to - USSSA - United States Specialty Sports Association

Summer 2012
USSSA and Disney Celebrate
10 Years of Magic
USSSA Pride takes
Corpus Christi, Texas
by Storm
2012 Competition
Fiercer Than Ever
Don’t put your next sports event in anyone else’s hands.
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All The
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Fantastic Facilities, Fabulous Fun
Kissimmee provides organizers, coaches, and players first-class facilities and superb services under
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Learn more about Kissimmee’s sports facilities at KissimmeeSports.com or
contact the Sports Department at the Kissimmee CVB at 800-831-1844 or
email [email protected].
6028 Rayburn Dr. • Fort Worth,TX 76133
(817) 944-7484 • [email protected]
Executive Director, CEO USSSA
CONTENTS
Don DeDonatis
Publisher, USSSA Today
Stafford Connor
Managing Editor, USSSA Today
Tom O’Hara
Design / Printing
Beth Torina & Leah
16 O’Brien-Amico
to Lead
the 2012 USSSA Pride
Mike Cisneros
Mike Cornell
Adrian Ellis
Francesca Enea
Van Galeon
Rachel Goossens
Bernie Guenther
Brett Helmer
Maria Marrs
Sonya Montoya
Matt O’Hara
Paul O’Leary
Dave Pederson
Craig Scriven
Kaylen Shimoda
Dennis Turner
Dale Weiser
USSSA’s New Media
18 Department
Launches
USSSAToday.com &
Broadcasts games ESPN3
USSSA Pride takes
20 three
out of four from
the Akron Racers at
Whataburger Field in
Corpus Christi, TX
26 USSSA Pride Draftees
& Osceola County
31 USSSA
– Partners in Excellence
Major NIT
54 Nationwide/Conference
USSSA “Windy City” Bud
Light Major NIT
Return of Purcell
56 launches
Resmondo to
Hamner & Weber
32 Mejia,
Win at the Norman
Swanner Memorial Golf
Tournament
Fastpitch Testing to
34 iQ
be offered at the USSSA
ESPN High School World
Championships
USSSA Karate
38 Making
A New Path
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.
52 Nationwide/Conference
USSSA Combat Men’s
Space City crown
Roy “Heavy Peanut” Dean
Photographers
48Nationwide/Conference
USSSA stats
Equipment Logistics
Brianne Cisneros
Scott Duffy
Rachel Goossens
Q Ball
Brian Ragan
Pete Spatula
Sports
46Anaconda
powered by LIDS Team
Sports at its all time high
REEDESIGN
Lebco Graphics
Contributing Writers
de Futbol &
42 Alianza
USSSA ...making history
together
Greg Huchingson
Communications Director, USSSA
and Disney –
6 USSSA
10 Years Of Magic
All-American
40USSSA
Games
takes control
68Resmondo
at Dudley Budweiser
Classic in Minnesota
Annual Budweiser
75 27th
Festival reigns as ‘King of
Softball’ in Texas
With Bat Standards
82 Changing
at the End of
the Year Manufacturers
Give the Player Plenty of
Options
USSSA TODAY
5
USSSA and Disney
Celebrate 10 years of Magic!
By Greg Huchingson,
Managing Editor
Photos courtesy of Walt Disney World
®
With market surveys in 1959 suggesting that only five percent
of visitors to his popular theme park in Anaheim, California
came from east of the Mississippi River – where 75 percent
of the United States population resided – American visionary
6 USSSA TODAY
Walt Disney sought land in the eastern half of the country for
a project to supplement Disney Land. A dozen years later, on
Oct. 1, 1971, Disney World opened in Central Florida with only
the Magical Kingdom theme park.
OSCEOLA COUNTY, FLORIDA
Home of the USSSA Florida Pride
USSSA & OSCEOLA COUNTY
A WINNINg PARTNERShIP
The USSSA National Headquarters is located at the Osceola
County Stadium, which is part of the Osceola Heritage
Park multipurpose complex. OHP features several facilities
adaptable to baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, rodeo
events and many other sporting competitions, as well as
concerts, trade shows and meetings. Facilities within Osceola Heritage Park include the climate-controlled,
8,300-seat Silver Spurs Arena and the Osceola County Stadium, which serves as the spring training site for the
Houston Astros.
Located next door to the Walt Disney World Resort and immediately south of Orlando, Osceola County hosts
countless sports and pleasure travelers each year. Within the area are more than 47,000 accommodations, as
well as many sporting venues familiar to the USSSA members. This includes the Osceola County Softball Complex, Osceola County Stadium, Silver Spurs Arena, City of Kissimmee’s Fortune Road Complex and ESPN Wide
World of Sports. All are a short drive from the USSSA National Headquarters.
USSSA would like to express sincere gratitude to the Osceola County Manager and the Board
of County Commissioners, as well as the Tourist Development Council and the Osceola County
political and business leadership for all of their efforts and hard work that have enabled USSSA
to continue to grow and prosper in Central Florida.
For more information about Osceola Heritage Park visit: www.ohpark.com
Exactly one month later, in November of 1971, the Executive
Board of a struggling three-year-old softball organization
– the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association – met in
Petersburg, Virginia to discuss their future. Closing the doors
was only one of the grim options. But the decision was made
to forge ahead, and the Executive Board elected Al Ramsey,
a 40-year-old Petersburg native, as National President. The
constitution was completely overhauled and Ramsey instructed
the Board to pledge itself to operating on a sound business
basis and launch an all-out campaign to find ambitious and
qualified new directors. The USSSA National Headquarters was
immediately moved from Wisconsin to Petersburg, and the
Association was incorporated as a non-profit organization in
Virginia.
Over the course of the next 40 years, the two organizations
– the Walt Disney World Resort (known informally as Disney
World) and USSSA (which would eventually undergo a name
change of sorts) – grew and flourished, before their paths
finally and inevitably crossed early in the 21st Century. In the
decade since the relationship commenced under dire circumstances – through no fault of their own – it has blossomed into
nothing short of Magic!
While Disney World was busy adding such popular attractions as the Epcot theme park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios,
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach
over the years, USSSA experienced tremendous success of its
own. Following years of consistent growth, USSSA purchased
a 24,000-square foot building in Petersburg in 1981 for its
National Headquarters and Hall of Fame Museum. The meteoric rise of USSSA’s slow-pitch program eventually leveled off
and the Board of Directors began to consider other possibilities of remaining at the forefront of sports organizations.
At the 1997 National Meeting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,
USSSA officially changed its name to the United States
Specialty Sports Association, becoming the first multi-sports
governing body to oversee slow- and fast-pitch softball, baseball, basketball and golf. Ironically, perhaps inevitably, that
exact same year – in March of 1997 – Disney World opened
Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, a $100 million project
built on 220 acres of former wetlands near Interstate 4. The
anchor of the nine-venue complex, which was re-branded as
the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Feb. 25, 2010 – is
Champion Stadium that is the Spring Training home of Major
League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves.
Soon after the joy of becoming a multi-sport association
was realized in 1997, the USSSA family suffered a tragic loss
with the passing of Al Ramsey, who had since become the
Associations’ Executive and CEO. The Board of Directors immediately named Assistant Executive Director, Don DeDonatis as
the new Executive Director and CEO. DeDonatis would soon
prove to be an American visionary in his own right by leading
the Association to unimagined heights.
“Disney’s Wide World of Sports is one of the finest sports facilities in the world,” said DeDonatis. “We needed to be part of
that. It took a few years to get the kinks worked out, but we
really wanted it to happen.”
8 USSSA TODAY
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In early 2000, DeDonatis began talks with Disney’s Wide
World of Sports to bring several of USSSA’s marquee World
Tournaments to the Central Florida area. The “Showcase of
Softball” – the USSSA Men’s Major World Series – as well as
the Men’s Class C World Tournament were the first to come.
Negotiations went well and both Disney and USSSA committed
to putting on the best show possible for the 2001 season. In
all, there were 124 teams entered in the 2001 Men’s C World
Tournament and 16 Team in the Men’s Major World Series,
both of which were held at Disney.
Then, a tragedy of epic proportions threatened to derail the
relationship before it ever began.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001, is a day etched into the memory
of each and every American. Few people can forget the day
that so changed the landscape of the United States of America.
The days leading up to that fateful Tuesday morning were
non-eventful. In Petersburg, Virginia preparations were being
made to release the bracket for both tournaments to the public
and then it was off to Disney for the tournament. News of the
attack on the World Trade Center created chaos all around the
10 USSSA TODAY
country that morning and the days ahead.
As the events unfolded, it became apparent that there would
be no other option other than to cancel the USSSA events
for the coming weekend as air travel all across the nation
was suspended indefinitely. Disney, in fact, was considering
suspending their entire operations as well, not knowing if the
park itself could fall victim to a terrorist attack. After careful
consideration, taking into account the gravity of the situation,
both the USSSA and Disney agreed to move forward with the
tournaments, realizing full well, that the circumstances would
prohibit many teams from attending.
“The decision to play wasn’t as difficult as you may think,”
said DeDonatis. “We began fielding calls immediately from
teams across the country stating their desire to play. The teams
themselves told us that they were not going to let an attack
on America stop them from moving about their everyday lives
and traveling freely. They wanted to play. We consulted with
Disney and they agreed. We’d play the event for those teams
that wanted to participate.”
That, it seems, is where the magic began.
“Out of the original 124 teams that entered the Men’s C World
Tournament, 116 from across the country showed up and
played that weekend,” remarked DeDonatis. “From California
to Massachusetts, from Michigan to Miami and everywhere in
between, they came to play softball. In the Men’s Major, all 16
teams entered came to play. It was an amazing weekend to
say the least.”
It became clear on that weekend that USSSA and Disney were
a winning combination. Soon afterward talks ensued and
rumors surfaced that USSSA was considering relocating from
their National Headquarters in Petersburg to Osceola County
in Central Florida. The possibility of relocation was due in
large part to the relationship that DeDonatis was forging with
Disney. In the fall of 2002, DeDonatis announced the relocation of USSSA National Headquarters and Sports Hall of Fame
Museum to Osceola County, Florida as a part of a 15-year
working agreement. Coinciding with that announcement was
the equally important fact that USSSA and Disney had agreed
to a 10-year partnership. USSSA packed moving vans with 375
pallets of Hall of Fame items and put them in storage until the
Museum was ready.
Florida Governor Jeb Bush phoned DeDonatis thanking him
and welcoming USSSA to Florida and declaring the move as,
“another job and economic victory for the State and Osceola
County.”
In June of 2005, USSSA moved into a brand new 18,000-square
foot facility in Osceola County’s Heritage Park. The facility
provides 6,500 square feet of office area on the second floor,
with a 5,000 square-foot National Hall of Fame and Sports
Museum on the first floor. The Museum houses over 44 years
of memorabilia and artifacts relating to USSSA’s proud history
and the game of softball and other sports. The remaining
6,500 square feet provides terrace box seating overlooking the
first base line of Osceola County Stadium, which is the Spring
Training home of the Houston Astros. The MLB team has an
identical building overlooking the third base line.
“As far as I’m concerned, making the move to Disney has taken
this Association to the next level,” said DeDonatis. “Given our
family-oriented events and Disney’s family atmosphere, we’re
a perfect fit. At the opening ceremonies of our youth events,
you’re on a Disney property, you’ve got Olympic champion
ballplayers there, then Mickey Mouse comes walking in. What
more can you give a 12-year-old girl?”
USSSA sold over one million dollars worth of Disney theme
park tickets in 2011, and has booked over 500,000 hotel room
nights in Osceola County over the past decade.
“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past 10
years,” said DeDonatis. “It’s been a great partnership, and
we’re looking to extend this thing. The whole Florida experience is what separates us from our competitors. With Universal
Studios, Sea World and all the Disney theme parks, there is just
so much more our customers can do besides play in a tournament. Many of them will either come a few days early or stay a
few days late and make a vacation of this trip.”
12 USSSA TODAY
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Maingate Lakeside Resort
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• 3 pools, basketball court,
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• On-site Pizza
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• Coined laundry facility
• Free Coaches room with 10 or
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• 100% non-smoking rooms
• Visiting fan & family rates
• Free high-speed internet
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For more information or to book your teams
call Terri O’Neal at (407) 997-1106 or email: [email protected]
With over 57 million visitors every year, Central Florida is one
of the most visited destinations in the world. Competition
for those visitors keeps the cost of flights down year-round,
making the trip affordable for USSSA customers in the process.
Over the past decade, the ESPN Wide World of Sports and
USSSA have hosted some of the nation’s premiere athletic
events. USSSA World Tournaments in the Men’s, Women’s,
Mixed and Armed Forces programs, as well as fast-pitch softball and youth baseball are routinely held at the ESPN Wide
World of Sports Complex. In addition to those programs, USSSA
has ventured into such sports as basketball, golf, flag football,
soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, karate, wrestling, and taekwodo.
The Association-owned USSSA Pride team of the National Pro
Fast-pitch women’s softball league plays more of their home
games at Disney than in their hometown of Kissimmee.
“We bring thousands and thousands of teams to Disney every
year,” said DeDonatis. “At the beginning of the relationship, we got one weekend in July, one in August and two in
September. This year, we’re up to three in July, one in August,
three in September, and one each in October, November and
December. It has really grown, and Disney is looking at doing
even more with us in the future.”
But is hasn’t always been smooth sailing. A wide variety of
obstacles have been thrown their way, but USSSA always seems
to persevere.
14 USSSA TODAY
“We’ve seen hurricanes, 9/11, five-dollar gasoline, you name
it,” said DeDonatis. “We have fought everything off when
most businesses have struggled, and some even gone under.
USSSA is thriving. Membership is up every year and the future
looks extremely bright.”
Over the years, USSSA and Disney have proven to be exceptional partners. As USSSA continues to expand its membership, the lure of warm weather and attractions will continue
to play a significant role in bringing teams to Central Florida.
The grandest attraction of the all still remains – “The House a
Mouse Built” and the finest sports facilities in the nation.
DeDonatis’ vision for the future is for USSSA to have a stateof-the-art complex near its National Headquarters in Osceola
County.
“My personal dream is to have our own facility, so we can do
things 365 days a year,” said DeDonatis. “We would diversify
even more and not have to wait on date allocations. We would
have our own facility to hang our hat on. And we wouldn’t
cut back at all on what we’re doing now with Disney. It would
probably give us the opportunity to grow and bring in even
more people and do more things.”
Forty years after each was born and 10 years into a mutuallybeneficial relationship, USSSA and Disney are marching strong,
hand-in-hand.
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Beth Torina & Leah O’Brien-Amico
to Lead the 2012 USSSA Pride
Coach Beth Torina with Andrea Duran.
Coach Leah O’Brien-Amico with Francesca Enea and Kelly Kretschman.
The USSSA Pride is growing in popularity along with the rest
of the National Pro Fastpitch league, this year along with roster
changes there were some changes to the Pride’s Coaching staff.
Beth Torina returned to the Pride’s coaching staff, but this time
assumed the position of Head Coach as former Head Tim Walton
continued working at his post at the University of Florida. With
Beth now in the Head Coach position a vacancy for an assistant
coach had to be filled and it was taken by none other than
three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Leah O’Brien-Amico. These
two coaching masters along with the help of Pride assistant
coach Matt Meuchel make for a formidable coaching team.
Beth joined the Pride making her NPF debut for the 2010
season and helped lead the franchise to their first ever NPF
Championship victory that same year. She became head softball
coach at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge in early
2012 after spending four years coaching at Florida International
University in Miami. While at FIU Torina was twice named the
Sun Belt Coach of the year during her time as Head Coach there.
Before her time at FIU, Torina was at the University of
Houston from 2002 to 2007 helping the Cougars to a pair of
NCAA Tournament appearances and taking charge of a pitching
unit that was statistically ranked as one of the best in the
nation. In 2007, Houston not only won the Conference USA
Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the
second time in three years, but the pitching corps also ranked
15th in the nation in ERA (1.66) and 23rd in strikeouts per seven
innings (7.31), en route to a 44-18 overall record.
Torina’s coaching career began as an assistant coach at Stetson
University from 2000-02, leaving her mark on the Hatters softball program after helping lead the 2001 squad to an Atlantic
Sun Conference Regular Season Tri-Championship.
A four-year letter winner at the University of Florida,
Torina is still listed near the top of the Gator record book
with 60 career wins and 716 career innings pitched. She was
a member of Florida’s 1998 Southeastern Conference Regular
Season Championship team as the squad’s top pitcher. Torina
also excelled in the classroom at Florida, receiving numerous
academic awards. She was an NFCA Scholar-Athlete (19972000), a member of the All-SEC Academic Team (1998-2000), a
GTE Academic Third-Team All-American (2000), a and recipient
of the SEC’s H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award. Torina
earned a bachelor’s degree in health sciences in occupational
therapy from UF in 2000. Torina posted 20-win seasons in each
of her last two years in a Gator uniform and was a two-time SEC
Pitcher of the Week over her career.
Torina is a true asset to the USSSA Pride’s coaching staff, the
NPF and the sport of Fastpitch.
A great head coach of course needs the support of great
assistants. Leah O’Brien-Amico is making her coaching debut
here at the USSSA Pride. She is in familiar territory with much
of the Pride roster having competed with many current Pride
players in her years at Team USA or against them as a College
athlete at the University of Arizona. She frequently speaks and
conducts coaching and player clinics across the nation and can
be heard occasionally offering color commentary on ESPN.
Being a three time Olympic Gold Medalist is definitely an
achievement to be proud of, O’Brien-Amico won her first at
the 1996 games in Atlanta, her second at Athens, Greece and
her third in Sydney, Australia 2004. Her accolades continue as
college career is no less impressive, in 2002 she was inducted
into the University of Arizona Hall of Fame in recognition of her
athletic achievements at the school from 1993 to 1997. She
also led Arizona to 3 NCAA National Championships, and set the
Women’s College World Series Record for batting average in a
single tournament, hitting .750 (9 for 12) in 1994.
Leah O’Brien-Amico certainly brings her bounty of experience and her wealth of softball knowledge to the USSSA Pride’s
coaching staff.
Check out USSSAPride.com for the latest from USSSA Florida
Pride!
16 USSSA TODAY
About USSSA Florida Pride:
The USSSA Florida Pride is a professional franchise in the
National Pro Fastpitch League that is owned and operated by
USSSA. The amateur organization of USSSA has multi-sport
coverage and encompasses teams and players from the United
States and abroad.
About NPF:
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, TN. The
league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has
operated since 1997 under the names of Women’s Pro Fastpitch
(WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF is the
Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the
category of women’s fastpitch softball since 2002.
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USSSA’s New Media Department Launches
USSSAToday.com & Broadcasts games ESPN3
It has been an exciting time over
the past year for USSSA’s New Media
Department. For those who attended
the National Meeting last November
you will have seen the plans that the
team had for USSSA’s future and they
are definitely putting them into action!
within the confines of the system. This
is part of keeping USSSA current and
interesting for all visitors – some visitors may have noticed that sport articles
on USSSAToday.com are now appearing
syndicated on the individual sport home
pages on USSSA.com.
Their goal is to help the reach that the
organization has into new territory
including social media campaigns and
interaction with fans, further television
broadcasts and video production as well
as a new and improved web presence.
As for the broadcast division of the New
Media team, the summer of 2012 is
another busy season in what is another
packed year of events. The team is going
above and beyond as usual and is not just
producing video content for advertisers,
sponsors and live events for USSSALive,
but thanks to their professional grade
equipment are working on national
and regional television broadcasts.
They have worked hard and successfully broadcasted a USSSA Pride double
header on ESPN3 as well as two games
that were aired live (with tape delay)
on CSS (Comcast Sports South). This is
definitely a part of the team which is
growing exponentially with many more
television opportunities on the way. All
of their efforts are with a focus of showcasing USSSA and the sports that we
sanction and that you play.
The addition of USSSA Today online at
USSSAToday.com will allow sports and
USSSA Coaches, Directors and Players to
submit articles for possible publication
online to promote their tournament,
sport and even team! USSSAToday.com
will become the home for USSSA News
and information. It will be the home for
USSSA announcements, press releases
and of course a digital [PDF} version of
the USSSAToday print magazine.
The site is launched in Beta with new
features being added all the time. All
past news and press releases have been
added to the site and current news –
which populates the newsletter each
month.
