville
Sports Park, and spirits were flying high
in the establishment after Olmito Heat
won the crown.
“I cannot be more proud of my guys,”
said a beaming Burnias. “To win a USSSA
world championship and to do it so close
to home, in front of our fans, is a dreamcome-true for me.”
In the competitive division, Julio Ruiz, Olmito Heat, was the MVP; Joe Gutierrez, Heat, was Outstanding Offensive
Player; Carlos Gallardo, MTS, was Outstanding Defensive Player and Mark Burnias, Olmito Heat, was named
Outstanding Manager.
MTS, who had defeated the Chicano
Cubs from Dallas (17-5) in their opening
game, made a nice rally after losing to
Olmito Heat in the second round. MTS
defeated Puro-Sho (17-5), Dirty Habits
from Weslaco, TX (12-5) and JV Trucking
(15-14) to make it to the championship
game.
JV Trucking settled for third place in
the division, while Dirty Habits came in
fourth. Puro-Sho and the Amigos from
San Antonio tied for fifth.
Julio Ruiz of Olmito Heat won the Most
Valuable Player Award. Joe Gutierrez of
Olmito Heat was named the Outstanding
Offensive Player and Carlos Gallardo
of MTS was tabbed the Outstanding
Defensive Player. Burnias received the
Outstanding Manager Award.
In the E Division, Diego Garza, Gangs Back, was MVP,; Jose Ortiz, Gangs Back, was Outstanding Offensive Player
while Edmund Lopez, Baaaaad, was selected Outstanding Defensive Player. Ruben Ramirez, Gangs Back, received
the Outstanding Manager Award.
78 USSSA TODAY
Other players named to the All-World
Tournament team were Hawk Scott,
Rosalio Rosales, George Guevara and
Nick Shay, of Olmito Heat; Raymond
Zuniga, Otis Powers, Mark Lopez and
Sergio Hernandez, of MTS; Rogelio
Villarreal, Luis Uresti, Hugo Garcia and
Juan Rochha, of JV Trucking; and Martin
Cantu, Brett Treadaway and Mario
Garza, of Dirty Habits.
In the Men’s Hispanic E Division, Gangs
Back made the 30-hour drive from
Sanger in northern California for the
tournament and made the trip worthwhile by going undefeated to win
the world championship. Gangs Back
defeated Los Vecinos from Olmito, TX
(22-7), Dugout Mafia from Mission, TX
(20-15) and Cash Money from Harlingen,
TX (16-4) to advance to the championship game.
Baaaaad from Corpus Christi lost not only
their first game, to Texas Powerhouse
from Edinburg, TX (17-2), but also their
second game to South Texas X-Rated
from Raymondville (12-11). But the
tournament format was a three-game
guarantee, so Baaaaad was still alive.
And they made the most of that extra
opportunity, by defeating Los Vecinos
(11-8), El Barrio from Harlingen (18-9),
Texas Powerhouse (23-9), Dugout Mafia
(13-10) and Cash Money (6-5) to make
it all the way back to the championship
game. Gangs Back ended the run with
a 16-10 win to claim the world crown,
as Baaaaad settled for the runnerup
trophy with a 5-3 record.
Overlooking the beautiful Brownsville Sports Park were: (left to right) Armando DeLeon,Jr.,Detail Screen Printing
and Embroidery/DP Sports, Bean Ayala and former USSSA director, Skip Keller.
Cash Money came in third place, Dugout
Mafia finished fourth, and Texas
Powerhouse and South Texas X-Rated
tied for fifth.
Diego Garza of Gangs Back was named
the Most Valuable Player of the division. Teammate Jose Ortiz was named
the Outstanding Offensive Player, while
Edmund Lopez of Baaaaad was named
the Outstanding Defensive Player.
Ruben Ramirez of Gangs Back received
the Outstanding Manager Award.
Gangs Back- Sanger, CA – Hispanic E Champion
Others named to the All-World
Tournament
Team
were
Richard
Gonzales, Albert Ramirez, Anthony
Munoz and Sal Gonzales, of Gangs Back;
Gilbert Gonzalez, Richard Clem, Oscar
Ayala and Richard Sanchez, of Baaaaad;
Joey Salazar, Chuck Mena, Mingo Salinas
and Ruben Garcia, of Cash Money;
and Albert Luna, Javier Soliz and Julio
Hinojosa, of Dugout Mafia.
There was also a Home Run Derby
during the tournament, and first place
went to John Garcia of Baaaaad.
BAAAAAD- Corpus Christi, TX – Hispanic E Runner- Up
USSSA TODAY 79
I know this is a reach...
but why not break in your bat the old
fashion way through BP sessions?
by Dennis Turner
Another exciting season has
come to an end for most
of you and some of you
are still rockin’ and rollin’
through leagues and tournaments depending on where
you live. Here at Louisville
Slugger, the temperature is
cooling off and I am getting
ready for all of the slowpitch associations national
conventions that will take
place in both October and
November.
For those of you still knocking
the ball out of the park, I
know you have seen or even
used our new Z2000 highend slow-pitch bats. These
bats are making a lot of noise
with both the USSSA/NSA
and ASA balanced and endloaded models. These USSSA
Z2000 bats have the new 1.20
fingerprint (shown below)
that will be mandatory on all
USSSA bats for play effective
January 1, 2013. This new bat
standard is designed to meet
a new Accelerated Break-In
test (ABI) and new requirements for anti-altering so
the game is not dictated by
players that choose to alter
their bats for the way the
manufacturers
designed
them to perform. With all
of the latest and greatest
technology breakthroughs
that all of manufacturers
are putting into their bats, I
80 USSSA TODAY
really see no reason to take
the time and either roll or
shave a bat. How about this,
and this is a crazy thought,
but get your butt out to the
field for a couple BP sessions
per week and break in your
bat the way it is supposed
to be broke in and this way
you can work on hitting
your lanes and holes, thus
making you a better player
and getting your bat ready
for tournament play. I’m just
saying!
