to - USSSA - United States Specialty Sports Association

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SUMMER
2010
$5.00
B.J. Fulk
Plays Big for
Resmondo &
Worth Sports
The NPF continues
its march to Lake
Charles, LA
Who can stop
Resmondo/Worth
in Conference
USSSA play?
Nobody, as they
roll through the
Dudley and Smoky
Mountain unbeaten
Also inside,
SUPER STARS
WEEKEND
at Gameday Softball
in Memphis, TN and
at Ole Miss in
Oxford, MS
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Easton is a proud sponsor
of USSSA Softball
EASTONSOFTBALL.com
facebook.com/eastonbaseball
twitter.com/easton_baseball
October 1-3, 2010
Entry Fee: $315 + hit your own USSSA approved ball
Information: [email protected]
Divisions: Men’s Open, D, E,
Women’s: C, D, E
CONTENTS
M A G A Z I N E
6028 Rayburn Dr. • Fort Worth,TX 76133
(817) 944-7484 • [email protected]
Executive Director, CEO USSSA
teams flex muscles
6 Local
at Dudley Budweiser
Classic in Minnesota
Don DeDonatis
Publisher, USSSA Today
Stafford Connor
Managing Editor, USSSA Today
Greg Huchingson
Communications Director, USSSA
Tom O’Hara
Design / Printing
Mizuno Hoping to Start a
78 New
Craze
42nd Annual Smoky
18 Mountain
Classic
26 Remembering Charlie
Fulk Makes Big
80B.J.
Impression at Namesake
Tournament in Texas
What Does The Doctor
82 Have
To Say?
REEDESIGN
Lebco Graphics
Contributing Writers
28 Space City Classic
Robert Boudreaux
Bre Byer
Mike Cisneros
Tonya Douglas
Annual Windy City
33 3rd
Classic
Cathy Hoffman
Scott Kuhnen
Legends” Major
34 Texas
NIT
Dale Weiser
NPF Season Openers
38 Reveal
Equal
Doug Wood
Competition
Jared Swen
Combat/Wilsey Women’s
85 Tournament
Rick Phillips
Scott Saylor
BeBop 10,000 Lakes
84The
Classic
Van Galeon
Tommy Hawkins
Santa Rosa for Memorial
83 Day
Weekend
86Permian Basin
Photographers
Roy Dean
Scott Duffy
Dina T. Kwit
Mounds
57 Cypress
Freedom Fest
Annual Worth/
8830th
USSSA “Memorial”
Softball Tournament
Michael McNutt
Pete Spatula
USSSA Today is published quarterly. Publishing offices are
located at 6028 Rayburn Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76133. One
year subscription is $25; two year is $40. Reproduction or
use of the contents in whole or in part without prior written
permission of the publisher is prohibited. USSSA Today
welcomes unsolicited articles or photographs, but must be
accompanied with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for
return of unsolicited material.
60The Essence of Sport
62 Budweiser Festival
90Legends of the Game
92 The Goliath
USSSA TODAY
5
Local teams flex muscles at Dudley
Budweiser Classic in Minnesota
Resmondo holds off Dan Smith for the crown
by David Pedersen
2010 Dudley/Budweiser/Easton all tournament team: Front row (l to r) Rick Baker, B.J. Fulk, Jeremy Isenhower, Andy Purcell...Resmondo’s Andy Purcell....good
fielder defensively, better hitter, great pitcher AND
Donnie DeDonatis, Geno Buck. Back row (l to r) Denny Crine, Howie Krause, Brett McCollum, Greg Connell
Dudley all tournament.
(MVP), Andy Purcell, Bobby Hughes, Brian Rainwater.
Local teams entered the 28th Dudley
Budweiser Classic men’s softball tournament in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
June 18-20 with a high degree of respect
for the top players and teams in the
country. They also brought along a high
level of self-confidence.
The only thing shaking when facing
first-round games Friday for three Class
C teams that play in the Brooklyn Center
C/D league were hands after securing
upset victories against the “big boys.”
6 USSSA TODAY
The defending USSSA World Series
champion, Resmondo\Specialty Tank\
Worth, went undefeated to claim a fifth
straight national invitational event this
season and improve to 33-4 at the time.
Resmondo defeated No. 2-ranked Dan
Smith/Menosse/Chaney 35-25 in the title
game.
What was not as predictable was the
competitive nature of the local Class
C squads. The ball got rolling when
Blue Line Collision/CR’s/Blondies edged
Class A and top-10 rated Aubrey’s from
Virginia 30-29.
That stunner was followed by a 12-9
victory by C&A/LJ’s from the BC league
over Pipac/TCP/Easton, a Class B team
from Iowa. C&A was not done, winning
twice more at the 32-team event
including 16-15 over EWS/Shirts and
Logs, a Class B power from Chicago.
The trifecta of C team upsets Friday
came when Elite from BC nipped AJS/
Easton 28-27, a Class B team from Florida
that would win the next six games including
against three Class A powers to finish fourth
at the Dudley.
“Not one of my guys went there thinking we
can’t beat these guys,” said Gene Schaum, a
coach and player for Blue Line. “It is a chance
to see where you rank among the best teams
in the country. It makes us work harder to get
ready to play. This was our chance to shine
and we had hundreds of fans watching us
beat Aubrey’s. We don’t live off the budgets
other teams have, but we have good players
like they do.”
Blue Line had the bases loaded in the last of
the seventh and needed one run to win. After
two infield outs, Chris Walquist slammed the
ball off the fence to drive home the game
winner.
Dan Smith’s Dal Beggs lays out to make a play.
Leaders at the Dudley were Darrin Shroyer,
Pete Shallenberger, who batted 9 for 9,
Rob Anderson, Kevin Cogswell, Pat Egan,
Kurt Sand, Scott Snodie and Chris VanJoske.
Cogswell had played in the Little League
Baseball World Series when younger.
Blue Line next had to face Class A power
Albicocco’s/The Scene/Worth, putting up
another strong showing before losing 34-29.
After falling to AJS, Blue Line was tied with
three other teams to earn a spot at the Class C
World Series in Florida come September. Blue
Line won two games in a playoff Saturday to
advance.
SS Brett McCollum- All Tournament
Resmondo’s Bryson Baker turns double play.
C&A/LJ’s involves players from around the
metro area. Manager and player Todd Wanka
said the team plays in the Brooklyn Center
league because it has the best competition
around. The squad is the defending league
champ.
Wanka said pitching and defense was clicking
at the Dudley, holding two Class B teams to
15 runs or fewer. C&A also did well against
Northwest Combat, losing 25-20 to the Class
A team that placed fifth at the Dudley. The
home run limit of eight per team in this game
played a factor. C&A hit five solo homers and
had seven more that went for outs because
of being over the limit.
The team is paced by two players who were
on the Class C World Championship team
from Minnesota of two years ago (J&H),
Brandon Newman and Scott Eischens. Other
leaders are Jake Meyers, pitcher Brent Sharon
and Mike Winegar.
Organizers and sponsors of the 28th Annual Dudley/Budweiser/Easton Classic are (l to r) Tournament
Director Warren Bellm, City of Brookln Center’s Joel Ericksen, Dudley Sports’ Mike Marrinan, USSSA
Central Division VP Gerry Turnberg and Capitol Beverages’ Joel Du Fresne.
8 USSSA TODAY
“It is quite an accomplishment when you
can beat teams of that caliber,” said Wanka.
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“We were eliminated by Class A power Jean
Shoppe/Easton 28-5. We may have been out
of gas, but I have never taken a kicking like
that.”
Elite is a team put together this year and
picked the BC league as one of the best in
the state. “It was nice to see us take down
some of better teams in the country,” said
Brendan Peterson, a player and coach. “We
did not come out with the mentality that we
were not supposed to win. We felt there is no
reason with the talent we have on this team
that we can’t win.”
MVP Greg Connell (.848 avg.) with tournament director, Warren Bellm, looking on.
The upset over AJS in the first round was
sparked by the teams using its home runs
wisely. The first four homers produced 14
runs, including two grand slams and two
three-run blasts.
Leaders for Elite at the Dudley included
Chad Kostecka and Jamie Thorson, who hit
the grand slams, plus Joe Biegler and Jake
Freeman. Peterson adds that the difference
in facing upper division teams is “there are
no weaknesses whatsoever.”
Frank Webb of Resmondo called the three
upsets by local teams good for the game in
more ways than one. He adds how “Players
get a little more enthusiastic for what they
want to accomplish.”
P Chad Munger, all tournament selection from GTL
Cartel.
Dan Smith’s Rick Baker- Defensive MVP
Resmondo came from behind in its last three
games to defeat Northwest Combat 39-22,
GTL/Cartel/Worth 35-32 in the winner’s
bracket final and Dan Smith 35-25. The team
trailed GTL in the last of the seventh before
getting a 3-run home run by tourney most
valuable player Greg Connell and a walk-off
homer by pitcher Andy Purcell.
“We had several challenges and good games
on Saturday, especially the last game of the
day,” said Webb about the 35-32 victory over
GTL. “We played from behind almost the
entire game.”
Connell batted .848, going 28 for 33 in six
games with 31 RBIs and seven home runs.
Also named All-Tournament from Resmondo
was Bobby Hughes (.815), Purcell (.813),
Howie Krause (.750), Don DeDonatis (.727),
BJ Fulk (.714) and Brian Rainwater (.700).
Resmondo’s Donnie DeDonatis, all tournament, eludes the tag of Dan Smith’s Brett Helmer.
10 USSSA TODAY
Resmondo has been helped by the addition
of two players who were with Long Haul
last year, the defending Dudley tournament
champ. One is Michael Rhines from Chicago.
presents
Fall Budweiser
Softball Festival
In Bryan/College Station
on November 13, 14
Brought to you by
Jack Hilliard Distributing,
Bryan/College Station,TX
To enter your team,
contact Greg Huchingson
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The other is Scott Striebel, a Minnesota
native who played for Resmondo for
several years before joining Long Haul
last year.
Webb said his team circles the Minnesota
tournament on the schedule as one
of the four main goals each season,
the other being to win the Smokey
Mountain and World Series titles, plus
to capture Conference USSSA. The only
one missing last season was the Dudley.
This season, Webb said he does not
know who is going to lead the team in
hitting until the last day since four and
sometimes five players often have about
the same batting averages. It helped to
have Hughes back after being sidelined
with a groin injury.
Veteran Jeff Wallace finds the sweet spot.
Dan Smith was cruising with three wins
until taken down by GTL 37-36 in the
semifinals. The same thing happened
a week earlier in Chicago. Dan Smith
rebounded to beat Aubrey’s 32-6 and
AJS 34-31 to earn a rematch with GTL,
this time winning 27-26.
Named All-Tournament from Dan
Smith was Rick Baker, the MVP on
defense (.690), Denny Crine (.714), Brent
McCollum (.594), Jeremy Isenhower
(.629), Ryan Thiede (.722) and Geno
Buck (.667), who shared the pitching
mound with Scot Brown in every game.
Both Brown and Buck happen to be
from Minnesota. It was the second tournament back for Brown, who suffered a
knee injury at the first tournament that
required surgery.
“We gave that one away and had
them right where we wanted them in
the fourth inning,” said Brown about
the 10-ruyn lead over Resmondo in
the championship game. “We stopped
hitting and stopped catching the ball.
We have to work harder is the bottom
line. At this level you must come to play
every single game and be ready for
every pitch and inning. If you don’t you
are going to get beat.”
Brown said he and Buck complement
each other on the mound since they
are on the same page all the time. He
adds, “It gives the teams different looks
GTL Cartel/Worth’s OF Tyler Beuerlein.
14 USSSA TODAY
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having two pitchers in the same game.
It also is going to help us out in the long
run.”
GTL, which finished third, is the
defending Class A World Champ that
added five new players to be even
stronger this year. All-tourney selections
were Matt Pesso (.786), Chad Munger
(.655) and Victor Cordova (.794). One
Minnesota player is Anthony Dress.
Greg Connell receives MVP award from
tournament director Warren Bellm.
“Our focus is defense number one,”
said coach Jose Sanchez. “We also
know how to get base hits off 300 foot
fences. That’s how we are built. We play
together and with a lot of heart.”
There were some great battles with GTL
and Dan Smith at the Dudley. GTL won
the first one 37-36 and Dan Smith won
the next time 27-26. GTL had won the
past four of six games between the two.
“We like competing against the better
teams because it will make us better in
the end when we play for our A Division
world title,” adds Sanchez. “Having
experience playing in big games helps
us mentally and physically. We have
learned to not ever give up.”
16 USSSA TODAY
AJS won six straight games after the
first-round loss, and still had enough
energy to put up a fight against Dan
Smith before losing 34-31 and place
fourth. Named to the All-Tournament
team were David Kessler and Scott
Zaciewski.
Aubrey’s also rebounded after an early
slipup to win five games and finish
fifth, tied with Northwest Combat/CJ
Financial. Brian Justice posted the top
batting average at the Dudley at .875,
going 28 for 32.
Other top hitters at the tourney were
Tyson Steele of Desert Falls/301 Sports/
Miken (.850), Matt King of Jean Shoppe
(.850), Donovan Polraka of GTL (.848),
Kathem Martin of Desert Falls (.833),
Adam Rockoff of AJS (.821) and Shane
Hartfield of Jean Shoppe (.800).
Teams with 3-2 records included Jean
Shoppe/Easton/Down2Earth
Sports,
Albicocco’s/The Scene/Worth, Pipac/TCP/
Easton and C&A/LJ’S/HMK.
Tournament directors were Warren
Bellm and Joe Ericksen. Bellm also has
been the director for the USSSA World
Series.
RESMONDO
Makes It Three In A Row
42nd Annual Smoky Mountain Classic
The famous “42nd Annual Smoky Mountain Classic” was
held this past weekend in Maryville, Tennessee outside
of Knoxville. In true “Smoky” tradition the top teams
dominated as Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Phonemaster’s
and Dan Smith/Menosse finished 1st and 2nd. Resmondo
“run ruled” their way through their first 4 Conference
opponents and never let up more than 14 runs in a game
enroute to the finals on Sunday. Things changed in the
Championship game on Sunday though when a Dal Beggs
homer for Dan Smith capped an incredible 17 run bottom
of the first inning after Resmondo had put up 7 in the top
half. Then Resmondo left the door open by leaving the
bases loaded in the top of the 3rd and trailed 17-15. In
the 4th inning, Dan Smith right fielder Ryan Robbins made
a great running catch in the gap on a ball hit by Scott
Striebel to keep the game tied at 21-21. Resmondo took
the lead for the first time in the 5th on a Jeff Wallace 3 run
18 USSSA TODAY
homer to make it 24-23. Then in the top of the 7th with
Resmondo leading 31-30, some poor defense by the Dan
Smith infield allowed Greg Connell, BJ Fulk, Scott Striebel,
Bryson Baker, and Jeff Wallace to all get a chance to hit
homer’s and they buried Dan Smith with a 13 run inning
and won 44-33. Connell’s homer was a long bomb which
made the Smoky crowd gasp as it cleared the left field
trees. Resmondo wins their 3rd Smoky in a row and 6th in
the last 8 years.
Albicocco’s/The Scene/Worth from New York finished a
surprising 3rd when they scored 11 runs in the bottom of
the 7th inning to defeat Team Combat/Laser Vision out of
Seattle, Washington 26-24. The final blow was struck by
“rookie” center fielder Steven Lloyd who hit a 2 run walk
off homer.
Photos by Bre Byer
Smoky Mountain Champions
All-Tournamet selection, Andy Purcell.
Dan Smith congratulates Geno Buck following a homerun.
All-tournament Bryson Baker celebrates with Donnie DeDonatis,
Defensive MVP
Sinister’s Casey Rogowski
Jason Branch of Suncoast climbing the wall
2010
Resmondo Specialty Tank Phonemasters; Winter Haven, FL
2009
Resmondo/Specialty/Worth; Winter Haven, FL
2008
Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth; Winter Haven, FL
2007
Bell Corp/Belcher/TAI/Easton
2006
Resmondo/KME Softball; Winter Haven, FL
2005
Bell Corp/Backman/Taylor/Easton; Tampa, FL
2004
Resmondo/Hague/Taylor/Sunbelt
2003
Hague / Resmondo / Taylor Brothers
2002
Dan Smith / Backman / Menosse / Easton
2001
Long Haul / Taylor Bros. / Shen Corp. / TPS
2000
Team TPS; Louisville, KY
1999
Team TPS; Louisville, KY
1998
Sierra/TPS; Reno, NV
1997
Ritch’s/Superior/Tri Gems/Beloli/TPS; Windsor Locks, CT
1996
Sunbelt/Easton; Centerville, GA
1995
Ritch’s/Superior/TPS; Windsor Locks, CT
1994
Ritch’s/Superior/TPS; Windsor Locks, CT
1993
Ritch’s/Superior; Windsor Locks, CT
1992
Bell Corp; Tampa, FL.
1991
Bell Corp; Tampa, FL.
1990
Steeles Silver Bullets; Grafton, OH
1989
Superior-Apollo; Windsor Locks, CT
1988
Starpath Systems; Monticello, KY
1987
Steeles Sports; Grafton, OH
1986
Steeles Sports; Grafton, OH
1985
Elite Coatings; Gordon, GA
1984
1983
1982
York/Ken Sanders; York, PA
1981
Howards Western Steer; Denver, NC
1980
Jerry’s Caterers; Miami, FL.