This provides a wonderful
archive of past USSSA News, Press
Releases as well as the long defunct
Sports Report. Anything news related
that is able to be digitized is being so.
USSSAToday.com is part of a new era
of USSSA News syndication which will
help widen the reach of USSSA externally as well as allow those on the inside
to keep abreast with what is going on
in the Organization. There is an added
bonus of USSSAToday.com in that the
site has been built in a search engine
friendly way allowing it to help the
search engine rankings online of USSSA
websites in general.
USSSA.com is also not escaping
unchanged in this transformation, pages
are slowly being worked on throughout
USSSA.com so they are more streamlined
in both layout and design – of course,
18 USSSA TODAY
Also, if you haven’t purchased the USSSA
App, then why not take a look? It is
available for both Apple and Android in
their respective App stores. This doesn’t
only allow you to search USSSA.com for
teams and players but also to view tournament brackets. If you are a Director
then you must be excited to know
that the most recent update (Version
1.2.1.) now allows Directors to login
and update information on their tournaments right from their smartphone!
You have the power of USSSA in your
pocket. If you have already purchased
the app, make sure you keep it updated
as more features are rolled out. In other
app news, on the horizon is the possibility of streaming your own games to
USSSA right from your smartphone.
Stay tuned online at USSSAToday.com
for the latest efforts from the New
Media team and for the most current
and up to date USSSA News.
Jordan Henry works for USSSA, as well as the Golf
Channel.
Director of Broadcast Operations, Bernie Guenther
does the play by play, while Barb Jordan handles the
color.
Paul O’Leary interviewing Resmondo players,
Donny DeDonatis and Andy Purcell.
Marketing and New Media Coordinator, Rachel
Goossens
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USSSA Pride takes three out of four
from the Akron Racers at Whataburger
Field in Corpus Christi, TX
GAME 1
Crowd of 3000 Watches
Pride Edge Racers 3-2
ORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The USSSA Pride
faced off against the Akron Racers on a
gorgeous night in Corpus Christi, TX in
front of a massive crowd of 3,030.
Danielle Lawrie(2-0) carried a 3-1 lead
into the top of the 6th inning until
Nicole Pauly singled home a run to make
it a 3-2 ball game.
Lawrie didn’t falter and she held on,
closing out the Racers to get a complete
game victory and a Pride win.
Racers’ (3-2) short stop Aja Paculba
brought in the first run of the game
with an RBI double in the third inning,
her eighth RBI on the season, to give the
Racers a short-lived 1-0 lead.
Danielle Lawrie
In the 3rd, Ashley Charters singled home
Natasha Watley to tie the game at 1 a
piece. In the 4th, after a great 9 pitch at
bat, and fouling off 5 in a row, Francesca
Enea tore into a high fastball and hit a
deep home run to left; giving the Pride
a 2-1 advantage. Natasha Watley would
hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score
Kretschman, in what would turn out to
be the winning run.
Natasha Watley
Kristina Thorson (1-2) took the loss
for the Racers, going six innings while
walking three, striking out one and
allowing three runs. Danielle Lawrie(2-0)
would get the win, striking out 9 and
walking 1 and surrendering 2 runs.
GAME 2
Osterman Dominates;
Tosses 1 Hit Gem
Cat Osterman (1-1) pitched a gem on
Friday night against the Racers in front
of a crowd of 2900 in Corpus Christi. The
Racers offense struggled early to get
going against Osterman, while the Pride
offense exploded for 7 runs on 9 hits.
JJ Gottsch and Don DeDonatis enjoying beautiful
Whataburger Field.
20 USSSA TODAY
The Pride got out to a quick lead in
the 1st. Charters would score on an RBI
single by Charlotte Morgan. Krystyn
Ashley Charters
• 2011 National Pro Fastpitch MVP
• Two-Time Olympic Medalist
Sandberg singled pushing Morgan to
third and both would come in to score
on a 2 RBI double by Kelsey Bruder,
making it 3-0.
The Pride struck again in the bottom
of the 3rd, when Charlotte Morgan
launched a 2 run homerun to left field,
scoring Francesca Enea who singled
previously. Sandberg would get on once
again with a single and be brought
immediately in to score on a one out 2
run homerun by Andrea Duran, making
it 7-0 Pride through 3 innings.
The Akron Racers would go on to score
only one against Cat Osterman and the
Pride. Osterman would give up a solo
homerun to Sam Marder in the top of
the 4th, making it 7-1.
Osterman (1-1) dominated the Racers in
the circle for her first win of the 2012
season, striking out 10 and walking one
in a 1 hit complete game performance.
Lisa Norris (1-1) would get knocked
around, giving up 7 runs in 3 innings.
GAMES 3 & 4
Victoria Ryan (Nolan Ryan’s granddaughter) was the
the Pride’s bat girl.
Pride Split Double Header; Akron Avoids
Sweep in CC
The USSSA Pride got plenty of help
from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s former
player and now pitching coach in taking
the first game of a softball doubleheader against Akron on Saturday.
Sarah Pauly hung on and got the win in
the tight 3-2 victory.
Cat Osterman
Former Islanders pitcher Sarah Pauly,
now A&M-CC’s softball pitching coach,
scattered four hits in leading the Pride
to a slim victory at Whataburger Field
during the Hurricane Alley Coastal
Classic.
Prior to the series with the Racers, the Pride players
met young girls aspiring to be pros themselves one day.
Corpus Christi Bay
22 USSSA TODAY
Behind Sam Marder’s eighth-inning
monster grand slam off former LSU
pitcher Brittany Mack, Akron won the
second game of the late night double
header 4-3 Saturday night to avoid
being swept in this four-game series
showing. Mack pitched for LSU in last
week’s College World Series, where they
were eliminated in the semi finals.
“We’ve been trying to grow the sport
of softball and so to come here to
Corpus is big,” said Pauly, who pitched a
complete game to get the win in game
1 of Saturdays double header. “It’s actually pretty cool that I was able to play
here, coach here and play professionally
(l to r) JJ Gottsch, EVP Ryan-Sanders Baseball,
Victoria Ryan, Reid’s daughter and Ryan-Sanders’
President and CEO, Reid Ryan. Ryan-Sanders
Baseball owns and operates both Corpus Christi
Hooks (Astros’ AA Affiliate) and Round Rock Express
(Rangers’ AAA Affiliate).
DeMarini’s 2013 lineup is ready to takeover the fastpitch game and rule
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Pauly, who had a rough start to to the,
giving up 2 runs, recovered quickly in
the next 6 innings of play. Giving up
just one hit, and one walk after the first
inning, she coasted through the game
and retired her last 11 batters faced.
“For some reason the past two weeks
I’ve been struggling in the first inning,”
said Pauly, who struck out six and walked
one in the game. “I knew after I got the
first inning shakes and jitters out of the
way, it was smooth sailing from there.”
That also kept the Pride in the game
long enough for them to rally with two
runs in the sixth inning to overcome a
2-1 deficit. Megan Willis drew a bases
loaded walk to tie the game, before
pinch hitter Charlotte Morgan’s RBI
single gave the Pride a 3-2 lead. The
Pride wouldnt give up that lead the rest
of the game.
“I knew they would come back,” Pauly
said. “They’re behind us no matter
what. Even if it takes until the sixth
inning — they always do it. It was nice
to come out with the win.”
Francesca Enea
Pauly hopes Saturday’s outing wasn’t
her last at Whataburger Field.
“It would be really neat to come back
here,” Pauly said. “We always get big
crowds in Texas. The fact that we’re
getting another big crowd in Corpus
Christi, one of the smaller cities that
we’ve played in, is really good for the
sport and the league.”
There were 2,616 in attendance
Saturday for a three-day total of 8,602.
Whataburger Field is the home of the Corpus Christi
Hooks.
Hurricane Alley Waterpark hosted the “meet and
greet” for the girls of Corpus Christi.
Cat Osterman (left) with University of Georgia
draftee, Kristyn Sandberg.
24 USSSA TODAY
USSSA Pride’s management team (l to r): Assistant GM, Gordon Glennie, Head Coach, Beth Torina, Assistant
Coach, Leah O’Brien-Amico and GM, Don DeDonatis.
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26 USSSA TODAY
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Practice Player vs. Game Player
Have you ever been labeled as a “practice player”
or a “game player”? The difference between the
two are simple. A “practice player” is someone who
does extremely well in practice but can not carry it
over to the game, where as a “game player” is someone
who performs mediocre in practice but excels in a game.
Why does this happen? Easy to answer, hard to fix!
Players who shine during practice but not in games usually have the
problem of self image and confidence. Practice is a very comfortable
atmosphere where there are more knowns than unknowns. That comfort
breeds confidence and better play. In a game, where all the situations
are different and the competition are a mystery, poor self image and
doubt control the situation. It also has a tendency to snowball. What is
snowballing? No, not actually throwing snowballs, but when a player is
cruising during a game then makes an error, whether mental or physical, and lets it affect the next play and the next play, and all of a sudden
the game becomes out of control. As a coach you have to be very careful
how you handle this situation. Once he or she starts believing they can’t
do it, they can spiral downwards and never become an effective player.
But what about those players that don’t perform at practice? There a two
reasons that come into play for this situation. One being that the player
doesn’t feel challenged enough during practice so they “coast” through.
Never giving 100% and just goes through the motions. Another reason
is that these players only know one speed and that is game mode. You
have more thinking involved during practices then you normally do in a
game, and certain players do not know how to separate the two.
Practice Player
The best advice on how to carry your practice performance over to the
game is to RELAX! Practice makes permanent! To quote legendary softball coach, Sue Enquist, “It’s 60 feet and turn left.” Nice and simple and
to the point. You need to have confidence in your work ethic and believe
in your practice skills. If you can do those two things, the right player
will show up the day of the game. If you still have problems of carrying it
over, you should start doing visualization drills. Start visualizing yourself
in a game making all the correct plays, hitting certain pitches, getting
key hits, striking batters out. Try to visualize every single detail from the
way the grass smells to how the dirt feels. The more detailed you are the
more confident you will feel.
Game Player
For those of you who coast through practice and just rely purely on your
talent, believe me when I say it will catch up to you soon! Start taking
pride in your work ethic and be a leader for the team through example.
You might be able to get away with it now, but when you get to that
next level you will have to work harder and you may not know how to
do that. So start now before it’s too late! For those of you who struggle
during practices, don’t be too hard on yourself. Practice is where you
can make a few mistakes and learn from them. Key words there being,
LEARN FROM THEM. Don’t ever snowball at practice. Take a step back
and remember why you are practicing; to get better at an issue you
struggle with and to perfect something new. Like I said earlier, practice
makes permanent, so take a deep breath and have some fun!
Tweet with Francesca Enea: @frangator10
28 USSSA TODAY
© 2011 Hillerich & Bradsby Co., Louisville, KY. All rights reserved.
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SONYA’S HEALTH & FITNESS
Getting Stronger
When is a good time to start?
by Sonya Montoya
One of the questions I
have commonly received
a great deal as an athletic
trainer is when is it safe
to start strength training
with young athletes? A
great starting point is
to define what strength
training actually is, which
implies some sort of action
by the body’s muscles
exerting or resisting some
force. Strength training
does not necessary mean going to the conventional
gym and power lifting with large amounts of weight.
Strength training especially for younger athletes can
involve pushups, body weight squats, lunges, or sit
ups. A safe age to start a strength training program
can begin anywhere from age 9 through 12 which is
supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and
the focus of strength training at this age should be on
body weight exercises, light resistance bands, and very
light free weights. The goal at this age should not be
seeing large gains in muscle size but more muscular
development and coordination. Children ages 13-14
should still focus on body weight exercises, continue
staying away from any heavy weights and focus on
high repetition low weight exercises. Youth ages 14-15
may begin integrating a more structured strength
training regimen with more traditional lifts performed
in a weight room such as bench press, military press,
and squats.
The first and foremost principle to starting any
strength training regimen with your children is supervision and instruction of technique. This is especially important as your children get older and start
performing more complex lifts that require proper
technique and instruction to help prevent injury. There
seems to still be a stigma that strength training can
cause injury but if done properly will actually be more
of a benefit to helping prevent injury. Injury prevention while strength training can occur due in part
to development of fine motor skills and increased
muscular development. This philosophy has been
supported by the National Strength and Conditioning
Association (NSCA) who state that youth will find
strength training both beneficial and safe if a competent coach who is skilled in program design supervises
30 USSSA TODAY
every strength training session and proper technique is
taught and applied throughout every session. In addition, previous studies done by the American College
of Sports Medicine confirm that strength training may
actually help prevent injuries by giving children a basic
level of fitness through a wide variety of motions and
exercises that will in turn only promote their coordination level and flexibility. Another benefit to strength
training for coaches and parents to consider beyond
the physical aspect is the psychological and mental
well being they will be instilling in their children. While
a young athlete participates in a strength training
program they are also improving their self confidence
and overall image of themselves while promoting an
active lifestyle.
I encourage parents and coaches alike if they do not
feel competent in instructing their athletes or children
through a strength program to seek out a certified
Strength Coach to help write out or instruct some of
the workouts for coaches to follow. Not every parent
has had a background of being in an environment to
learn proper training techniques therefore my motto
is when in doubt ask for help. It will only help your
knowledge as a parent or coach to help your athlete
or child progress toward the future of strengthening
their bodies safely and overall fitness level.
Designing a strength training program
nStart body weight exercises
nPush ups
nPull ups or static holds in a pull up position
nSit ups (crunches, bicycles, ect.)
nBody weight lunges
nBody weight squats
nStep ups
nTricep dips
Benefits of strength training
nPromote a healthy lifestyle-physical well being
nSelf-image and self- confidence
nCoordination improvements
nStrength improvements
nIncrease muscle endurance
nIncrease bone density
nReduce risk for injury
nImproved performance in sports
Follow Sonya on Twitter: @SonyaMontoya2
HEADQUARTERS UPDATE
USSSA & Osceola County
– Partners in Excellence
It’s an exciting summer for USSSA, the City of Kissimmee and
Osceola County Florida. The United States Specialty Sports
Association is the largest multi-sport association in the world
and is headquartered right at Osceola Heritage Park within
the Houston Astro’s spring training facility. This July USSSA is
hosting a number of events to promote the sports of Fastpitch
Softball and Youth Baseball.
The festivities kick off July 13th with a parade in Downtown
Kissimmee starting at the Kissimmee Civic Center and
continuing down Dakin Avenue where you can come and
celebrate USSSA, the City of Kissimmee and meet some of the
USSSA Florida Pride, the professional women’s fastpitch softball team who will later be playing at Osceola Heritage Park in
the stadium on July 15th and July 16th.
The Parade will open at 5pm with introductory speeches by
USSSA CEO, Don DeDonatis as well as the Head Coach of Pride,
Beth Torina. The rest of the team will be attending the celebration for meet-and-greets, autographs, and pictures. Free ticket
vouchers will be given away for the games at Osceola Heritage
Park on the Sunday and Monday. The parade is a true celebration of USSSA and its commitment to sports and Osceola
County, so if you are in Kissimmee on July 13th, come on out
and see the parade!
The Baseball Elite World Series has grown to over 100 teams in three divisions of
play.
The weekend of fun continues on Sunday July 15th at the
Osceola Heritage Park Stadium with a fantastic joint opening
ceremony for the USSSA Gold Medal Games and the USSSA
Elite Baseball World Series starting at 6:30pm followed by a
USSSA Florida Pride game and a fireworks spectacular afterwards!
The Gold Medal Games are an international Olympic style baseball event with sixteen teams competing from seven countries
from around the world including Mexico, Lithuania, Venezuela,
Italy, Canada and more! The games continue throughout the
week until July 21st where the top three teams are awarded
Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for their achievements in the
competition. The Gold Medal Games is a great program with a
US National Team being hand-picked from participants of the
USSSA All American Games.
The Baseball Elite World Series was founded back in 2004 and has
become a popular annual event which highlights the winners
of countrywide Super National Invitation Tournaments, giving
them a chance to compete against each other to show off the
best of the best in Youth Baseball. Originally the event had just
16 teams in each age division but has now doubled to 32 and
features age groups from the majors 10, 12 and 14, making for
some stiff competition. After the opening ceremony at Osceola
Heritage Park the participating teams along with other spectators will be in for a treat with the USSSA Pride Professional
The USSSA National Office is located down the first baseline, while the Houston
Astros down the third baseline at Osceola Heritage Park Stadium.
Fastpitch game featuring numerous Olympic Gold Medalists in
the stadium with a scheduled game time of 7:35pm.
This opening ceremony is set to be one of the biggest for
USSSA Baseball with more than 100 teams taking part from
across the country and around the world. For the USSSA Pride
game on the 15th will be the first of two games at Osceola
County Stadium, with the second being played on Monday the
16th at 7:05pm EST.
As the largest multisport athletic association in the world
USSSA has something for everybody and this event in the
middle of July will definitely showcase what USSSA has to offer
and how USSSA and Osceola County are true partners.
USSSA TODAY 31
Mejia, Hamner & Weber Win at the Norman
Swanner Memorial Golf Tournament
The USSSA Golf program is going
from strength to strength, with the
latest tournament from Mathews,
Louisiana being a great success.
While heat and humidity greeted 15
golfers to the La Tour Golf Club for
the first Louisiana USSSA Junior Golf
event of the summer. The Norman
Swanner Memorial took place over
the weekend of June 23. This tournament offered the tour’s golfers one final chance to work
on their game before the state championship tournament,
July 14-15. The event also featured a low round by one of the
locals, and several close finishes.
For the second time in the last three tournaments, Skye Mejia
of Lafayette took home the championship in the Boys’ 15-18
Division. Mejia shot +14 (158) to win the 36-hole event. Austin
Campbell of Lake Charles finished three strokes behind the
lead (162) to earn second-place honors, edging out third-place
finisher Jamison Thomassee of Opelousas by one stroke (163).
Third runner-up Logan McGee had a spectacular round on the
second day of the tournament. McGee shot a tournamentbest 75 in the final round, improving upon his first-day score
by 15 strokes in the process. During that spectacular performance, McGee recorded an eagle 3 on the par-5, number 3
hole. Tournament officials say McGee was only three inches shy
from recording an albatross.
Boys 15-18 (L-R): Mejia (Lafayette), Thomassee (Opelousas) and Campbell (Lake
Charles)
Boys 12-14 (L-R): Hagle (Broussard), Hamner (Houma), Ciesla (Lake Charles) and
LaCombe (Gonzales).
A new face on the Louisiana USSSA Junior Golf Tour claimed
top honors in the Boys’ 12-14 Division. Jacob Hamner of Houma
won the event with a final tally of 174. Hamner narrowly
defeated tour veterans Zac Ciesla of Lake Charles and Cameron
Hagle of Broussard by one stroke and two strokes, respectively.
Matthew Weber continued his winning ways in the Boys’ 9-11
Division, but only by a slim margin. The Scott resident shot a 91
in the 18-hole event, edging out Eli Ortego of Lafayette by two
strokes. Roberto Espinosa of Arnaudville finished third with a
total score of 125.
Mejia’s victory in the senior division puts him closer to the
overall tour lead. However, Austin Campbell, Lake Charles, still
holds the top spot with a total of 11,800 points, with Mejia
only 400 points behind him in second. Thomassee is in a distant
third place with 7,800 points. Donnie Lacombe, who finished
fourth in this weekend in the Boys’ 12-14 division, holds the
overall lead in his group with 8,200 points. Ciesla is in second
place, 1,000 points behind Lacombe. Dylan Domingue, who
did not compete this weekend, is in third place in the group
with 6,800 points. Weber continues to dominate the Boys’ 9-11
32 USSSA TODAY
Boys 9-11 (L-R): Espinosa (Arnaudville), Weber (Scott), Ortego (Lafayette).
category. Weber, who has not yet lost a start on the tour, leads
the group by 8,100 points. Espinosa is in second place with
7,100 points. Jayde Curtis, who also did not play on the tour
this weekend, rounds out the top three with 3,000 points.
The next Louisiana USSSA Junior Golf event is the Governor’s
Games/State Championship Tournament. The event takes place
at Le Triomphe CC, Broussard, on the weekend of July 14
“Lazy River” at Omni Resort
2012 USSSA
Junior Golf
National
Championship
Orlando, FL
July 27-29,2012
The National Course at ChampionsGate
ChampionsGate’s two championship golf courses offer a
diversity that cannot be matched by other Golf Courses in
Orlando, Florida. Here, the golf enthusiast has their pick of
dramatically different Greg Norman signature golf courses.