I want to give some shout
outs to some of our great
teams that represented both
on and off of the field and
want to say “Thanks!” for
each one of these teams
representing the Louisville
Slugger slow-pitch brand:
Shoppe/Team TPS/Elite 55-26 (“A”) Conference USSSA 5th overall
World Series
• Tied 7th place USSSA Men’s “B”
World Series
Westshore Pizza/TPS 25-22 (“B”) –
Conference USSSA 29th overall
• 3rd place USSSA Men’s “B” Worlds
• Tied 9th place USSSA Men’s “A”
World Series
3rd Street Financial/Shinetime/TPS
(“B”)
military, and have sustained
serious injuries resulting in
amputation while serving in
the military, plays softball
just like you and I do and are
as competitive as the next
guy. Even though they have
prosthetics, you would never
be able to tell as they move
freely and play the game
with passion and heart. I
encourage you to visit their
website to find out where
they will be next as they
travel throughout the states
playing in exhibitions as they
are great ambassadors to
the sport and to Louisville
Slugger both on and off of
the field. www.woundedwarrioramputeesoftball team.com
• ASA “A” National Championships –
2nd Place
• Team TPS 40’s Senior Softball Team
LVSSA/SSUSA World Masters
Champions
• Tied 7th place USSSA Men’s Major
World Series
• Tied 9th place USSSA Men’s “A”
World Series
Red’s/Astros/TPS/Sports Den 40-21
(“B”) – Conference USSSA 14th
overall
• Tied 5th place USSSA Men’s Major
• Featuring Mikey Rodriguez, Derrick
Williams and Marko Andrade
Another team that Louisville
Slugger sponsors that does
not get much press on
the circuit is the WWAST
(Wounded Warrior Amputee
Softball Team). This group
of young men, who have
served our country in the
Well, that wraps up another
successful season here at
Louisville Slugger. I look
forward to talking to you
more about our new products that will be coming out
in the near future at the 2013
Softball Magazine Spring
Training in Cocoa Beach. So
until next year, stay focused
and play hard.
DT
Reds Astros/TPS make big splash
in first year of Conference USSSA
By Greg Huchingson, Managing Editor
Reds Astros/TPS/Sports Den
When Herb Price first broke into softball
in 1970, the game looked a lot different
than it does today. Wooden bats,
275-foot fences, no home run limits and
just one division – with all teams playing
together.
Price had just graduated from Ball State
University and started a job as chief
accountant at Community Hospital in
Anderson, Indiana. He had played a
lot of baseball in his youth and some
fast-pitch softball in college, and still
had a competitive itch that needed to
be scratched. So he started a slow-pitch
softball team among his co-workers at
the hospital.
“We won the city championship our
very first year,” said Price. “I even hit
the game-winning walk-off home run.
But it didn’t take me very long to figure
out that I was better at organizing and
coaching than playing, so I began to
recruit some better talent.”
The names Anderson Merchants and
Anderson Aces were already taken by
other teams, so Price settled on the
name Anderson Astros for his team.
either playing, coaching or sponsoring.”
“It was the Astronaut era, with the
NASA Space program kicking up around
that time, and I just like the way the
name ‘Anderson Astros’ flowed,” said
Price. “It had nothing to do with the
Houston Astros. The name ‘Astros’ has
been included in every team I have had
for the past 43 years.”
Legend has it that Ponce De Leon
was in search of Florida in the 16th
Century when he stumbled upon the
legendary Fountain of Youth. Now, as
Price prepares for his 65th birthday in
January, he and Moore may have found
their own Fountain of Youth in Floridabased Conference USSSA.
Price’s partner for the past seven of
those years has been co-sponsor Red
Moore, who got his nickname from
both the color of his hair and an experience he had in 1963 at the age of 13.
Price and Moore are the sponsors of
Reds Astros/TPS/Sports Den, a Men’s B
team based in Indianapolis. The team
is made up of players from the tri-state
area of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
“I earned the right to be a ball boy
for the Cincinnati Reds. That year Pete
Rose was a rookie and Stan Musial was
retiring from baseball,” Moore recalled.
“The Reds gave him a rocking chair and
a cake, which I helped carry out to him
on national TV for his final game in
Cincinnati. I lived 25 miles south of there
on a farm. That year my older kinfolks
and friends asked me to join them in an
organized softball league. This is now
my 50th year and I have never stopped
Prior to 2011, the team played almost
exclusively in other associations in their
own neighborhood and kept feeling
unfulfilled. Then, they dabbed their
toes in the waters of Conference USSSA
for the first time in 2011, playing in
Columbus (IN) and Cincinnati and went
3-2 in each of those events. Price had
been infatuated with the Great Smoky
Mountain Classic since the early 1970s,
when the tournament was still in its
formative years, and really wanted to
USSSA TODAY 81
play in it in 2012. But due to the enormous popularity and demand for openings, the only way to get
in was by joining Conference USSSA.
So, Price and Moore whipped out their checkbook
and wrote the $5,000 check to enter the Conference.
Price noted there were many years when that amount
exceeded the entire annual budget of his teams.
“We had played in a couple of (Conference) tournaments in the past, and we thought we could compete,
so we joined,” said Price. “It was a little tough at
first (writing the check) but it has been well worth
the investment. Conference USSSA far exceeded my
expectations. We got nine entry fees paid, free hotel
rooms at the B, Conference and Major, plus travel
money at the B and Major. That up front entry fee
was well worth the investment for us.”