1979
Campbell’s Carpet; Concord, CA
1978
Dave Carroll Sports; Sherrills-Ford, NC
1977
Howards Furniture; Denver, NC
1976
1975
Nelson Painting; Oklahoma City, OK
1974
1973
Rudder Construction; Knoxville, TN
1972
Card’s Carpet; Chattanooga, TN
1971
Scott County Merchants; Stamping Ground, KY
1970
Trailways; Knoxville, TN
1969
Eastern State; Knoxville, TN
USSSA TODAY 19
Practice
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Tournament MVP
Bobby Hughes
ResmondoSpecialtyTankPhoneMasters
Offensive Tournament MVP
Brian Wegman
Dan Smith/Menosse/Chaney
Defensive Tournament MVP
Don DeDonatis III
All Tournament Team
Ryan Robbins
All Tournament Team
Rick Baker
All Tournament Team
JD Genter
All Tournament Team
B J Fulk
All Tournament Team
Bryson Baker
All Tournament Team
Scott Striebel
All Tournament Team
Jeff Wallace
All Tournament Team
Tony Mack
Albicocco’s/The Scene/Worth
All Tournament Team
Howie Krause
All Tournament Team
Mike Taylor
Team Combat / Laser Vision
All Tournament Team
Kevin Gillott
Team Combat / Laser Vision
All Tournament Team
Rick Sills
All Tournament Team
Steven Lloyd
All Tournament Team
Geno Buck
All Tournament Team
Andrew Purcell
Resmondo’s team mascot, Boo Boo Resmondo
always enjoys the Smoky.
Busting onto the major scene is Albicocco’s/The Scene/Worth’s OF Steven Lloyd,
all-tournament.
Sandy Springs Park has provided a beautiful setting for the Smoky for 42 years.
Jean Shoppe’s Matt King gets plenty of help bringing this on into his glove.
Logo Express player doesn’t mind going airborn.
22 USSSA TODAY
The Smoky is
Fun for All
by Breanne E. Byer
Feeling as though I’m admitting to
a fatal flaw, I must confess I have no
athletic background. Yet I found myself
attending the 42nd Annual Smoky
Mountain Classic. One of the largest
tournaments in Men’s slowpitch softball, the Classic is held each year in scenic
Maryville, Tennessee. Located near the
Great Smoky Mountain National Park,
the Classic provides a natural setting
where the top 30 teams from across
America compete for a chance to play in
the 2010 USSSA Men’s Major World Series
Championship. Although the Classic is
highly competitive there is an instantly
recognizable sense of community among
everyone in attendance - including the
four-legged fans.
People of all ages cheerfully enter the
park carrying blankets, lawn chairs &
umbrellas, fully prepared to enjoy their
summer day at the field. Despite weather
ranging from sultry soaring temperatures to steady rain, the overall mood
remained bright as fans and players withstood the elements. Vendors provided
icy treats as shade trees gave refuge from
the sun and some measure of protection
from the rains that fell Friday afternoon.
Dedication was also apparent on the field
as the games continued through the rain:
no games were delayed and the schedule
remained the same.
Raymond “Rock” Mishoe, a former
player and avid fan who attends the
Classic every year says, “There’s nothing
better. The teams are the best of the
best...dedicated players who are not in
it for the money but for the love of the
game.” Often players can be observed
talking and laughing off of the field
after a particularly intense game has
been played. “Rock” Mishoe confirms
that the seemingly familial ties are there.
“Off the field, they’re like brothers. Once
they get on the field it is all competition.”
Even as a new fan I can easily surmise that
this is one of the most important tournaments of the year. There is an unmistakable bond among everyone involved;
the smiles I was continually greeted with
made me feel like part of the family.
24 USSSA TODAY
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S U N C AT C H E R S
T E A M P L AY E R S
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Life is both fun and competitive on our coast.
Our professional staff and corps of local volunteers
can skillfully host your softball camp using our
experience, industry professional standards, and
best practices. It would be our privilege to become
your destination of choice.
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Remembering Charlie
by Breanne E. Byer
The USSSA community lost
the Rotary Club. The beloved
a guiding light Wednesday,
owner of Brevard Sporting
April 7, 2010 when Hall
Goods gave much of his time
of Fame member Charles
to Cocoa High School footW. LaRoche, Jr. passed
ball, umpiring softball and
away
after
complicaalso devoted many years to
tions arose from his open
the USSSA Program. Team
heart surgery in March. At
Resmondo Manager Shirl
the age of 82 he joins his
Webb remembers, “Charlie
beloved wife, Beverly, in
contributed a lot to the
eternity. He is survived by
USSSA. He was a mainstay link
his four children, Charles
that held everyone together
W. LaRoche III and his wife,
through hard times.” Shirl
Judy of Rockledge, Stewart
recalls that “he was truly
LaRoche and his wife, Vicki,
a splendid person, always
of Lawrenceville, GA, Sarah
looking for the betterment
Strunk of Rockledge, and
of the players.” Charlie was a
Charlie LaRoche (left) with Dale McGregor at his last Major World Series last
Robert LaRoche of Merritt
tremendously respected and
September. His presence at Disney will be missed by all.
Island. He is also survived
much loved man, he genuBrevard County and beyond.
by nine grandchildren and five greatinely touched the life of each person
grandchildren. A native Floridian,
he encountered - often going out of his
Born in Merritt Island, he was a lifeCharlie “Pops” LaRoche leaves a legacy
way just to say hello. He will be truly
time member of First Baptist Church of
that expands into many aspects of
missed by all who knew and loved him.
Cocoa and served over 50 years with
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OC Sports Team Dealer
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Albicocco/The Scene/Worth
blasts off to championship
at Space City Classic
By Dale Weiser, Major Softball Reporter
LEAGUE CITY, TEXAS – Tour Stop No.
11 for Conference USSSA was the 4th
Annual Space City Classic on June 4-6 at
Big League Dreams in League City, Texas
(located just south of Houston). The
tournament was won by Albicocco/The
Scene/Worth, a Class A team based out
of New York, who unexpectedly won
four straight games on Sunday, including
a double-dipping of Wood Law.
Albicocco’s improved offense, stellar
defense, and new-found chemistry led
to their first Sunday finish of the season.
Albicocco wound up with an 8-1 record
in besting an incredible 48-team field,
which should be the largest of any
Conference tournament this season.
The Big League Dreams fields are quite
possibly the very best in the nation. The
park features six fields, all of which are
replica, scaled-down versions of historically famous Major League Baseball
parks. The “show field” was a replica of
Crosley Field in Cincinnati; the second
field was of Yankee Stadium; and the
third was Fenway Park (my favorite).
The three fields on the other side of
the complex were Wrigley Field, Ebbets
Field, and Sportsman’s Park.
Extreme heat in the 90’s and humidity
kept homerun totals down, and games
were lower scoring than normal.
Fields were 280 down the lines and 315
to center, with varying fence heights
based on their Major League park
scale. Infields were artificial turf which
made infielders’ confidence go way up.
I don’t remember seeing a bad hop all
weekend, although I heard the turf was
a bit tricky on Friday night when there
was some moisture. The weekend was
full of great diving stops. Outfields were
perfect golf green style grass and all the
fields had working scoreboards, stadium
seating, and plenty of shade. There was
no dust at this park.
28 USSSA TODAY
Tony Mack, Space City Defensive MVP, celebrates after a bomb.
The park also featured two full restaurant/sports bars with air-conditioning,
and provided a great view of all the
fields to watch games in comfort. With
the food, drink and batting cages, a
person had everything they needed and
never had to leave the park. Now if they
would just build a hotel off of Crosley’s
left field homerun fence, we’d be all set!
This tournament would make a great
destination for all the Conference A and
B teams to agree to come to in 2011. Just
think, it could be a 48-team tournament
with the top 24 A/B conference teams
against the top 24 B/C Texas teams. With
the weather, the fields, and the atmosphere of this “Big League” park, it
would make for an early season World
Tournament-like feel, and give teams a
true test to see where they stand.
In the early part of the tournament
there were quite a few run-rule games,
as higher class teams weeded out the
lower classes in the first three rounds.
One thing became apparent and that
was the local Houston teams had talent
at all levels of play and they do a good
job of classifying teams compared to
most of the rest of the country. This is
one of the few areas of the country that
has a legitimate B program and a somewhat thriving C program as well.
In the future to make this a truly one
of a kind event, I agree with some of
the player’s –make a rule that to hit
a homer, you have to hit it out of the
stadium on each field. Most of the walls
are 20 feet high and would make for a
great challenge.
Let’s take this tournament to the next
level and make the homers count only
when they clear the big wall, not just
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FBI all tournament, Tim Bowser, turned in a .850 average for the weekend.
the yellow line. If the ball happens to
get stuck somewhere in the wall like it
does at the Yankee Stadium field, then
it’s a simple ground rule double.
1st Place
Conference A team from New York
8-1 Houston Record
Albicocco has definitely struggled this
season, having been just 2-4 against
their peers in the A division coming into
the tournament, pulled out an incredible
Sunday run to win their first Conference
tournament of the year. The veteran
laden team was led by MVP pitcher
Rick Sills who’s comment during the FBI
game – where he said “maybe we’re as
good as we thought we were” – pretty
much sums this team up. Albicocco is a
team that has made painfully slow, but
steady improvement most of the season
and it looks like they have made a decision to just let their play do the talking.
TMack in the middle brought a footballlike mentality to his defense in Houston
and won Outstanding Defensive Player
of the tournament award. In no way
did I think Albicocco had the stamina
to knock off FBI, Front Row Sports, and
Wood Law twice on Sunday to win,
after leaving the field around midnight
Saturday with their run-rule of Peak.
Albicocco’s defense which is already
stacked in the infield, really benefitted
from the great Big League Dreams arti30 USSSA TODAY
Wood Law pitcher and all tournament, Justin Mucciarelli, was pretty sure he was
in contact with the rubber upon release.
ficial turf. If I were Albicocco, I’d move
Tony Mack around more based on who
the hitter’s are.
Albicocco’s lineup was something like
this: 1B Rich Gulash, LF Chris Wilson
(quietly having a great year), C Kyle
Moyer, MI Tony Mack, C Randall
Boone, 2B Rhodney Donaldson, SS
Brad Stillwell, 3B Robin Roberts, P Rick
Sills, RF TJ Mariconi, Steve Wilson, and
CF Denarra Jackson (made some great
shoestring catches, former Prime Time
and DO player).
Wilson had the quote of the weekend
when he slid into home head first and it
scraped his chest and probably rubbed
the old nips a little raw. “I guess I won’t
be playing with these anytime soon.”
2nd Place
Wood Law/Miken
Conference A team from Texas
5-2 Houston Record
Wood Law lets one slip away as they
get double-dipped by Albicocco in the
finals. They made it to the finals by
easily knocking off three local teams
early. Then in the quarterfinals against
Albicocco, John Dutch robbed Randall
Boone of a homer to left field in the first
inning and they used a 13-run second
to go up big. Albicocco seemed to be
rolling over through the middle innings,
but scored 14 runs in a flip-flop situation
to get themselves back in the game. But
Wood Law held on to win, 26-25.
In the winner’s final, Wood Law ran into
a hot-hitting local Houston team, Front
Row Sports that had made a strong and
unexpected run. Recently signed pitcher
Justin Mucciarelli quickly put Front Row
off balance by getting in their heads
about having his foot off the rubber,
and early in the game both Front Row’s
manager and assistant manager were
tossed arguing such a silly point. With
Front Row’s leadership, motivator, and
disciplinarian gone, Wood Law jumped
on them and put them down 15-3. Then
things got ugly when a takeout slide
at second base erupted into a benchclearing jawing and pointing match. This
was followed by a Front Row infielder
intentionally throwing the ball at an
unexpecting Wood Law player which
cleared the benches yet again and ended
up with the Front Row team being
dismissed from the game with a forfeit.
I don’t think anyone that was at this
tournament thought Wood Law would
be double-dipped in the finals. They
had Mooch pitching well, and have also
added 3B Chris Larsen who is also on
the Long Haul Bomber Stadium Tour.
But they played without shortstop Tim
Mattox.
Wood Law’s lineup was : 1B Derek Perkins
(seemingly recovered from shoulder
injury), MI Mitch Mabe, SS Dennis Shrum,
C Mark Dennis , LF John Dutch, 3B Chris
Rick Sills hustled all weekend in the Texas heat to earn MVP.
Larsen, CF Justin Valenti, 2B Randall
Poplin, P Justin Mucciarelli (kept teams
off balance and Made Front Row look like
a bunch of rookies), and RF Matt Arlett.
3rd Place
Front Row Sports
Non-Conference B team from Texas
4-2 Houston Record
What can I say. I started out following
this team closely, as their talent and
intensity jumped out at me as being
one of the top non-Conference teams
in the country. I quickly began collecting
their players names, positions, and
learning as much as I could about this
team as they knocked off three straight
Conference teams – Team Chub (10-8),
Savesecond (9-7), and Fencebrokers
(24-23). Wow! This team could hit, run,
and field at a very high level and I was
immediately thinking they were good
enough to possibly make a run at the B
worlds even.
Then I began seeing some MAJOR cracks
in their armor and it was all above the
shoulders. Mentally this team plays –
not with a chip on their shoulder, but
with a MOUNTAIN on their shoulder.
They dropped more ‘F’ bombs than the
rest of the 48 teams combined. They
argued over every little thing. “Mooch
is off the rubber...you can’t test my bat...
we’re getting screwed because the umps
are from Houston...Mooch is off the
Rich Gulash- another all tournament selection from Albicocco’s/The Scene/Worth.
rubber...we’re getting screwed because
the umps are from Dallas...I’m going to
quit because conference rules say I have
to wear a hat...Mooch is off the rubber.”
It never ended. I’m not sure how these
guys get through life on a daily basis.
If Rick Robertson, the Umpire-in-Chief
of USSSA, was present at this tournament, the whole team would have been
excused from the tournament with
a one-year suspension. Two of their
coaches should have been tossed in
three CONSECUTIVE games. The disrespect this team showed to umpires, fans,
opposing teams, and the directors was
unprecedented and I’ve been following
upper level softball since 1989 and I’ve
seen some really ugly incidents.
At one point one of their players’ bat
was pulled because he shot the box
on Mooch. The player actually went
between innings and grabbed the bat
from the backstop and put it back in his
bat bag before it could be tested. If that
isn’t an admission of bat tampering,
then I don’t know what is. The director
then went to the bat bag and allegedly
pulled out the right bat and it failed.
In the words of one former Conference
manager who was present at the
tournament...”SHUT UP AND PLAY”.
Front Row had a chance to put themselves
on the map. Instead they failed to adjust
to the umpiring and rules and IMPLODED.
4th Place
Fence Brokers/
Gametime Supply/Worth
Conference B team from Arkansas
4-2 Houston Record
FBI used a nice seed and a soft spot in
the bracket to win their first couple of
games. They were my pick to win this
weekend, but came up against the hot
Front Row team in the semi-finals. FBI
let a few defensive miscues lead to a
21-17 deficit. In the sixth inning, they
scored six to take the lead but Front
Row had the hammer and won, 24-23.
Sunday morning against Albicocco, FBI
had the hammer and some homers left
but a leaping stab by Rhodney Donalson
at second base and another leaping stab
of a liner by Tony Mack in the middle
put them away, 18-15.
FBI came away with fourth place points.
I thought they had a chance of running
the table on Sunday like Albicocco did,
but it wasn’t meant to be.
FBI’s lineup was: CF Tim Howard, LF
Gary Farrar, 3B John Glidewell, Gigerich/
Keene (they look like brothers), P Perry
Hensley (looks like Gig and Keene’s
older brother), C Tim Bowser, SS
Burton, MI McCorkle, 2B Raul Cardenas,
Pennington.
USSSA TODAY 31
All Tournament, Dennis Shrum, turning the corner to score. Space City tournament director, Greg “Papi Chulo” Huchingson and from the USSSA National Office in
Orlando, FL., Stacy Loving.
Tied 5th Place
Peak Contracting/TLG
Conference B team from Colorado
4-2 Houston Record
Peak played their best ever Conference
event to finish tied for 5th. They knocked
off two locals – Elite and Texas Takeover –
before dropping a comeback bid against
their nemesis FBI. In the loser’s bracket,
Peak used a walk off homer to beat Dish
Network and jumped out to a big early
lead to hold off Rent King, before dropping to Albicocco late Saturday night,
36-15. A Sunday finish for Peak would
have been a true accomplishment.
Win or lose, Peak plays up and seems to
really enjoy playing softball and travelling the country together. A team like
Front Row Sports could really learn
something from Peak’s outlook and attitude on the game of upper level softball.
in fifth place. In the AYS game, they
hit three no-doubter home runs out of
Yankee Stadium in their big inning and
took what wind was left out of the AYS
sails. Lonestar has a lot of “see ball, hit
ball” bam-bam types.
The rest of the Top 10 at the Space
City included Rent King (Oklahoma C
team) and AYS (Texas B team) tied for
seventh place; and Slapaho (Texas C
team), LA Strokers (Louisiana C team),
Dish Network Express (Conference C
team from Texas), and SaveSecond
(Conference B team from Texas).
In a nice touch, the Space City Classic
offers single-elimination brackets for all
of the non-Conference teams after they
are eliminated from the main event. The
winners of those brackets were:
B – Olmito Heat (Valley)
C – Straight Shot (Conroe)
D – Disturbed (Baytown)
E – Foul Play (Houston)
A big thanks to my sponsors for making
this trip possible – Down2EarthSports.
com, GameTimeSupply.com, MojoSports
Gear.com, and South Texas USSSA State
Director Greg Huchingson. Greg is a true
ambassador of upper level softball and
put together a solid Conference event.
Tournament MVP
Rick Sills
Matt Arlett
Wood Law/Miken
Tony Mack
All Tournament Team
Rich Gulash
All Tournament Team
Doug Wood
Wood Law/Miken
All Tournament Team
Chris Wilson
Lonestar Sports
Non-Conference B team from Texas
4-2 Houston Record
All Tournament Team
Dennis Shrum
Wood Law/Miken
All Tournament Team
Justin Valenti
Wood Law/Miken
All Tournament Team
Pat Burton
Fence Brokers/Gametime Supply/Worth
The other fifth place team was Lonestar
Sports out of Houston. This is another
local B team with some great talent.