Your $275 Entry Fee will garner you 54 holes of Championship play (27 holes for 9-11 year olds-$150) at
the challenging Champions Gate Golf Club. Why not stay where you play? We have a block of rooms at the
five star Omni ChampionsGate Resort at a rate of $125 per room per night. Call Christina Varney at 407390-6675. And to make this the Ultimate golf vacation, USSSA can provide you with
Disney and Universal Studio tickets at discounted prices.
USSSA will also conduct an Awards Banquet on Saturday night where
we will recognize the various State Point Champions!
For additional information, contact USSSA Golf National
Director Robert Boudreaux at 337-278-8431
or [email protected].
iQ Fastpitch Testing to be offered at the
USSSA ESPN High School World Championships
NCSA’s Sue Enquist’s services also available
ESPN Wide World of Sports has provided so many great moments over the
years for players, parents and coaches competing for a USSSA Championship.
This year young players will be given an opportunity like never before to take
their game to the next level. This year at the USSSA ESPN High School World
Championships athletes will learn all the tools necessary to compete in college
by attending iQ Fastpitch testing, and learning the ins and outs of recruiting from
Sue Enquist of the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA).
For the first time, a skills testing protocol, iQ Fastpitch, has been created
to measure an athlete’s playing ability, athleticism, and mental toughness.
Aside from the standard speed and agility events that most showcases across
the country utilize, iQ will include hitting events, speed and accuracy throwing
events, and a mental toughness profile, which will get a detailed look inside the
athlete’s mind when she is put through various challenges that she may face
both on the field and off the field. For only $159 cost of the iQ Fastpitch testing,
athletes participating will get a priority reservation to the free NCSA clinic where
there is limited space available. On July 25th the iQ Fastpich and NCSA opportunity is open not only to participants in the High School World Championships, but
to USSSA members nationwide.
The iQ Physical Test will showcase 14 disciplines such as the 40-yard dash,
5-10-5 shuttle run, and throwing speed and accuracy. Skills which are easily
understandable but more importantly designed around what College Coaches
and other high profile summer team coaches found valuable. What separates this
test from any other form is that it is the only standardized test of its kind. Athletes
from across the country will be scored and tested fairly and precisely. The scores
will then be tabulated in an Einstein-like formula and can be viewed online by
the athlete and College Coaches (if the athlete chooses to share their scores).
What makes the scoring so insightful is that athletes from across the country,
who participate in the iQ, will be able to see how they stack up against the other
athletes tested. Each skill will display the overall average based on the results
from each test. This average will change as more athletes are added to the iQ
database.
The iQ Fastpitch Mental Toughness Profile is offered to the athletes online. The
Profile is broken up into two versions: an Athlete’s Version and a Coach’s Version.
Both the athlete and her coach will complete the same Mental Toughness (MT)
Profile. This will allow the athlete to see how she views her mental toughness,
along with the perspective of how her own coach views her mental toughness.
Not only can the athlete view her results online, but she can share her scores will
College Coaches, if she chooses.
Along with iQ testing parents and student athletes will have the opportunity to also learn about recruiting from NCSA, headed up by legendary coach
Sue Enquist. Parents will even be able to take part in NCSA’s Athletic Recruiting
Education. NCSA Recruiting Experts and Educational Speakers Jessica Mendoza
and Sue Enquist will provide up-to-date recruiting education onsite at the
USSSA ESPN High School World Championships. A group of 100 parents and
100 athletes will get to learn first hand from the experts on the ins and outs of
recruiting from Division 1 to Division 3 schools.
Student Athletes and Parents will leave with literature outlining the ‘5 Things
You Need to Know & the 5 Things You Must Do’ in the recruiting process. They
will also be provided access to free downloads of the NCAA Guidebooks &
Athletes Wanted chapters. Also within 72 hours all attendees will gain access
to the NCSA network with a free recruiting profiles as well as be contacted to
schedule their scouting evaluation.
All in all this years USSSA ESPN High School World Championships will
provide an unprecedented platform for participants to compete on the softball
diamonds, but also learn about taking their game to the next level. You can go to
TheQSport.com, and NCSASports.org to find out more information.
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USSSA Karate
Making A New Path
By Don Eminizer and USSSA Karate
T
he USSSA National Organization
is one of the largest, most influential amateur sports organizations. The martial arts program
is growing faster than ever, and it’s
filling its ranks with some of the best
known, most respected karate people
that can be found in the industry.
USSSA Karate is poised to rock the
karate universe, armed with opportunities and extremely experienced, skilled
karate experts that you won’t find in
any other organization.
Why all this good fortune? Why has
USSSA Karate attracted the cream of
the crop of the karate world? Because
of USSSA Karate’s wholesome, unique
philosophy, that’s why.
USSSA Karate offers novices and experts
alike from pros and champions like from
founding stalwarts like Karate Hall Of
Fame Member Adrian Ellis, a 42 year
karate master and veteran who
was once a World Champion
and a National Champion 7
times, Adrian has been very
selective to bring the right
leadership to the organization. Adrian states, “Our goal is
to be inclusive not exclusive and
have leaders who fit the fabric of
the USSSA organizations”. We have
great leadership like Grant Campbell
who is a full time martial artist and
run a very successful business as well
as a world renowed competitor and
one of the foremost technical minds
in the sports, along with Bruce
Laudermilk from South Carolina,
Ricardo Johns, from Texas, Arnaldo
Lugo from Florida, Montez Dennis
and Rod Smith from Virginia and
Darryl Williams who is a great
administrator and an great international official and many others
great people working with the
organization. It’s this type of
membership and expertise that
38 USSSA TODAY
separates USSSA Karate from the rest of
the field.
Now USSSA Karate is quickly becoming
a major, martial arts program, keeping
the welfare of its members at the forefront as the organization expands its
scope at an astounding pace. Under the
watchful eye of Adrian Ellis, along with
the hard work of USSSA Karate’s many
important members.
The organization has achieved tremendous growth throughout the United
States in the past year with a tremendous amount of international affiliates, and doesn’t intend to stop. Adrian
states, “The Martial Arts community
has been seeking something new and
refreshing and USSSA Karate fits the
bill”. Today, USSSA Karate works with
free style martial artists as well as traditional martial artists, Chinese martial
artists, Tae Kwon Do organizations and
even with those who practice Jujitsu.
The organization has even commenced
its own National Referee Certifications
and National Coaches Certifications.
Much of this growth can be attributed
to the many karate aficionados who
Adrian Ellis
have joined the ranks of USSSA Karate.
n Mr Mahmoud Bambouyani Regional
Director and member of the Executive
Committee, Mahmoud Bambouyani
Sensei, 8th Dan, is the chief instructor
at ITKA (the International Traditional
Karate Association). He has appeared
on various major television networks
over the years, including CBS, NBC,
ABC, WGN, FOX, and WCIU. He has
taught karate since the 1970s, and
has been elected President of the
North side Human Relations Task
Force in 2003 in Chicago, an organization designed to create unity among
different ethnic groups through
karate. He has also been Chairman
of Membership for the Chamber
of Commerce and a member of the
advisory board for the president of
Wright College.
n Mr. Ricardo John is the Regional
Director and is also a member of
the Executive Committee and the
Technical committee. In 1971, Mr.
John traveled to the United States
from Panama to enlist in the United
States Army. He continued his martial
arts training in different parts of
the country as he served his 6 years.
He returned to Panama in 1974 and
re-opened his dojo in Pedro Miguel,
eventually opening another dojo in
the City of Panama as well. In 1980
he came back to the U.S. and officially founded the Dai-Ichi Shotokan
Karate-Do Association in an effort to
develop a teaching method specifically designed to develop the mind
and spirit, and to improve physical
well-being for his students. He runs a
very successful program in Texas and
is one of our Regional Training centers
n Grant Campbell is Head of National
Coaches program for USSSA Karate.
As a 7th degree Black Belt, Shihan
Campbell one of the few American
martial artists to be fully trained
in Japan according to the most
demanding and rigorous standards of
the international governing body, he
has studied under the best teachers
in Asia. As a professional coach and
teacher, he has taught thousands of
students. Grant Campbell earned his
Master’s Degree in Japan he brings,
extremely unique qualification to the
USSSA Karate, qualifications that no
other teacher or school can boast.
n Darryl Williams has taken the role
Director of the Rules Committee and
of International Development as
well. Darryl has 38 years experience
under his belt in the sport of karate.
Darryl Williams has dedicated his life
to his art and he is a role model for
all. He received a first degree rank in
1976 from Soke Shogo Kuniba and is
widely known for his work as a referee
and a coach. Darryl received his first
International Referee License in 1986
from the USA Karate Federation
(USAKF). The USAKF was the recognized United States national body
at the time. Today, as a top referee
in the World United of Karate-Do
Organizations (WUKO), he always
offers his guidance to all karatekas
n Adrian was a special guest at the
2012 Ozawa Cup in Las Vegas, NV,
with nearly1500 athletes in attendance. The Ozawa Cup, hosted by
James Tawatao is one of the most
prestigious international events in
the country and to be honored as
a special guest and have the USSSA
KARATE Organization acknowledged
was great. I am looking forward to
working with James as well as others
as we partner for the mutual benefits
of all athletes and instructors.
What makes USSSA Karate different
the inclusion it offers both its members
and its teachers. USSSA Karate provides
friendly, safe, fun competition for the
entire family. The organization has
begun referee training and training
for coaches, all in an effort to deliver
more spectator appeal in the world of
sport martial arts. USSSA Karate has
even recently been contacted by several
martial arts manufacturers that are
interested in working together with the
booming organization. In the coming
years, USSSA Karate is looking for
forward to developing live streaming
events through its national headquarters and the scholarship opportunities
for athletes.
Darryl Williams words are one of a kind:
“USSSA KARATE is the New Shinning
Light that will illuminate the path and
guide the way for those who participate or want to participate in karate
in America”. Recently, the organization hosted the USSSA KARATE Europa
Cup, in conjunction with Vision Star
Event Productions, at the Orange
County Convention Center, along with
The Magical Classic, hosted by Cedomir
Vragovic, in conjunction with the
magical classic Gymnastic Event. We
are honored to have Mr. Anorld Lugo
President of Southeastern Martial Arts
Association, Mr. Lugo event was a great
event held at the beautiful Gaylord
Palms. Mr Lugo is a great leader and a
phenomenal person and we are looking
forward to his continued growth and
support. The sky is the limit for USSSA
Karate.
Currently, USSSA Karate is hosting team
trails for athletes who want to compete
on the USSSA NATIONAL KARATE TEAM,
with many more events and competitions looming on the horizon.
USSSA TODAY 39
USSSA Bringing Baseballs Best to
Osceola County and Around the World
A dream is a hope and desire that should
be in reach. It is something that should
be achievable, however commands an
amount of heart and hard work. It is
a journey that inevitably will have its
bumps, but eventually ends with the
highlight of a lifetime. 2009 marked the
inaugural year for the annual USSSA
All-American Games held in Kissimmee,
FL. The event was staffed by pro scouts,
former MLB players, and industry specialists and scouted by numerous colleges
and Major League Baseball Scouts. It was
also the beginning of a legacy that is now
known as the “Journey to the Dream”.
The “Journey to the Dream” experience begins when individuals attend
their first Amatuer Baseball Report
(ABR) camp, which serve a multitude of
purposes from instruction to exposure.
The highest level performers are invited
to the USSSA All-American Games
(AAG’s), which is the golden ticket in
USSSA Baseball. The other route to
Kissimmee is by a direct invitation from
the ABvR upon referral by either a
professional scout, college scout, or ABR
scout who has seen the player.
Although it would seem like being
honored as a member of the “USSSA
All-American Games” would suffice,
that is not where this journey ends. The
AAG’s is a 4-day event which includes a
check in and practice on day one, 3 days
of games, and a closing ceremony where
the National Teams are announced.
Throughout this weekend, the players
experience an amount of diversity that
is unbeatable with more than half of
the 50 total states being represented.
There is an aura about the field that has
a subtle sense of being at ease; however,
the competitive drive of the most highly
talented players in USSSA still shines on.
As the games come to an end, the scouts
40 USSSA TODAY
collaborate in a scout room that is comparable to that on draft day and compare
their notes on the AAG players. Boards
containing various participants’ names
are lined up and scouts decide which
nine players will make up each respected
age group’s National Team (15u, 16u,
High School Varsity). The remaining
players are selected the following weeks
after much deliberation.
At the 15u and 16u age groups the
National Team is invited back the
following summer to play in the USSSA
Gold Medal Games (GMG’s). The Gold
Medal Games emulates the Olympics
in a tournament featuring 12 countries
from across the world in addition to
the USSSA National Team. It gives the
participants the opportunity to compete
against some of the best players from
around the world. Gold, Silver, and
Bronze are awarded to the top 3 teams.
The Bahamas, Great Brittan, France, Italy,
Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, Peru, Puerto
Rico, and the United States are amongst
the former competing countries.
Quite possibly the ultimate goal in
ones adventure through USSSA is to be
a USSSA High School Varsity National
Team member. This team travels abroad
with all international expenses paid,
to play in a tournament of choice by
USSSA. In its first year the team was sent
to Osaka, Japan. They toured around
playing many semi- professional teams
and learning about the Japanese take
on baseball. They received the priceless
gift of culture by complete emersion,
where there were no English translations. It was a time to sit back and
appreciate the smiles and laughter that
proved to not be blocked by a language
barrier. When the stars stepped on
the field, actions took over, and words
became meaningless.
Prague 2011
AAG-2011 14u 1st Team All American
AAG-2011 15u 1st Team All American
AAG-2011 16u 1st Team All American
USSSA and Puerto Rico
In its second year (2011) USSSA entered
its team into the Prague Baseball Week
Tournament, which features the National
Teams of countries who participate in
the World Baseball classic against Major
League Players. The 2012 National Team
will be traveling to this same event. The
talent is high and the stakes are even
higher- international immortality.
Last year the young American team
proved successful with a third place finish
against teams with players that had over
ten years experience more than the prep
American squad. Leading its staff was
National Team veteran Jacob Milliman
who earned the win against A.I.S.T. (the
eventual tournament champions) in
game one. The hard hitting line-up was
balanced around the prodigious power
of Wyatt Matheson, a Texas signee
and estimated top 5 round pick for the
2012 draft, and L.J. Newman a two way
player at South Carolina- Upstate. North
Florida bound Donnie Dewees was in
the leadoff spot. Donnie had a monster
senior year earning awards in multiple
sports, and will also be competing
again in Prague this June with the 2012
USSSA High School Varsity National
Team. Bryant Hodge played both ways.
The Oklahoma commit hit one of 8
homeruns in the 5 games. Matheson
however was clearly the toughest out in
the lineup. Blasting three homeruns and
hitting close to .500 on the tournament,
Matheson did nothing but impress.
Matheson is currently ranked 47th by
Baseball America, which would put him
as a middle of the second round pick
this summer.
In 2010 the team was led by Royals minor
league pitcher and 2011 draft Jake Junis
who also anchored the infield at short
stop. Jake chose to forgoe the college
experience and is presently playing
rookie ball in Arizona. Brendon Hayden
was one of the main bats in Japan and
was drafted by the Phillies in the 36th
round of the 2011 MLB draft. He chose
to pass the draft and go to Virginia Tech
where he finished the season with a
.336 BA and was named to the ACC 2nd
Team All-Conference. Other notable
pitchers on the 2010 USSSA National
team were Nathan Harsh (19th round
pick by Rangers in 2011), Joe Filomeno,
Sam Mahar, and Jacob Milliman. Joe
Filomeno is making a splash at the
University of Louisville where he has
a 3.09 era posted. The lefty’s fastball
has registered up to 97 mph this year.
Filomeno is headed to the prestigious
Cape Cod league after his season expires.
Sam Mahar won SEC Freshman Player of
the Week on 5/14/2012 for Kentucky and
has managed to put together quality
innings as a freshman for the previously
top ranked school. Jacob Milliman, who
chose junior college to try to increase
draft stock, had a monster year for the
panhandle powerhouse Pensacola State.
USSSA-Japan
USSSA managed to construct another
balanced team with power bats and
power arms in 2011. The USSSA lineup
for the “Prague Baseball Week” tournament was full of sophomores and
juniors in high school who are currently
committed to D1 programs. A few
frontline pitchers were Thomas Olson,
Bryant Hodge, and Chris Elander. Olson
emerged as an ace for Dartmouth with
his 1.69 era in 40 innings pitched. Bryant
Hodge who still has his senior year left
looks to be a possible top draft. Hodge
is a crafty righty with a heavy fastball
from the low to mid 90’s. If he forgoes
the draft he will be off to the University
of Oklahoma. Chris Elander was tough
out of the pen and will look to be an
impact arm off the bump for Florida
International next year.
This year’s international team, who
will be competing in the “Prague
Baseball Week” tournament June
27th-July 1st, consists of just as many
future stars. Players such as sophomore
standout pitcher Cre Finfrock who is
committed to Central Florida, veterans
Donnie DeWees and Chris Elander, and
Wisconsin’s Evan Kruczynski. Kruczynski
is a power left handed pitcher who is
signed with Eastern Carolina.
The truth behind this whole process is
no matter where a player ends their
journey; they can still leave with a
truly unique experience. If they are so
lucky and so talented to make it to that
international opportunity, then they
are merely living the dream for a few
moments longer. The intangibles that
players take out of the experience serve
as drive for such talented participants.
USSSA takes great pride in watching the
players develop into stars on a national
level.
USSSA TODAY 41
Alianza de Futbol & USSSA
...making history together
Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup
There are few soccer tournaments in the world as important
as the Dallas Cup. There are few organizations commited
to promote amateur athletes as USSSA does. There are also
thousands of great players in this country. You just need to
go out there and find them. And that’s what we have done.
This year, for the very first time, Alianza de Futbol was
part of the 2012 Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup, but that could not
have happened without the United States Specialty Sports
Association support. Thanks to a growing partnership
between BRC Group and USSSA, young footballers had the
chance to play against some of the best teams in the world...
and they did a great job.
The Alianza de Futbol team was truly an all-star team. Players
from all over the country were scouted by some of Mexico’s
and USA’s top soccer coaches and scouts. With tryouts in
more than 15 cities, we ended up with 20 players that were
part of this unforgettable experience.
Back in Texas, the Alianza boys had to face tough rivals such
as Pateadores, Andromedas and the Lewisham College (UK).
Despite not making it to the next round, being the first unaffiliated non-club team to play this tournament speaks about
what Alianza de Futbol and USSSA have accomplished with
all these kids.
It’s easy to make things happen when there’s a sense of
commitment. When there’s passion. When there’s love for
the sport.
Alianza de Futbol and USSSA....making history together.
42 USSSA TODAY
Louisville Slugger is starting to make strides
in the slowpitch softball world
by Dennis Turner
WE’RE BACK! The season is off and running and here at Louisville Slugger
we are riding the momentum of the new Z2000’s. These new bats have just
hit the market and are ready for you to start hitting bombs with! You are
familiar with the performance of the Z-1000’s from this past season, and
now we have reloaded to make the new bats better than ever before.
Our bat engineers have put countless hours in the lab and out in the field,
testing these bats to maintain the high performance, increased batted ball
speed which improves distance, and with the improved durability that you
as players want in a composite bat. We are really excited about these bats
as it puts Louisville Slugger back in the slow-pitch market as one of the top
players in the bat industry.
Z-2000 End Load (SB13ZE)
Z-2000 Balanced (SB13ZB)
Z-2000 ASA End Load (SB13ZAE)
Z-2000 ASA Balanced (SB13ZAB)
lead-off man. Blackburn is a .764, 40 HR’s and 140 RBI’s while
Cocco leads Conference USSSA with 75 HR’s, 201 RBI’s and an
OBP of .746. Shoppe/Team TPS is currently the #1 ranked “A”
class team, but know that they have a long road to toll before
setting their sights on winning the USSSA Class “A” World
Series in Orlando the second week of August.