Co-Sponsor Red Moore- 50 years of softball
participation and counting.
First base coach, Jerry “Snake” Scudder.
Moore was equally impressed by his first experience
in Conference USSSA.
“Playing in the Conference has given us a lot of
exposure and I love competition,” said Moore. “As
we all know, this is where the very best players in
the United State are playing. It is also the most organized softball I have ever played.”
Shortstop Travis Dale- first team All
Conference Class B
Lefty Steve Kingsolver- always a tough out
Due to budget constraints, the Reds Astros/TPS did
not play their first Conference event this year until
May 11 in Columbus, IN where they tied for fifth
place. They followed that up by tying for ninth in
Nashville, fifth in Chicago, 13th at the Smoky and
fifth in Cincinnati. They needed a strong showing
in their sixth and final qualifier at the Last Chance
in Detroit to overcome extremely long odds and
qualify for the Men’s Major World Series. They went
7-2 (with six of the wins coming in the loser’s bracket
after losing their second game) to finish third. That
made them one of just four B teams to qualify for
the Major World Series, and the only team of any
classification to qualify without playing in the Hall
of Fame Dual Event to open the season.
Red Astros/TPS never even stepped on an airplane
until the Conference USSSA Championships on
Labor Day weekend, where they went 5-3 to finish
in second place. Then, after tying for seventh at the
Men’s B World Tournament, Reds Astros/TPS made
a strong fifth place showing at the Major World
Series.
The team finished the year with a 40-21 overall record,
which included a 13-5 record against fellow B teams
and an impressive 12-8 record against A teams. Reds
Astros/TPS were 3-0 in matchups against eventual
Men’s A world champion R&M Metals/Easton, and
were especially proud of a 36-31 win over reigning
world champion Resmondo/Worth in Chicago.
Veteran Fred Lawson
82 USSSA TODAY
Equipped with a Louisville SluggerZ2000, Chad
Mullins lines a single to left.
“I was amazed how our team responded in our first
attempt in Conference play against all those strong
teams; we plan on being back in 2013,” said Price.
© 2012 Hillerich & Bradsby Co., Louisville, KY. All rights reserved. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit MLB.com.
Tim Cocco, Team TPS
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“Most of our underpaid group of warriors will return
for us. Five of our guys received offers many times
more than the $50 per weekend we could afford. But
it looks like all have opted to stay together to battle
the best again. Pretty amazing. These are highcharacter guys. Some turned down more for playing
weekend ball than they make in a week of hard
work. Can never thank these guys enough. I wish I
could find enough extra sponsor help to do more for
them. I will throw in every extra penny I can afford
or find to help them.”
Reds Astros’ pitcher, Ryan “Pugs” Joiner.
While Reds Astros/TPS are new to Conference USSSA,
they certainly are not new to softball. In fact, they
are primarily a veteran team led by John Steele (48),
Tony Henry (46), Randy Lawson (45), Dennis Buis
(43), Fred Lawson (42) and Rob Roop (41). Players
in their thirties include Steve Kingsolver (38), Doug
Martin (38), Brian Farrar (36), Jody Wendel (35),
Chris Lane (35), Wally Maybrier (34) and Chad Mullin
(31).The remaining players on the team are Justin
Aldora, Joshua Bowen, Travis Dale, Ryan Joiner,
Troy Krider and Jake Stambazze. Maybrier made the
All-Tournament Team at the Major World Series.
Reds Astros/TPS has an equipment contract with
Louisville Slugger, where they have a long working
relationship with both special consultant Hank Bassett
and slow-pitch business manager Dennis Turner.
Wally Maybrier’s hustle beats out a close play at first. Maybrier was a first team All Conference
Class B selection.
“I’ve known both Red and Herb for over two decades
and they are the same now as they were when I
first came to know them – modest, but competitive; a great love and appreciation for the game; a
great appreciation for others – sponsors, coaches,
players and tournament directors; and a great eye
for undervalued and unappreciated talent,” said
Bassett. “Sponsors and coaches like Red and Herb
are what the game is truly all about. Individuals
who are sincere in their support of their players and
because of that their teams have a camaraderie and
spirit that invariably makes them overachievers.”
Bassett added, “They both also share the fact that
they have wives who share their love of the game
and support them beyond all that most wives would
consider within reason. I consider myself very fortunate to have known, competed against and worked
with each of them these many years.”
Turner said team chemistry is what brought Reds
Astros/TPS to the forefront.
Co-Sponsor Herb Price was intrigued with the NASA Space program in the early 70’s and hence the
Astros name. There is no tie-in with the Houston Astros baseball club, that many people speculate.
84 USSSA TODAY
“This team is a collection of young talent and
veterans who care more about the name on the front
of their jersey, than the name on the back of their
jersey,” said Turner. “A group of scrappy players that
never got caught up in who they were playing, just
the fact that they were able to play the game and
compete against the best. These guys played with
more heart and passion than most teams I have seen
in a long time.”
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Top Texas teams crowned at
‘Battle for the Rings’
By Van Galeon, Contributing Writer
MANSFIELD, TEXAS – A spirit that
dates back to the very foundation of
the Republic of Texas was on display
recently when adult slow-pitch softball
teams battled for their biggest prize
in the state these days – the Lone Star
Shootout Series Championship Rings.
Championship Series is the premier
adult slow-pitch softball program in
Texas. Qualifiers began in early January
and were held in every corner of the
state on a weekly basis, culminating
with the Grand Championship “Battle
for the Rings” in late summer.