Lonestar was knocked to the loser’s
bracket by Wood Law (17-13) in the
fourth round and then drank at the bar
for four hours. Somehow they returned
to the field and knocked off LA Strokers
and put up a 15-0 lead and eventual
victory over a listless AYS team to finish
All Tournament Team
Zach Keene
All Tournament Team
Justin Mucciarelli
Wood Law/Miken
All Tournament Team
Kyle Moyer
All Tournament Team
Tim Bowser
All Tournament Team
Jeff Mccoy
Front Row Sports
All Tournament Team
Denarra Jackson
All Tournament Team
Jonathon Lenz
Front Row Sports
All Tournament Team
Cary Doan
Front Row Sports
All Tournament Team
Rodney Donaldson
Tied 5th Place
32 USSSA TODAY
3rd Annual
Windy City Classic
The 3rd Annual “Windy City Classic”
men’s Major Slow Pitch softball tournament was held at the Inwood Sports
Complex in the city of Joliet located
outside of Chicago on June 11-13. The
tournament featured a showdown
between 13 of the top Conference
USSSA teams in the nation.
Resmondo/SpecialtyTank/Phonemasters,
the #1 ranked team in softball ran the
table winning all 6 of their games and
taking home the tournament championship. They “mercy” ruled (won by
15 runs or more before the 7th inning)
all of their opponents. Saturday night
they beat their Major rival Dan Smith/
Menosse/Chaney in the winner’s bracket
final 33-18, and in the championship
game on Sunday they knocked off a
surprise opponent GTL/Cartel/Worth
based out of Seattle, Washington 37-19.
GTL had won 5 straight in the loser’s
bracket and had overcome an 18 run
first inning deficit to knock off Dan
Smith 42-25 to make it to the finals. Dan
Smith finished 3rd and Pipac/TCP/Easton
out of Iowa finished 4th.
out the local teams on Friday night
and Saturday morning, although Paul
Davis Restoration a local ‘D’ team
scored a double figure 7th inning to
upset Darkside/TYJA, a Conference
‘B’ team 19-18 in the opening round.
Non-Conference teams though were
just 3 wins and 24 losses vs Conference
teams in the tournament overall. Once
the 2nd round began the remainder of
the winner’s bracket basically became
a Conference team only tournament
and there were great matchups all over
the 6 field complex for the rest of the
weekend.
Hubs Pub hitter
The wind was not as much of a factor
this year and the teams also played
through two thunderstorms and some
cool temperatures.
Darkside/Tyja turns two
on Sinister
Jr - Defensive MVP
Resmondo’s easy roll through this
talented field of teams was led by tournament Co-MVP’s pitcher Andy Purcell
(26-29 .897, 7 Hr’s, 21 RBI) and left
fielder Brian Rainwater (25-28 .893, 9
HR, 28 RBI). The Offensive MVP went to
GTL third baseman Jimmy Salas (33-41
.805, 9 HR, 20 RBI)
Tournament Director would like to thank Heroes
West for being such a great sponsor again in 2010.
The Conference teams quickly weeded
Tournament MVP
Andrew Purcell
Tournament MVP
Brian Rainwater
Jimmy Salas
GTL CARTEL/WORTH
Don DeDonatis III
All Tournament Team
Bobby Hughes
All Tournament Team
Brett Helmer
All Tournament Team
Final Results
1
FL
Resmondo Specialty Tank
Phonemasters
6-0
2
WA
GTL CARTEL/WORTH
7-2
3
CA
4-2
Mike Bowlin
GTL CARTEL/WORTH
4
IA
Pipac/TCP/Easton
5-2
All Tournament Team
Dal Beggs
All Tournament Team
JD Genter
5
IL
EWS/SHIRTS and LOGOS
3-2
All Tournament Team
Donovan Pokraka
GTL CARTEL/WORTH
5
IN
MidWest Swing
3-2
All Tournament Team
B J Fulk
All Tournament Team
Scott Roen
Pipac/TCP/Easton
7
OH
Blitz/Watanabe/Weller/Minges/Easton
4-2
All Tournament Team
Bryson Baker
7
MI
Sinister/Line Drive/Sss/Worth/Mojo
3-2
All Tournament Team
Greg Connell
All Tournament Team
Howie Krause
9
TN
Jean Shoppe-EastonDown2Earthsports
3-2
All Tournament Team
Tyler Beuerlein
GTL CARTEL/WORTH
9
CT
Darkside/TYJA
3-2
All Tournament Team
Aaron Middendorf
Pipac/TCP/Easton
9
MI
P & P 333/Larry’s Tire/Cmt
3-2
All Tournament Team
Loyd Watson
GTL CARTEL/WORTH
All Tournament Team
Michael Rhines
9
FL
AJS/Easton/Supreme/Mike Foulks/
Mojo
2-2
USSSA TODAY 33
Dan Smith Has Their Way in Texas
Softball World Hosts
Fence Broker’s All-Tournament, John
Glidewell has been a force all year.
The Dan Smith brass (l to r) Pat Dalsanders, Eddie Menosse and Softball World- 2008 USSSA Softball Complex of
the Year.
Dan Smith.
The “Texas Legends” Major NIT was held
in Euless, Texas outside of Dallas on May
8-10. The Lonestar state and Softball
World played host to 10 Conference
teams and they were joined by 18 teams
from Texas and neighboring states. Dan
Smith/Menosse/Chaney redeemed their
Kansas City losses to Resmondo from
the previous week with a dominating
performance in Texas as they went 5-0 to
win their 2nd tournament of the season.
They dropped Resmondo into the loser’s
bracket with an impressive 29-12 run
rule Saturday night and followed up
with a 39-38 walk-off victory in the
bottom of the 7th of the Championship
game. This game featured a multitude
of hard middle shots. The walk off hit
was provided by Brett McCollum who
hit a line shot to the gap which scored
Jeremy Isenhower from first base.
Dan Smith batted around early in the
game and used their homerun’s to put
Resmondo in run rule jeopardy. Then
they used some timely double plays to
withstand a Resmondo comeback and
survived with the 1 run win.
tournament MVP (18-23 .783, 5 HR, 18
RBI) and center fielder Rick Baker was
Defensive MVP.
Overall the tournament was well played
and the Conference teams dominated
as they went 16-1 vs non-Conference
teams in this tournament. Elite’s victory
over Dish Network being the only loss.
The weather in Euless was ok. The
cool evenings, a hard ball, and windy
conditions led to some long games.
Conference ‘B’ team FBI made a nice
run to finish 3rd and local Texas based
Conference ‘A’ team Wood Law won 3 one run games to finish 4th.
Dan Smith evened up the season series
between the two super teams and
showed that this could be the start of
a truly even rivalry with Resmondo that
should heat up as the summer goes.
Dan Smith pitcher Geno Buck was the
Tournament MVP
Geno Buck
Andrew Purcell
Rick Baker
Defensive Tournament
CO-MVP
Don DeDonatis III
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
Final Results
1
CA
5-0
2
FL
Resmondo Specialty Tank
Phonemasters
4-2
Dennis Rulli
3
AR
5-2
Brent Gigerich
All Tournament Team
Brett Helmer
4
TX
Wood Law/Miken
3-2
All Tournament Team
Dal Beggs
5
FL
AJS/Easton/Supreme/Mike Foulks/Mojo
4-2
All Tournament Team
JD Genter
5
WA GTL Cartel/Worth
3-2
All Tournament Team
Mitch Mabe
Wood Law/Miken
All Tournament Team
Bryson Baker
7
TX
Savesecond.com/Elite/Combat
4-2
All Tournament Team
Denny Crine
7
CA
Famoussports.com/Easton
3-2
All Tournament Team
Brett McCollum
All Tournament Team
Zach Keene
9
AR
Arkansas Sportswear
3-2
All Tournament Team
Howie Krause
9
TX
Elite Sports/TX Smoke/Gkitravel.com
3-2
All Tournament Team
John Glidewell
All Tournament Team
RYAN THIEDE
9
NY
2-2
All Tournament Team
Andrew Purcell
9
TX
DFW Warriors/Miken
2-2
34 USSSA TODAY
NPF Season Openers
Reveal Equal Competition
“West Texas Dual on the Diamond”
were one of two opening series of the
2010 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) season
held at the Rocky Johnson Field on the
Texas Tech University campus. This series
included two of the four professional
teams: the USSSA Pride and the Chicago
Bandits. It was a dog fight for both
teams as they each entered the final
game with a 2-2 series record.
Game one of the series was dominated
by the Pride. USSSA hit three different
Bandits pitchers tallying 16 runs on 14
hits. The Bandits only crossed three on
7 hits.
It was a closer battle during game two
as Rachel Folden led the Bandits to a 5-2
victory by recording two homeruns in
two consecutive at-bats.
Pitcher, Desiree Serrano played collegiately at
Arizona State.
The Pride was looking to secure the lead
in game three of the series, but fell by
one run losing 5-4. The Bandits scored five
runs on eleven hits and four Pride errors.
Pride pitcher, Sarah Pauly.
The Pride fought for a game four win
during with a little help in the bottom
of the second on four straight walks by
Jennie Finch who put the Pride’s first
run on the board. In the bottom of the
third, Kelly Kretchman hit a three run
homer for a four run lead. In the fourth
inning, the Bandits posted their first run
along with two more in the fifth. The
Bandits could not get another run across
leaving the Pride with a win at 4-3.
The Bandits came for revenge during
the final game as they scored 8 runs
on 14 hits. The Pride were only able to
cross the plate twice against the Bandits
pitchers (Eileen Canney [1]; Jessica
Sallinger [1]). By winning the final game
at 8-2, the Bandits won the series.
Tonya Callahan is valuable in her versatility as she
can play either corner IF position.
38 USSSA TODAY
The other season opening series was
held in Nashville, TN at Draper Diamond
on the Lipscomb University campus. This
series included the newest team to the
league, the Tennessee Diamonds, and
the Akron Racers.
Bandits’ Rachel Folden, out of Marshall Univ.,
generates plenty of power at the plate.
August
26–29
suLPHuR, LA
See the nation’s finest softball players as they
compete for the 2010 National Pro Fastpitch
Championship in Sulphur, Louisiana. Top teams
from coast to coast will be there, including players
such as Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman, Jessica
Mendoza, Monica Abbott and Taryne Mowatt.
See you in Sulphur!
w w w. V i s i t L a k e C h a r l e s . or g
The Tennessee Diamonds chalked
one run on the board during the first
inning, but trailed Akron the rest of the
game. The Racers got one run back in
the second and then executed during
the third as they took advantage of
Diamonds’ errors (3) and hit aggressively
at the plate. Akron posted five runs on
the board during that inning alone
leaving the score at 6-1. The Diamonds
were not done fighting for the ‘W’ as
they matched the Racers with five runs
in the third and fourth innings, but the
Racers still one-upped them in the top
of the fourth for the winning run.
For game two the Racers did not allow
the Diamonds to cross the plate more
than three times as they held them to
only six hits. The Racers tallied 11 runs
on 13 hits.
Speedster outfielder, Caitlin Lowe played her college
ball at Arizona.
SS Natasha Watley returned from playing in Japan
just prior to the Lubbock event.
Monica Abbott made her Diamonds
debut for game three as she put on a
show for the fans. Abbott pitched the
first shutout game for Diamonds by
striking out 15 Akron batters and only
allowing two hits. The Racers’s pitcher,
Taryn Mowatt, walked in the Diamonds
only run in the bottom of the first,
which ended up being the winning run
for the Diamonds.
The Racers shut down the Diamonds
during game four as they won the game
8-1 with eight runs on eleven hits and
with some help from Diamond errors.
The Diamonds scored one run on five hits.
Although the Racers had the series in
the bag, the Diamonds weren’t about to
go out without another win under their
belt. Both teams battled for ten innings.
At the bottom of the tenth in international tie-breaker, Dede Justice was due
at second, but Aubree Brattin pinch ran
for her. Shanna Diller laid down a bunt
to advance the runner to third, and
Loryn Johnson suicide squeezed her in
at home for 1-0 victory.
#1 in your program and #1 in your heart....Jessica
Williams.
40 USSSA TODAY
Pride 3rd baseman, Angela Duran.
All league games can be viewed
live on MLB.com
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no matter where
you hit.”
www.slugger.com
© 2010 Hillerich & Bradsby Co., Louisville, KY. All rights reserved.
Bandits Stacy May avoids a Kristin Schnake tag.
The pride of the Oklahoma Sooners- Amber Flores.
42 USSSA TODAY
2010 collegiate draftee from Louisville that always
exudes hustle- Melissa Roth.
Kristin Schnake goes head first into home.
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Bandits Jennie Finch hits for a high average and her speed on the basepaths make her a threat to score at all times.
Veteran Kelly Kretschman still swinging a solid stick with Miken.
44 USSSA TODAY
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Part of the USSSA staff working and making the Lubbock event happen included (l to r) Tom O’Hara, Kevin Naegele, Danny Brown, Don DeDonatis and Jim Swint.
UT-ex Cat Osterman handled the pitching duties getting the Pride win in the featured ESPN2 televised game.
VisitLubbock and Texas Tech University were
great hosts for the five day event.
46 USSSA TODAY
Pride catcher, Megan Willis, also played at the University of Texas.
continued on pg. 52
• Come learn from the pros! Stars from the
National Pro Fastpitch league will host a skills
clinic at Gameday for ages 7-18, Saturday 9/11
• Girls Fastpitch Tournament, 8U through 18U
• Exhibition Games:
NPF All-Stars vs. University of Memphis
(at Gameday, Friday 9/10 and Saturday 9/11)
NPF All-Star Cat Osterman,
USSSA Pride
USSSA Pride
NPF All-Stars vs. Ole Miss
(at Ole Miss, Sunday 9/12)
Gameday makes every event a winner and puts Memphis on the
map as a major destination for youth sports.
Gameday Baseball presently hosts USSSA youth baseball tournaments, and USSSA teams participate in the nationally-televised
New Era National Youth Baseball Championships. The NYBC was
such an enormous success, Gameday was selected to host the
annual championships through 2012.
Now, beginning this fall, Gameday Softball will host girls fastpitch
play at First Tennessee Fields in Memphis. League play will be
sanctioned by USSSA, the nation’s leading fastpitch sanctioning
body. Currently, more than 220,000 girls on 15,000 teams
participate in USSSA Girls Fastpitch Softball.
Visit Gameday Softball online for more information and to
register for league play and events: gamedaysoftball.com
Ally McFarland, 12U Jackson, TN
www.olemisssports.com
14
4
24
12
7
25
5
17
20
Name
Brittany Barnhill
Brittany Broome
Taylor Cantillo
Corrine Doornberg
Marina Parra
London Ladner
Natalie Nimmo
Mallory McNeal
Amanda Hutcheson
Erinn Jayjohn
Kelly Nolan
Cali Overbeck
Lindsey Perry
Rachel Torres
Kendall Bruning
POS
P/UT
OF
OF
IF
IF/OF
IF
IF
IF/OF
OF
P/UT
C
IF/OF
P
UT
P/IF
YR
SR
SO
FR
JR
FR
FR
FR
FR
JR
RS-FR
SO
JR
SR
JR
JR
Hometown
Rhome, TX
Suwanee, GA
Santa Ana, CA
Langley, BC Canada
Perris, CA
Pearl, MS
Justin, TX
Huntsville, AL
Loganville, GA
Justin, TX
Glendora, CA
Atoka, TN
Madison, MS
Corpus Christi, TX
Chickamauga, GA
Head Coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Missy Dickerson
Associate Head Coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . Megan Matthews-Buning
Director of Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . Greer Long
Team Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lauren Yonish, Evan Pounds
Strength & Conditioning Coach. . . . . . Jami Clinton
Athletic Trainer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Warren
SID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Snowden
48 USSSA TODAY
www.gotigersgo.com
00
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
15
17
18
21
22
23
33
34
44
99
Name
POS
YR Hometown
Ashley Ford
UT
FR Dickson County, TN
Ijiah Hargrove
INF/OF FR Gulfport, MS
Kamri Chester
OF
r-SO Chattanooga, TN
Maddie McKinley
3B/OF SR Chickamauga, GA
Taylor Nicolosi
SS
FR Orange, CA
Alex Marshall
OF
SR Tucson, AZ
Kim Sirman
OF
SR Sugar Land, TX
Carly Hummel
P
SO Bakersfield, CA
Ashleigh King
SS/OF
FR St. Louis, MO
Ellen Roberts
P/1B
FR West Leigh, AUS
Heather Mott
SS
SR Pensacola, FL
Nikki Moreno
C
JR Tracy, CA
Alyssa Palmieri
2B/SS
JR Boca Raton, FL
Janelle Valle
P
SR Lake Elsinore, CA
Lauren Carley
P
SR Houston, TX
Shanna Brown
2B
SO Cortlandt Manor, NY
Libby Goranson
1B
FR Southaven, MS
Keanah Prestridge
C
SR Moore, OK
Jessica Phillips
1B
JR Chattanooga, TN
Cheyenne Mascarenas
3B
SO Garden Grove, CA
Lelani Bernardino
OF
JR Valencia, CA
Amber Lindahl
C/1B
FR Lake Worth, FL
Kailey Kassner
C/1B
SR Elk Grove Village, IL
Morgan Mosby
UT
SO Hernando, MS
Wendy Theis
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coach of Univ of Memphis
USSSA TODAY 49
Stanford’s Lauren Lappin, Pride catcher, blocks off the plate.
Can anyone identify these legs?
52 USSSA TODAY
Team sweetheart, Nicole Trimboli (NE), unfortunately, was injured the first day of the season and lost
for the year.