Lee Powers and Tim Cocco look to defend their title by
winning the Manufacturers Cup on the Long Haul Bomber
Power Stadium tour this season. Powers, the youngest of the
Bombers, is putting up some good numbers early on, while
Cocco has got off to a slow start, but looks to get on a roll
before the tour comes to an end. Team TPS is currently in third
place as of mid-June behind Team Easton and Team Miken.
Powers is currently in 4th place and with only 4 more events to
go, both of them need to get on a roll and hope that the other
teams get cold down the stretch.
Both Powers and Cocco, along with regular season team
member, Robert Blackburn continue to put up the numbers
along with the other players on top-ranked “A” team Shoppe/
TPS. Powers is at a .781 OBP with 44 HR’s and 124 RBI’s as the
44 USSSA TODAY
Louisville Sluggers other top “A” team, Sonny’s/Louisville
Slugger is starting to make some noise in the Conference USSSA,
as Chris Greinert (.784 OBP/ 38 HR) and Charles Cunningham
(.743 OBP/ 12 HR) are leading this team as they are starting
to roll with multiple back to back tourneys to get their points
increased for the USSSA Men’s Major World Series. Slugger’s
other teams that are playing well as of late are Red’s/Astros led
by Wally Maybrier, 3rd Street Financial, and Westshore Pizza.
Look for Louisville Slugger to start making a larger impact in
the slow-pitch world as we are committed as ever to getting
back to where we were in the 90’s. With the hot bats we
currently have, we are positioning ourselves to make a move
on the competition, and by adding in the other product categories to provide to you, the loyal Slugger slowpitch player,
with everything you need for the diamond.
Like us on Facebook, check out our Twitter page and feel
free to comment, ask questions, and even place videos of you
hitting the new Z2000’s!
Until next time, stay focused and play hard. DT
© 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. Exogrid is a Registered Trademark of VyaTek Sports.
America’s two highest scoring college teams are headed to Omaha
and they’re swinging Louisville Slugger. Be sure to watch Arizona and
Florida State in this year’s big dance, June 15 – 25/26. For a closer look
at the bats they’re taking to the plate in Omaha, visit slugger.com.
The Official Bat of Major League Baseball.®
www.slugger.com
Anaconda Sports
powered by
LIDS Team Sports
at its all time high
By: Kaylen Shimoda
What started off as a college student’s
dream, turned into a budding local startup sports equipment company. Amongst
his father’s company garage units 34 years
ago, John Stote III began building Anaconda
Sports which would soon be known as one of
the largest sporting good dealers in the nation.
The start-up was selling to youth organizations, high schools and
colleges. Stote built his dream around his passion for “all things
sports,” and the fact that he wanted to bring more sports equipment
variety to the community. “I wasn’t happy with the local sporting
good stores so I figured I would try and do it on my own,” said
Stote. Little did he know that Anaconda Sports would eventually
grow and conquer the national scene.
Stote spent his first two years of college at East Carolina
University in Greenville, NC before transferring to State
University in Brockport, NY. While in school, John had begun his
journey into the sporting goods business. With a business degree,
he graduated Cum Laude in 1978 and started running the business full time.
As the independent company was growing, Stote decided to
pursue some hiring initiatives as they wanted to reach a broader
audience. He hired his sister-in-law, Patty Stote, a Certified Public
Accountant, to handle the computerized piece of the business.
“Prior to Patty, we were a store selling to local high schools and
leagues,” said Stote. “After Patty, we began to grow and touch
larger communities nationwide.”
Stote’s brother, Bill, joined the company 25 years ago
and to this day, “hiring him was our best move; he’s a
sharp guy and an extremely hard worker.” Since then, the
Stote brothers have been running company operations and
have expanded into a number of different areas which include a
warehouse in Clifton Park, NY and sales offices in the Northeast
calling on local high schools. On top of this, their online growth
has made a significant impact on the company as online
ordering has become the ultimate game changer.
46 USSSA TODAY
“Ten years ago, we became heavily
involved in selling equipment online,”
said Stote. “It has been the biggest
point of growth the company has seen.”
This online effort was not without the
work of Rob Meyer, the man who runs
the entire site.
Stote’s passion for softball led to the
creation of TRUMP Softball in 1992, the
fastest growing softball brand in the
country. “This is the brand that gets
people excited; it’s the model brand
of softball and the main brand of
Anaconda Sports,” he said. It is what all
of their competitors are trying to copy.
Stote adds that the success of this brand
lies in the hands of the Trump Softball
management.
Their in-house softball expert, Eric
Jacobson, has had a major impact on
the brand and its growth potential.
“Eric is the most knowledgeable man in
softball. He is our catalog manager and
softball expert. The brand would not be
where it is today without his expertise.”
Bob Russell, referred to as “Bobby Bugs”,
is an exterminator by trade who has a
passion for softball. Bobby first developed the Evil Brand and approached
Stote with the idea for this new type of
softball. Thus, the Evil Ball was born. A
top-end ball with a leather exterior and
108 stitches, this softball is known as the
“Cadillac of the industry.” It’s become a
famous softball throughout the country
and Trump Softball has full oversight of
the model.
Mike Macenko is known as the greatest
slow-pitch home run hitter of all time. He
has hit over 7,0 homeruns in his career
and is one of the top regional salesmen
in the Midwest, selling and promoting
Trump Softballs within this region.
The most recent key member of Trump
Softball is Frank Short. Frank is their
main representative at all national softball tournaments and has helped this
brand become a league of its own.
In 2010, Anaconda Sports was acquired
by Genesco and became known as
Anaconda Sports powered by LIDS Team
Sports. Stote explains that the company’s scope has expanded exponentially
since the acquisition. They are now
a publicly traded, national company,
part of a North American wholesale
and retail marketer of many prestigious
brands. They have become the largest
Nike team dealer in the nation and the
future is looking ever so bright.
Stote adds, “The future of Anaconda
will be our ability to provide all-school
deals. We’re hiring sales people all over
the country and offering colleges and
high schools complete contracts up to 3
to 5 years.” Stote sees this as the future
of sports equipment, and he continues
to leverage this knowledge to break
into high school and college programs
throughout the country.
Among the excitement and growth of
the brand, Stote is involved in raising
money towards cancer awareness.
Through his long-time best friend,
Dick Vitale, ESPN’s national basketball
announcer and official spokesperson
for Anaconda’s basketball brand called
The Rock, Stote was introduced to the
V Foundation created in memory of
the famous Jimmy Valvano who died of
cancer in 1993. Stote explains, “Jimmy
was Mr. Personality, he was very famous
and very dynamic. An unbelievable
coach and ESPN broadcaster.”
Vitale was one of the driving forces who
started the V Foundation and along
with Valvano’s brothers, Nick and Bob,
created the fundraising gala. Bringing
together sports personalities and stars,
the V Foundation’s gala is one of the
largest cancer fundraising events of the
year. In Sarasota, FL this past May, over
80 were in attendance raising close to
$2M. Stote adds, “There were Divisional
basketball, football, baseball coaches
and players along with numerous sports
celebrities all there to raise awareness for an unbelievable cause. It was
a special night, the Academy Awards of
Sports.” This year, the event’s honorees
were Jay Wright of Villanova, Gary
Williams (formerly of Maryland), and
HOF football coach, Lou Holtz.
There is another piece of this story where
Stote comes into the picture. Vitale
asked Stote to come up with a unique
idea to raise funds for the V Foundation.
He has since been in charge of creating
special centerpieces for all 84 tables at
the event. Attendees are able to bid
on these pieces signed by the guests of
honor at the event. This portion of the
gala raised over $64,0 with all centerpieces donated to the cause.
Having always been an active member
in the sporting community, Stote has
grown this sporting equipment empire
while never forgetting his roots. He
provides youth and college athletes
with the means to play a sport they love
and stays involved in causes that impact
the world and those around us. While
his journey started from many tireless
nights spent in a warehousing garage
unit, he wouldn’t have traded this for
the world. With a sense of humor to
boot, Stote is an innovative thinker
and a true entrepreneur. Humbly, Stote
adds, “None of this could be accomplished without the support of our loyal
employees and customers.”
USSSA TODAY 47
(800) 327-0074
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AFF-0101FP (4/11)
June 1-3
Combat Men’s Major NIT
Kent, Washington
The 2012 Combat Major in Kent, Washington was marred by
rain but somehow they were able to complete all of the games
and boy were there some good ones. The first tournament of
the “dual” was delayed 2 hours at the start, and the first couple
of rounds were played in thick mud. 23 teams from 6 different
states and one from British Columbia took to the fields.
They used the 52 core 300 compression Classic Plus ball and
with the cool temperatures it flew hard and fast making for
some long and high scoring games. The name of the tournament probably could have been “Combatfest” as it seemed half
of the teams were sponsored by the bat manufacturing giant.
In the round of 16 all of the favorite teams won their games
except #24 ranked SBS/Combat knocked off #3 ranked Sonny’s
19-10. Only 1 of the 8 winners was not a conference team
and that was Xtreme/Combat a non-conference ‘B’ team from
Minnesota who beat OC Swats 32-16.
4 The Fallen
In the round of 8 Team Combat came from behind to beat
Xtreme/Combat, Monster/Energy upset 4 The Fallen 20-17,
West Coast Doerflinger used a game winning hit by manager
Strojan Kennison to beat SBS/Combat 30-29 after he was
forced into the game when two players were ejected. And
finally Nordkap/Desert Falls run ruled Demarini/Famoussports.
com 33-18.
In the final 4 Monster Energy/Combat, a Conference ‘C’ team,
knocked off their sponsor Team Combat 35-34 in the game of
the week by using some great defensive plays by 2nd baseman
Mitchell Jump to close them out. Meanwhile Nordkap/Desert
Falls cruised past West Coast Doerflinger 43-16 on Friday night.
Team Combat/Pacific Headwear
Early Saturday morning the first tournament completed with
West Coast knocking off Team Combat 24-18 and Monster/
Combat 26-3 and forcing a re-match with Nordkap/Desert Falls
in the championship. Nordkap/Desert Falls jumped out to a big
lead and had multiple chances to run rule WCD but WCD hung
tough and forced a full 7 innings after a “flip flop” but lost
32-26. Nordkap won their 3rd tournament of the season.
In the 2nd Dual which actually started as the championship
game of the 1st dual was being played on Saturday morning,
the round of 16 again had 7 winners from Conference USSSA
and Xtreme/Combat who stunned a fresh Sonny’s team 31-23.
In the round of 8 Demarini/Famous opened up a 6 run lead
on West Coast going to the 7th inning, but a tired WCD team
put up an impressive 11 run inning and held on to win 35-30.
SBS/Combat beat Monster 35-10. Xtreme/Combat knocked off
4 The Fallen 25-16, and Team Combat put up 17 in the first
against Nordkap/Desert Falls and held them off 42-33 in a 2+
hour marathon game.
In the final 4, Team Combat put down Xtreme/Combats hot run
28-8 and SBS/Combat returned the favor of a walk-off hit to
West Coast when Shawn Pederson hit a base hit down the third
base line to win 23-22. Then in the winner’s championship SBS/
Combat shocked Team Combat 34-33 with a bottom of the 7th
inning rally capped by Shannon Smiths game winning base hit.
52 USSSA TODAY
Nordkap/Desert Falls/Easton
On Sunday morning at 7 AM in the losers bracket Sonny’s knocked
off Xtreme/Combat 30-18 and held on to beat Nordkap/Desert
Falls 38-35 to give them 6 straight wins in the losers bracket.
Then they ran out of gas against Team Combat in a 31-26 loss
which sent Team Combat to the championship game.
In the first game of the championship SBS/Combat didn’t have
that edge that we had witnessed the day before and Team
Combat held small leads of 15-13 and 24-17. Then SBS tied it
24-24 in the 6th and Team Combat used a home run by Johnny
McCraw to take the final lead and held on to win 27-26 to
force the “if” game.
In the “if” game Team Combat led the whole way with leads
of 3-0, 18-11, 31-19 and finally won the game 32-24 to become
the 7th different tournament winner of 2012!
©2012 Anheuser-Busch, Busch® and Busch Light® Beers, St. Louis, MO
June 8-10
“Windy City” Bud Light Major NIT
Joliet, Illinois
Team 454 celebrate their tournament win.
The “Windy City” Classic lived up to
its name as gusting winds on Sunday
for the championship games led to
the highest scores of the season. Team
454/Emerald/Worth, an ‘A’ team out of
Virginia “double dipped” Laservision/
Annihilation/Supreme/D2E/Easton,
a
‘Major’ team in the championship by a
combined score of 112-65. The wind was
blowing hard and straight out to center
field, reducing infielders range to one
step, outfielders range to 2 or 3 steps,
and creating havoc on popups and
pushing fly balls into home runs. Take
nothing away from Team 454 though
as they took advantage of the elements
and persevered to their second conference tournament win of the season.
Remember they also “double dipped”
Nordkap/Desert Falls/Easton a month
ago in Euless, Texas.
The “Windy City” Classic which is played
at the Inwood Sports Complex in Joliet,
Illinois began on Friday night with all but
2 of the 35 teams playing. There were
no real upsets to speak of on Friday. A
very good local ‘B’ team called Precision/
Shirts and Logos beat The Scene/Easton
25-10 and PDR, a good local ‘C’ team
that usually plays well early on in the
Classic, knocked off conference ‘C’ team
TG United 25-24.
On Saturday in the third round of the
tournament, which was most of the
team’s second game, it was all conference teams winning, with a few upsets.
P&P 333/Suburban/Larrys/AOS/Combat
who upset #5 ranked Shoppe/Team TPS/
Elite back at the Hall of Fame Classic to
open the season, knocked them off again
32-25 with a big surge early on and then
54 USSSA TODAY
Laservision prepares for battle.
a second surge after Shoppe had tied
the game. #25 ranked Line Drive Sportz
out of Michigan sent #7 TYJA-Suncoast
Reebok to the losers bracket by separating late in the game and winning
24-16. Also #12 R&M Metals jumped out
to a huge 19-1 lead in the first on #11
Taylormade and won 28-12.
Then there was the shocking upset. Reds
Astros/TPS/Sports Den a new conference ‘B’ team based out of Indianapolis,
Indiana knocked off #2 ResmondoSpecialty Tank/Worth 36-31 in a game
that Reds led basically the entire game.
Resmondo had the hammer in their
hands in the 7th, and after two quick
outs they did close the gap to 5 before
Reds closed them out. Reds Astros
gave Resmondo a scare last year in
Cincinnati so we know they are more
than capable, but this was an impressive
display of offense by Reds and they had
some timely defense with double plays
and line drive stabs by the pitcher to
complete the win.
The third round completed with #1
Demarini/Dirty, #3 Laservision, #4
Nordkap/Desert Falls, and #10 Team 454
all winning.
In the quarter finals Team 454 struggled
but beat P&P 333 23-21, Red’s Astros
knocked off Line Drive 25-23, and
Nordkap/Desert Falls only batted twice
in a 39-9 win over R&M Metals where
Nordkap scored 36 runs in the second
inning! Also the long awaited rematch
between Demarini/Dirty and Laservision
took place. Demarini/Dirty came from
an early double figure deficit to take an
impressive 17-14 lead in the top of the
4th. Then they turned a double play on
Laservision’s Geno Buck was the Windy
City offensive MVP.
Laservision in the bottom of the 4th to
gain the momentum. But in the top of
the 5th Dirty put up a zero and in the
bottom half of the inning, Laservision
scored 22 runs to “mercy rule” a shocked
Demarini team that, it seemed, never
really got to answer Laservisions big
inning. Home team is a huge advantage
in the Conference.
In the semi-finals Team 454 separated
late in the game to hand Reds Astros a
24-9 loss and Laservision took the wind
out of Nordkap/Desert Falls offensive
explosions with a 31-22 victory. In the
winner’s championship game early on
Saturday night Laservision beat Team
454 38-27 like they were supposed to.
In the loser’s bracket on Saturday it
was Line Drive Sportz knocking off
Pure Romance, P&P 333, and run ruling
(yes I said run ruling) Nordkap/Desert
Falls 20-5 to make it to Sunday. There
they would play Shoppe/Team TPS/Elite
who won 5 straight themselves in the
loser’s bracket on Saturday after losing
their second game of the tournament.
Shoppe’s last win was over Reds Astros
where Shoppe trailed big most of the
game but put up a huge rally in the 6th
to take the game 33-31.
On Sunday Line Drive Sportz jumped
out to a huge lead on Shoppe 20-0 but
Shoppe would extend the game from
the mercy rule twice before falling to
Line Drive 23-20. Then in the loser’s
championship Team 454 won their first
of 3 consecutive run rule games, beating
Line Drive 31-14 then Laservision twice
to win the tournament.
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Return of Purcell launches
Resmondo to Space City crown
By Van Galeon
LEAGUE CITY, TX – Ever since pitcher
Andy Purcell, the most dominant player
in Conference USSSA, suffered a broken
hand in the second half of the USSSA
Hall of Fame Dual Classic in Florida,
three-time defending World Champion
Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth has
been less than invincible.
After winning the first half of the Dual
event, Resmondo went 3-2 and tied
for 7th place in the tournament where
Purcell was injured. The following
weekend in Kansas City, LaserVision
rocked Resmondo for 50 runs in the
winner’s bracket final en route to a
50-19 victory, and Resmondo settled
for second place when the tournament
was shortened by rain on Sunday. The
very next weekend in Dallas, Resmondo
suffered a 10-7 first round loss to Team
All-Out/DaBomb, a non-Conference B
team from Houston. After winning a
couple of games in the loser’s bracket,
Resmondo was eliminated by Team 454
to tie for 7th place again. Things got
closer to normal for the Sod Boys at the
Music City in Nashville, as they finally
won first place again but not before
suffering a 24-4 loss to LaserVision in the
first championship game.
Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth- Champions - Winter Haven, FL.
It should be noted that the struggles
since losing Purcell should not be placed
entirely at the feet of replacement
pitcher L.C. Watson from Texas. A lack
of offensive production was more to
blame than Watson’s pitching skills. In a
10-7 loss when both teams are allowed
12 home runs on 300-foot fields, the 10
isn’t the problem – it’s the seven. In fact,
Watson was named the Co-Defensive
MVP at Nashville.
But it was no coincidence that the
return of “Drew” – short for Andrew, as
in Purcell – brought about Resmondo’s
most dominating performance of the
season at the 6th Annual Space City
56 USSSA TODAY
All-Tournament selection, Greg Connell, has been
solid all year.
No rust on Drew....Andy Purcell named MVP after
being on the shelf for six weeks with a hand injury.
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Classic, held June 1-3 at Big League
Dreams in League City, TX.
Space City has been the largest
Conference USSSA tournament each of
the past three years, attracting 48 teams
in both 2009 and 2010, and 64 teams in
2011. It will likely be the largest again
this year, as it attracted 50 teams from
seven states. The tournament was
capped at 50 so that all games could
be played at the six-field Big League
Dreams complex, which features Field
Turf infields. Anything over 50 teams
would require using an alternate
complex for some games.
Buzinisports.com/BWW/Worth- Second Place - Jackson, MS.
The tournament used the Dudley Classic
M+ balls, which are a higher core but
lower compression than the Dudley ZN
balls. The Classics help reduce home
runs, which is needed on smaller fence
distances at Big League Dreams. In addition, all Conference events played at Big
League Dreams parks use “Wall Ball”
which means home runs must clear the
entire wall – some of which are 40 feet
high – otherwise the ball is live and in
play when is bounces off the wall.
Resmondo averaged 40.5 runs per game
in going 6-0 to win the championship.
Their average margin of victory was 20.1
runs per game.
Resmondo opened the tournament
Friday night with a 39-9 romp over
Budweiser/Frank’s/Gooseneck
from
College Station, TX. The returned for a
Saturday matinee double-header and
knocked off Old School from Spring
(37-7) and Texas Miken Softball Club
from Pearland (46-25) in a game Texas
Miken actually led after three innings.
Texas Miken had defeated Team All-Out/
DaBomb (23-8) one game earlier to
prevent Resmondo getting a re-match
against All-Out/DaBomb. It was Texas
Miken’s sixth win in seven games against
Team All-Out/DaBomb this season.
In the semi-finals of the winner’s
bracket, Resmondo defeated Fence
Brokers/Gametime/Worth from Little
Rock, Arkansas in a game that was actually closer than the 43-28 final score
58 USSSA TODAY
Miken Mafia/ASPNation.com- Third Place – Rowlett,TX.