Texas heroes such as Jim Bowie, James
Fannin, William B. Travis and Davey
Crockett, along with fellow Texan and
Tejano soldiers, lost their lives and their
land on March 6, 1836 at the “Battle
of the Alamo” in San Antonio. But
less than two months later, Gen. Sam
Houston and revamped Texas troops
won back that land and their independence at the “Battle of San Jacinto”
near Houston.
In true Texas tradition, where everything is bigger, Super Bowl-style rings
were awarded to members of the championship teams in each division. This
year’s piece featured a prominent star
surrounded by stones on the face of
the gaudy ring. And though some say
it resembles the star worn on the side
of the helmet of a popular pro football
team in Dallas, it actually signifies the
lone “Star” of the Lone Star Shootout
Series.
The spirit of that Texan resilience was
on display – in a slightly less important arena – on July 28-29 this year at
the Lone Star Shootout “Battle for the
Rings” held at Big League Dreams in
Mansfield, as ALL SIX divisions went
down to an “if” game. Some teams
simply refused to lose.
The
Lone
Star
86 USSSA TODAY
Shootout
State
Prior to 2011, the “Battle for the Rings”
was a simple head-to-head, best-outof-five game series between the North
Texas State Champion and the South
Texas State Champion in each division. But starting last year, the “Battle
for the Rings” was expanded to a fullfledged, invitation-only double-elimi-
nation tournament held at Big League
Dreams in Mansfield. The modern eightfield complex was selected due to its
large number of fields, plus its recently
installed FieldTurf playing surfaces
which virtually eliminates weatherrelated issues. The tournament consisted
of 120 teams from all across Texas, plus
a few from Louisiana, Oklahoma and
Arkansas.
In every division except Men’s B, there
were 10 automatic invitations handed
out for the “Battle for the Rings.” Those
bids went to the top two finishers at
five tournaments – the North Texas
State Finals (Mansfield), South Texas
State Finals (League City), Southwest
State Finals (San Antonio), the gigantic
Budweiser Softball Festival (BryanCollege Station) and North Texas
Budfest (Mansfield). At-large berths
were awarded to other teams with the
next highest point totals in the Lone
Star Shootout Final Standings.
Resilience was on display in spades in
the Men’s C Division, where the pretournament favorite among the 16
teams was the No. 1-ranked Texas Regulators from Garland.
The Regulators were still playing with heavy hearts after the
unexpected death of their coach, Buddy Wren, less than one
month earlier. In their only prior appearance since Wren’s
death, the Regulators went 0-2 at the Little Rock Major.
Things didn’t start out well for the Texas Regulators at the
“Battle for the Rings” either, as they lost their first round game
to Olmito Heat (12-11). The Regulators then dropped to the
loser’s bracket and defeated Steel/AYS/Glove It Sports (16-3),
Prototype/Soldi (18-6) and Vivid/NTX Mayhem (18-6) in a game
that did not end until after 4 a.m. Sunday. The Regulators
returned to the park a few hours later, with very little sleep,
and defeated the Jokers (13-5), Stanley Law/TWP (12-10) and
Budweiser/Frank’s/Gooseneck (14-10) to make it all the way
back to the championship against the team that handed them
their first loss. The Regulators then proceeded to double-dip
Olmito Heat, 20-5 and 23-14, to claim the championship with
an 8-1 record.
Men’s B, 1st, Miken Mafia/ASPNation (Rowlett)
“Buddy would have been so excited to see this,” said manager
Craig Burns. “He put his heart into the team this year, and this
was our goal. These guys showed how much heart they have
after losing the very first game then coming all the way back
against great competition.”
Olmito Heat overcame long odds as well in capturing second
place, as their players had to make a 10-hour drive from the
Rio Grande Valley just to get to the tournament. Their 4-2
record earned the runnerup trophy and made them immediate contenders to watch for at the USSSA Hispanic World
Tournament to be held just minutes from their hometown in
Brownsville later this year.
Budweiser/Frank’s/Gooseneck from Bryan-College Station
came in third place; Stanley Law/TWP from Oklahoma City
finished fourth; and the Jokers from Ft. Worth and Old School
from Spring tied for fifth. The rest of the Top 10 consisted
of TheFactoryGirl from Forney and Vivid/NTX Mayhem from
Plano, tied for seventh; and Whut It Dew from San Antonio,
Texas Bombers from Houston, Call Your Shot from Round Rock,
and Prototype/Soldi from Kennedale, all tied for ninth.
Men’s C, 1st, Texas Regulators (Garland)
Members of the All-Tournament team included: Jeff Toborsky,
Shawn Burris, Austin Denney, Preston Spurlin and Stephen
Cooper, of Texas Regulators; Anthony Salinas, Mike Aguirre,
Julio Ruiz and Hawk Scott, of Olmito Heat; Kip Todhunter, Jared
Lehman and Kevin Ballard, of Budweiser/Frank’s/Gooseneck;
and Dusty Brown, Chris Townley and Brian Masoner, of Stanley
Law/TWP. Others named All-Tournament were Garvin Mikesh
(Whut It Dew), A.J. Cicconi (Select Few), Brian Elliott (Prototype/
Soldi), Patrick Guajardo (Call Your Shot), Noel Nevarez (Vivid/
NTX Mayhem), Cody Kagiorgis (TheFactoryGirl) and Monte
Lewis (Old School).
In the 28-team Men’s D Bracket, it was a team that was
bumped from E to D after the 2011 season that won it all. The
DC Outlaws went 81-34 against E opponents in 2011, but the
“Battle for the Rings” was not one of their better moments,
as they went 0-2 in that one. But despite getting bumped
this year, DC/Y&R/Middle Finger Crew from Houston, made it
back to the Big Dance. DC/Y&R earned their berth by finishing
Men’s D, 1st, DC/Y&R (Houston)
USSSA TODAY 87
second at the Lone Star South Texas D State Finals, then backed
that up with an impressive third place finish playing up in the
STX C State Finals the following weekend.