NPF Championship Series Tournament Schedule
Format is three rounds of “best of 3” Series’. It begins with #1 Seed vs. #4 Seed and #2 Seed vs. #3 Seed.
The Winners of those two Series’ will play each other in a “best of 3” Championship Final Series to
determine the eventual Championship Series Champion. All Times are listed as Central Standard Time.
All games will be nationally televised. Check local listings.
Thursday, August 26
Game 1
Game 2
#2 vs. #3
#1 vs. #4
6:00 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
#1 vs. #4
#2 vs. #3
6:00 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
“If Necessary” Game
“If Necessary” Game
#1 vs. #4
#2 vs. #3
11:00 a.m.
1:30 p.m.
Game 5
Championship Final
7:00 p.m.
Championship Final
“If Necessary” Final
2:00 p.m.
4:30 p.m.
Friday, August 27
Game 3
Game 4
Saturday, August 28
(If there is only one “If Necessary” game, it will be played at 11:00 a.m.)
Sunday, August 29
Game 6
Game 7
www.profastpitch.com
For Tickets, Live Games, Live Stats
Pride’s Jessica Mendoza with son, Caleb.
Pride asst. coach, Rob Crews specializes in mental and visual training.
The #1 pick in the 2010 NPF college draft-Alabama’s Charlotte Morgan.
54 USSSA TODAY
Jennie Finch leaving a pre-game interview with ESPN2.
ca
pt
ur
e
am
emo
ry
Discover Your Sport in
nship!
o
i
p
& a cham
salisbury, maryland
Whether your team wears shin guards or cleats, helmets, a wrestling
singlet or bloomers Wicomico County’s Salisbury, Maryland is the
place for sports. In all, Salisbury oﬀers more than:
15 Indoor Courts
20 Utility Fields
25 Softball/Baseball Fields
4 Indoor Boarded Soccer/Lacrosse/Field Hockey Fields
Wrestling, Track & Field, Equine, Water Sports
& Cheerleading Facilities
come to play
& discover our
hidden treasures
Natural Treasures
History & Historical Sites
Cultural Experiences
Unique Shopping & Savory Cuisine
Festivals & Special Events
Want more information?
Contact Wicomico County Sports Marketing Manager Kate Roth
[email protected] 1.800.332.Tour
Check out our 2010 USSSA Events at:
www.SalisburyChampionships.org
www.WicomicoTourism.org
Play Ball!
The Best Western Lakeside offers all the
amenities of a true full-service resort... just
2 miles to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
hotel amenities
• Refrigerator
• Two coined laundry facilities
• Free wireless Internet
• Fitness center, three heated pools and two children’s pools
• Greenhouse Restaurant with breakfast buffet
(kids 12 and under eat free, 1 paying adult per child)
• General Store and Pizza Hut® Express
• Hurricane Sam’s Bar & Grill
• USSSA Preferred Hotel partner
• All rooms non-smoking
• Free coaches room with 10 or more team rooms reserved
7769 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy. • Kissimmee, Florida 34747
For more information or to book your teams call April Trantham at (407) 997-1108 or email [email protected]
Each Best Western hotel is independently owned and operated.
Cypress Mounds Freedom
Fest, A Summer Celebration
by Scott Saylor
Cypress Mounds Baseball Complex
wrapped up its summer tournament
schedule this weekend with the 4th of
July USSSA NIT Freedom Fest held July
2-4. Thirty-one teams representing all
parts of Louisiana and Mississippi participated in 4 different age group divisions.
Tournament Director Brent Guilbeaux
had this to say about the tournament’s
preparation, “Our field crew worked
hard all week to get the fields and
complex ready for a great fireworks
display and we were provided with
outstanding weather all weekend long.”
The 8-CP championship was an
outstanding
game
between
the
Ascension Livewires and the Houma
Cardinals, in which the Ascension
Livewires came away victorious with a
19-17 win. The Livewires outscored their
opponents 43 to 23 in their 3 bracket
games to take the title.
In the 11 Open Division, 11AAA Beast
Baseball defeated the 11AAA Ascension
Orioles in a tight 4-3 game that went
down to the last strike. Both teams
battled all day to get to a matchup that
provided everyone with an outstanding
finish to the 11 Open tournament.
The Acadiana Aces (13AAA) won their
title game by a 10-1 margin over the
Northshore Demons (13AAA) in the
13 Open Division. The Louisiana Tigers
(13Maj.) and Nightmare Baseball
(13Maj.) both played up an age division
to meet in the 14 Open championship,
with the Louisiana Tigers taking the title
with a 10-2 victory.
Closing out a summer full of success
before the World Series, Cypress
Mounds honored the USA and provided
entertainment for its guests with a fireworks display, a DJ, and an old-fashioned BBQ on Saturday night. Cypress
Mounds hopes to make this an annual
event that can attract teams to play
America’s Pastime on July 4th weekend
and celebrate all this game has to offer
at a park like no other. Cypress Mounds
continues to strive to meet and exceed
our customer’s expectations and provide
an experience that goes beyond baseball with its facility.
USSSA TODAY 57
July 31- Aug.1, 2010
Double Play Series Hispanic Qualifier
August 6-8, 2010
USSSA Region III State Class D/E
Co - Rec -
August 21-22, 2010
South Texas Baseball
September 18-19, 2010
October 9-10, 2010
Texas Thunder Series Finals
November 6-7, 2010
November 13-14
Give Thanks Softball Tournament
November 20-21, 2010
Dirty Habits III Finals
December 4-5, 2010
Bat Warz II
December 18-19, 2010
Double Play Series
Brownsville Sports Park
956.574.6650 • Fax 956.350.3193
1000 Sports Park Blvd.
Brownsville, Texas 78520
The Essence
of Sport
by Scott Kuhnen
recall humorously my early baseball days
when a coach yelled at me once to “take”
the next pitch. The ball came in straight
as an arrow and I ripped it for a base hit.
On my way toward first base, the coach
immediately started scolding me and
imagine my surprise when he told me I
screwed up!
“I told you to take that pitch.”
Scott Kuhnen, Central OH State Director and
sportsmanship proponent
The essence of sport is
sportsmanship.
Sportsmanship is a standard. Some people
might argue that it is a bar set too high
or an unrealistic expectation to achieve. I
would argue that it’s one of the best and
most noble of expectations and one that we
should set for ourselves if for no one else.
It’s unfortunate that not everyone strives
to meet that standard. I suspect we’ve
all been witness to exhibitions of poor
sportsmanship which drag everyone
down. All too often, over the course of
any given league night or weekend,
someone will exhibit poor sportsmanship
which reflects poorly on the game.
Adhering to and playing by the rules,
with good spirit and clean (even if fierce)
competition is the essence of why we
compete. The satisfaction of overcoming
obstacles and, in our game, working
together as a team, is one of the greatest
rewards we get from sport.
Most of us get exposed to these aspects
of the game and sportsmanship while
playing in youth sports. Pretty much
regardless what sport it is, we learn the
basics of sport from adults who, hopefully, teach both the tangibles and the
intangibles associated with sport when
we are young.
The tangibles, of course, are the rules of
the game. What the rules are and how
they are to be met is critically important.
Then there’s the need to learn the terminology of the game. In my own case, I
60 USSSA TODAY
I said, “But, Coach, that’s what I did. It
came in great and I hit it, just like you
told me to!”
Obviously, I hadn’t had the lecture on
baseball terminology yet, so I had no
idea that we were talking right passed
one another. I never forgot that situation, however.
The intangibles are a part of the game,
too. After each and every game, whether
win or lose, teams line up, file passed one
another, and slap each other’s hands. It’s
form of respect for one’s opponent and a
form of sportsmanship.
One of the finest moments in my own
softball administration career include
the conclusion of a terribly long and
difficult tournament situation where we
suspended the finals at a tournament site
due to rain, communicated with another
site which had not had rain, drove both
teams to that location, only to learn upon
arrival that it too had been rained out
shortly after we set out, and when we
arrived the facility was locked up tight.
In a darkened parking lot, after a short
meeting between the respective teams,
the local host team conceded the final
game to the traveling team, and said,
“Give them the first place awards! We’ll
take second.” The teams then lined up in
that darkened parking lot and gave each
other high-fives out of respect which was
freely given and well earned. It was a
great moment of sportsmanship.
I fondly recall another moment of
sportsmanship which occurred between
two youth teams at a facility which
was enjoying rejuvenation after being
closed for many years. The site had been
the scene of many a titanic struggle of
Editor’s Note: In this, the second season of USSSA
Today, we continue our series of articles devoted to
sportsmanship. The author invites you to share your
stories of good sportsmanship in the game. Whether
as a player, coach/manager, sponsor, director, or
umpire, please feel free to send your favorite moments
of sportsmanship to: [email protected]
upper level adult teams back in the day,
but upon the advent of new public and
private facilities, this single diamond
behind a housing complex had long since
gone to seed.
The neighborhood kids asked the adults
in that housing complex to bring the
diamond back and, after about a year of
planning and many weeks of hard work,
it did indeed spring back to life, this time
for a local youth league. I was honored
to be asked to umpire the opening night
game between two “all stars” teams.
Truth be known, these “all star” teams
were simply the neighborhood kids
ranging in age from 10 to 15. The teams
were composed of both boys and girls
and the skill level was all over the place.
Some of these kids got their gloves when
they showed up at the park!
In a truly heartwarming situation, one
young girl who obviously had no idea
which end of the bat she should hold,
was in her last opportunity to bat for the
game, but had yet to even put bat-onball in previous attempts.
This time, however, she swung and put
the ball in play. The ball didn’t go far,
and it turned out the defensive team was
more interested in cheering her toward
first base than they were trying to throw
her out. The moment has stuck with me
for a couple of decades now and still rises
to one of the best displays of sportsmanship and “joy of the game” that I ever
saw.
Today’s players and teams could take a
lesson from that situation. The opportunity to play the game at all is more than
some people will ever know. The chance
to compete and cheer for one’s teammates or even cheer for the outstanding
play of one’s opponents is one of the best
aspects of the game.
Being a good teammate and being a
good opponent is all part of the same
proposition. Sportsmanship is one of the
joys of the game. Enjoy it while you can
and enjoy it while being a good sport.
Your best memories of the game will stay
with you for many years.
Budweiser Festival celebrates Silver
Anniversary with record 301 teams
USSSA executives call event ‘one of the best’ in United States
The 25th version of the Budweiser team from Bryan-College Station with the Bud girls.
By Van Galeon
Contributing Writer
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Budweiser
is the known as the “King of Beers”
around the world, and the Budweiser
Softball Festival is the “King of Softball
Tournaments” in Texas. What started as
a small, 24-team gathering back in 1986
has grown into one of the largest tournaments in the nation, topping out at a
record 301 teams this year.
“There are several factors that have
come together over the years to allow
this tournament to grow, with one of
the biggest being geography,” said
tournament founder Greg Huchingson.
“Bryan-College Station is located in the
middle of a triangle made up of three
huge metropolitan markets – Houston,
San Antonio and Dallas-Ft. Worth.
Seventy-five percent of the state’s population lives within a three-hour drive of
here, so we’re easy to get to. Plus, we
make sure that teams open against an
opponent from a different market, so
they get to play different teams and not
the same old faces they see back home
every other weekend.”
62 USSSA TODAY
Huchingson added, “Of course, none
of this would be possible without the
support of our primary sponsor Jack
Hilliard Distributing, whose generous
and continuous commitment to the
sport of slow-pitch softball has allowed
the Bryan-College Station community
to benefit from the thousands of visitors from across the great state of Texas
every year.”
Jack Hilliard Distributing is the Central
Texas distributor of Anheuser-Busch
products. Ron Longoria has been the
General Manager at the Bryan office of
Jack Hilliard Distributing for the entire
25-year history of the tournament. Alan
Bingham is the Promotions Director for
JHD, whose duties during the weekend
include the difficult task of picking up
the lovely Bud Girls and driving them
around to make appearances at the
various complexes.
The 25th Annual Budweiser Softball
Festival had the privilege of hosting two
of the highest ranking dignitaries in the
USSSA organization – Associate National
Executive Director Danny D. Brown from
California, and Western United States
The 2010 Budweiser girls.
Vice President Kevin Naegele from New
Mexico. Both were in Texas for the days
leading up to and including the tournament, and were impressed with the
state’s hospitality.
“With over 30 years of running, participating and visiting tournaments
throughout the country, the Budweiser
is one of the best … if not THE best,”
said Brown, who is in charge of all slowpitch softball operations in the nation
for USSSA.
Naegele also enjoyed his visit to Texas,
not withstanding a close call on a potential speeding citation in Grimes County
where the attending officer made reference to his German ancestry.
“I have had the opportunity to be a
part of some of the largest events in
our association’s history, but this event
ranks as one of USSSA’s best ever,” said
Naegele. “We are very proud of Huch
and his staff for their efforts in building
such an outstanding event. Also, I would
like to thank the constable in Navasota
for giving me a free pass through the
‘Autobahn’.”
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Womens Division tournament director, Jason Fort, makes the watch presentation
to the winning coach.
Festivities got underway Friday night
with the always-popular Home Run
Derby. Unlike most derbies, this event
is a head-to-head, bracketed format
featuring 96 hitters battling round-byround on three adjacent fields at the
Bryan Regional Athletic Complex. At the
end, the winners of each of the three
32-hitter brackets meet on the show
field for the $1,000 grand prize hit-off.
When the dust finally settled after
three hours of bombs, Argen Dodds of
League City was the last man standing
to capture the big prize.
The tournament began bright and
early Saturday morning and continued
non-stop around-the-clock until after
midnight Sunday night on 17 fields at
five different complexes. The event was
under the threat of 30 percent chances
of thunderstorms all weekend, but not
one drop of rain fell on Bryan-College
Station the entire weekend.
There were only a dozen teams in the
highest bracket – Men’s B – but they
were 12 good ones, including one from
Los Angeles, Calif. Front Row Sports, a
team based in Sulphur, La with players
from
the
Houston-Beaumont-Lake
Charles corridor, plays primarily in
carnival tournaments. The Budfest was
only their third USSSA-sanctioned event
of the year. But Manager Curtis Day’s
team came up big on the biggest stage
in Texas by going undefeated through
64 USSSA TODAY
The Steel Unknowns celebrate their championhip in the Women Class C.
six games to win first place. Front Row
averaged 20.2 runs per game in their
six wins – by far the best in the tournament. Their closest game of the six was
the championship, where they defeated
AYS/Tanguma Sports from Houston by
just a single run (13-12). AYS/Tanguma
Sports settled for second place with
a 3-2 record. Zamora’s All-Out Sports
from Rosenburg came in third, Lonestar
Sports from Cypress finished fourth, and
Texas Softball Club/Miken from Houston
and Crush from Spring tied for fifth.
Front Row shortstop Johnathan Lenz
was named the MVP of the division,
and Marcello Gonzales of AYS was the
Gold Glove winner. Others named to
the All-Tournament team were Jeff
McCoy, Darren Segrest, Lamar Stiner,
Scott Marquardt and Sergio Martinez,
of Front Row; Gibby Garcia, Steven
“Flaco” Barrientos, Jarred Robinson and
Mario Martinez, of AYS; Benny Munoz,
Kip Todhunter and Matthew Pavlik, of
Zamora’s All-Out; and Matt Kainer, Tom
Batson, and J.D. Chandler, of Lonestar
Sports.
The Men’s C Division featured 25 teams,
and Imperial from Houston went undefeated through five games to capture
the crown. Imperial was a D team in
2009 and was one of 20 teams to get
bumped up at the end of the season.
They have consistently been the best C
team in Texas all of 2010, which should
serve as an inspiration to all teams who
land on the reclassification list at the
end of each year. Imperial averaged 16
runs per game and allowed just 6.2,
for an average margin of victory of 9.8
runs. But it was much closer in the most
important games, beating Steel Softball
(13-12) in the winner’s bracket finals,
and again (8-4) in the championship.
Steel Softball from Corpus Christi settled
for the runnerup trophy with a 5-2
record, while Slapaho from Dickinson
came in third also at 5-2, Houston 420
from Houston came in fourth at 3-2,
and the Black Sox from Austin and STFU
from San Antonio tied for fifth. The rest
of the Top 10 consisted of Straight Shot
from Conroe and DFW Warriors from
Dallas-Ft. Worth tied for seventh; and
Bud Crew from Dickinson, Mayhem from
Euless, and T.K.O. and SA Hitmen, both
from San Antonio, all tied for ninth.
The MVP of the C Division was Javier
Sauceda of Imperial, while the Gold
Glove went to Richard Salazar of
Steel. Other players named to the
All-Tournament team were Jason Scott,
Ricky Hass, Jose Molina and Christopher
lopez, of Imperial; Cesar “Cheezer”
Garza, Erik Buxton, Mingo Salinas and
Mark Holsonback, of Steel; Brent Smith,
John White and Joe Brown, of Slapaho;
and Chuck Cox and Greg Lopez, of
Houston 420.
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The 25th Annual Budweiser Festival lured USSSA dignitaries Kevin Naegele(left)
from New Mexico and Danny Brown from California to Bryan/College Station, Texas.
Men’s D and Men’s E were by far the
two biggest brackets of the tournament, with 96 teams in each. In the
Men’s D, a pair of Houston area teams
– Disturbed from Baytown and HardN-Early from Lake Jackson – waged
three epic battles to determine the
supremacy of the division. Both teams
won their first five games to reach the
winner’s bracket finals undefeated. In
the king seat game, Hard-N-Early held
on to claim a narrow 14-13 victory to
advance on to the championship game.
Disturbed dropped to the loser’s bracket
to face Old School from Spring, who had
just destroyed one of the best teams
from the Metroplex, A3 Construction/
Famoso from Ft. Worth, by a score of
15-4. Disturbed jumped out early on
Old School and rolled from there for a
convincing 24-12 win. Then, Disturbed
kept the momentum from that game
rolling as they proceeded to double-dip
Hard-N-Early by scores of 19-11 and 17-9
to capture the crown with an 8-1 record.