Headhunter/Cancooker/Shssports.com- Fourth Place – Fayetteville,GA.
Proud Member of
would indicate. In the other half of
the winner’s bracket, Buzinisports.com/
BWW/Worth from Jackson, Mississippi
beat
Headhunter/Cancooker
from
Fayetteville, Georgia (28-13).
That set up a King Seat matchup between
Resmondo, the grizzled veterans of the
Major Circuit, and Buzinis, one of the
top up-and-coming young teams in the
nation. Buzini kept the game close for
a few innings, before Resmondo broke
away for a 35-20 win.
The loss sent Buzinisports to the loser’s
bracket where the never-say-die Miken
Mafia/ASPNation.com
team
from
Rowlett, TX was making more waves
than those found a nearby Galveston
Island. After winning their first two
games of the tournament, Miken Mafia/
ASP was sent to the loser’s bracket by
Headhunter in the quarter-finals. Then,
in back-to-back-to-back games beginning at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Miken Mafia/
ASP posted consecutive wins over Team
All-Out/DaBomb (37-36), Strike Force
from Baton Rouge, LA (28-26), and
Fence Brokers (36-35) in a game that
did not end until after 2:00 a.m. Sunday.
Then, Miken Mafia/ASP was back at the
park less than six hours later, where
the defeated Headhunter/Cancooker
in a re-match (31-29). That made four
straight hard-fought victories by a total
of six runs facing elimination against
tough competition.
Miken Mafia/ASPNation.com was not
finished battling. In a seven-inning slugfest in the finals of the loser’s bracket,
Manager Tim Barnes’ squad from North
Texas took Buzinisports.com/BWW/
Worth to the wire before suffering a
37-36 loss to settle for third place, by far
their best Conference showing of the
season.
The very recognizable FBI bench. Chris Walker’s team settled for a fifth place tie.
Kelly Hartman was a nice pick up by Buzini Sports.
Donny “Junior” DeDonatis was co-defensive MVP.
That set up a re-match between
Resmondo and Buzini for the championship under the hot Texas sun at high
noon on Sunday. Despite the draining
duel with Miken Mafia/ASP, Buzini
had plenty left in the tank to throw at
Resmondo. The title bout went backArkansas hand, Timmy “Scarecrow” Howard, was recognized as defensive co-MVP.
60 USSSA TODAY
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and-forth with several lead changes,
until Resmondo had a big inning in
the bottom of the sixth. Buzini came
up in the top of the seventh needing
10 runs to catch Resmondo. But a spectacular over-the-fence catch by Timmy
Howard and a double-play started by
Don “Junior” DeDonatis III ended the
rally before it could ever get started, as
Resmondo walked away with a 43-33
championship win.
In addition to pitching five of the six
victories with a brace on his recently
rehabilitated
left
hand,
Purcell
led Resmondo with a .970 on-base
percentage, which included four home
runs and 18 RBIs, and was named Most
Valuable Player of the tournament.
Friendly discussion at homeplate with the Headhunters.
Justin Stuart of Buzinisports.com was
named the Outstanding Offensive
Player, while Howard and DeDonatis
were named the Co-Outstanding
Defensive Players. Howard had a strong
showing at the plate as well, with a .781
on-base percentage and seven home
runs with 24 RBIs. DeDonatis ignited
the Resmondo offense from the leadoff
position.
Six other Resmondo players were
named to the All-Tournament team,
including Jeff Hall, Greg Connell, Jimmy
Salas, Ronald “Bubba” Mack, Jeremy
Isenhower and Sean “Milky” McDonald.
After not playing in the Conference the
past two years, Hall is rounding into Hall
of Fame form since joining Resmondo
in May. He hit the walk-off home run
in the championship game of the Music
City, and in the Space City he compiled
a .786 on-base percentage with eight
home runs and 24 RBIs. Connell and
Mack tied for the team-lead in home
runs with 11 apiece, while Isenhower
belted 10. Connell had an .818 OBP and
Mack’s was .818, while Isenhower was
.875. McDonald reached base in all 13 of
his plate appearances for a perfect 1.000
average in just three games, while Salas
had a .885 OBP and nine home runs.
Resmondo played the tournament
without the services of B.J. Fulk and
62 USSSA TODAY
Buzini Sports’ Justin Stuart was recognized for his leadership by manager TJay Busin and recognized by
tournament officials as offensive MVP.
Miken Mafia had a nice string of close victories coming through the losers bracket for a strong third place finish.
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Howie Krause, who were both out
with injuries, although Krause was in
attendance and coached third base all
weekend.
Buzinisports.com/BWW/Worth settled
for second place with their 5-2 record,
which was their best showing in five
Conference USSSA tournaments this
year.
“All I can say is I am proud to be a part
of this team that continues to improve
and continues to gel,” said sponsor/
manager TJay Busin. “We got great
leadership from Donald Plaisance, Clint
Harris, Kelly Hartman and Justin Stuart.
Standout rookies and excellent defense
are keeping my boys on the minds of all
the big teams.”
In addition to Stuart’s award, Buzini
players named to the All-Tournament
team were Chris Smith, Brady Bascle,
Clint Harris and Donald Plaisance.
Miken Mafia/ASPNation.com was just
4-8 in four Conference USSSA events
coming into Space City, before going
6-2 to capture third place. If the scrappy
squad continues to improve, they could
be a top contender in the post-season
for the C Division. ASP players named to
the All-Tournament team were Stuart
Snell, Bobby Mitchell and recent pickup
Chris Lopez who did an excellent job
pitching for his new team.
Fourth place went to Headhunter/
Cancooker/Shssports.com
from
Fayetteville, Georgia with a 4-2 record.
Like the second and third place
teams, the fourth place showing was
Headhunter’s best Conference finish of
the season. The team was 7-8 coming
into Space City, but left Houston 11-10
in Conference play. Headhunter players
named to the All-Tournament team
were Wesley Parker and Chad Folsom.
With 50 teams in the bracket, there
were several other teams who deserve
recognition. The Texas Regulators from
Garland, TX and Fence Brokers tied for
2012 saw the return to competitive softball by Jeff
Hall. Couldn’t tell of the layoff....all-tournament.
5th place; Strike Force and Texas Miken
tied for 7th; and TPS/Sports Center
from Jackson, MS, Arkansas Mayhem
from Arkadephia, AR, Sandlot from
Pensacola, FL and Team All-Out/DaBomb
tied for 9th.
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64 USSSA TODAY
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Corny’s
Corner
Mike Cornell
Worth Sports is LEGIT
....not just a catch phrase
Hello softball fans across the country! My name is Mike Cornell, but many of you may know me as
“Corny”. I have taken a position as the new Worth Sports Marketing Manager for Slowpitch and Youth
Baseball. I am looking forward to continuing Worth’s great tradition of Grassroots campaigns from coast
to coast.
It’s that time of year where Conference USSSA teams are in full swing. Many have jumped to the forefront with impressive wins in some of the year’s most competitive tournaments. Both of our Worth teams,
Resmondo and Team 454, have already posted victories in two tournaments and seem to be putting things
together as they roll into the second half of the schedule. Other Worth teams that have had strong finishes in
conference play are Buzini Sports/BWW, Baugh Ford/Advantage Sports, D2E Sports, and FBI/Gametime Supply.
All the Worth teams have been hitting the fields with our newest 454 models and the word on the street
is they are as good as advertised. When we say “Legit Power,” it’s not just a catch phrase…..We mean it!
Additionally, I would like to recognize the Worth Advisory team members that have been chosen to
represent our country on the USA National Men’s slow pitch team as well as the USA Futures team. The
players from Resmondo/Worth are Don DeDonatis III, Andy Purcell, BJ Fulk, and Greg Connell. Also representing Resmondo/Worth on the newly formed USA Futures team will be Jimmy Salas and Bubba Mack.
Kevin Bazat joins the Futures roster from Team 454/Worth. Good luck to all of you and let’s make it a repeat!
I would like take this opportunity to announce the signing of our newest Worth Advisory Staff member
Andy Purcell. Many of you know Andy as arguably the best pitcher to ever take the mound in Slowpitch
Softball. He is a perennial member of numerous All Conference teams and All Tournament Teams in the
crown jewel of softball: the USSSA Men’s Major held every year at the Disney Wide World of Sports. Welcome
aboard Andy! We are very pleased to have you join our team of the best softball players in the country!
As far as the rest of the season goes, I am sure it will be an interesting one and there are always some
surprises in store as we head into the Conference season final weeks. We still have some great Conference
events, the Smoky Mountain Classic and the Worth Last Chance Tournament coming down the pike. Keep
up with all the worth events on Worth Slowpitch’s facebook page facebook.com/worthslowpitch
I would like to wish all the Conference USSSA teams’ good luck down the final stretch. Hit it good and
travel safe!
Worth Adds Andy Purcell to Slowpitch Advisory Staff
®
KISSIMMEE, FL – June 19, 2012 – Worth® today announced the
signing of one of slowpitch softball’s marquee players, Andy
Purcell, to its advisory staff. Purcell is currently the pitcher
for the top-ranked Men’s Major slowpitch team, Resmondo/
Specialty Tank/Worth.
Other Worth Advisory Staff players on the Resmondo team
include: Travis Resmondo, Don Dedonatis III, Greg Connell and
BJ Fulk.
Purcell has been a member of 17 world championship teams,
and has been selected to 15 all-world teams. In addition,
Purcell earned MVP honors of the USSSA Men’s Major World
Series twice, joining Dedonatis III as the only two players to
accomplish this honor.
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 at the national
runner-up University of Oklahoma; Ralph and Karen Weekly,
co-head softball coaches at the University of Tennessee; Deana
Gumpf, head softball coach at the 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
66 USSSA TODAY
The Worth Sports’ team of Mike Cornell, Andy Purcell and Denny Helmig.
portfolio of brands. Worth is the official softball of the
NCAA® and NAIA® softball championships. Worth is the official helmet and an official bat of National Pro Fastpitch. Worth
is also 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, quality
brands sold globally.
Resmondo takes control at Dudley
Budweiser Classic in Minnesota
by Dave Pedersen
Resmondo’s Timmy “SC” Howard- tournament
co-MVP batted .913 for the tournament.
Nordkap’s JD Genter-co-MVP.
Local native to host city, Brooklyn Center, Resmondo’s OF Scott Striebel
was all-tournament.
The roller coaster went back to the
top for Resmondo-Specialty Tank/
Worth after winning the 30th Dudley
Budweiser Classic- Sponsored by Easton
men’s major tournament in Brooklyn
Center June 17.
The defending USSSA World Series and
Dudley tourney champion has struggled
some this season and is in a dog fight
to be at the top of the points standings
prior to the next softball World Series in
September.
“We have had our ups and downs this
season,” said left fielder Scott Striebel
about his Resmondo team, which has
not dominated as in recent seasons.
“We even lost to a class D team Friday
night at one tournament.”
68 USSSA TODAY
All-Tournament player, Donovan Pokraka, celebrates victory putting
Nordkap into the championship game with Resmondo.
Laservision/Easton’s all-tournament- Kevin
Kennington.
Resmondo did dominate at this year’s
Dudley tourney that included all four
teams ranked major in the country, plus
local class B, C and D teams hoping for
some upsets of the top teams.
Claiming to be healthier than it had
been all season, Resmondo run-ruled all
six opponents, outscoring teams 187-66.
Striebel, who grew up in the BC area
and now lives in Florida, was named to
the All-Tournament team.
The four major teams reached the
final four as expected. Resmondo beat
Nordkap/Desert Storm/Easton 38-22 in
the title game. The only other loss for
the team with a Minnesota sponsor
(Nordkap Construction of Ham Lake)
was to Resmondo 26-6 in the semifinals.
Team Combat/Pacific Headwear’s Joey Smith .
Nordkap battled back to beat Class
A R&M Metals 44-42, Team Combat/
Pacific Headwear (major) 50-46 and
Laservision/Annihilation/Supreme/D2E/
Easton (major) 34-13 to get another
crack at Resmondo.
In other key games, Resmondo beat
Laservision 32-17 in the winner’s bracket
finals and Laservision beat Team Combat
28-24 to claim third place.
Newcomers spark
Resmondo
“We were quite a bit healthier and
went with a set lineup this weekend,”
said Frank Webb from Resmondo. “We
are not used to being in this position.
We are the one doing the chasing now.
Last week in Chicago we went in as No.
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1 and we stunk it up. We scored
30-31 runs in the games we lost,
but found a way to lose them.”
When Bryson Baker and Brian
Rainwater left to play for
Laservision, Webb said Resmondo decided to roll the dice and
go with guys they had been looking at for a couple of years.
Outfielder Tim Howard was found in Arkansas. At the Dudley
he batted .913 to be named tourney most valuable player. He
only made one out in the first four games.
Other newcomers who contributed mightily have been Ronald
Mack III, a 24-year-old from northern Florida and pitcher Lloyd
Watson from Texas.
Laservision’s Kevin Kennington- All Tournament
“It is hard to make a transition to a new team, especially one
that is expected to win,” said Webb. “It’s a big gamble when
you take a flyer with youngsters. There is a lot of pressure.”
Webb said the team also gambled on an older player with the
addition was the hall of famer Jeff Hall, who had not played
in a couple of years. Hall, who had been a former MVP at the
Dudley, was named to the All-Tournament team along with
Jimmy Salas, Robert Hughes, George Connell and pitcher Andy
Purcell.
Genter Excels Again
The co-MVP was JD Genter of Nordkap, which is not a total
surprise. The second baseman eared Dudley MVP honors
when playing for Long Haul Trucking one year and Dan Smith
another, both major teams.
All-Tournament selection from
Resmondo- Jimmy Salas
Nordkap’s ss Anthony Dress
Other Nordkap players named All-Tournament included Brent
McCollum as offensive MVP, pitcher Chad Munger, Mike Bowlin,
Donovan Pokraka, Kevin Filby and Joey Formosa.
Nordkap had two big innings against Combat in the 50-46 win,
scoring 17 runs in the third and 14 in the seventh after the
score was tied.
“The guys responded after the flat game Friday,” said manager
Rick Olson. “They didn’t like it and came back to show us they
are more than capable. If they get down, they don’t stay
there.”
Olson said all his team was doing a lot better with using home
runs smarter compared to earlier in the year. Plus, at the Dudley
they were scoring a lot of runs in between home runs.
Travis Clark,Nordkap’s pitcher, covers second base to complete force out.
Son’s Bob and Josh Olson play for his dad on Nordkap. Rick
played in the Dudley when younger and appreciated making
it to the title game in a tournament with a “great tradition.”
Laservision Competitive
Dan Fruwirth from Laservision said this has been an exciting
and competitive year. Most of the players were part of Dan
Smith last year. The main trouble this season has been keeping
pace with Resmondo, going 0-6.
“Brett Helmer, who is one of the best home run hitters in the
country, knows everyone and pulled together most of these
guys,” said Fruwirth. “We were looking for the right chemistry.
We got Bryson Baker from Resmondo, who in my opinion is the
70 USSSA TODAY
Francois “Ron” Henry of Team Combat of Team Combat/Pacific Headwear- All
Tournament
best player in the country. Brian
Wegman is in the same category.
They are both five-tool players
who have endurance, which you
need when playing five games in
one day.”
Making All-Tournament from Laservision was Brian Wegman,
Sam Lopez, Ryan Thiede and Kevin Kennington.
Team Combat Builds For Future
Scott Brown, along with Jeff McGavin and Johnny McCraw
joined together to form a team representing the Combat
product line.
“We added players by looking in hard places,” said Brown,
who lives in Minnesota. “We found our center fielder playing
co-rec softball down in Florida. Our right fielder was found in
South Carolina playing league ball.”
Laservision’s pitcher, Curtiss Wilson
Brown said he and others are getting older and wanted to
look at the team from the company standpoint with Combat.
“We said let’s try to get younger players and teach them how
to play the game so we have a team for the future when
we are all done playing,” said Brown. “We started throwing
names in a hat, trying to do it on a low budget, yet, try to play
the game the right way.”
Team Combat players on the All-Tournament squad were
McCraw and Francois Henry, who plays for Team Canada.
Local Teams Shine
Local teams did well, including Luther Auto/Tanel/360/NSK//
Protandim, which tied for seventh in the 34-team field. The
team that only plays in tournaments is ranked ninth among
state class B teams. It is a collection of good players from the
area.
Brad Lenzen of 24 hr.
Nick Peterson of Luther Auto.
Laservision’s Bryson Baker closing out
the middle.
Laservision/Easton’s Brian Rainwater
Laservion/Easton’s ss Kevin Kennington
SoCal Team DeMarini made the trip
to participate in the prestigious 30th
Dudley/Budweiser Classic.
The best effort by a state class C team was by 24Hr Corp/DBP/
Breakaway, which plays in the Brooklyn Center league along
with most of the top teams in the state.
After losing 23-11 to Precision/Shirts&Logos, a class B team
from Illinois, 24Hr Corp defeated class C Maple Tavern from
the BC league 28-14. Next came a 9-7 win over Xtreme/
Combat, another BC league foe who was ranked No. 1 in the
state in class B.
The roll continued for 24Hr Corp with a 17-16 victory over
class B T’s 13 from Nebraska and an 18-9 triumph over Class B
Wheelhouse/Spiderz/Game Time Supply from Wisconsin.
The run ended with a 28-7 loss to class A power Team
DeMarini/Famous Sports.com from California.
“We just got together this year,” said manager Eick Dean about
the team that includes his sons Brandon, Robby and Eric.
Scott Striebel, who grew up in the Brooklyn Center area,
helped Resmondo win the Dudley Budweiser Classic.
Brad Lenzen connects for 24Hr Corp/DBP/Breakaway, a class C
team that upset three B teams at the recent Dudley Budweiser
national softball tournament.
72 USSSA TODAY
A special ceremony was conducted at the start of the
30th annual Dudley Budweiser Classic tournament June 15 in
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
Veterans of different wars were honored by the team called
4 The Fallen, based in Arizona that includes players connected in
some way to the armed services.
Former BC Mayor Myrna Kragness represented WWII
veteran Ray Kramer, who was ill. The other veterans honored
were Leonard Jacobs from the Korean War, Mike Pratt from the
Vietnam war and Mike Bloom from the Persian Gulf War.
The empty chair was for Scott Modeen, who was killed in
the current conflict. Scott Brown, a former Marine who lives in
Minnesota, received the honor for the brother of his wife’s close
friend.
The 4 The Fallen softball team assists with the transition for
wounded or killed service members and their families.
Major Greg Zayas, co-founder of 4 The Fallen, led the ceremony. He said his team will continue to raise awareness to
give thanks to these great Americans who volunteered to be
members of our armed forces, some of which have passed on
due to injuries sustained in the line of duty.
The team also presented the honor to Warren Bellm, the
Dudley tournament director for all 30 years, who is a Vietnam
veteran.
SOFTBALL IS MY GAME
by Brett Helmer
Hey Softballers, Well here we are right in the middle
of the 2012 softball season! I hope you are all playing well and
are healthy for the stretch run.
The 2012 USSSA Conference season is the absolute best it
has ever been since its inception in 2006. The quality and depth
of the teams are tremendous and that has produced a ton of
competitive games and tournaments. It is always good for the
game when the winning is spread around a little. This level of
competition will certainly make for some spectacular post season
championship play at all levels. I personally can’t wait to play
the Major World Series and am just as excited about supporting
our Easton Sponsored teams in their pursuits of World Series
Titles as well.
Speaking of our Easton sponsored teams. Hopefully by now
you all have been able to get your hands on one of the awesome
new Stealth or Synergy 2012-13 bats. These are simply the best
bats we have made in years. The combination of performance
and durability easily rivals any bats on the market today. The
new black carbon composite handles have really helped add to
the great feel and performance of this line. If you have not had
a chance to swing them, please walk up to any of my Easton
teams or players and ask if you can take a couple swings with
theirs.
I would like to give a special shout out to Warren Bellm. This
year marked the 30th anniversary of the great Dudley NIT in
Brooklyn Center, MN. Warren has done a tremendous job over
the years in hosting one of the greatest events in softball year
in, year out. even though the crowds aren’t as huge as they
used to be, the atmosphere is still one of the best to be around.