At the 2012 “Battle for the Rings,” DC/Y&R posted wins over
Owen Oil Tools (12-11), Wasted Weekends (13-3), Bad Decisions
(16-14), LA Classic/Buzini (18-17) and Hitmen (12-9) to advance
to the championship game. That’s five wins with all except one
by either one, two or three runs. After losing to DC/Y&R in the
king seat game, the Hitmen dropped to the loser’s bracket and
knocked off the 409ers to get another shot in the championship. The Hitmen even beat DC/Y&R, before the Houston team
rebounded in the “if” game to claim the championship with a
14-11 win and 6-1 record. DC/Y&R had a run differential of just
1.28 in their seven games. That’s cutting it close.
Women’s, 1st, Team Dallas Women (Dallas)
“We wanted to come up here and rep for H-Town against
all the great competition in this tournament,” said manager
Gabriel Rivera. “We did that and proved we are the best D
team in Texas for 2012.”
The Hitmen from San Antonio are a team of veterans who
were a longtime fixture in Men’s C. But after going 1-6 against
C opponents in 2011, they successfully appealed to drop to
Class D. And manager Joe Antu’s crew only had a mediocre
17-16 record against D opponents this year, before coming out
of nowhere to finish second with a 6-2 record at “Battle for
the Rings.”
The 409ers from Galveston went 5-2 to claim third place;
JBSA-Lackland, a military team from San Antonio, went 5-2
to finish fourth; and LA Classic/Buzini from Bossier City, La.
and Wharton’s Worst Nightmares from Wharton tied for fifth.
WWN is another true success story, as they won first place at
the 2011 “Battle for the Rings” in Men’s E. But rather than
break up and scatter like cowards, as many teams do after
getting an end-of-year bump, WWN stuck together and have
had a successful season in the D division, cracking the top five
at the next higher level in the “Battle For The Rings.”
Mixed, 1st, Alldaysports.com (Carrollton)
Men’s D, 2nd, Hitmen (San Antonio)
88 USSSA TODAY
The rest of the Top 10 consisted of Realside Softball from
Dallas and BTX Bulls/Elite from Beaumont, tied for seventh
place; and Texas Rage from Edinburg, Wasted Weekend from
Allen, AMPM/Glove It Sports from Houston and Bad Decisions
from San Antonio, all tied for ninth.
Members of the All-Tournament team included: Larry Juarez,
Steven Diaz, Joshua Biehl, Thomas Darr and Dominic Cano,
of DC/Y&R; Gil Carbajal, Trey Roberts, Angel Cruz and Joey
Antu III, of Hitmen; Robert Salinas, Lance Sholmire and Daniel
Boyington, of 409ers; and Brett Cannon, Brian Goelz and Chris
Brinkhaus, of JBSA-Lackland. Others named All-Tournament
were Devin Trotti (Wharton’s Worst Nightmares), Chris Garcia
(Realside), Noel Guerra (Brewskies), Luis Hernandez (Famous/
A3), Denton Aguam (Outlawz/Oak Cliff’s Finest), Chris Almanza
(Dynasty), Kevin Barrey (Angry Chimps), Elliott Escamilla (Team
Texas), Jonathan Lord (H&H), Jason Yankie (Team Worth
It), Mitch Best (Owen Oil Tools), Paul Knaus (Team FU), Ryan
McDonald (Sinister/RL), Jason White (Smashouse), David Holland
(Hit and Run), Felipe Rodriguez (Team MTS), Jared Ledbetter
(Bass Tools), Jordan Hooker (Wasted Weekend), David Escobar
(Texas Rage) and Taylor Beavers (LA Classic/Buzini).
The largest bracket of the tournament was Men’s E, which
featured 32 teams. Coming into the “Battle for the Rings”, the
Phenoms from San Antonio had three first place finishes on
their resume, but had finished only fourth at the Southwest
State Finals and tied for ninth at the Budweiser Festival. Then
in the most important tournament of the year, the Phenoms
defeated Disruption (4-2), Batteries Plus (16-4), Devilz Rejectz
(11-6), Back-AlleyStrokers (11-6) and Ain’t No Easy (18-4) to
advance to the championship game undefeated.
Meanwhile, Guess Who from Magnolia defeated No Chance
(15-3), Goons (12-7) and Buckwild (7-6), before losing to
Ain’t No Easy (14-11). Then, Guess Who dropped to the loser’s
bracket and knocked off the Devilz Rejectz (12-9), Back-Alley
Strokers (14-13) and Ain’t No Easy in a re-match (13-3) to make
it to the championship. Guess Who knocked off the Phenoms
(16-13) in the first game to set up a winner-take-all “if” game,
but the Phenoms rallied for a thrilling 11-10 win to capture the
crown with a 6-1 record. Guess Who settled for second place
with a 7-2 mark.
“This team just got together in 2011, and most of the guys
were teammates on the baseball team back in high school at
Burbank High (in San Antonio),” said manager Troy Arredondo.
“This is so awesome for it being our first time being here. To
beat out the 32 best teams in Texas was cool.”
Ain’t No Easy from Austin came in third place with a 4-2
record; Back-Alley Strokers from Spring finished fourth also at
4-2; while the Devilz Rejectz from Richmond and B&N Sports
Bar/Texas Crooks from San Antonio tied for fifth. The rest of
the Top 10 consisted of SOS Softball/Autoplex from Baytown
and GT Crew/CSC from Seguin, tied for seventh; and Mayhem
from Houston, Batteries Plus from College Station, Dirty Sox/
On The Rox from Conroe, and Buckwild from Houston, all tied
for ninth.