Hard-N-Early had to settle for second
place with a 6-2 mark, while Old
School came in third also at 6-2. A3
Construction/Famoso was one of the
best stories of the entire tournament.
Manager Art Archuleta’s team lost their
very first game Saturday morning, then
battled back through the night and all
day Sunday for nine consecutive wins
before finally running out of gas in
the Sunday night loss to Old School to
66 USSSA TODAY
Dawnelle Hilliard (l) with The Cure coach, Bart Adams, enjoying Friday night’s
HR contest/party.
finish fourth at 9-2. Texas Tokers from
Tyler and Texas Raiders from Houston
tied for fifth place; Dream Street from
Beaumont and Jokers from Houston
tied for seventh; and Texas Made/A&M
Doors from Houston, Woodpeckers
from Galveston; Trailer Park Stars from
Deer Park, and Brewskies from Houston
all tied for ninth.
Zach Galliher of Disturbed was named MVP
of the division, and Jason “Yella” Hughes
of Hard-N-Early was the Gold Glove
winner. The rest of the All-Tournament
team consisted of Kris Carpenter, David
Prahm, Donald Davis and Jimmy Eberly, of
Disturbed; Blake Cisneros, Mark Morgan
and Russell “Bubba” Lofton of HardN-Early; Jimmy “Sabo” Galloway, Joey
Ficarra and Tyson Uhlig, of Old School;
and Ryan Miera and Ryan Gonzalez, of
A3 Construction/Famoso.
Just like the equally large Men’s D
bracket, there was a two-scooping
served up in the Men’s E Division as well.
This 96-team bracket was dominated by
San Antonio teams, which claimed three
of the top four positions. The New Boys
and Braun Hall Bombers, both from San
Antonio, each won their first five games
to advance to the winner’s bracket
finals. The New Boys then won the king
seat game by a narrow 7-5 margin,
sending the Braun Hall Bombers to the
loser’s bracket. After STX Dynasty from
Houston sent Rehab – It Happens from
San Antonio home with fourth place,
they faced Braun Hall. The Bombers lived
up to their name with a convincing 14-5
win to get another shot at the New Boyz.
The Braun Hall Bombers then proceeded
to win both championship games easily
– 17-12 and 22-12 – to capture the championship with an 8-1 record.
New Boyz were runnerups at 6-2, STX
Dynasty was third also at 6-2, and Rehab
– It Happens was fourth at 7-2, while
Don’t Know from Bryan and Turn 2 from
Wills Point tied for fifth. Twisted Crew
and Texas Mayhem, both from Houston,
tied for seventh; while No Regret
from San Antonio, Devilz Rejects from
Katy, Young Guns from Houston, and
DavidTheLocator.com from Houston all
tied for ninth.
Chase Feeler of the Braun Hall Bombers
was named MVP of the division, and
Lawrence Castillo of New Boyz was the
Gold Glove winner. Other players named
to the All-Tournament team were Tyson
Powell, Anthony Sears, O.J. Hernandez
and Albert Olivares, of Braun Hall
Bombers; David Macias, Edward Bratton
and Ralph Lopez, of New Boyz; Robert
Reyna, Adam Gonzales and Charlie
Camancho, of STX Dynasty; and Bobby
Villanueva and Jimmy Alonso, of Rehab
– It Happens.
The Budweiser Festival is one of the few
remaining tournaments in Texas with
separate C and D brackets for Women’s
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teams. (Most tournaments combine all
Women’s teams into one bracket.)
In the 18-team Women’s C Division,
the Steel Unknowns from San Antonio
rolled through all five games undefeated to claim the championship. Their
closest game of the tournament was the
championship, where they snuck past
the Lookouts/Mizuno from Deer Park by
just one run (7-6). The Lookouts/Mizuno
settled for the second place trophy win
a fine 6-2 record. All About Sports from
Houston came in third with a 3-2 mark;
the Lady Brokers from Houston finished
fourth at 4-2; and Team Arkansas from
Little Rock, AR and Lady Canes II from Ft.
Worth tied for fifth.
MVP of the Women’s C went to
Yolanda Garcia of Steel Unknowns
and the Gold Glove went to her teammate Jennifer Kelley. Other ladies
named All-Tournament were Hortencia
Cabrera, Leah Layton, Kim Guymon and
Santa Castro, of Steel Unknowns; and
Sara Fitzgerald, Jamie Jenson and Mya
McRae of the Lookouts.
In the 25-team Women’s D Division,
Quiet Storm from Killeen went undefeated through five games to win first
place. Quiet Storm averaged 10.8 runs in
their five wins, while giving up just 4.0
runs for an average spread of 6.8 runs – a
big margin for this division. Their championship win was a 14-7 victory over J.F.F.
of Spring, who finished second with a
7-2 record. Houston Energy came in third
at 4-2; Team Dallas Women took fourth
at 3-2; and Lady Terror Squad from Bryan
and Houston Blaze tied for fifth.
Larita Williams of Quiet Storm was
named MVP of the division, and teammate Vanessa Smith was the Gold
Glove winner. Others named to the
All-Tournament team were Elisa Nieves,
Angela Clemons, Jean Brown and Windi
Klein, of Quiet Storm; Candace Yaritsky,
Edith Langford and Laura Smith, of
J.F.F.; Tamara Weathers, Christian Lotto
and Givency Young, of Houston Energy;
and Temeka Stoker and Misti Russom, of
Team Dallas Women.
There were 30 teams entered in the
UPBUCKET USSSA August 10 ad:Layout 1 7/3/10 4:32 PM Page 1
Baseball/SoftballUses:
Endorsed by:
Gary Gaetti
• 2x All-Star Selection
(1988, 1989)
• World Series Champion
(1987)
• 4x Gold Glove Award Winner
(1986, 1987, 1988 & 1989)
• Silver Slugger Award
Winner (1995)
• 1987 ALCS MVP
Endorsed by:
Jennie Finch
• 5 x Gold Medalist (1998
(2001, 2005, 2006, 2007)
• 4x Silver Medalist (1999
(2 in 2005, 2008)
• 2x World Cup
Champion
(2006, 2007)
- Batting Practice - Pre-Game Warmups
- Batting Cages - Sit on it during the
game or practice
- Field Practice
Our patentpending design
makes it easy to
pick up and store balls
*Grate design may vary
68 USSSA TODAY
Co-ed bracket, and the results were the
most diverse of the entire tournament.
Team Renegades from Austin won first
place with a 6-1 record. Team Victory
Sports Park from San Antonio was runnerup with a 6-2 mark. Ronoco/Maverick
Promotions from Dallas finished third
at 7-2. Half-Cocked from Nacogdoches
in East Texas came in fourth at 6-2.
Bad Intentions from Kemah and
Powerhouse/Elite from Ft. Worth tied for
fifth; Double D from Temple and Smack
That from Houston tied for seventh; and
BMF from Round Rock, Straight Shot
from Conroe, I’d Hit It from Baytown,
and Stop Lookin’ from Tyler all tied for
ninth.
The All-Tournament team in the Co-ed
division consisted of Tammy Martinez,
Krystle Miller, Justin Mark and Daniel
Evans, of Team Renegades; Brian Goelz,
Teri Camarillo and Tracy Bougere, of
Team Victory Sports Park; Greg Jones,
Chad Stewart and Tasanee Wood, of
Ronoco/Maverick; and Larry Jenkins and
Marcie Netardus, of Half-Cocked.
continued on pg. 70
at The Victorian Resort & Conference Center
25th ANNUAL
Budweiser Softball Festival
presented by Jack Hilliard Distributing - Bryan/College Station,TX
Men’s B Champions
Front Row
Beaumont, Texas
Front row (l to r) Lamar Stiner, Berlin Brown, Curtis Day (Manager), Ram Cisneros, Kerry Doan, Daron Segrest. Back row (l to r) Jeff Mccoy, Sergio Martinez, Scott
Marquardt, Mike Jacquet, Jonathon Lenz, Chester Johnson, Jorge Escobar, Marlon August, Rodney Miles (Coach).
Men’s B-Runner Up
AYS/FNS/Twins
Houston, Texas
Front row (l to r) Will O’Neal, Mike Martinez, Mario Martinez, Gilbert Garcia, Robert Orosco, Donte Lapoint, Enrique Gonzalez. Back row (l to r) Steven Barrientos, Ryan
Riddle, Boogie, George Tanguma, Felix Mitschke, Jarred Robinson.
70 USSSA TODAY
25th ANNUAL
Men’s Class C Champions
Imperial
Houston, Texas
Front row (l to r): Cody Scott, Jose Molina, Robert Aguirre, Chris Lopez, Ricky Hass, Edward Sotelo. Back row (l to r): Ignacio Sauceda, Jared Martin, Jason Scott, Kevin Price,
Ben Dunn, Javier Sauceda, Joey Goldstein, Noey Sotelo
Men’s Class C Runner Up
Steel Softball
Corpus Christi, Texas
Front row (l to r): Mike Garibay , Carlos Sanchez , Mingo Salinas , Eric Buxton. Front row (l to r): Ceaser Garza , Jason Vallego , Jason Larma , Luke Evans , Chon Guajardo ,
Shawn Williams , Richard Salazar , Mark Holsonback , Roland Salazar
USSSA TODAY 71
25th ANNUAL
Men’s Class D Champions
Disturbed
Baytown, Texas
Front row (l to r): Zach Galliher, Jeremy Elerby, Garrett Welch, Kenneth Hamilton, and Kris Carpenter. Back row (l to r): Charles Hagan, Jospeh Reed, David Prahm, Cory
Simpson, Darrell Cherry, Taylor Lobb, Donald Davis, Joey Hanks, Rocky Strange, Marc Aaron,Terrell Zeno, and Bryan Pinder
Men’s Class D Runner Up
Hard-N-Early
Lake Jackson, Texas
Front row (l to r): Dwayne Jarmon, Aaron Cervenka, Baron Green. Back row (l to r): Zachary Leick, Mike Clark, Brandon Cervenka, Mark Morgan, Cody Laney, Brett Reynolds,
Keith Briggs, Russell Lofton, Robert Adams, Jason Knox, Jason Hughes, Blake Cisneros
72 USSSA TODAY
25th ANNUAL
Men’s Class E Champions
Braun Hall Bombers
San Antonio, Texas
Front row (l to r): Tyson Powell, Martin Hernandez, Blake White, Albert Olivarez, OJ Hernandez, Jason Bourgeois, Scott Pullin, Sean Britt. Front row (l to r): Stuart Jaynes, Wes
Lynch, Jordan Hovda, Chase Feller, Daniel Neutzling, Chad Emmel, Anthony Sears, Reggie Fountain, Brent Gilbert, Rudy Martinez.
Men’s Class E Runner Up
New Boyz
San Antonio, Texas
Front row (l to r): Jose Montoya, Fermin Lopez, Eric Lopez, Ralph Lopez, Daniel Montoya, Anthony Montoya. Back row (l to r): Ruben Maldenado, Lawerence Castillo, Daniel
Macias, Gonzalo Ovalle, Eddie Bratton, Andrew Bratton, Eddie Bratton Sr.
USSSA TODAY 73
25th ANNUAL
Women Class C Champions
Steel Unknowns
San Antonio, Texas
Front row (l to r): Yolanda Garcia, Kim Guymon, Bonnie Contreras, Alice Garza, Jeanette Alcorta, Jennifer Kelley, and Chris Castro (coach). Back row (l to r): Diana Herrera,
Hortencia Cabrera, Jessica Sanchez, Rachel Velasquez, Angela Aguilar, Stacy Kindles, Leah Layton, and Santa Castro. Not Pictured: Linda Casas and Julie Wiernik.
Women Class C Runner Up
Look Outs/Mizuno
Deer Park, Texas
Front row (l to r): Becky Zalesnik, Amy Chance, Gina Perez, Sara Fitzgerald, Lashonda Mills and Sarah Woodruff. Back row (l to r): Annabel Pinedo, Kimberly Krueger, Lisa
Parmer, Jamie Ries, Mya McRae, Lisa King, Tristle Cloud and Jamie Jensen
74 USSSA TODAY
25th ANNUAL
Women Class D Champions
Quiet Storm
Killeen, Texas
Front row (l to r): Jeaniel Patti, Mary Nieves, Jennifer Victorian, Jean Brown, Lela Arthur, Myka Organ, Vanessa Smith and Angela Clemons. Back row (l to r): Glenn
Clemons, Theresa Mayfield, Delonica Boyce, Heather Moriarity, Aida Cartagena, ReRe Williams, Sharon Kinard, Windy Klien, Michelle Houston, Chi-Chi Nieves, Chris
Jackson and Hilton Victorian.
Women Class D Runner Up
J.F.F.
Spring, Texas
Front row (l to r): Cheyna Haskins, Samantha Cummings, Elizabeth Dean, Tara Calvert, Almea Montillo. Front row (l to r): Starla Higginbotham, Candace Yaritsky, Edith
Langford, Pondray Mathis, Lauren Newcomb, Stacy Little, Kelly Aransaenz, Laura Smith, Holly Desimone
USSSA TODAY 75
25th ANNUAL
Mixed Champions
Team Renegades
Round Rock, Texas
Front row (l to r) Frank Verver, Tammy Martinez, Joanne Imwalle, Ashley Verver, Krystle Miller, Assistant Coach Paul Verver. Back row (l to r): (Left to Right) Christopher
Imwalle, Jason Olivo, Brad Lind, Donte LaPoint, Daniel Luke Evans, Brian Hutchingson, Manager Mark Caul, Crystalynn Savage and Justin Mark.
Mixed Runner-Up
Team Victory Sports Park
San Antonio, Texas
Front row (l to r): Stacy Kindles, Teri Camarillo, Sarah Kmiec, Suzell Flores, Tracy Bougere. Back row (l to r): Jason Chapa, Brian Goelz, Jeff Milam, Carl Weed, Chris
Guymon, Chavo Rodriguez, Mrs. Weathersby, Catrina Harden, Lloyd Engle
76 USSSA TODAY
SOFTBALL BATS!
Robert Boudreaux
I can recall the introduction of the
DeMarini “Double Wall” bat, and
questioned if it would be the demise
of the game of slow pitch softball. My
thoughts were driven by the $200 price
tag, and how the average softball player
would not be able to afford such a high
priced bat. Fast forward fifteen years,
and the reality of the demise is still real,
however, the cost is not the problem, as
softball players have found the resources
to purchase, not one, but in many cases,
three or four of the new high tech,
composite bats, and truck their investments around in bat bags, that cost
more than the bats of yesteryear.
The current day downfall is the liveliness
of the composite bat, and how at some
point in time, it will become illegal. The
question then becomes, how do we, as
a softball community address this ever
changing problem.
The USSSA is attempting to create a
portable bat testing device, which would
be available at each complex for testing
before, during and after games. The roll
out of this new device was scheduled for
the spring of 2010, however unforeseen
complications with developing consistency has presented itself, and thus no
testing device has been made available
to the directors as of this print date.
The testing device, once available, will
create problems for our directors and
teams. Will teams avoid the events
where testing will be done? What will be
the penalty for detection of a too lively
bat? Do you test before each game? Do
you test before the tournament? Do you
test after each home run?
Many questions begin to present themselves. Or, how about the one, where
the bat was legal when tested before
the game or tournament, the batter hits
the ball out the park, and then the bat
tests illegal.
As you can see the current bat problem
is not going away, anytime soon.
I would like to hear your thoughts on
how we can reclaim the game we so
love. Send me your thoughts, on how
we should test bats? When we should
test bats? And ultimately, what would
be the penalty for using an illegal bat.
Address your thoughts or comments to
Robert Boudreaux, and email them to
[email protected]
JUNIOR GOLF
USSSAGolf is close to becoming a reality.
The brochures are printed. Our website
is being updated to accommodate our
new sports venture. And hopefully by
mid-summer, the FIRST USSSA Junior
Golf tournament will be conducted.
As an update, the USSSAGolf Junior Tour
will conduct 36 hole tournament play
for Boys & Girls, between the ages of 9
and 14. For additional information, or
to submit your name as a possible golf
director, email me at [email protected] .
USSSA TODAY 77
Mizuno Hoping to Start a New Craze
By Michael Cisneros
Mizuno USA’s Chad
Robertson says that past
durability issues have been
addressed with the Craze.
The Craze
is supposed to
be different from previous Mizuno
bats by virtue of its durability, but it
is much more than that. The Craze is
weighted unlike previous models with
a more responsive sweet spot and
unique sound; it also looks different
than past Mizunos.
The things that make it more durable
– the Black Array Carbon with its
higher percentage of resin, the scoopstyle end cap, and absence of endweighting have combined to change
the feel, the sound and the location of
the sweet spot on the Craze. The end
cap design mimics the scooped top
of Mizuno’s wood bats which remove
weight from the end making the bat
easier to control; it also allows a hitter
to swing a slightly heavier bat than
before and adding mass – provided
the swing speed doesn’t slow – adds
distance. The end cap along with the
bat’s balanced weighting moves the
sweet spot away from the end of the
barrel and puts the bat’s mass and
hitting surface in the same place, and
when the ball is hit right on that spot,
the sound it unique and the distance
is impressive.
The singular sound the bat makes was
not intentional, the original look of the
bat is. Designer Tsuyosh Ieta took
78 USSSA TODAY
the white handle of last year’s Frenzy
model and redesigned the barrel in
brilliant yellow with explosive graphics
to help the bat stand out on the field.
“That is something I’ve always harped
on,” said Mizuno’s Chad Robertson. “I
want anyone watching the game from
the stands or field to know from 300
feet away what bat is being used. I
think this design will do that.”