Great work Warren!
That leads me to the King of the regular season tournaments that is just a few days away. The great Smoky Mountain
Classic. You can count on another great weekend of ball and
good times in Maryville, TN. Winning this great
tournament has the same feel as winning a
World Series! If you are still a fan of Big time
bombs and great games this would be a
good trip to take. I hope to see a bunch
of you there.
Finally, I would just like to give
a shout out to all of our Easton
Sponsored teams and wish them the
best down the stretch. See you at
the yard.
Brett
USSSA TODAY 73
Adidas Falcon Trainer
Technology
Review
The Falcon Trainer features an upper made of a combination
of genuine leather, synthetic leather, and mesh for that looks
good but is still light weight and breathable. The adiTUFF
strip over the toes reinforces high wear areas with abrasion
resistance. The lining is a comfortable textile blend. It has
an EVA insole inlay to pad the foot. It has a full EVA midsole
to protect the foot from the constant pounding on the dirt.
And the outsole is rubber with a hundred little studs on
the ball and durable adiWEAR on the cushioned heel. The
Falcon Trainer comes in black and white, white and black,
red and white, blue and white, and navy and white. It is
available in men’s sizes 4-13, 14 and 15.
Adidas is one of the largest athletic shoe companies in the
world. Go to any soccer match, tennis tournament or golf
course and you will see the “brand with the three stripes”
well represented. Likewise in boxing rings and wrestling
mats, track meets, basketball courts and football fields. But
you don’t see a lot of Adidas on softball fields. The Falcon
Trainer is a shoe that could well change that. It is extremely
light weight and well ventilated. The insole molds itself to
your foot in just a couple of wears – you can actually feel
the shoe getting more comfortable each time you put it on
until you simply don’t notice that you are wearing a shoe
anymore. We’ve worn the shoe as a casual shoe, while
jogging and while playing recreational softball and like
the way it responds to whatever we’ve dished out to it. The
look of the shoe’s upper is shiny – the black recalls a patent
leather – and it gets dirty quickly, but it cleans up just as
quickly using nothing more than a damp cloth; deeper dirt
lifts right out with mild soap and a shoe brush. After dozens
of wears the shoe still looks new, which is important when
the shoe is part of the uniform.
Company Line
“Long games and long practices are tough on a coach’s
feet too. The Falcon Trainer is a versatile multisport shoe
designed for extreme comfort and durability thanks to a
long lasting and easy-to-clean leather and synthetic leather
mix.” – Henning Haberstroh, Adidas Senior Product Manager
for Baseball/Softball
74 USSSA TODAY
27th Annual Budweiser Festival
reigns as ‘King of Softball’ in Texas
by Van Galeon
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, TX – In an advertising campaign,
Budweiser is known around the world as the “Undisputed
King of Beer.” In Texas, the Budweiser Softball Festival reigns
supreme as the “King of Softball Tournaments.”
A tournament that began in 1986 with just 24 teams, has
grown to become the biggest USSSA adult slow-pitch tournament in the nation with over 300 teams. The 27th Annual
Budfest took a slight step back in numbers this year, as one of
the five complexes used was closed for remodeling. But the
280 teams did play this year just started earlier and played over
50 consecutive hours on 13 fields at four complexes, starting
at 6 p.m. Friday and not finishing until after midnight Sunday
night.
“This is one of the most amazing events I have ever been to,”
said USSSA Vice-President Kevin Naegele. “The passion these
people have for softball down here in South Texas is just
incredible.”
Men’s C Champions- Steel/AYS/Glove It Sports – Corpus Christi,TX
The Budweiser Softball Festival was been recognized as the
2010 USSSA Tournament of the Year by the Midwest Division,
and has been featured numerous times on Fox Sports Net
through the “Softball 360” program.
Festivities began Friday night with the popular $1,000 Home
Run Derby. The format is a 64-person head-to-head bracket,
with winners advancing from round-to-round until there
are just two hitters remaining. Kris Miller won the Big Bend
bracket, while Brian Bohanon won the Yellowstone bracket.
Then Miller topped Bohanon, 4-3, in the battle for the big
prize.
During the Home Run Derby, samples of the new Bud Light
Lime-A-Ritas were provided to appreciative fans by Alan
Bingham of Jack Hilliard Distributing, and were served by the
lovely Bud Girls, while music from DJ Budman blared in the
background.
Men’s Class D Champions - LA Classic/Buzini – Haughton, LA
The highest division was Men’s C, played at Veterans Park in
College Station, where Steel/AYS/Glove It Sports from Corpus
Christi went undefeated through five games to win first place
in the 20-team bracket. Steel defeated Straight Shot (10-8),
Austin Speed (13-12), Call Your Shot (14-3) and RoverPlusNine/
Texas Raiders (19-7) to advance to the championship game,
where they were awarded the crown when Disturbed Softball
could not field a team.
Disturbed, from Baytown, came into the tournament as the
number one seed, but was upset in the first round by hometown favorite Budweiser/Frank’s/Gooseneck of Bryan (8-3).
Men’s Class E Champions- Goons – Houston, TX
USSSA TODAY 75
That sent Disturbed to the loser’s bracket where they reeled
off consecutive wins over H-Town (7-0), DnDApparrel.com
(20-3), Austin Speed (11-6), Old School (10-9), Bud Crew/Dream
Street (8-7), Call Your Shot (17-2) and RP9/Texas Raiders (13-7)
to reach the championship game. But a combination of injuries and fatigue left Distubed unable to answer the bell for
the title bout, which gave Steel/AYS/Glove It Sports the title.
Disturbed settled for second place at 6-2.
Third place went to RoverPlusNine/Texas Raiders from Houston
at 3-2, while fourth went to Call Your Shot from Round Rock
also at 3-2, and fifth place was a tie between Bud Crew/Dream
Street from Beaumont and Odyssey from Tomball, both at
3-2. The rest of the Top 10 consisted of the Freaks from Austin
and Old School from Spring tied for seventh; and Budweiser/
Frank’s/Gooseneck from Bryan, Dem Brothers from Houston,
Austin Speed from Austin, and Texas Bombers from Houston,
all tied for ninth.
Women’s B/C Champions- Derby Girls/Combat – Seattle, WA
Women’s D Champions - Famous Freaks – Sanger, TX
Pitcher Hank Martinez of Steel/AYS/Glove It Sports was named
Most Valuable Player of the division, while Joey Goldstein of
Disturbed was the Gold Glove winner. Players named to the
All-Tournament team were Roland Salazar, Floyd Mendoza,
Georgie Guevara and Richard “Flaco” Salazar, Jr., of Stee/AYS/
Glove It Sports; Manny Galvan, Javy Sauceda and Ben Dunn,
of Disturbed; Kip Todhunter, Robert Harper and Tim Bolds, of
RP9/Texas Raiders; and Damien Hemboldt and Barry Plessala,
of Call Your Shot.
The Men’s D bracket featured 74 teams and was played entirely
at the Bryan Regional Athletic Complex in Bryan. LA Classic/
Buzzini from Haughton, LA made the long trip from northern
Louisiana and went 7-0 to win the biggest tournament of the
year in Texas. LA Classic/Buzini defeated Aerial Assault (18-6),
Lone Star Crooks (24-6), AMPM/Glove It (11-8), Dirty Habits
(16-15), Weekend Warriors (16-15) and Realside Softball (23-3)
to advance to the championship game, where they knocked
off Wharton’s Worst Nightmares (20-10) to claim the crown.
Wharton’s Worst Nightmares from Wharton is a team to be
commended. After coming from nowhere to qualify for the
2011 Men’s E “Battle for the Rings” then shocking the state
by actually winning the rings, they were bumped from E to D.
Rather than take the cowardly route and break up instead of
trying the next level, WWN accepted the bump and met the
challenge head on and are doing well in D this year. WWN
won their first game at Budfest over The Hustlers (13-9) before
being sent to the loser’s bracket by Realside (11-8). WWN
then went to work and won nine consecutive games over
Texas Pride (16-9), H&H (16-4), JV Trucking (15-0), MTS Softball
(17-7), Chop-A-Holics (12-11), AMPM/Glove It (10-6), Weekend
Warriors (15-10), DC/Y&R (16-6) and Realside in a re-match
(23-6) to advance all the way to the championship game,
before settling for second place with a 10-2 record.
Mixed Champions- Sluggers – Friendswood, TX
76 USSSA TODAY
Realside Softball from Dallas came in third at 5-2; DC/Y&R
finished fourth at 5-2; and Dirty Habits from Weslaco (5-2) and
Weekend Warriors from Dallas (4-2) tied for fifth place. The
presents
Fall Budweiser
Softball Festival
In Bryan/College Station
on November 10, 11
Brought to you by
Jack Hilliard Distributing,
Bryan/College Station,TX
To enter your team,
contact Greg Huchingson
at (979) 774-9408
rest of the Top 10 included the Hurricanes from Corpus Christi
(4-2) and AMPM/Glove It Sports from Houston (5-2) tied for
seventh place; and Injured Reserve from San Antonio (4-2),
Brewskies/Worth from Katy (4-2), Bass Tools from Shreveport,
LA (3-2) and Chop-A-Holics from San Antonio (3-2) all tied for
ninth.
Jay Arthur from LA Classic/Buzini was named Most Valuable
Player of the division, and Brandon Cervenka of Wharton’s
Worst Nightmares was the Gold Glove winner. Players named
to the All-Tournament team were Jason Carter, Lee Wallace,
Dustin Hemperley and Kyle Bullock, from LA Classic/Buzini;
Damon Scoggin, Seth Thompson and Jordan Calhoun, of WWN;
Joe John Hernandez, Anthony Carmona and Jim Gonzalez, of
Realside; and Angel Juarez and Larry Juarez, of DC/Y&R.
The biggest bracket of the tournament was the mammoth
124-team Men’s E division, which was played at three
complexes – Bryan Regional Athletic Complex, Haswell/Lions
Park and Veterans Park, where it finished after midnight
Sunday night. In a bracket this size, it is imperative to remain
undefeated as long as possible to avoid playing multiple
games in the overnight hours, then having to continue during
the following day.
Men’s Class D Second Place- Wharton’s Worst Nightmares – Wharton, TX
The Goons from Houston followed that blueprint by winning
their first seven games over Smoke (8-4), Did That (18-5), WSP
(13-1), Phenoms (11-9), DTA (7-5), Tapout (9-1) and Mayhem
(6-4) to reach the championship game undefeated. After losing
to the Goons, Mayhem dropped to the loser’s bracket and
beat hometown favorite Batteries Plus (17-7) to get another
shot at the Goons. Mayhem actually blanked the Goons 16-0 in
the first championship game to force an “if necessary” game,
which the Goons won (7-4).
The Goons won first place with an 8-1 record, despite scoring
just 8.77 runs per game. In the era of hot composite bats and
good-performing balls, not many teams win first place in any
tournament by averaging less than 10 runs per game. The
Goons’ average margin of victory was 3.33. Mayhem from
Houston finished second with an 8-2 record, while Batteries
Plus from College Station came in third at 7-2, and Tapout from
Baytown was fourth at 6-2. The rest of the Top 10 consisted of
the Devilz Rejcts from Rosenburg and GT Crew/CSC of Seguin
tied for fifth place, both at 8-2; Back Alley Strokers from Spring
and Dangerous Toys from San Antonio tied for seventh, both
at 5-2; and Outta Control from San Antionio (6-2), Phenoms
from San Antonio (5-2), Ain’t No Easy from Austin (4-2) and
DTA from Houston (4-2) all tied for ninth.
Men’s Class E Second Place - Mayhem – Houston, TX
Scott Vidrine of the Goons was named Most Valuable Player of
the division, and Cory Moszkowicz of Mayhem was the Gold
Glove winner. Other members of the All-Tournament team
were Jared Dotson, Rene Salinas, Jr., Cody Robinson and Jason
Beard, of the Goons; Josh Tittle, Brian Russell and Anthony
Eisfeldt, of Mayhem; Taylor McGrew, James Kilpatrick and
Jaime Sepulveda, of Batteries Plus; and Hector Franco and
Albert Trevino, Jr., of Tapout.
The two Women’s divisions were played at Bee Creek Park
78 USSSA TODAY
Kris Miller accepts the prize money for winning the HR contest.
in College Station. There were 21 teams in the Women’s B/C
bracket and the lone B team won first place. The Derby Girls/
Combat, who made the long trip from Seattle, Washington,
went 5-0 to win the crown. The team, which placed fourth at
the 2011 USSSA Women’s B World Tournament, defeated Bad
Apples Women (14-1), Unknowns (12-2), Bluebonnet champion Rub and Tug BBQ (11-10) and Lady Ego (19-6) to advance
to the championship game, where they beat Rub and Tug BBQ
in a re-match (13-3) to win the title.
Women’s B/C Second Place- Rub and Tug BBQ – Austin, TX
Rub and Tug BBQ from Austin went 5-2 to finish second; Lady
Ego from Houston went 3-2 to take third, and Lady Brokers
from Houston went 5-2 to come in fourth. Lady Terror Squad
from Bryan (3-2) and Lady Canes II from Ft. Worth (2-2) tied
for fifth place; and Cajun Chaos from Haughton, LA (3-2) and
Unknowns from San Antonio (2-2) tied for seventh. Texas
Heat Legends from Austin, Lady Warhawks from San Antonio,
Straight Shot/Mizuno from Spring and J.F.F. from Spring all tied
for ninth.
Power-hitting Christan Dowling of Derby Girls was named Most
Valuable Player of the division, and Sarah Jahan of Rub and
Tug BBQ was the Gold Glove winner. Other members of the
All-Tournament team were Darcy Johnson, Rochelle Carpenter
and Stephanie Watt, of Derby Girls; Karie Parker, Sherri Haley
and Lisa Spates, of Rub and Tug BBQ; Arizabeth Rubalcaba and
Christine Howell, of Lady Ego; and Yvonne Garcia and Nicole
Fiola, of Lady Brokers.
Eighteen teams entered the Women’s D/E bracket, and the
Famous Freaks from Sanger in North Texas went 5-0 to win first
place. Famous Freaks defeated Get Real (9-8), You Got Served
(18-3), Hit It & Quit It (14-5) and B&T Express (19-6) to advance
to the championship game. After losing to Famous Freaks, B&T
Express dropped to the loser’s bracket and beat Goonie Proof
(14-11) to get another shot against Famous Freaks in the championship game. B&T Express put up a good fight, but Famous
Freaks held on for an 8-7 win and the championship.
Women’s D Second Place - B&T Express – Houston, TX
B&T Express, from Houston, settled for second place at 4-2.
Goonie Proof, from Waco, came in third at 6-2, followed by
Lady Bluejays from San Antonio in fourth at 4-2, and Lady
Hard Shots from Houston and Hit It & Quit It from Houston
tied for fifth, both at 2-2. The rest of the Top 10 consisted of
NRL Texas Softball from Spring and Brew Crew from Kingsville,
tied for seventh; and Get Real from Austin, Softball Gypsy’s
from Magnolia, You Got Served from Houston and Diamond
Divas from Killeen, all tied for ninth.
Jocelyn Roberts of Famous Freaks was named Most Valuable
Player of the division, and Sheridan Mitchell of B&T Express
was the Gold Glove winner. Other players named to the
All-Tournament team were Britney Willis, Lacey Cage, Kim
Fisher and Jessica Martin, of Famous Freaks; Alisa Flores,
Adrienne Carr-Harper and Andrea Gonzalez, of B&T Express;
Tammy Martinez, Destiny Mordecai and Jordan Vanatta, of
Goonie Proof; and Melissa Mendiola and Michelle Erekson, of
Lady Bluejays.
Mixed Second Place- Balls So Hard/ Mizuno – Sugarland, TX
Two divisions were played to completion Friday night, and into
USSSA TODAY 79
the early morning hours on Saturday, so that their players could
participate on their regular teams on Saturday and Sunday.
The Mixed C/D division featured 24 teams and the Sluggers
from Friendswood went 5-0 to win first place. The Sluggers
defeated Craftmasters/Half Nuts (16-7), DGKoed (15-14),
Half-Cocked (17-15) and Ball So Hard/Mizuno to advance
to the championship game, where they beat Ball So Hard/
Mizuno again to claim the crown. Ball So Hard/Mizuno from
Sugar Land finished second at 4-2; Co-ed Connection from
San Antonio came in third at 6-2; and DGKoed from Houston
finished fourth at 4-2. The rest of the Top 10 consisted of HalfCocked from Nacogdoches and Bucwild from San Antonio
tied for fifth; Cen-Tex Outlaws from Harker Heights and High
Octane from Carrollton tied for seventh; and Craftmasters/Half
Nuts from Brenham, Google Us from Henderson, We Got This
from Austin, and Texas Sports Reach from Huntsville, all tied
for ninth.
Conway Waddy of the Sluggers was named Most Valuable Player
of the division, and Ryan Popkin of Ball So Hard/Mizuno was
the Gold Glove winner. Other members of the All-Tournament
team were Jason Guillory, Mark Cridland, Cheryl Wyrick and
Tracy Bougere, of the Sluggers; Jordan Martin, Joey Massey
and Keri Popkin, of Ball So Hard/Mizuno; Jaclyn Vargas, Greg
Perez and Greg Jones, of Co-ed Connection; and Christine
Howell and Jose Molina, Jr. of DGKoed.
USSSA South Texas State Director, Greg Huchingson, finds a quick moment to relax
during the around the clock evnt.
The final division was Men’s 35 & Over, which only had six
teams. KD Logo from San Antonio went 3-0 to win first place.
KD Logo defeated Odyssey (19-12) and Rocky’s (19-18) to
advance to the championship, where they defeated Cen-Tex
Elite, from Killeen, who finished second. Rocky’s from College
Station came in third, while Guess Who from Magnolia took
fourth, and Odyssey from Tomball placed fifth.
Jorge Soto of KD Logo was the Most Valuable Player of the
division, and Rich Romero of Cen-Tex Elite was the Gold Glove
winner. Other players named to the All-Tournament team
were Tony Flores, Jessie Velasquez, Joseph Farias and Steven
Barrientos, of KD Logo; Mike Zamora, George Guevara and
Pete Tagle, of Cen-Tex Elite; Todd Weigand, Jeff McCoy and
Chris Cahal, of Rocky’s; and Randy Stinson and Joey Ficaro, of
Guess Who.
A lot of coordination goes into putting on an event of this
size. The Tournament Director at Veterans Park was Roy “M.F.”
Dean, while the UIC was Ben Templeton and the Assistant
Director was Brian Ragan. The Tournament Director at the
Bryan Regional Athletic Complex was Scott Duffy, while the
UIC was Phillip Wheeler and the Assistant Director was Quentin
Shutt. The Tournament Director and UIC at Bee Creek Park was
Bennie Scott, and the Tournament Director and UIC at Haswell/
Lions Park was Rene Hinojosa.
The Parks & Recreation Departments from the Cities of Bryan
and College Station had the fields in excellent playing condition and maintained them for the duration of the tournament,
and the gigantic crew of quality USSSA umpires from across
Texas pitched in to help make the event a huge success.
80 USSSA TODAY
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With Bat Standards Changing at the End of the Year
Manufacturers Give the Player Plenty of Options
By Michael Cisneros
Photos by Brianne Cisneros
The times they are a-changing. So too are bat standards. Once
2013 rolls around, bats that do not carry the USSSA 2013 stamp
will not be allowed in USSSA play. But don’t worry; there will
be no shortage of bats to choose from that meet all the new
standards. Last issue introduced you to some of the new 2013
stamped bats: the Combat Avarice; Miken Freak NXT; Miken
Baden Axe Avenge
Technology
The two-piece Baden Axe Avenge is
unique in a number of ways, but the
one way that stands out above the
rest is the actual axe-shaped handle.
The patented Axe handle sits flush
against the bottom of the hand for
a more natural fit that promotes a
more consistent swing; it is designed
to prevent hand fatigue, encourage a
consistent swing plane, and deliver
more power to contact. The shape
of the handle necessitates a unique
barrel design as well – the Plus Plus
Reinforced composite barrel is reinforced with a C-shaped insert on
the hitting side – since the handle
dictates only one side of the bat ever
sees the ball - to ensure a consistent
performance and a long life. The
handle is stiff carbon designed to add
speed and power to the swing. The
two are combined by LONGbarrel
Design Technology, which allows for
a long hitting surface. Baden bats
are balanced so they will appeal to
a wider range of hitter; the shape
of the handle is meant to accelerate the swing without the added
weight at the end. The Baden Axe
Avenge is a distinctive blue with
lightning accents with a Checker Cab
patterned handle.