Members of the All-Tournament team included: Nick Esparza,
John Tejada, James Holton, Gilbert Campos and Ralphie Lopez,
of the Phenoms; Jeremy Collins, James Kelley, Devon Conroy
and Adam Deltgen, of Guess Who; Reno Malay, Derrick Walls
and Mike Turnipseed, of Ain’t No Easy; and Dustin McCoy,
Brian Cote and Buddy Yen III, of Back-Alley Strokers. Others
making All-Tournament were Ruben Ybanez III (Baaaaad),
Phillip Farmer (DTA), Jacob Ryan (Texas Swagger), Scott Vidrine
(Goons), Paul Quintanilla (Disruption), Jose Flores (Chuggers),
Dalton Vanatta (Cen-Tex Outlaws), John Flores (Chop City),
Thomas Quinones (B.O.B.), Toby Stripling (Texas Rampage),
Andrew Wells (Akin 2 Live), Jason Gonzales (Young Bucks),
Keith McMillan (Team Impact), Inocente Rea (NTX Takeover),
Shawn Davis (Batteries Plus), Pete Almaraz IV (Buckwild), Graig
Harrison (Mayhem), Ronald Lawson (GT Crew), Josh Luna (SOS/
Autopolex), Tyrone Fields (Devilz Rejectz) and Blake Cisneros
(Dirty Sox).
In 2011, Team Dallas Women advanced all the way to the championship game of the “Battle for the Rings” before settling
for second place in the Women’s C/D bracket. This year, they
would not be denied. Team Dallas Women posted wins over
Genesis (14-8), Jolt (10-5) and Lady Top Dog (13-4) to make it
to Sunday undefeated. But they lost the King Seat game to
HarmsWay (10-7). Then Team Dallas Women dropped to the
loser’s bracket and eliminated the red-hot Lady Brokers (10-8)
to make it back to the championship, where they proceeded to
double-dip HarmsWay, 7-0 and 11-4, to finally win their rings.
“This feels great,” said leadoff batter Temeka Stoker. “It was
so disappointing when we lost in the championship game last
year. But we were determined to come back and win those
rings this year. And we did.”
HarmsWay from nearby Ft. Worth was the runner-up this year
with a 4-2 record, while the Lady Brokers from Houston came
in third at 6-2 and Cajun Chaos from Haughton, La. came in
fourth at 4-2. Cajun Chaos won first place at the 2011 “Battle
for the Rings” playing under the name Louisiana’s Finest as a
D team.
Lady Top Dog from Beaumont and Lady Terror Squad from
Bryan tied for fifth place, while the Lady Warhawks from
San Antonio and WTC Team Texas Blast from Lubbock tied
for seventh. The remainder of the Top 10 was Lady Ego from
Houston, Famous Freaks from Sanger, B&T Express from
Houston, and Jolt from Arlington, all tied for ninth.
Members of the All-Tournament team included: Kamara
Stancle, Melissa Gholston, Tracey Rodgers, Brittany Washington
and Towana Tollette, of Team Dallas Women; Carol Wells, Misty
Rowell, Terri Puinter and Courtney Walters, of HarmsWay;
Monica Phillips, Kiamesha Goynes and April Garcia, of Lady
Brokers; and Leanne Shanks, Shannon Miles and Deni Zeigler,
of Cajun Chaos. Others named All-Tournament were Yolanda
Garcia (Connection), Desirae Soto (San Antonio Aces), Andrea
Gonzales (Lady Hard Shots), Kara Liakos (Rated-R Supa Stars),
Joyce Williams (Texas Queens), Renee Rea (B&T Express),
Melissa Ream (Jolt), Tara Fields (Lady Warhawks), Tawna
Williams (Team Texas Blast) and Christina Jacques (Lady Top
Dog).
In the 20-team Mixed C/D Bracket, Alldaysports.com from
Carrollton won their first five games over UA/Urban Assault
(17-12), Co-ed Connection (10-8), Angels & Demons (12-11),
Craftmasters/Half Nuts (10-9) and Team Prototype (14-0) to
advance to the championship game. Co-ed Connection from
San Antonio took a less-conventional path. After losing their
first game to Alldaysports.com, Co-Connection dropped to
the loser’s bracket and reeled off consecutive wins over PHS/
ASPNation.com (9-8), G.M.B. (15-12), High Octane (12-5),
Craftmasters/Half Nuts (17-16), Angels & Demons (16-14) and
Team Prototype (9-5) to make it back to the finals. Co-ed
Connection then beat Alldaysports.com (16-8) to set up an “if”
game, which Alldaysports.com won (16-5) to capture first place
with a 6-1 record. Co-ed Connection had to settle for second
place at 7-2.
Team Prototype from Dallas came in third at 3-2; Angels &
Demons from Austin finished fourth at 4-2, and Sluggers from
Friendswood and Craftmasters/Half Nuts from Brenham tied
for fifth. The rest of the Top 10 consisted of 90 Proof from
Center and High Octane from Carrollton, tied for seventh; and
123 Not It from Euless, Cen-Tex Outlaws Co-ed from Harker
Heights, G.M.B. from Ft. Worth and DGKoed from Houston, all
tied for ninth.