We’ve hit a number of impressive
drives with this bat, even on pitches
we didn’t think we got the whole bat
on. We have also not seen any wear
on the test bats despite constant use
in tournament and league. The Craze
doesn’t need breaking in as much as
the hitter does – those of you who
use end-loads will have to train yourself to get the most out of this new
design; those who already swing
balanced bats will be pleased with the
distance they will start getting. This
bat performs like any top-of-the-line
model, but at half the price which
makes it mighty attractive to keep in
our bag.
■ Designed in Japan
■ Made of Black Array Carbon
■ Coiled end cap
■ Balanced weighting
■ 13” barrel
If you’re 40 and you’ve been playing
softball for a long time, then you’ve
seen softball equipment evolve including every craze high-performance
bats have gone through from aluminum
to titanium to multi-wall to composite.
And while you probably like the bat you
are currently using, you still tell stories
about a bat you loved 15 years ago that
was so hot it came with a “No Warranty”
caveat.
But if you’re 25 and relatively new to
the game, then you’ve only ever swung
one type of bat and don’t have anything
else to compare it to. All you really know
is using the best equipment does make
a difference. And if you want a great
bat you are going to spend somewhere
between $300-$400.
With its new Craze, Mizuno has come
out with a bat designed to evoke fond
memories of bats past while introducing
the next generation to a new way
of thinking about high-performance
bats. It’s also designed using revolutionary materials and processes. And it’s
designed to help Mizuno return to the
top of the slow pitch world.
“Mizuno has had quite a rollercoaster
ride with our slow pitch bats,” said Chad
Robertson, business manager for bats
for Mizuno. “We were really the first to
develop a high-performance composite
bat and introduce it to the market with
the original Techfire, and we had a great
year with the Crush in 2004; we’ve been
trying to chase that success ever since.”
The Craze could be the bat to do it. It
features a new fiber and resin combination, a new layering process, and
new weighting for a Mizuno bat. It also
introduces a completely new idea that
could become a craze itslef – an affordable top-of-the-line bat.
“The durability side of things has been
our Achilles heel in recent years,”
admitted Robertson. “We’d make one
bat that would last a thousand swings,
we’d make the same bat and it would
break quickly. We’ve been struggling
with consistent durability … so we’ve
gone back to the drawing board and
started from scratch.”
Since new bat limits and standards
changed the softball landscape in 2004,
Mizuno has made some good bats – the
Wrath and Frenzy, for instance – but
the knock against them was breakage.
That led to other problems – “We were
getting lots of bats returned,” said
Robertson, “and with them we were
seeing a lot of shaved bats, rolled bats,
fake receipts … go on any message
board and you will see posts ‘need
receipt.’” So Mizuno went to work on
a solution.
The first step was creating a better bat.
The engineers in Japan – Toshiaki Kida,
Michiharu Tsukamoto, Yutaka Yamaguci
and Kazuhiko Shindome – came up with
a design that would increase durability
in a uniform way, making each bat as
durable as the next and all bats more
durable than those past.
“The biggest thing was the development
of our cylinder seaming technique,” said
Robertson. Cylinder Seaming Technique
allows for consistent wrapping of each
layer of fiber and eliminates the seams
that represent the weak points in a
hand-rolled bat. The team in Japan
designed a machine to replace handrolling the composite. “We still start
each bat by hand, but now the machine
finishes the process which leads to more
uniform wrapping. The fiber is also now
wrapped at an angle so it eliminates the
seams, and the consistent pressure of
the machine gets all the air out of the
fibers and resin which eliminates imperfections.”
Japan also developed a machine to test
the bats’ durability. “This durability
machine can hit the same spot over and
over providing really harsh and repeatable testing,” said Robertson. “And in
field testing we got a number of A-plus
level players to hit hard balls in cold
weather – which used to not be a good
thing for Mizuno bats. From the fieldtesting standpoint we are getting better
results and we are mimicking those
results in the lab.”
Of course, durability is only half the
equation. The Craze is about performance as well and that is supplied by
the new Black Array carbon/resin material and a unique weighting design.
“The materials are a part of it too
and Japan worked very hard on this
bat,” said Robertson. “The difference
between Black Array and any other
composites Mizuno has used for bats is
this carbon and resin was designed with
bats in mind as the end product. In the
past we’ve always shared composites
with other departments like golf.”
Black Array Carbon has 5% more resin
and more glass fiber in its formula
than previous formulas. The Craze has
a coiled, sunken end cap that moves
weight away from the end and into the
barrel. And its balanced barrel helps
move more mass behind the hitting
surface of the bat. These changes give
the Craze a different feel and sound
– especially when the ball strikes the
sweet spot – and a considerable amount
of pop, which is quite shocking if you
aren’t expecting it.
The second step was in making the bat
attractive to players.
the price of the bat and make them “No
Warranty,” said Robertson. “We ran the
idea by players and retailers and got
overwhelmingly positive feedback.”
The Craze carries a manufacturer’s
suggested retail price of $149.99. That
puts a top-of-the-line bat in your hands
for half the price of most other company’s top bats.
“In a poor economy, it gives players an
option to have a great bat for a low
price,” said Robertson. “Another thing
it does is allow the “rec” player who
wants a great bat but can’t justify dropping $350 on it a chance to get one.
With our tremendous upgrade in durability and the fact that a rec player is not
the type of player who is going to break
a bat anyway, they can buy a great bat
that will last a full year or more for just
$150.
“And for the tournament player – they
can spend $300 and buy both bats at
the same time, because if you think
about it, the price of the replacement
bat is factored into the price of other
bats anyway. So if one breaks they
don’t have to wait the time it takes to
ship the broken one back and get the
new one delivered. They’ll already have
the backup bat in the bag and they can
get to work breaking it in before it’s
needed so it will be ready to go when
it is needed.”
If early returns are any indication, the
Craze may just be the next wave in softball equipment – a bat that works just as
well, lasts twice as long, and costs half as
much as those in the past. Then we’ll all
have stories to tell the next generation
of players about $300 bats and manufacturers’ warranties. And they’ll look at
us as if we are crazy.
“We decided that the best way to stop
the problem with returns was to reduce
USSSA TODAY 79
B.J. Fulk Makes
Big Impression
at Namesake Tournament in Texas
By Greg Huchingson, Managing Editor
MANSFIELD, TEXAS – “Everything is
bigger in Texas,” is what they say.
But it was one of the gentle giants of
Conference USSSA from North Carolina
that made a Texas-sized impression at
his namesake tournament on April 24-25
at Big League Dreams in Mansfield, TX.
North Texas players and fans had the
opportunity to meet one of the premier
sluggers in the game, when B.J. Fulk
came to Texas for the WORTH B.J. Fulk
Shootout. The tournament is part of
the WORTH Lone Star Shootout State
Championship Series.
BJ with HR contest champion, Dwane Tockey.
Fulk met with players and discussed his
rise through the different levels of softball, and answered questions from the
crowd. He also put on a hitting clinic
and hung around the ballpark to visit
with players individually throughout
the tournament.
Fulk, age 33, is from Greensboro,
North Carolina. Last year, he was one
of the top hitters in Conference USSSA
when he helped Resmondo/WORTH
win first place in both the Conference
Championships and USSSA Major World
Series. Fulk was named to the All-World
Tournament Team at the Major World
Series.
BJ (Billy Joe) promoting his Worth Fulk Mayhem.
All ages enjoyed Fulk’s stories (lies).
80 USSSA TODAY
The B.J. Fulk Shootout games got
started late, thanks to Friday night
thunderstorms which could have easily
been caused by one of Fulk’s towering
home runs. But when it did get started,
the action at the fabulous eight-field
complex was fast and furious.
In the 27-team Men’s D Division, the
largest bracket of the tournament,
Entourage from nearby Waxahachie
went undefeated through six games to
capture first place. Entourage defeated
the Louisiana By-Yous (18-7), Absolut
Softball from Oklahahoma City (16-8),
Turmoil Softball also from Oklahoma
(8-7), and Maui Built/Sagnasty (11-7) to
reach the championship game.
After winning their first game, Bass
Tools from Shreveport, La. lost their
second game to Back 2 Basics from
Amarillo (15-12). But Bass Tools dropped
to the loser’s bracket and won seven
straight games to make it all the way
back to the championship game, where
they ran out of gas and lost a squeaker
to Entourage (12-11) to settle for second
place with an 8-1 record. Maui Built/
Sagnasty from Saginaw came in third
at 3-2, followed by E.C.R./Natty D’s from
Ft. Worth in fourth at 5-2, and Turmoil
Softball and A3 Construction/Famoso
tied for fifth.
Jesse Martinez of Entourage was named
Most Valuable Player of the division,
while Will Neeles of Bass Tools was the
Gold Glove winner. Other players named
to the All-Tournament team were Caleb
Escabedo, Brandon McCawley, Chris
Perkins and Chris Cruz, of Entourage;
Brady Bascle, Doug Finley and Dustin
Hemperley, of Bass Tools; Todd Hawpe,
Brad Sisk amd Ryan Tomasi, of Mauli
Built/Sagnasty; and Luis Mora and Shane
Mack, of E.C.R./Natty D’s.
In the 18-team Men’s E Division, Sanchos
from Dallas pulled off a two-scooping
of Players Union from Waxahachie
on Sunday afternoon to win the title.
Players Union had posted wins over
Sentenced 2 Life (26-4), El Norte/ATW
Bail Bonds (13-10), Balco Inc. (17-6) and
Sanchos (9-8) to reach the championship
game undefeated. Sanchos had victories
over the Drillers (13-6), Southern Boys
(19-8) and Texas Crew/O’Reillyauto.com
(12-8) before losing to Players Union.
After the loss, Sanchos dropped to
the loser’s bracket and beat Showtime
(15-13) to get back to the finals, where
Men Class D Champions-Entourage
Men Class E Champions-Sancho’s
Men Class D Runner-Up-Louisana Bass Tools
Men Class E Runner-Up-Player’s Union
they beat Players Union twice (14-9 and
12-0) to claim the crown.
Sanchos ended the tournament with
a 6-1 record, while Players Union was
second at 4-2. Showtime from Wichita
Falls came in third at 5-2, followed by
Balco Inc. from Ft. Worth in fourth at
3-2, and Southern Boys and Texas Crew/
O’reillyauto.com tied for fifth.
Michael Miller of Sanchos was named
MVP of the division, and Jimmy Taylor of
Players Union was the Gold Glove winner.
Others named to the All-Tournament
team were Cody Duncan, Adrian
Morales, Richard Warren and Felix
Hernandez, of Sanchos; Joe Adams, John
Delagarza and Matt Green, of Players
Union; Nathan Wheeler, Brett Kieth and
Joeseph Delgado, of Showtime; and
George Castillo and Kevin Shotts, of
Balco Inc.
There were only eight teams in the
Co-ed Division, but there was still
some exciting action. Ronoco/Maverick
and Midnight Express advance to the
winner’s bracket finals, which was won
by Ronoco/Maverick (17-14). Midnight
Express dropped to the loser’s bracket
and was eliminated by Chemsitry/Elite
from Oklahoma (22-10). Chemistry/Elite
then gave Ronoco/Maverick a tough
battle in the championship game before
coming up short (18-17).
Ronoco/Maverick claimed the crown with
a perfect 4-0 record, while Chemistry/
Elite was second at 4-2. Midnight Express
came in third, and Driven was fourth.
Jason Allen of Ronoco/Maverick was the
MVP of the division. Others named to
the All-Tournament team were Autumn
Petrino, David Cremeans, Tammy
Martinez and Charlie Russell, of Ronoco/
Maverick; Melissa Bean, Bradley Clay
and Colleen Gillaspy, of Chemistry/Elite;
Levi Lynch, Nancy Myers and Candace
Felts, of Midnight Express; and Blake
Wade and Monica Garza, of Driven.
More About B.J. Fulk
During the 2009 season, Fulk helped
Resmondo/WORTH to a 63-8 season
record, which is one of the best records
of all-time. The team won first place at
9 of their 13 tournaments. Fulk was the
Tournament MVP at the Music City Major
N.I.T. in Nashville, and the Defensive
MVP of the Rocky Mountain Shootout in
Denver. He made All-Tournament in 8 of
the 13 Tournaments and was also named
First Team All-Conference USSSA.
For the season, Fulk posted a .757
On-Base Percentage and belted 57
Home Runs with 164 RBIs. He ranked
in the Top 20 in the nation in all three
categories. He plays exceptional defense
in right field, despite his 6-foot-5 frame
and hulking size.
Fulk is one of a select few players in
America with a bat named after him.
The WORTH SBMBJ – aka B.J. FULK
MAYHEM – is a 1.20 BPF multi-layer
100% composite bat designed to provide
exceptional rebound and maximum
durability. The balanced weight distribution offers maximum bat control and
consistency. The bat comes in 26-, 27-,
28- and 30-ounce weights. Its color is
appropriately Carolina Blue, since Fulk
hails from the Tar Heel State.
Fulk broke on the scene in 2004
with
Benfield/Alesium/Reece/Easton.
The following year he played with
AMLasVegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher.
In 2006, Fulk helped Specialty Tank/
Stucco/K&G/Worth to a third place finish
at the USSSA Major World Series. He
played on his first Major team in 2007,
when he helped BellCorp/Belcher/TAI/
Backman to a third place finish at the
Major World. In 2008, Fulk played for
LongHaul/Phonemasters/Miken, before
joining the heralded Resmondo/WORTH
team for the 2009 season.
Fulk has participated on the Long Haul
Bombers Stadium Power Tour for the past
two years, where he has displayed his
power hitting ability in front of thousands
of fans prior to Major League Baseball
games. In 2008, Fulk teamed with fellow
North Carolinian Jeff Hall to win the
Manufacturers Cup for WORTH Sports.
USSSA TODAY 81
What Does The Doctor Have To Say?
by Dr. Doug Wood,WoodLaw/Miken
Part One:
Why I Play
The Game
Life is a constant
state of flux and
softball is no exception. I started playing
baseball when I was
five years old. That
was more than 40
years ago. Those
were the days when our house had a black
& white television and a rotary telephone.
There were no computers (no internet, e-mail
or Facebook), no mobile phones. I don’t
know how we survived childhood! We spent
most of the summer days playing wiffle ball
for safety reasons- not from getting hit by
a baseball, but from getting hit in the rear
from breaking a neighbors window with a hit
ball. Occasionally, we did go to the schools to
play some neighborhood baseball. I played
baseball through high school before I went
to college. After college, I picked up softball with some of fraternity friends started
to play in tournaments. The tournament in
those days were open, unlimited home runs.
It seemed the good teams had some real big
guys on the team who could drop bombs
at will. The scores of the games were quite
high. The game did become a little boring
watching bombs fly over your head with
regularity. The first bat that I bought was a
30oz Worth Tennessee Thumper. It was a onepiece metal bat. There were no end plugs or
endcaps. The metal was over 0.5 cm thick. The
reason, I know this is that I still have the bat
today. I have had thoughts of returning it to
Worth and see if they would replace the bat
although there is nothing wrong with it other
than the fact I opened it up with a hacksaw
and filled it up with cement and use it for a
weight bat. Then sometime in the ninety’s
various softball associations were competing
against each other and establishing different
rules. One of the major rule changes were
establishing different classifications according
to the number of home runs allowed. The
days of unlimited home runs were gone. It
was at that point, many players left the game,
albeit a lot of players entered the game. At
that point, however, most of the old-school
guys had a baseball mentality, and that
restricting home rums was a sacrilege. Image
if they limited home runs in baseball! It just
didn’t seen right. Home runs are like apple
pie! I decided to start playing golf for a sport
and about 7-8 years later I was asked to play
some co-ed softball and I was bitten by the
82 USSSA TODAY
softball bug. When I returned to the game
there was a new bat from DeMarini. It was a
double-walled aluminum bat. The balls were
just trampolining off the bat. There were
many balls that I hit that went into the lights
and I was accused of having no bat control.
I wished I had my Thumper back. The only
problem was that after awhile the bat looked
like a triangle. I went through at least a dozen
bats a year. Then one day I was playing league
ball and someone asked me to hit this new
bat. It was a new composite bat called Ultra.
My first at bat, I took a swing and it was a
rocket that cleared the fence, went across the
double lane road with a median, over a neighbors fence and crashing onto the neighbors
roof. I saw the neighbors lights turn on, dogs
run out barking, and the neighbor ran out the
door in his pajamas to see what caused the
noise. I asked the softball player where did
you buy this bat! The next day, I had one in
my bat bag. It only took a few months before
that bat was banned at the ballparks. Of
course by then they made alterations to the
bat, but the composite bat war was on. At
that point, I decided that I better learn to hit
the ball backside. So recently, I was watching
a 50 over senior tournament. Here were these
older guys of approximately the same age in
full uniform playing ball. They were throwing
the ball, hitting the ball, and catching the ball
although at a slower pace. The one thing that
they had in common was that they appeared
to be enjoying the game. They appeared to be
enjoying the game like they did playing little
league. They were laughing, kidding each
other, and having fun. That is why I play the
game.
Part Two: Having Fun
Softball is suppose to be fun, although sometimes ego and testosterone interfere. After a
tournament the guys usually get together and
swap softball stories. Some are true, some are
embellished, and some are just flat made up.