Company Line
“Our goal was to bring a better
82 USSSA TODAY
bat line to the marketplace using
Bio-Mechanic engineering and the
latest in Technology. We are thrilled
to see players at all levels of baseball
and softball, including MLB, embrace
‘The Axe.’ To give a little background,
we began working on the Axe bat
line over two years ago. The idea
originated from a book Ted Williams
co-authored called ‘The Science of
Hitting.’ Williams trained with axe
handles in the off-season and is
quoted as saying, ‘Swinging a bat is
like wielding an axe’; as manager of
the Washington Senators, Williams
made his players train with axe
handles to get their hands in the
proper power position. The Baden
Axe is approved for all levels of play
and the first non-round handle ever
approved by Major League Baseball.”
– Greg Barton, Baden Sports Inc.
Review
The most unique bat in
the class of 2013 is also
the newest – the Baden
Axe Avenge is the first bat
Baden has made for slow
pitch and the only bat on
the market with an axe
handle. That’s right – a
composite barrel attached
to a stiff composite handle
that ends, not in a knob,
but in a curved axe handle.
We thought it was weird
too. But it really makes
sense. “The Axe handle
is different than anything
MV1; Mizuno Blackout; and Worth 454 Legit. This time we
look at more, including a full range of two-piece options;
bats bearing signatures of some of softball’s elite players; bats
designed on recommendations by world champions; and even
a bat with the handle of an axe …
(in softball) before because it truly
provides a natural, ergonomic fit,”
said Annie-Rose Schindler of Baden
Sports. “This gives the hitter all
sorts of benefits, but here are three:
instead of locking your hands into a
unnatural position, the Axe pushes
the bat into your fingertips where it
belongs for greater energy transfer;
the oval nature of the handle base
allows the player to stay on the same
swing plane and get into a powerful
palm up/palm down hand position
more consistently; and lastly, the Axe
handle gives you a freer swing – the
traditional round knob protrudes into
the palm, causing restriction in the
swing on release. The Axe handle has
a flat backside, with no protrusions
into the palm, allowing for an unrestricted swing with a freer release.”
The feel is amazingly comfortable
because it is so natural. You may
find yourself concentrating on your
hands at first, but after a
few swings you realize that
you are striking the balls
in a consistent fashion.
The pop is good, but the
most noticeable thing is
the almost complete lack
of mis-hits: you don’t hit
many grounders, you don’t
hit many fly balls, you don’t
hit any pop-ups. What you
get, time after time, are
line drives through the
infield, in down the line,
and in the gaps. The sound
is good and the stiff handle
feels good on contact. The one question about the Axe everyone seems
to ask me has to do with durability
– how good is it to hit the ball on
the same spot swing after swing?
“Due to the shape of Baden’s Axe
handle, players will be hitting on one
side of the bat,” concedes Schnider.”
Because we know where players will
hit, it has allowed our engineers to
hone in on the hitting side of the
bat, optimizing everything – balance,
sweet spots, barrel performance, and
durability. Our Plus-Plus Composite
and LP Scandium Alloy technologies
were designed with this in mind. Our
Plus-Plus Composite is created from
the lightest, most durable carbon
fiber on the market. We reinforce the
barrel on the hitting side to ensure
hitters get optimum performance,
with superior durability for one-sided
hitting. Our LP Scandium Alloy, used
across our alloy line of baseball bats,
is created from a combination of
elements to deliver performance and
durability under one-sided hitting
conditions.” It’s a nice way to make
a first impression.
Description
n Balanced weighted
n Two-piece composite LONGbarrel
Technology
n Plus Plus Reinforced composite
barrel
n 13-inch barrel
n Performance Carbon handle
n Patented Axe Handle design
n Cushioned tacky grip
In Brownsville!
Oct. 25-28 2012
Combat Rick Spiked Baker
Technology
The Combat Spiked is the second
bat to carry Rick “Spike” Baker’s
name but it is the first Combat
slow pitch bat to feature a twopiece design. The Spiked design
is centered on Combat’s Handle
Isolation Technology – HIT – that
uses polymeric visco-elastic dampeners to isolate the light handle from
the high-performance, two-walled
barrel. The visco-elastic material
stiffens under load so the barrel
responds quickly to the swing, but
then softens to absorb vibration
feedback: high frequency vibrations
are effectively eliminated before
they reach the hands, giving a soft,
damped, feel without compromising
performance. The two-walled barrel
allows Combat to control the size
and placement of the sweet spot. The
Spiked uses Combat’s newest technologies: Blended Fiber Technology
with carbon, glass and aramid fibers
in varying proportions at carefully
controlled angles; Separation Barrier
Technology allowing multiple walls to
flex individually or in tandem for top
Combat Pure
Technology
The Combat Pure is the newest
generation in a long line of onepiece composite bats designed with
the power hitter in mind. It is also
the third generation of Combat’s
unique Gear Technology – a taper
design that in cut-away view looks
like gear teeth – an alternating thick
and thin wall in a precise pattern
that provides extra stiffness. The
Pure uses Combat’s newest technologies: Blended Fiber Technology
with carbon, glass and aramid fibers
in varying proportions at carefully
84 USSSA TODAY
performance without having to break
through layers of stiff composite
first; Nanocomp Technology Inside
allowing the composite’s fiber
and resin to be uniform at the
molecular level filling the natural
gaps between fibers and strengthening the entire shell; and Precision
Molding Technology with computer
controlled, machine-hardened steel
tooling to strictly control the consistency of the walls. Combat’s new
Maximum Performance Weighting
– the “ultimate swing weight
allowable by law” according to the
company –improves swing speed
without altering swing mechanics.
The Spiked is steel blue with a carbon
fiber thatch design with black and
white graphics.
Company Line
“The main reason we came out with
a two-piece bat was that our players
asked for it. And we wanted a twopiece bat, but did not want to lose the
Combat feel. The Spiked has a lot of
flex in the handle while maintaining
a stiff taper and really soft barrel. It
really feels like a tennis racket.” –
Dennis Cooper, Combat Sports
controlled angles; Separation Barrier
Technology allowing multiple walls to
flex individually or in tandem for top
performance without having to break
through layers of stiff composite
first; Nanocomp Technology Inside
allowing the composite’s fiber and
resin to be uniform at the molecular
level filling the natural gaps between
fibers and strengthening the entire
shell. The Pure does recall an earlier
technology as well – the fibers’
architecture has been modified to
keep the same compression profile
that worked so well on Combat’s
Anti-Virus. Combat’s new Maximum
Performance Weighting – the “ultimate swing weight allowable by
law” according to the company
Review
Combat is known for making
hammers – thin handled, endloaded, one-piece bats meant to hit
the nail on the head with tremendous force and drive the ball to the
deepest parts of the park. So it was
a bit surprising to see the two-piece
Spiked with the world “Combat”
on one side. The Rick “Spike” Baker
signature model was introduced
last year as a one-piece hammer; it
bears little resemblance to the new
Rick “Spiked” Baker – a two-piece
bat with a stiff handle, two-walled
barrel and large elastic connector.
The bat doesn’t look, sound or feel
like any previous Combat. Of course,
it does hit the ball just as far as any
bat I’ve used in the last 5 years. The
reason for the performance is in
the pieces that make up the whole:
the handle is thin and stiff, the HIT
connector aids in flex, the Maximum
Performance Weighting helps bring
the bat around quickly, and the softfeeling barrel is very lively. According
the Combat’s Dennis Cooper, the
multi-walled barrel is a sign of the
direction Combat is heading in the
future. “(Multiple walls) allow you to
control the size and placement of the
sweet spot,” he said. “We currently
build single, double and triple wall
bats. We are working on bats that
may have four or five inserts. Feel
and sweet spot is the future; we have
created double sweet spots on some
baseball models and are currently
working on neutral sweet spot slow
pitch bats – neutral meaning the
bat will perform equally over 10 or
12 inches of barrel. This is the future
– never-miss sweet spot bats.” For
the present, the Spiked will do. It is
easy to operate. It feels a little heavy
– as Combats do because of the end
load – but it rewards a smooth swing
more than it does a fast swing: make
smooth contact and let the bat do
the work.
–improves swing speed without
altering swing mechanics. Precision
Molding Technology uses computer
controlled, machine-hardened steel
tooling to strictly control the consistency of the walls. The Pure features a
carbon fiber thatch design with black
and silver graphics.
the widest range of players.” – Don
Cooper, Combat Sports
Company Line
“We tested bats from balanced
weighted to real large end loads.
We tested the weighting with
Major through recreational players.
After about two years we think we
have found the perfect combination
between balanced and end load. Our
target was to find a load that would
create the maximum swing sweep for
Description
n Rick Baker signature model
n 100% composite two-piece
construction
n 13-inch barrel
n Handle Isolation Technology
n Helix Technology
n Blended Fiber Technology
n Separation Barrier Technology
n Variable Wall Technology
n Nanocomp Technology
n Maximum Performance Weighting
Review
You have one at bat, there are two
out, and you need one run. What do
you do? A good first move would
be to pick up the Pure. Combat has
always made bats for the power
hitter and that is what the Pure is –
end weighted, stiff barreled, stiffer
handled, and with Gear Technology in
the taper. The Gear design allows for
a stiffer taper without the hand sting.
“Zero vibration,” said Combat’s Don
Cooper about Gear Technology’s
advantage, “the ability to stiffen the
taper without getting a bat that feels
real stiff.” So really the bat is about
two things – distance and comfort.
The Pure has a plenty going for it.
If feels good when static because of
the thin handle; it feels good when
swinging because of the Maximum
Performance Weighting; and it feels
good on contact because of the stiff
taper. And the ball doesn’t just jump
off the two-walled barrel, it really
flies well. The barrel is designed
similarly to the legendary Anti-Virus,
but with advantages that older bat
never had such as Helix technology
(a helix tattoo is subtly embedded
on the barrel) and the Gear taper
(the telltale ridges are no highlighted
as in previous Gear models but still
obvious to anyone holding the bat).
The result of all this is a pure power
hitter’s bat for the pure power hitter.
Other types of hitters may enjoy it
too, but in the hands of an experienced hitter this bat will perform at
least as well as expected and at most
quite a bit beyond that.
Easton Stealth 100H
Brett Helmer
further reduces vibration; it is the
stiffest handle ever used on a Stealth
model bat. It has Performance
Diamond grip tape on its thin handle
for a sure grip while the colors match
the black and red of the bat.
piece bat, the Stealth, in 2005; and
they were both so well-conceived
that clear signs of both bats can be
found on the 2013 Easton Stealth
100+ Brett Helmer. Most obvious is
the name Stealth emblazoned on the
side of the beautiful black bat in red
letters. The Stealth has a track record
of performance and the newest
version is no exception with a great
feel, smart sound on contact and
quick jump off the hitting surface; the
CNT Advanced Composite barrel is
designed through IMX, meaning the
design is based on the most effective
use of materials which are selected
as the best for the process which
is in harmony with the design …
meaning everything works exactly as
it is supposed to. The 12-inch barrel is
tuned to the stiff composite handle
and the two pieces are bonded by
Easton’s patented ConneXion piece,
an elastomer that accelerates bat
speed and flex into and through the
swing. The 2013, the signature model
for Hall of Famer Brett Helmer, is a
pro-model bat designed for experienced hitters who make consistent contact on the barrel, precisely
weighted for power hitters and
designed to take a beating. Helmer’s
name has appeared on a number of
Easton models, but 2012 was the first
time it was put on a Stealth, another
indication that Easton believes this is
the top bat in its lineup. “I never liked
the feel of the two-piece bats until we
made the SCN15BH a few years ago,”
said Easton’s Brett Helmer. “I immediately fell in love with that design
and have been stuck to the two piece
12-inch barrel ever since. The Black
Carbon handle is new to the line
this year and the response has been
great. Just the look is unique and
the feel is exceptional.” As is usual
with a Stealth, the bat rewards a
smooth, full swing more than it does
a fast swing: if your hands are slow
to average (70 mph-85 mph swing
speed) the Stealth will help you get
the extra speed you need to reach
the seats.
structures by synchronizing design,
materials and process - to give the
barrel an optimized sweet spot for
maximum performance. New to the
Synergy 100W is Easton’s proprietary
Black Carbon Composite handle,
which improves feel and reduces
vibration. The barrel and handle are
seamlessly bonded using Easton’s
Single System Composite design
to provide stiffness which aids in
control when driving through a pitch.
It has Performance Diamond grip
tape on its thin handle for a sure grip
while the colors match the black and
purple of the bat
Technology
The two-piece Easton Stealth 100H
is the Brett Helmer Pro Model. The
Helmer, named after Laservision/
Easton slugger and USSSA Hall of
Famer Brett Helmer, has a 12-inch
end-loaded barrel for maximum bat
speed and power at the plate. It has
a black and grey barrel, black handle
and red graphics. It features Easton’s
ConneXion Technology: separate
handle and barrel are connected
and permanently bonded together
with an elastomer ConneXion
piece; the Focus Flex power of the
ConneXion piece stores and releases
more energy to the ball, resulting in
greater average performance while
eliminating vibration. The composite
barrel incorporates Easton’s IMX
(Integrated Matrix) Technology
- which strengthens composite
structures by synchronizing design,
materials and process - to give the
barrel an optimized sweet spot for
maximum performance. The handle
is Easton’s proprietary Black Carbon
Composite, which improves feel and
Easton Synergy 100W
Brian Wegman
Technology
The one-piece composite Easton
Synergy 100W is the Brian Wegman
Pro Model. The Wegman, named after
86 USSSA TODAY
Company Line
“We have always tried to find a great
balance between performance and
durability over the years. We have
certainly succeeded in that regard
with the IMX technology: we have
really made a conscious effort to
provide a little better feel to our slow
pitch bats this year and the results
have simply been some of the best
– if not the best – composite bats
we have ever made. Tremendous
feel, performance and the same
great durability that our players have
come to expect from Easton.” – Brett
Helmer, Easton Sports
Review
The common definition of insane is
to keep doing the same thing and
expect a different outcome; by that
logic, Easton has to be the sanest,
nay, brilliant name in softball bats.
They came out with the first practical two-piece bat, the ConneXion,
in 1999 and the first composite two-
the Laservision/Easton outfielder and
Long Haul Bomber, has a 12-inch
end-loaded barrel for maximum bat
speed and power at the plate. It has
a gun-metal grey barrel, black handle
and purple graphics. The composite
barrel incorporates Easton’s IMX
(Integrated Matrix) Technology
- which strengthens composite
Description
n 100% composite one-piece
construction
n Triple wall construction
n Helix Technology
n Blended
Fiber Technology
n Separation
n 13-inch
Barrier Technology
barrel
n Gear Technology
n Variable Wall Technology
n Nanocomp Technology
n Maximum
Performance Weighting
Description
n Brett Helmer Pro Model
n ConneXion Two-Piece Technology
n IMX
Composite
n CNT Advanced
n 12-inch
n Black
Composite barrel
barrel
Carbon Composite handle
n Performance
n Endload
Diamond grip
swing weight
Company Line
“We try and cover all the needs
WE BELIEVE
IN POWER
Learn more about the Stealth and Synergy slow-pitch bats at easton.com
of the players so we offer a mix of
barrel lengths. We offer both the
Synergy and the Stealth models in
a 12-inch (Pro Player Series) and a
13.5-inch barrel design. We have a
ton of players that love that shorter
barrel so I doubt you will see us
move away from that design. The
bats are all made from the same
composite, so the only real difference is barrel length and end load or
balance. Our 12-inch barrels have a
more end-loaded feel than the 13.5inch barrels do. I have my signature
on the SP12ST100H because that is
the model I like best; Wegman has
his signature on the SP12SY100W
because that is the model he likes
best.” – Brett Helmer, Easton Sports
Stadium Spec One
Chris Larsen/Kevin Filby
Technology
The Stadium Spec ONE is DeMarini’s
new flagship bat and carries the
names of the company’s two Long
Haul Bomber hitters – Chris Larsen
and Kevin Filby – on the dazzling
opalescence white and red barrel. The
S.ONE composite barrel marks the
fifth generation of DeMarini’s revolutionary ONE design, resulting in a
two-piece bat that has the unmistakable feel of a one-piece. Following in
the footsteps of the ONE, the ONE
Misery Loves Company, the ONE.12
Chris Larsen signature edition, and
the 4.ONE Sunday Swagger, the 2013
S.ONE Stadium features a 13-inch
barrel made of S.ONE composite, a
proprietary design that uses narrow
multiple layups to create one of the
stiffest composites used for softball: the composite is similar to
that used in last year’s successful
Cartel model, but adjustments in
the barrel fiber configuration give
the Stadium Spec a softer feel and
larger sweet spot. It features SC4
Alloy handle, the stiffest handle ever
used by DeMarini. It uses Half & Half
Technology to marry the barrel and
88 USSSA TODAY
Review
The Synergy is the longest-running
top-of-the-line model in softball,
having first appeared as Easton’s
super composite bat back in 2004;
when that bat was banned due
to its off-the-charts performance,
the Synergy Flex was released and
can still be seen in use at ballparks
everywhere. Easton has unveiled a
new Synergy every year since and
this year offers the Brian Wegman
Pro Model, the same model used by
Team USA slugger Brian Wegman.
The Synergy has always been a onepiece bat and the 2013 version is
as well, but it is the first to feature
markedly different composites in the
barrel and handle: the barrel is IMX
designed CNT Advanced Composite
for maximum rebound; the handle
is Black Carbon Composite for
maximum stiffness. The two different
composites are brought together in
a single shell through Easton’s new
Single System Composite design. The
result is the stiffest Synergy to date
without radically changing the feel of
the bat. The stiff handle paired with
the pro style end load means your
swing speed will be different than
you may be used to with another
bat and it may take a few rounds of
batting practice to realize that hands
are a bit quicker. “The ConneXion
piece is definitely the main difference between the Synergy and the
Stealth,” said Brett Helmer of Easton
Sports. “You can certainly notice a
little more flex in the Stealth’s twopiece design. It is totally a preference
thing for our players and teams …
You can’t go wrong either way.” The
12-inch barrel is the type preferred
by professional hitters, power hitters
and former baseball players. And the
pop is good enough that Wegman
put his name on it. The Synergy is
possibly the best looking bat in the
class of 2013 with its battleship gray
barrel and black and purple markings.
handle so they provide one-piece feel
with no hand sting. The Dish concave
end cap creates maximum stiffness
with the composite barrel to return
the impact energy to each ball. It has
a slight end load. It has a pearl white
barrel, red handle and red and gray
graphics.
piece comfort. It comes down to the
marriage of barrel and handle; the
Stadium Spec moves away from the
100% composite formula by using
an SC6 alloy handle – the stiffest
handle ever used in a DeMarini
product. So unlike handles in the
past that offered maximum flex,
this one offers optimal flex – if not
the most flex available then the best
flex possible to get the task at hand,
in this case a 300-plus-foot drive,
accomplished. This handle is tuned
to the S.ONE composite barrel for
maximum performance. The result
is perhaps the best overall bat for
performance, feel, and durability
that DeMarini has ever offered. “Our
new Stadium Spec-ONE is similar to
the 2012 GTL Cartel in the fact that
both bats were designed to play
and feel like a one piece bat,” said
DeMarini Sports’ Jerry Garnett. “The
biggest difference between the two
models is that we were able to create
a slightly softer feel at contact with
the Stadium versus the Cartel by way
of a barrel configuration that creates
a slightly larger sweet spot feel. We
also improved in our material and
processing for this model and the
results are a much more durable bat
without a decrease in performance.”
The performance is what we’ve come
to expect from DeMarini. These bats
have always been built with two
things in mind – distance (in fact the
name of the original game-changing
model) and the average player (Ray
DeMarini, a self-described “little
guy,” made bats for the majority of
players rather than the elite) – and
this one carries on that tradition. Plus
the stiffer feels is more appealing
to higher-level hitters than the
Doublewalls of the past. While hitting
the Stadium Spec two players who
have never had anything nice to say
about any two-piece bat both rated
this bat higher than the bat they
currently use for tournament play.