USSSA TODAY 89
Members of the All-Tournament team included Luke Evans,
Kip Todhunter, Alicia Zamora, Tawna Williams and James
Barron, of Alldaysports.com; George Govea, Donte LaPoint,
Sarah Kimec and Greg Perez, of Co-ed Connection; Ethan
Stackler, Levi Coon and Cory Waldrop, of Team Prototype; and
Zach Fisher, Adam Carter and Archie Windham, of Angels &
Demons. Others named All-Tournament were Voncia Ducre
(Whut It Dew), Raul Gomez Jr. (UTI), Raul Cantu (Cen-Tex
Outlaws), Damien Delasbour (PHS/ASPNation), Pablo Cuellar
(The Misfits), Lindsey Halter (G.M.B.), Joseph Reed Jr. (DGKoed),
Matt Diverdi (90 Proof), Cameron Squirres (High Octane), Caley
Jeter (Craftmasters) and Natasha Tate (Team Juggernaut/HTC).
There was also a four-team Men’s B/Conference C “Upper”
Bracket in the tournament, and all had enjoyed success at
various times this year. Team All-Out/DaBomb from Houston
shocked the softball world by scoring an upset over defending
Major Open world champion Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth
en route to a fourth place finish at the Texas Star Major in
Euless. Texas Miken Softball Club from Pearland, who played
in Conference USSSA in 2011, tied for seventh at the Space
City Major in League City. Sagnasty/Worth/Prototype from
Saginaw and Miken Mafia/ASPNation from Rowlett were both
in Conference USSSA as C teams this year. Sagnasty tied for
fifth place at both the Texas Legends Major and Busch Major
in Little Rock, while Miken Mafia placed third at Space City and
fourth at Little Rock.
Stands were packed for the Friday night All-Star Games
Miken Mafia/ASPNation featured weekend pickups of
Conference USSSA players L.C. Watson from Resmondo, Justin
Stuart and Brady Bascle from Buzinisports.com/BWW/Worth,
and Rodney Fail from The Scene. Meanwhile, Sagnasty/Worth/
Prototype had just one pickup, Cory Large from Line Drive, and
Texas Miken also had just one pickup, Mark Dennis from The
Scene, while Team All-Out/Da Bomb had no Conference USSSA
pickups.
With their four new players leading the way, Miken Mafia/
ASPNation went undefeated to grab first place, winning all
three games by 10-plus runs. Sagnasty/Worth/Prototype went
2-2 to come in second place, while Texas Miken was third. Team
All-Out/DaBomb was fourth.
Members of the All-Tournament team were Justin Stuart,
Charles Key, Jason Trammell, Chris Potts and Marcus Thornton,
of Miken Mafia; Luke Evans, Trace Reynolds, Juan Rodriguez
and Cooper Vittitow, of Sagnasty; Kenny Hare, Matt Kainer
and Ryan Riddle, of Texas Miken; and Kevin Cooper and Frank
Reyna, of All-Out/DaBomb.
The weekend festivities at “Battle for the Rings” began Friday
night with three All-Star Games on Polo Grounds Field. The
first game featured Women’s players and North Texas, led by
manager Dwayne Crisp, held on for a narrow win over South
Texas. The second game was for Men’s D/E players, and the
South Texas under manager Billy Ward scored a decisive victory
over the North to even things up. The third and deciding
game was for Men’s B/C players, and manager John Heath’s
North All-Stars pounded the South to win the night for the
Northerners.
Greg Huchingson proudly displays 2012 Battle For The Rings Championship trophies.
90 USSSA TODAY
The Whole Enchilada
Invades Las Cruces
by Larry Meraz
Cheba Hut Albuquerque, N.M. 1st place Men’s C class
Wierd Tucson, AZ 1st place Men’s D class
Of the more than 250 teams that played in The Whole Enchilada
Softball Tournament, not one of them only wanted a piece of
the enchilada, they wanted the whole thing.
The Whole Enchilada Softball Tournament has invaded Las
Cruces, NM for more than 30 years and has been bringing in
more than 2,000 attendees and tailgaters for at least 20 of
those years if not more. The tournament started at 5 p.m. on
Oct. 5, and ran continuously for 73 hours until 6 p.m. on Oct. 7
ending with the Men’s E class championship.
The tournament drew in a wide range of competitors and
included divisions in the Men’s C, D and E class and Women’s
C and D class.
The weather could not have been any better for one of the
most competitive and anticipated softball tournaments in the
region. Teams came from far and near including teams from
Ohio, Calif., Colo., Texas and N.M.
“The tournament ran very smoothly and the weather was
great,” USSSA director for New Mexico Bert Frederick said.
“This was probably the smoothest and most competitive tournament we’ve had so far.”
USSSA TODAY 91
The results
In the Men’s C class, Cheba Hut out of
Albuquerque, N.M. took home the
crown going undefeated and beating
Patas Para Arriva Puta also from
Albuquerque, N.M., in the championship game 20-15. Canes Softball 51210
from the San Antonio/Austin, Texas area
took third place.
The defensive tournament MVP for the
Men’s C class was Johnny Gresman from
Patas Para Arriva Puta. The offensive
tournament MVP was Alan Montano
and the overall tournament MVP was
Josh Mora, both from Cheba Hut.
Remax AZ 1st place Men’s E class
“It was a great tournament and it was
an honor winning the overall tournament MVP,” said Josh Mora, who only
recorded one out during the whole
tournament.
“This was the best tournament for us
all year and having all our guys here
playing hard really helped us win this
tournament,” Mora said.
Cheba Hut’s coach Felix Chavez said they
prepared for this tournament by playing
in at least three tournaments a month
this past year. He also said that having
their team play together for the past 5
years has really helped them grow and
become a better team.
Affliction Albuquerque, N.M. 1st place Women’s C class
In the Men’s D class, Weird from Phoenix,
Ariz blew away Las Cruces’ own Team
Bones 20-1 in the championship game.
Disturbed/Miken from Albuquerque,
N.M. took home the third place trophy.