I thought this would be a good time to share
a true one. We were playing in Kissimmee
Florida in the USSSA Conference tournament. It was a dual tournament that started
on Thursday and ended on Sunday. We had
just probably played our tenth game of the
weekend and were exhausted. We had one
loss of had just finished playing a game. Our
next game was against Sinister, an good A
team out of Michigan. They had pulled ahead
of us and had a sizeable lead on us. Our coach
named Dave, who at one time played competitive softball before he started coaching and
would tell anyone who would listen of his
softball exploits, was letting everyone on
the team know that he was ready to play if
needed. He could actually be seen stretching
between innings in the hopes of getting in the
game. It was the bottom of the seventh inning
when someone suggested that Dave pinch hit
for a player. He initially thought about it but
decided against it. He said he did not want to
make the last out. In addition, the game was
being live-streamed. I then suggested that if
got a hit, he would be 1/1 with a 1.000 batting
average and a candidate for All-tournament
since we were making our selections based
upon batting averages. After consideration,
Dave agreed to pinch hit. Dave, who is at best
150 lbs which includes the weight of his cigarette that usually dangles from the side of his
mouth and has been known as an equivalent
to a human foul pole, quickly extinguished
his cigarette. After he grabbed his bat out of
the bat bag and proceeded to the on deck
circle, the players got up to the first step of
the dugout. From the dugout there began an
audible chant of “Rudy.” The chant of “Rudy”
started crescendoing louder. Fans in the stands
watching the game started getting into it like
they do at baseball games with the “wave.”
Derek Perkins was on second base at the time
and there were two outs. Jeff McGavin the
shortstop for Sinister walked towards Derek
and asked “What are they chanting?” Derek,
in his Texas drawl responded “Cuz, I think
they are chanting “Rudy.” At that point, Jeff
went to one knee laughing hysterically. The
cameraman couldn’t keep the camera still as
the chant grew louder and louder. The umpires
were having trouble keeping a straight face.
I turned around and said to Rodney another
player on the team that I bet you that he
swings at the first pitch and that the ball goes
up the middle. I knew that he would not want
to strike out, especially swinging. When the
outfielders looked at him in the batters box,
they started moving in. Sure enough, the
pitcher threw a four seamer and Dave took a
whack at it. He made contact and as predicted
the ball was hit in the air over the second base
bag. As soon as the ball was hit, there was a
roar from the crowd. The centerfielder who
was already walking up got a good jump on
the ball and made a sliding catch. You could
hear an “aw” from the crowd as he caught
the ball followed by a few “boos.” After the
game, the teams exchanged handshakes, and
everyone was laughing, kidding each other,
and having fun. That is why I play the game.
Conclusion
Softball can be a fun game full of good memories. If you have any good softball stories, feel
free to send it to me at [email protected].
Santa Rosa
for Memorial Day Weekend
by Tonya Douglas
The common answer when I asked the
question, “What’s going on Memorial
weekend?”, was “Softball in Santa Rosa,
of course”. You may ask where is that
and why would you go there? Located
about 2 hours east of Albuquerque,
New Mexico on Interstate 40 (Historic
Route 66), Santa Rosa has a population
of about 3700. With a corner market,
not a Wal-Mart and one main street
it’s a relatively small town. Santa Rosa
is known as the City of Natural Lakes,
so why go there? For the Blue Hole, a
sinkhole about 91 feet deep and a frigid
61 degrees, boating and fishing at Santa
Rosa Dam and of course, SOFTBALL! The
City of Santa Rosa constructed a new 4
field complex in 2006 with each field
named for a major league field. This has
been an ideal destination for many softball teams.
Players go to Santa Rosa for different
reasons. “This is where I blew my ACL, I
had to prove I could come back and play
and not let it be a mental thing” states
Shannon Priddy from the Rio Rancho
Rattlers. As shown in the photo, Team
No Joke, from Albuquerque, decides to
answer my question by jumping into
the Blue Hole. “We come here to play
ball, we just love to play, every person
on our team is very passionate about
the game”, says Jeremy Vigil, Team No
Joke. But the most common answers are
friends, lots of fun and softball. With a
total of 68 teams in a 4 division tournament, Mike Salazar, Recreation Director
and USSSA Area Director for Santa Rosa,
had his “new hands” full. “It was an
experience and challenge coordinating
and directing from the beginning to the
end of the tournament. Reason is, I was
hired only three weeks prior to the tournament. My experience in the military
really came in handy and the great job
the UIC, Wayne Parson, and his crew did.
You’re only as good as they (umpires)
are. Teams love to come down to Santa
Rosa not just for softball but the hospitality and kindness that our community
has to offer”, states Mike.
The tournament started Saturday
morning and ended late Monday afternoon. After lots of games played there
are some winners. Congratulations
to Fair Warning from West Texas
(C Division), Ssauce Softball/Miken
Sports from Albuquerque (D Division),
Goodfellas from Rio Rancho (E Division),
and Breakers from Albuquerque
(Women’s C/D/E Equalizer).
So with Memorial weekend over, teams
and players go home, play some league
and some local tournaments but start
thinking when to go back to Santa
Rosa, 4th of July or maybe Labor Day
weekend? There may be some barking
on the field amongst the players but in
the end it’s all about friends, fun and
SOFTBALL.
FYI – Santa Rosa was in a movie once,
Director John Ford filmed the memorable train scene in The Grapes of Wrath
there!
Dear Directors,
I have received permission from the
National Office to go International
with USSSA by appointing a Director in
Chihuahua, MX. Currently they have 12
teams that like to play slow pitch softball
and have sent a couple of teams to NM
to play in either Silver City or Las Cruces.
Please Welcome Javier Porras Arias
as the Mexico National/Chihuahua
Director. At this time New Mexico USSSA
will be the go between Mexico and the
US. As more information becomes available I will forward to all of you.
Here is what I know so far, Chihuahua
has asked for more information on
becoming affiliated with USSSA, they
have sent 2 teams to 3 events in New
Mexico in the last 8 months. There
teams are always class acts and are a
great addition to the USSSA Program.
As we work on this together it is great to
have people involved with our program
and opening doors to our neighbors
and probably family from the south.
One note for Javier in my best Spanish:
Primera, mucho gusto concelo Segunda,
benvindos por todas con USSSA Treceda,
espero su yamada. Otra - MXSSA con
USSSA??? Ole! Trabajar por todos en
Softball (besbol mexico)....
Sincerely,
Bert Frederick
New Mexico USSSA State Director
P.O. Box 396
White Sands, NM 88002
575-647-3034
USSSA TODAY 83
The BeBop 10,000 Lakes Classic
photos by Cathy Hoffman
Men C
Tournament MVP
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
Brent Anderson
Brooks McLeod
Nate Gessell
Dustin Fulton
Matt Frankfurth
Chris Peterson
Dustin Wilms
Adam Mcalpine
Chad Johnson
Derek Petersen
Aaron Vanjoske
Zach Nelson
Ryan Schaffer
Ryan Allenson
Jeremy Asleson
Tyler Jackson
Joseph Ehnstrom
Nick Matheson
Outpost/Chanticlear Pizza
Defiant Tatoo/Imperial Room
MinnComm/ Wicked Sports/ EAI
Wicked Sports/Spectrum/CRs
Wicked Sports/Spectrum/CRs
Men C
Place State
Team
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
Allowed Avg Runs Avg Allow Avg Diff Max Runs
USSSA
Points
1
MN
Outpost/Chanticlear Pizza - Qualified
SPMensC
5
0
0
90
44
18
8.8
9.2
21
150
2
MN
SPMensC
5
2
0
104
102
14.8
14.5
0.28
21
110
3
MN
Minncomm/ Wicked Sports/ EAI
SPMensC
3
2
0
67
71
13.4
14.2
-0.7
20
90
4
MN
Wicked Sports/Spectrum/CRS - Qualified
SPMensD
6
2
0
105
84
13.1
10.5
2.62
21
160
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Men E
Tournament MVP
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
All Tournament Team
Brett Miller
Stephen Kosek
Brian Anderson
Jim Carlson
Tony Peterson
Ross Anderson
Andy Downing
Steve Mickelson
Jarrod Leland
Brandon Hespen
Thomas Carik
Joe Larson
Brock Smiley
Jeremy Shibley
Andy Klaers
Bob Obrien
Dan Purvis
Nathan Lackner
Sammys Pizza
Team GRK
Sammys Pizza
Sammys Pizza
Hot Box
Sammys Pizza
Hot Box
Hot Box
Sammys Pizza
Sammys Pizza
Team GRK
Sammys Pizza
Sammys Pizza
Sammys Pizza
Team GRK
Restoration Auto Glass
Team GRK
All Tournament Team
Pete Ziemann
Team GRK
Men E
Place State
Team
Team Class
Runs
Allowed Avg Runs Avg Allow Avg Diff Max Runs
USSSA
Points
1
MN
Sammys Pizza Qualified
SPMensE
3
1
0
60
47
15
11.7
3.25
22
150
2
MN
TEAM GRK
SPMensE
4
2
0
75
74
12.5
12.3
0.16
18
110
3
MN
Hot Box Qualified
SPMensE
2
2
0
44
46
11
11.5
-0.5
22
90
4
MN
SPMensE
1
2
0
43
40
14.3
13.3
1
24
80
84 USSSA TODAY
2010 Combat/Wilsey
Women’s Tournament
by Jared Swan
The 7th Annual Combat/Wilsey Women’s
Tournament was moved back three weeks to its
new home, the second weekend in May. After
visiting with the teams in the off-season it was
decided that the three week delay would provide
a chance at warmer and drier conditions than
experienced the last couple years. With 70 degree
temperatures and dry conditions the move
appeared to be the right choice.
As has come to be expected from the women’s
bracket, it was full of exceptional teams including
the 2009 Women’s “B” World Champion, Easton/
Hooters/Rockets,
Coors/Elite/RMUSSSA(CO),
ECI (KS), Stage II(MO), Outsiders(MN), Fully
Loaded(MO), Above the Law(MO), Hot Mess(NE),
Karma(MO), KC’Skers(KS), and newcomers to the
event Team Combat MN(MN). On this weekend,
the newcomers ended up being the team that
could not be beat. Team Combat MN went 6-0 for
the tournaments and won over Easton/Hooters/
Rockets 12-3 for the Championship and the Paid
World Berth. Also winning Paid World Berths
were Coors/Elite/RMUSSSA -Women’s “C”, and
Fully Loaded-Women’s “D”.
2010 Tournament MVP Award went to Stacy
Kremer of Team Combat MN. Offensive MVP went
to Michelle Erlien also of Team Combat MN and
Defensive MVP honors went to Tamara Gerring of
Easton / Hooters / Rockets. All-Tournament team
consisted of; Team Combat MN’s: Angie Ryan,
Jamie Benedict, Amanda Gage, Rachael Young,
Michelle Erlien, & Stacy Fremer; Easton/Hooters/
Rockets’: Michelle Seiger, Tessa Foth, Erin Brown,
&Tamara Gerring
New for 2010 we have added an end of the
season Premier Woman’s Tournament, the 2010
Combat/Nebraska Women’s World Tune-up will
be held in Lincoln, Nebraska, August 14-15, at
the UNL Campus Fleming Complex. Anticipated
teams to be in attendance as of the writing of
this article include; Derby Girls/Combat(WA),
Kinder Sharks(0H), Team Combat MN(MN),
Easton/Hooters/Rockets(MN), Minnesota Ice(MN),
ECI(KS), Stage II(MO). We expect a full bracket of
16 for this inaugural event, but can take up to 32
teams.
Any teams wanting any additional information
about the 2010 Combat/Nebraska Women’s World
Tune-up, or the 2011 8th Annual Combat/Wilsey
Women’s Tournament, please contact: Jared
Swan, USSSA-Nebraska Softball State Director by
email at: [email protected]
USSSA TODAY 85
West Texas Mafia
Pitbull Sports
Wall Hawks
Mavericks
Diamond Kings
Abilene Rattlers
Sweetwater Mustangs
Mestizo
Tommy Hawkins
Permian Basin USSSA Area Director
Battle on the Concho
Place State
Team
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
Allowed
Avg Runs Avg Allow
Avg Diff
Max Runs
7
10
6.8
1.6
17
3.25
2.75
8
1
TXW
Panther Baseball
BBboys13AAA
5
0
0
40
5
8
1
2
TXW
Sweetwater Mustangs
BBboys13AA
3
2
0
42
34
8.4
3
TXW
Mustangs Qualified
BBboys13AA
3
1
0
24
13
6
3
TXW
Basin Dawgs Purple Qualified
BBboys13AA
3
1
0
21
17
5.25
4.25
1
9
4
TXW
Basin Dawgs Gold Qualified
BBboys13AA
2
1
0
25
13
8.33
4.33
4
11
4
TXW
Odessa Athletics Qualified
BBboys13AA
1
3
0
18
29
4.5
7.25
-2.7
7
4
TXW
Generals Qualified
BBboys13AA
1
2
0
14
21
4.66
7
-2.3
9
4
TXW
West TX Outlaws
BBboys13AA
1
3
0
17
27
4.25
6.75
-2.5
7
5
TXW
West Texas Wreck’Em
BBboys13AA
0
3
0
0
21
0
7
-7
0
5
TXW
West Texas Hitmen
BBboys13AA
0
3
0
0
21
0
7
-7
0
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
Allowed
Avg Diff
Max Runs
2
11
Battle on the Concho Baseball 14 under
Place State
Team
Team Class
Avg Runs Avg Allow
1
TXW
Wall Hawks Qualified
BBboys14AA
2
2
0
27
19
6.75
4.75
2
TXW
Abilene Rattlers Qualified
BBboys13Maj
3
1
0
26
16
6.5
4
2.5
8
3
TXW
Scurry Oilers
BBboys14AA
2
1
0
8
16
2.66
5.33
-2.6
5
3
TXW
Sweetwater Mustangs
BBboys14AA
0
3
0
5
15
1.66
5
-3.3
4
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
Allowed
Midland May Baseball Classic
Place State
Team
Team Class
Avg Diff
Max Runs
3.6
5.2
13
5
4.6
0.4
10
6.75
3.25
3.5
10
8
5.75
2.25
15
19
5.33
6.33
-1
7
27
6
9
-3
11
2
8
-6
3
3.33
10.3
-7
5
1
TXW
West Texas Rough Riders Qualified
BBboys14AAA
5
0
0
44
18
2
TXW
Yankees WT
BBboys14AA
3
2
0
25
23
3
TXW
Midland Chaos
BBboys14AA
3
1
0
27
13
3
TXW
Scurry Oilers
BBboys14AA
2
2
0
32
23
4
TXW
Wall Hawks Qualified
BBboys14AA
1
2
0
16
4
TXW
West Texas Icemen
BBboys14AA
1
2
0
18
4
TXW
Anson Tigers
BBboys14AA
0
3
0
6
24
4
TXW
Midland Oilers Qualified
BBboys14AA
0
3
0
10
31
86 USSSA TODAY
Avg Runs Avg Allow
8.8
Midland May Baseball Classic - 13 Under
Place State
Team
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
Allowed
Avg Runs Avg Allow
Avg Diff
Max Runs
11
1
TXW
BASIN OILERS Qualified
BBboys13AAA
5
0
0
41
11
8.2
2.2
6
2
TXW
LEVELLAND LINEDRIVE
BBboys13AA
3
2
0
21
29
4.2
5.8
-1.6
9
3
TXW
Basin Dawgs Purple Qualified
BBboys13AA
3
1
0
30
17
7.5
4.25
3.25
11
3
TXW
Basin Dawgs Gold Qualified
BBboys13AA
3
1
0
27
7
6.75
1.75
5
11
4
TXW
West Texas Hitmen
BBboys13AA
2
2
0
24
22
6
5.5
0.5
9
4
TXW
Generals Qualified
BBboys13AA
2
2
0
17
29
4.25
7.25
-3
8
4
TXW
Lubbock Avalanche Qualified
BBboys13AA
1
3
0
15
23
3.75
5.75
-2
6
4
TXW
Texas Stars
BBboys13AA
1
2
0
13
20
4.33
6.66
-2.3
6
5
TXW
Mustangs Qualified
BBboys13AA
1
2
0
16
18
5.33
6
-0.6
7
5
TXW
Odessa Athletics Qualified
BBboys13AA
0
3
0
4
20
1.33
6.66
-5.3
3
5
TXW
Sweetwater Mustangs
BBboys13AA
0
3
0
5
17
1.66
5.66
-4
3
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
Allowed
Avg Diff
Max Runs
Midland May Baseball Classic - 12 under
Place State
Team
Team Class
Avg Runs Avg Allow
1
TXW
Diamond Kings Qualified
BBboys12AA
4
0
0
40
23
10
5.75
4.25
12
2
NM
Lea County Sluggers Qualified
BBboys12AA
3
1
0
31
24
7.75
6
1.75
11
3
TXW
West Texas Rough Riders Qualified
BBboys12AAA
2
2
0
25
20
6.25
5
1.25
8
3
TXW
Rage Qualified
BBboys12AA
1
3
0
18
24
4.5
6
-1.5
9
4
TXW
Lubbock Lonestars Qualified
BBboys12AA
1
2
0
17
24
5.66
8
-2.3
10
4
TXW
Hawks
BBboys12AA
0
3
0
14
30
4.66
10
-5.3
5
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
Allowed
Midland Lone Star Shoot Out
Place State
Team
Team Class
Avg Diff
Max Runs
1
TXW
MAX’S/F.T.P. frozen
SPMensC
5
1
0
81
34
Avg Runs Avg Allow
13.5
5.66
7.83
23
2
TXW
West Texas Mafia frozen
SPMensC
5
2
0
90
54
12.8
7.71
5.14
17
3
TXW
Team Irum
SPMensD
5
2
0
87
54
12.4
7.71
4.71
17
4
TXW
Boozehounds Softball
SPMensD
4
2
0
69
47
11.5
7.83
3.66
22
5
TXW
Tainted Sports frozen
SPMensC
5
2
0
111
60
15.8
8.57
7.28
35
5
TXW
Pitbull Sports frozen
SPMensE
3
3
0
67
70
11.1
11.6
-0.5
19
7
TXW
Wildcat Softball
SPMensD
5
2
0
80
97
11.4
13.8
-2.4
19
7
TXW
Acapulco Gold
SPMensD
3
2
0
59
42
11.8
8.4
3.4
21
9
TXW
Escondidos
SPMensD
3
3
0
79
66
13.1
11
2.16
17
9
TXW
Full Throttle
SPMensD
2
2
0
55
53
13.7
13.2
0.5
20
9
TXW
Aftershock
SPMensD
2
2
0
32
51
8
12.7
-4.7
16
9
TXW
Texas Fuel frozen
SPMensD
2
2
0
43
42
10.7
10.5
0.25
15
13
TXW
J-DAY
SPMensD
2
2
0
53
42
13.2
10.5
2.75
23
13
TXW
Outlaws frozen
SPMensD
2
2
0
29
40
7.25
10
-2.7
12
13
TXW
Dyess Softball Club
SPMensC
1
3
0
29
78
7.25
19.5
-12.