Company Line
“The bat is designed to perform
at the maximum allowable performance level right out of the wrapper.
It has a slight end load weight distribution and is designed to have a
one-piece feel even though it is a
two-piece bat. The durability of this
model is very good and the barrel
design works great with high or low
compression balls. The overall look
of the bat is absolutely beautiful and
we can’t keep them on the shelf.” –
Jerry Garnett, DeMarini Sports
Review
DeMarini has been making two-piece
bats for as long as it has been making
composite bats; in fact DeMarini has
never had a one-piece composite.
But with the ONE series of bats, the
company has developed a two-piece
bat with a uniquely one-piece feel.
This latest version – the Stadium
Spec ONE – is the best example yet
of two-piece performance and one-
Description
n Brian Wegman Pro Model
n Single System Composite design
n IMX Composite
n CNT Advanced Composite barrel
n 12-inch barrel
n Black Carbon Composite handle
n Performance Diamond grip
n Endload swing weight
Description
n Chris
Larsen/Kevin Filby signature
model
n 4.ONE
Composite barrel
n 13-inch
barrel
n SC4 Alloy
handle
n Half
& Half Technology
n End
load weighting
n Dish
concave end cap
n Hybrid
Performance Grip
Chris Larsen
FACTOry PrO &
LOng HAUL STAdiUm
POwEr TOUr CHAmPiOn
The only problem with the new Stadium Spec-One – someone has to go
pick up all the balls that land on the other side of the fence. Extracting
all the kickass characteristics from our former Cartel and merging them
with the intensity of our previous Stadium, we’ve produced the perfect
balance of response and durability. One part vinegar, and 100% mean as
hell, the Stadium Spec-One is not approved for ASA play, but works all
day long for the USSSA 1.20 crowd. Step up to the plate with the new
Stadium Spec-One and give the cheap seats a souvenir to take home.
Louisville Slugger Z2000
Tim Cocco/Lee Powers
Technology
The two-piece TPS Z-2000 comes
with a military camouflage type
paint job, but its performance is not
going to sneak up on anybody this
year. It appeared on the landscape
as the Z-1000 two seasons ago and
brought TPS more buzz than any
bat they had designed since the
Genesis. The Z-2000 comes in two
versions – the Tim Cocco signature
balanced with red and gray camo
design, and the Lee Powers signature
end load with green and gray camo
design. It features a shell made of
LS-2X Composite, which is a thin,
high strength composite first used
in the 2012 Z-1000; the Z-2000 uses
a different fiber layup than previous
models, which changes the oncejarring TPS sound into a more traditional sound on contact. It has a
12-inch barrel with an extreme end
load (Powers) or balanced weight
(Cocco). The barrel and handle are
put together using iST Composite
Miken Mafia
Technology
The Mafia is the first Miken bat
to come in half-ounce weights
(26.5, 27.5 & 28.5) and is available exclusively through Down 2
Earth Sports (down2earthsports.
com), which makes it unique; it also
features all the technology found
in the MV-1, which makes it pure
Miken. The extra half-ounce load is
a weighting preferred by a majority
of power hitters, adding to a hitter’s
90 USSSA TODAY
Technology – it features a uniquely
solid connection between the barrel
and handle giving players maximum
performance, even on inside pitches:
vibration from a miss hit is instantly
dampened and with the threat of
bad vibration removed the player is
never afraid to maintain acceleration
through impact which means more
consistent performance on every
swing.
Company Line
“Performance differences between
the end load and balanced are player
driven by swing weight. We find
that a player’s swing speed, size,
strength, etc. will determine which
bat performs the best for them. No
matter what type of swing weight you
have, your performance will increase
with either one of our USSSA bats.” –
Dennis Turner, Louisville Slugger
Review
The Z-2000 has been much anticipated as players are interested to
see how TPS will follow up their
surprising Z-1000, a bat that caught
the softball public by surprise with its
strange sound and undeniable performance; it was such an improvement
bat speed and distance. The Mafia
is made of R900 Carbon fiber, the
industry’s highest grade carbon and
40% stronger than Miken’s previous
fibers. Multi-layer Biaxial Technology
precisely aligns those fibers for
the best possible performance and
durability. MPa7 Resin is calibrated
to get the most out of the R900
fibers. Durashell Technology acts as a
composite “shield” on the outer shell
of the 100% aerospace grade carbon
fiber barrel, maximizing performance
out of the wrapper. The pieces are
fused using Advanced Innerflex
Technology – a design where the
over the previous Triton line that
even the jarring “crack” made with
every contact was ignored by all but
the pickiest players. In truth, there is
little difference between the Z-1000
and new Z-2000 – both use resilient LS-2X composite in the barrel,
a stiff composite handle, and the
iST solid connection between barrel
and handle. The primary difference
is in the way the barrel composite
has been laid up. “The new Z-2000
USSSA End Load and Balanced have
a different barrel layup from the
Z-1000,” said Louisville Slugger’s
Dennis Turner. “The new barrel layup
was done to address the 2013 USSSA
ABI test. The barrel change allowed
us to comply with the USSSA test and
still produce a great performing bat.”
The new layup also had an unintended effect. “The sound is different
due to the new layup. The Z-2000 has
a more traditional composite sound
unlike last year’s bat. The players
seem to like the new sound of the
Z-2000 and the players that have hit
it absolutely love it.” It’s easy to see
why. The Z-2000 has all the performance of the Z-1000 plus something
that bat didn’t have – built-in confidence. It has a track record that lets
you know walking to the plate that
you are probably going to make good
contact and hit the ball hard. It took
our hitters no time at all to stretch
the field with these bats – there
was no break-in or getting-used-to
period involved at all – and players
with slow hands challenged the
fence while those with fast hands
compared consecutive home run
streaks. There is a slight difference
in feel between the balanced Tim
Cocco version and the end loaded
Lee Powers version, but there is no
noticeable difference in performance.
About half the players said they had
a slight preference for the balanced,
the other half for the end load. There
were unanimous in their approval of
the camouflage paint job.
barrel is customized for maximum
velocity on batted ball speed and
the handle is calibrated to flex for
efficient energy transfer and barrel
rebound. The 14.5-inch barrel is still
the industry’s longest and the knob
features X-Tack coating for enhanced
grip. It comes with Maxload end
weighting, making it a popular model
for power hitters. The Mafia is white
with black and red graphics.
exclusive offered to us because we
are one of the largest Miken dealers
in the country. I came up with the
name while the graphics were done
by Lyf Nimmo of ASP Nation (Texas).
Early response to the bat has been
amazing - we have had Jeremy
Isenhower of Team Resmondo will be
using the ASA model in the upcoming
USA/Canada Border War game airing
on ESPN.” - Drew Dubberly, Down 2
Earth Sports
Company Line
“It is the first bat ever produced by
Miken to come in a ½-oz end load
and it’s a Down 2 Earth Sports (D2E)
Description
n Tim Cocco signature model
(balanced)
n Lee Powers signature model (end
load)
n LS-2X Composite design
n 13-inch barrel
n iST Composite Connector
n End load or balanced weighting
n Synthetic Grip
Review
Miken makes bats weighted for
every hitter with their Balanced,
© 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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Check out the
Louisville Slugger app
for iPhone.
When you step up to the plate with the Z-2000™, you’re armed
with the best there is — and your competitors know it.
Our exclusive iST composite technology provides a solid connection
between the handle and barrel, giving the Z-2000 a great solid feel and
ultra-long sweet spot. That means maximum performance throughout the
entire barrel of the bat. And this powerful performer is USSSA approved.
Put some intimidation in your game. Swing the hot, new Z-2000
from Louisville Slugger/ TPS.
The Official Bat of Major League Baseball.®
www.slugger.com
Maxload and Supermax versions.
The Mafia adds a weighting never
before available in a Miken bat –
half-ounce weighting. It may not
sound like much, but the ability to
swing an “in-between” weight bat
is pretty big for your better hitters.
“Early response to the bat has been
amazing,” said Drew Dubberly of
Down 2 Earth Sports, the exclusive
home of the Mafia. “Big name hitters
like (Long Haul Bomber) Denny
Crine have done demos with it and
Worth Mutant 454
Don DeDonatis Jr
Technology
The 100% composite, two-piece
454 Mutant features Worth’s topof-the-line 454 Technology, a proprietary barrel design of four layers/five
layers/four layers of composite materials arranged in such a way that the
natural sweet spot of the barrel has
been extended an additional two
inches each toward the barrel and
handle. Worth uses a proprietary
combination of carbon, graphite,
glass and aramid fibers in a design
that begins with a Performance Inner
Core where multiple layers are cured
with high heat. A Rapid Air Vacuum
Process is used where pressurized
molds hold the layers in place while
air is quickly removed from the fibers;
simultaneously the Epoxy Induction
Process infuses the fiber with epoxy
under constant heat and pressure.
The RAV and EIP processes eliminate
air pockets and other impurities and
result in consistent performance and
durability. The Mutant two-piece
Worth Resmondo
Unlimited Greg Connell
Technology
The 100% composite, one-piece 454
Resmondo Unlimited Greg Connell is
92 USSSA TODAY
have given it a huge thumps up.
The Maxload easily gives you more
distance than a standard balanced
bat. Players from all around are
seeing what a difference this bat can
make.” It’s not for hitters who prefer
lighter bats or balanced bats; this
is a slightly heavier, power hitter’s
bat. The extra half ounce makes the
end load seem more pronounced.
Despite the unique weighting, it feels
like a Miken. We hit the MV-1 a few
months ago and the performance
of the Mafia is quite similar: it has
a familiar feel and gives you decent
feedback on contact – you can tell
where along the 14.5-inch barrel you
struck the ball – and as you get used
to the weighting you will begin to
be able to tell at contact how many
bases you are going to need to be
prepared to run … or whether it’s
going to be another “hit and sit”
situation. Order your Miken Mafia
through D2E Sports at down2earthsports.com or call 877-HIT-IT-FAR.
Description
n 100% composite one-piece
construction
n 100 Comp formula
n R900 Carbon fiber
n Hyperbolic Barrel Flex Technology
n Durashell Technology
n 14.5-inch barrel
n Extreme X-tack knob
n Available in Maxload
construction offers more flex than
a one-piece bat. The stiff composite
handle is thicker than in Worth’s onepiece bats, and the Hybrid Grip offers
a soft touch. The Mutant 454 has a
green barrel and gray handle with
white, yellow and gray graphics.
the different weightings they are
all pretty similar – one-piece, long
barreled, thin handled bats designed
to hit the ball a long way. The Mutant
takes that effective 454 composite
barrel and puts it on a two-piece
bat. The barrel is married to a stiff
composite handle that is thicker than
the one-piece Legit handles. This
configuration makes for a bat that
works better for those players with a
looser grip (or who even choke up)
and have slower swing speeds than
the typical home run hitter. Yet the
stiffer composite in the handle and
the Mutant two-piece construction
allows the hitter to experience the
performance stronger players may
get from the one-piece. The 2013
Mutant 454 is center-loaded, which
gives it a lighter feel than a similarly
weighted end-loaded bat yet still
heavier than a traditional balanced
bat. “We try to make bats that fit
the criteria of all players,” said Mike
Cornell of Worth Sports. “When
players ask me why we have more
than one load on the market at the
same time my answer is simple ... we
make bats to fit any player’s desires –
whether it be end load, mid load, or
balanced.” The 2013 Mutant will feel
familiar to hitters who have hit with
Mutants in the past – with a slightly
thicker handle than the original 2008
Mutant, a slightly larger sweet spot
than the 2010 Resmondo Mutant,
and a slightly different load than
the 2012 Mutant 454 – with performance just as impressive as any
of those bats. There is no sting and
surprisingly little sound on contact.
The 14-inch barrel provides plenty of
hitting surface and the center load
helps players with slower swings
keep the bat level through the zone,
cutting down on pop ups.
loaded, 100% ballistic rated grade,
precisely tuned, high performance
composite bat designed with the
on-field recommendations of USSSA
World Champion and ASA athlete
of the year Greg Connell. It features
Worth’s patented 454 technology, a
proprietary design of four layers/five
layers/four layers of composite materials arranged in such a way that the
natural sweet spot of the barrel has
been extended an additional two
inches each toward the barrel and
handle. Worth uses a proprietary
combination of carbon, graphite,
glass and aramid fibers in a design
Company Line
“Junior’s name continues on this
year’s Mutant. The bat really fits his
style of hitting: he’s a guy that can
go strong to any alley. I believe, like
a lot of Mutant hitters do, the fatter
handle is tailor made for guys that hit
line drives and like to spray it around.
It really helps keep your top hand in
the right place and eliminate pop ups
… this bat tends to swing a little
heavier than models of the past. I
also love the graphics. I would argue
that our graphics team is the best
in business.” – Mike Cornell, Worth
Sports
Review
The Mutant 454 is a bat for the rest
of us. The 454 Legit series of bats are
incredibly popular and come in end
loads preferred by both punch hitters
as well as power hitters. But despite
designed for the professional player
looking for maximum bat speed and
game-proven performance. Bearing
the name of 7-time USSSA champion
Resmondo and available exclusively
at Resmondo Sports (resmondosports.com), the all new Unlimited
is a maximum one ounce end
Description
n Don DeDonatis Jr Signature Series
n 100% composite Mutant twopiece construction
n 454 Technology
n Performance Inner Core
n Rapid Air Vacuum Process
n 14-inch barrel
n Center Loading
n Hybrid Grip
that begins with a Performance
Inner Core where multiple layers
are cured with high heat. A Rapid
Air Vacuum Process is used where
pressurized molds hold the layers in
place while air is quickly removed
from the fibers; simultaneously the
Epoxy Induction Process infuses the
fiber with epoxy under constant
heat and pressure. The RAV and EIP
processes eliminate air pockets and
other impurities and result in consistent performance and durability. The
barrel flex and handle stiffness are
coupled to assist with power hitting
while the larger sweet spot guarantees maximum performance along
more of the hitting area. The new
ultra-thin tapered handle is wrapped
with the Resmondo advanced grip
tape, adding comfort and control to
the swing. The Unlimited is dark gray
with Resmondo orange, blue and
white graphics.
Worth Resmondo Duo 2
Andy Purcell
Technology
The Worth Resmondo Duo 2 Andy
Purcell brings together the best
features of the original Resmondo
Mutant and the original Resmondo
Duo in a design aided by USSSA World
Champion Andy Purcell. It has a precision tuned high performance barrel
and a stiffer handle than previous
models. The barrel uses 5.4L layering
Technology to help extend the sweet
spot; the composite uses a proprietary combination of carbon, graphite,
glass and aramid fibers in a design
that begins with a Performance Inner
Core where multiple layers are cured
with high heat. A Rapid Air Vacuum
Process is used where pressurized molds hold the layers in place
while air is quickly removed from
the fibers; simultaneously the Epoxy
Induction Process infuses the fiber
with epoxy under constant heat and
pressure. The RAV and EIP processes
eliminate air pockets and other
impurities and result in consistent
performance and durability. It has
the Resmondo full ounce end load.
The heavy duty aluminized fiberglass
94 USSSA TODAY
Company Line
“The Resmondo Unlimited Greg
Connell player series composite bat
boasts an explosive rebound that has
directly resulted into extreme batted
ball distance and batted ball speeds
… proudly made in the USA by
American workers for American softball players.” – resmondosports.com
Review
For players who prefer the heavy
end load, Worth offers a 454 Legit
Resmondo model. But for players who
demand a pro player model, Worth
and Resmondo Sports have teamed
up to offer the Resmondo Unlimited
Greg Connell. The Unlimited, which
carries the logo of 7-time world
champion Resmondo/Worth and
available only through Resmondo
Sports, offers practically every bit of
high-end technology to be found in a
Worth bat. The 454’s superior sweet
reinforced handle has been tuned to
give the batter the greatest combination of stiffness, feel and durability. The handle is wrapped with
the Resmondo advanced grip tape,
adding comfort and control to the
swing. The Resmondo Duo 2 has a
white barrel, black handle and black
graphics. It is offered exclusively by
Resmondo Sports (resmondosports.
com)
Company Line
“The maximum allowable (1)
one ounce precision placed end
load directly improves the batters
forward thrust. This additional linear
momentum will result in an explosive force when the ball rebounds
from the barrel, adding to the claim
that Worth Resmondo bats have
consistently produced dramatically
further batted ball distances that
our competitors can not touch.” –
resmondosports.com
Review
The Worth Resmondo Duo 2 Andy
Purcell is a pro player’s model
two-piece bat designed with input
from USSSA World Champion Andy
Purcell; Purcell also helped develop
the original Duo. It is based on the
Mutant, but has less in common
spot means miss hits are rare so most
balls hit with the Connell are more
often than not put solidly into play.
The Resmondo load is the maximum
allowed by USSSA and is favored by
power hitters. The handle is thin and
stiff, also favored by power hitters.
The taper is tuned to help the handle
and barrel produce the most swing
speed possible, the highest batted
ball speeds allowable, and therefore
the most distance attainable. Being a
pro player’s model, this is not a bat
for everyone. It swings heavy. It feels
stiff. And even with the large 14-inch
barrel and 454 composite layup it
takes a certain amount of strength,
swing speed and consistent contact
on the sweet spot to get the most
out of the Unlimited. But it is those
same qualities that make it a musthave weapon for the elite type hitter.
And the eye-popping graphics and
the amount of cool that comes from
owning a Resmondo may be just the
push an average hitter needs to start
hitting the gym a little and taking
extra batting practice.
Order your Exclusive Player Series
Worth Resmondo Competition Grade
bat online at www.ResmondoSports.
com or call the Resmondo Sports Pro
Shop at 863-439-2500.
with the Mutant than it has differences: it is a two-piece design with
a long barrel and thick handle; but
it is made of different materials with
different technologies and unique
weighting that make it feel, sound
and swing unique. Rather than 454 it
uses Worth’s 5.4L multi-layer design
which extends the length of the
sweet spot 2 inches toward the end
cap – with the Duo’s severe end load
and pro player design, that’s where
most of the ball contact should take
place. The Heavy Duty aluminized
handle is stiff and brings the whole
package neatly together. The Duo is
heavy: the static weight may say 27
ounces, but the handle weighs much
less than the handle of a one-piece
bat meaning the bulk of this bat’s
weight is in the barrel. The Resmondo
end load puts as much weight as the
rules will allow out at the end away
from the hands, giving the impression of a much heavier bat. So it does
take a bit of strength to swing the
Duo. It is designed to hit the ball long
distances and that’s what it does:
the weighting and location of the
sweet spot mean the bat is hottest
out toward the end, where bat speed
is the fastest and where a hitter’s
maximum extension and actualized leverage will allow a batter to
realize his potential. Not all players
will experience added distance, but
many players will. It probably isn’t
the optimal bat for a player that gets
about 4 at bats a week. The characteristics are designed for the tendencies of more hardcore and even elite
players – good swing speed, good
power, and consistent mechanics– so
it is really meant for players who play
in multiple leagues during the week
and tournaments on the weekends.
Long story short - if you know how
to hit, it works.
Order your Exclusive Player Series
Worth Duo 2 Competition Grade bat
online at www.ResmondoSports.com
or call the Resmondo Sports Pro Shop
at 863-439-2500.
Description
n Greg Connell Signature Series
n 100%
composite one-piece
construction
n 454 Technology
n 14-inch
barrel
n Performance
n Elongation
Inner Core
Epoxy system
n Rapid Air Vacuum
n Resmondo
Process
Loading
n Resmondo Tuned
n Resmondo Thin
Grip
Description
n Andy Purcell Signature Series
n 100%
composite Mutant twopiece construction
n 5.4L
Composite
n Mutant
Core
Hybrid Performance Inner
n Rapid Air Vacuum
n Resmondo
n 14-inch
n HD
Process
Loading
barrel
aluminized handle
n Resmondo Thin
Grip
USSSA Slow Pitch Softball Invitational
5-7 October 2012
Divisions of Play: Men’s B/C, Men’s D, Men’s E
Women’s C, Women’s D/E
Entry Fee: $325.00
Information: Bert Frederick 575-647-3034
or email [email protected]
96 USSSA TODAY