The defensive tournament MVP for the
Men’s D class went to Joel Rodriguez
from Team Bones. The offensive tournament MVP went to Derek Oakley and
the overall tournament MVP went to
Rey Rodriguez both from Weird.
In the Men’s E class, Remax from
Maricopa, Ariz. Took first place beating
Synergy from Phoenix, Ariz. 14-2 in
the championship game. NBD/LPC/
Middlesopen.net from Chandler, Ariz.
took third place.
The defensive tournament MVP went to
Robert Tolliver from Synergy. The offensive and overall tournament MVP’s were
determined at a later time.
Pitche’s be Trippin Denver, Colo. 1st place Women’s D class
92 USSSA TODAY
In the Women’s C bracket, Affliction
from Albuquerque, N.M. took home the
The defensive tournament MVP for the
Women’s C class was Shannon Galanek
from Sumuzu/AZ border co./Worth. The
offensive tournament MVP was Cathy
Moreno and the overall tournament
MVP was Samantha Hughes both from
Affliction.
In the Women’s D class, Pitche’s be
Trippin from Denver, Colo. Took first
place beating Homewreckers from El
Paso, Texas in a close championship
game 12-10. Just Us from Anthony, N.M.
took home third place.
The defensive tournament MVP for
the Women’s D class was Jacki Edwards
from Homewreckers. The offensive
tournament MVP was Nadine Neurauter
and the overall tournament MVP was
Amanda Snyder both from Pitche’s be
Trippin.
Going, Going, Gone:
Homerun Derby
first place trophy after beating Sumuzu/
AZ border co./Worth in a tight if game
15-14. Breakers, also from Albuquerque
took home third place.
This year’s tournament included a
homerun derby for both Men’s and
Women’s divisions. This was the second
year that the tournament had a
homerun derby said Frederick.
There was a waiting list for the Men’s
homerun derby which included 32
contestants and a good turn out for the
Women’s with 16 contestants.
The Men’s winner was Art Ramos from
915-Sadistic out of El Paso, Texas. The
Women’s winner was Jennifer Doolittle
from Pitche’s Be Trippin out of Denver,
Colo. The winners received a new Miken
bat, $100 cash prize and a new glove for
their pitcher.
How is the
tournament funded?
The
Whole
Enchilada
Softball
Tournament is funded by entry fees and
is also sponsored by Sports 55 out of
Maryland who provided the first place
prizes. In return, Sports 55 advertised
their business and sold their products at
the tournament.
After such a great tournament, it will
be hard to top this year’s competition a
turn out next year.
USSSA TODAY 93
Softball Insight
with Miken’s Isenhower
Miken Technology Proves
To Be A Difference Maker
Miken Sports’ management team: (left to right: Adam Peterson (AP), Lisa Bahnub, Mike Rommes and Jim
Hoscheit.
Going into any season there is always
a question in the back of every players
head… how is this year’s bat going to be?
Is it going to have the durability of the
Pyscho? Is it as hot as my original MV1?
Will it hold up to compression testing?
Am I going to like the end load Miken
has promised? This will actually start to
stress a guy out.
All my questions were answered in
the first tournament of the year. We
were in the main stadium in Kissimmee,
where the ball never seems to travel well
for lefty’s. We were playing Shoppe and
I came up with guys in scoring position.
I knew in the back of my head the ball
didn’t travel all that well, so instead of
trying for a home run, I decided to go for
a base hit up the middle. Well, the pitch
ended up being a little short, so I had to
reach a little to hit it good. When I first
hit it, I knew I hit it well, but not great.
As I started to round 1st, Tony told me
that the ball had gone out of center. I
was in shock. The fields in Kissimmee are
410ft to center…. all my question were
94 USSSA TODAY
answered. The new technology Miken
came out with is the best on the market.
No doubt. I’ve heard it straight from guys
that can’t be named in this article cause
they have their names on other companies’ bats. The feel of hitting the sweet
spot of a Miken is like no other feel
in the game.
After that at bat, I knew it
would be a great offensive season.
And that it was. It didn’t matter
where I was, what the conditions were,
I knew I could do whatever I needed to
do at the plate with my bat. Whether it
be a home run or a base hit, my bat was
hot enough and had the perfect end load
that I felt comfortable enough do whatever I wanted to in every ab. It led me
to career bests at the Smoky’s and Disney
for home runs and a career high for my
season avg.
Now the season is done and I just
recently had a chance to test next year’s
bats for Miken. I had no idea they could
get better, but they have. In fact the bat I
was hitting was all black, so I couldn’t tell
exactly what I was hitting. So after about
5 swings, I tossed it to the side and started
laughing. AP asked what was so funny
and I told him as bad as I wanted to use,
and especially after seeing the results of
those 5 swings, but I’m not allowed to
swing Ultras in the Conference. With the
most serious look he’s had on his face all
day, he said” thats your bat next year!!”
Thats a utrip bat!! Unreal… they did it
again.. I don’t know how they do it, but
they did it. Miken came up with another
fire cracker... Thank you!
I can now rest easy this winter
knowing that I have a great product
going into the season... Knowing this
motivates me to do my end. Time to
start training and hitting to get ready for
next season.. A little tip to anyone and
everyone wanting to be a better hitter…
get strong hands.. A lot of guys think
hitting is about how much a guy can
bench or squat. At the end of the day,
the guy with the strongest hands usually
wins out. Strong hands create bat control
and bat speed... This is what makes you
great!
I hope everyone has a safe and
happy off season. See you in
Kissimmee real soon.
IZ
RECRUITMENT BEGINS DECEMBER 2012
WWW.MIKENSPORTS.COM