19
13
TXW
Kingdom Made
SPMensD
1
2
0
27
41
9
13.6
-4.6
13
17
TXW
Odessa Diablos
SPMensD
2
2
0
55
57
13.7
14.2
-0.5
19
17
TXW
Mestizo
SPMensC
1
2
0
35
45
11.6
15
-3.3
18
17
TXW
west texas red bulls/detox
SPMensE
1
3
0
20
46
5
11.5
-6.5
13
17
TXW
Lubbock Texans
SPMensD
0
1
0
0
7
0
7
-7
0
17
TXW
RIP
SPMensE
0
3
0
24
54
8
18
-10
11
17
TXW
F.A.M.E
SPMensD
0
2
0
10
29
5
14.5
-9.5
6
17
TXW
Poor Boyz
SPMensE
0
3
0
26
58
8.66
19.3
-10.
13
17
TXW
Aztecas
SPMensE
0
3
0
33
40
11
13.3
-2.3
14
USSSA TODAY 87
30th Annual
Worth/USSSA “Memorial”
Softball Tournament
by Scott Kuhnen
For fully thirty years now, one of the best tournaments held
each year in S.W. Ohio is the Worth/USSSA “Memorial”
Tournament. This event remembers and honors former softball people who have passed on, often prematurely.
This year’s 30th Annual Worth/USSSA “Memorial” Tournament
was held at multiple locations across S. W. Ohio, including
Dayton’s Kettering Field, Springfield’s Davey Moore and
Lagonda Parks, Sidney’s Flanagan Park, Warren County’s Armco
Park, Fairborn’s Fairfield Park, and Urbana’s Marvin Miller Park.
The event is always held on Memorial Day weekend.
This long-standing event hosts multiple categories of play,
including in 2010, a Men’s D&E bracket with advancement
from round-robin play for all teams, and a Mixed Couples/
Co-Ed division. The event this year attracted 67 total teams.
The format for the Men’s D & E category of play is five games
of round-robin play followed by double elimination championships rounds for all teams in each flight. 1st & 2nd play in
the subsequent double elimination “gold bracket” championships; 3rd and 4th play off in the “silver division championships; and 5th and 6th face off in the D/E-Lower, “bronze division.” Barring bad weather every team played no less than
seven games, and those who were “hot” on Sunday and made
the top four or five positions often played 10, 11, or 12 games.
Champions, Men’s D-E Champions, Shirtworks/Kimball’s/Moose, Springfield, OH
According to tournament director and state director for
Southern and Central Ohio, Scott Kuhnen, “In addition to
referring to this event as Toughest Test in Softball, at a price
below $300, it is also one of the best bargains in softball.”
As always, a large prize package was offered with division
winner awards and championship awards from Worth & USSSA
in each category of play. This year’s event, including both
flight winners and top finishers in Gold, Silver, and Bronze
elimination rounds, saw team and/or individual prizes go to
20 different teams, or roughly 30% of the total teams entered.
Kuhnen says this is the area’s most important event, as it annually recognizes people from the softball community who have
left us.
This year’s Memorial honorees included: Brothers Ernie and
John Huddleson of Lebanon, Ohio; Jack Shaw of Brookville,
Ohio; Tyrone “Bama” Steele of Dayton; and Connie Tuttle of
Springfield.
Champions, Mixed Couples Division, In-House, Piqua, OH
As is the tournament’s tradition, presentations to families
and friends were made at various venues hosting this event.
This year’s family & friends ceremonies were held on Saturday
at Davey Moore Park in Springfield for the extensive Tuttle
family; at Armco Park for the respective Huddleson families;
and at Kettering Field in Dayton for both Jack Shaw’s family
and the family and friends of Tyrone Steele.
“This is a proud moment for the softball community in S.W.
Ohio,” says Kuhnen, “since we are able to thank families and
friends for the involvement of their loved ones. The families
are always grateful and appreciative of the softball community
remembering and honoring these former softball participants.”
Second place finishers: Men’s D-E Gold Division, Clark County Merchants,
Springfield, OH
88 USSSA TODAY
Team interested in competing in this worthwhile event in 2011
are encouraged to contact State Director, Scott Kuhnen, at
“[email protected]” for details.
2010 Memorial honoree:
Ernie “Bugs” Huddleson,
Lebanon, Ohio
Jack Shaw, Brookville, Ohio
2010 Memorial Honoree:
John “Hud” Huddleson,
Lebanon, OH
2010 Memorial Honoree,
Tyrone “Bama” Steele,
Dayton, OH
Connie Tuttle, Springfield,
OH
Family & Friends of Connie Tuttle, Springfield, Ohio
Family & Teammates of Tyrone “Bama” Steele, Dayton , Ohio
Family & Friends of Ernie “Bugs” Huddleson, Lebanon, Ohio
Family & Friends of John “Hud” Huddleson, Lebanon, Ohio
Family of Jack Shaw, Brookville, Ohio
USSSA TODAY 89
Legends of the Game
Columbus, Ohio
by Scott Kuhnen
Borrowing on a theme that has been
widely popular in Dayton, Ohio, the USSSA
“Legends of the Game” Softball weekend
moved to Columbus, Ohio in 2009.
Columbus, but came back to London to
win that event, too!
Slow Pitch Director for Southern and
Central Ohio, Scott Kuhnen, calls this one
of softball’s finest moments.
“We have always been very proud of our
Worth/USSSA “Memorial” Tournament,
which honors softball people who are
no longer with us,” explains Kuhnen.
“However, the opportunity to both honor
and thank those great softball people who
are still with us is also very special.”
While the Memorial Tournament is now
some thirty years old, the “Legends of the
Game” concept is merely four years old
and this is the first class of honorees from
Columbus and specifically central Ohio.
Tournament Director for the Columbus
version of “Legends” is long-time USSSA
family member, Toby Marvin.
“Toby’s family has been a great asset to
softball in the Columbus area, including
running
leagues
which
benefitted
Columbus softball for years. First, Toby’s
father led the way, and in recent years
Toby has become more and more involved
in the game and giving back to the game.
This year’s event was sponsored both by
Worth Sports and by Mark Witte’s Mojo
Sportsgear, and Mark assures the tournament organizers that he intends to make
this event at least as nice as the Dayton
event. Each Legend of the Game receives
a plaque and specially embroidered
“Legends” shirt from Mojo Sportsgear.
“Our tournament sponsor,” according to
Kuhnen, “helps us with the recognition
part of the program, and helps underwrite
the event so that we stand a better chance
of being successful.”
This first-ever event in Columbus gave
great Worth prizes, in spite of terrible
weather which severely shortened the day
and the ceremonies.
Ceremonies for the Columbus Legends
took place under cover and a large crowd
gathered to honor these great softball
“legends.”
Introductions of the Inaugural Class of
Columbus Legends…
Our first Legend of the Game is a man
who could not be with us today, but who
90 USSSA TODAY
l to r: Columbus Director, Al Clark; Legends
Rush Hatfield, Celia Fritz, Jerry King; Ohio State
Director, Scott Kuhnen; Tournament Director, Toby
Marvin; Columbus Hall of Fame rep, Sam Kirk
I feel compelled to make the very first
honoree. This Legend spent 26 years of his
life involved in the administration of adult
sports program for the City of Columbus,
from 1972 until 1998. His final 10 years of
that span included the administration of
not only softball, but also basketball, football, volleyball, and soccer. With respect
to softball, he oversaw the operation of
and usage of 105 softball diamonds and
was largely responsible for the growth in
Columbus from 90 leagues (not teams!)
to 238 leagues, and numerous tournaments here at Berliner Park and other city
facilities. This Legend’s softball program
not only provided many participants the
opportunity play this great game, but also
meant employment for some 450 athletic
officials…our umpires…to work all those
games. He himself was a licensed umpire
and ran many tournaments himself.
This Legend also served 10 years as a
USSSA Director for the Ohio State USSSA
Association. He remains an active force in
BATS…an organization which is the envy
of many parks & recreation departments
for all they do for this great game and this
great facility.
Ladies and gentlemen, please help me
welcome the very first member of the
Columbus Legends of the Game: Mr. Gary
Ogle.
Our next Legend of the Game arrived in
Columbus, Ohio back in the early 1960’s
and started playing the game in 1962.
In 1966, he tells the story of playing for
Hasty Pure Oil, and entering two tournaments on the same weekend…back when
weekend tournaments were pretty much
always a two-day affair. At any rate, his
team was playing in both Columbus and
London, Ohio, running back and forth,
had to forfeit a winner’s bracket game
in London in order to play and win in
This Legend is best known for his many
successful years with Worthington Steel, a
team well known on the Industrial circuit
for all the major associations. They traveled to Alabama, Mississippi, Indiana,
Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
and many other states to compete with
the highest caliber teams of that circuit,
and winning more often than not. This
Columbus Legends was elected to the
Columbus Softball Hall of Fame in 1998
and it is certainly fitting that these ceremonies today are being held in front of
the wonderful Columbus Softball Hall of
Fame Wall and plaza which he was instrumental in securing for…all of you!
Ladies and gentlemen, please help
me welcome the next inductee to the
Columbus Softball Legends of the Game:
Mr. Rush Hatfield.
Our next Softball Legend happens also
to be a member of the Columbus Softball
Hall of Fame. (You will definitely see a
pattern here today!) This Legend of the
Game played and helped qualify the
McGlaughlin Oil women’s team for both
ASA and USSSA championship play for 23
straight years. That team played at the
highest levels of the game for more than
25 years. Her longevity and tenacity was
well known and well respected and she
can recall only a handful of occasions when
she would not play due to injury. This in
spite of playing two of the highest skilled
positions during her career: shortstop and
left field…always where the action was.
This Legend has won too many individual
awards to list, but we’re pretty sure she
won tournament best offensive player,
best defensive player, or tournament MVP
each and every year she played!
She continued to serve the game as the
Gahanna-Lincoln varsity softball coach
and tells me that rather than umpire, she’s
much rather play golf. Proving that she’s
not just a gifted athlete, but smart, too!
welcome the newest inductee to the
Columbus Legends of the Game: Ms
Marjorie Miller
Our next Softball Legend also could not
be with us today, due to traveling. This
Legend, like some other softball greats,
started playing baseball while at Ohio
Mr. Gary Ogle.
Mr. Rush Hatfield.
University in the late 1960’s. He started
playing softball in 1972 in Hilliard and
then appears to have been sucked into
playing on multiple nights at Berliner for
multiple and varying teams. He doesn’t
say if it was lack of playing time or just the
burning desire to organize a winning team
himself, but he helped create the Linworth
Merchants in 1974 and thus started affiliations with a series of well known teams like
Central Ohio Welding, C.P Medical, Triple
L and Sycamore Café in the Southside Old
Timer’s League. All these teams played
championship caliber, but this Legend’s
real contribution to the game come with
his association with BATS in 1986. He
assisted Keith Winter in field maintenance
and helped manage more than $500,000
in improvements at both Berliner and
other city parks. He might be most proud
of his acceptance of the chairmanship of
the Columbus Hall of Fame Committee in
the fall of 1995, a project suggested by Jeff
Hague to the City, and which this Legend
took on back then and still chairs today.
Although he saw it as a possible conflict of
interest, this Legend was himself inducted
into that Columbus Softball Hall of Fame
with its second class in 1996.
Columbus Softball Legends: Mr. John
Fleeman.
Our next Softball Legend is recognizable in either a player’s uniform or an
umpire’s uniform, and it is my opinion that
she excels equally in both uniforms. This
Legend of the Game began playing at the
ripe old age of 12 and hit her first overthe-fence homerun that very year. She has
been playing for more than 35 years now
and still competes two nights a week and
frequent weekends. Her teams captured
8 National or World titles, and those
teams include such recognizable names
as Stewart-Glapat, Ty-1-On, and Empress
Chili. She was named Most Offensive
Player at the 2004 USSSA 35 & Over World
Tournament at Disney, and was named
to the Columbus Softball Hall of Fame in
2005. This Legend has also been giving
back to the game she loves by umpiring
and has been doing so since 2000! She has
made numerous friends in the game and,
in a rare moment of bragging it appears
Ms Marjorie Miller
Mr. John Fleeman.
she just this spring, in her third game of
the day, at an event at Eggleston Park in
Cincinnati, hit a homerun which cleared
the fence and landed in the Little Miami
River! She’s known for her power, her love
of the game, and looks forward to passing
this along to many others before she gives
it up, which we hope is not soon.
Columbus Softball Legends: Ms Celia
“Fritter” Fritz.
Last, but surely not least, our final Softball
Legend of 2009 was a very recognizable
feature on the Columbus skyline, and as
you will see when he stands up…on any
skyline he occupies! When I approached
Gary Ogle about bringing the “Legends of
the Game” to Columbus, this Legend was
actually the very first name that he gave
me. In keeping with that same theme,
this Legend actually had family and
friends write letters of high endorsement
concerning his playing career, his power as
a hitter, and maybe more than anything
else his outstanding character and commitment to the game. This Legend played for
such well known teams as Worthington
Steel (where have we heard that name
before?), Dubois Chemical, Campbell’s
Carpet out of California, and possibly the
best known team of all time Lima’s Steele’s
Sports. He has won every award one can
think of; he’s been intentionally walked
more times than many people have even
batted; and may have backed more scared
infielders into the grass with a non-shaved
bat than any man alive. He was a former
Marine who served proudly during the
Vietnam era, and held the respect of teammates and opposing players alike. He’s
obviously a great family man and we are
please he joined us here today so we could
thank him personally.
welcome the final 2009 inductee to the
Columbus Softball Legends, a class act for
his entire career: Currently from Maysville,
KY, Mr. Jerry King.
Thank you to all our Legends for all they
have contributed to the game. We want
them to know how much we appreciate all
their years of sacrifice and commitment to
this game we all love.
Ms Celia “Fritter” Fritz.
, Mr. Jerry King.
Congratulations
Graduates!
From the United States Specialty Sports
Association (USSSA), where you may
have participated in softball (fast pitch
or slow pitch), baseball, or basketball,
if you are graduating from high school
this year, congratulations on your
achievement!
For some of you the next step is movement into a college or university to
pursue further study. If this is the case,
USSSA would like to help!
The E.A. Ramsey College Scholarship
Program from USSSA is available for
youth participants who are making the
jump from high school into college.
Each year, a number of outstanding
scholar athletes are rewarded for the
work they have completed and the
work they are about to take on.
To learn more about this college scholarship opportunity, we encourage
you to visit the fast pitch, slow pitch,
baseball, or basketball portions of our
USSSA.com website, where you will
find a link to everything you need to
make application. You can learn more
about E.A. “Al” Ramsey, for whom the
scholarship is named, the criteria for
making application, a list of previous
winners, and the application form,
among other things.
Applications for this year’s scholarships are due to USSSA National
Headquarters or USSSA College
Scholarship Committee Chairperson,
Scott Kuhnen, no later than 15 August
2010.
These applications must be
endorsed by your USSSA State Director
for your respective sport.
For any additional details, please
contact So/Central Ohio State Director,
Scott Kuhnen, at dayton_softball@
hotmail.com.
Don’t delay. Gather your paperwork
(transcripts, letter of acceptance, etc.)
and here’s wishing you a great start to
the college experience!
USSSA TODAY 91
The Goliath
By Rick Phillips
you signed your team up. Each team would pay $15.00 at
the plate for Umpires and would also supply game balls. The
format was at least a ten game guarantee in a four day stretch.
To get a feel on a team traveling and playing in this event we
caught up with the winner of the 14u division, the USSSA Hot
Shots 96’ out of Scottsdale AZ. and spoke about their agenda.
Coach Dan Renyer explained that like all, finances were a big
part of why his team chose the Goliath as their summer travel
event and does not regret their decision.
As a small tourist town in Eastern New Mexico, many wondered
how an USSSA sanctioned fast pitch softball tournament would
have an economic impact on their community.
The tournament named “The Goliath” would run for the
better part of two weeks from June 10th through June 24th
in Carlsbad New Mexico and attract over 120 teams from six
different states.
With all hotels being sold out many teams had to stay in other
near by towns, the restaurants were always full, grocery stores
were as busy as ever as were the laundry mats, movie theatres
and arcades. In a phone conversation with a hotel owner he
said that this tournament probably saved many business’s
summer.
The Goliath, was created by USSSA Director Zack Palin. The
entry fee ranged from $100.00 to $200.00 depending on when
It was a long 4 days beginning on Tuesday morning as we
loaded up and began our 610 mile journey in two vans Renyer
explained. We arrived in time for the Wednesday opening ceremonies, got some rest and played 3 pool games on Thursday.
The facility was excellent. After 3 more games on Friday and 2
on Saturday morning we went into Saturday afternoon elimination and won, thank goodness as we all needed some rest.
Back on Sunday morning with a win, then a loss putting us in
the loser bracket and adding another game to our schedule. In
short we battled back and eventually outlasted the OK. Impulse
and secured the six foot trophy. As many of us had to work the
following Monday we loaded up 12 tired girls, our gear and our
six foot trophy and drove all night to get back home. The trip
was long, we played 14 games in 4 day’s, the hospitality was
incredible and we recommend this tournament to any team
interested in a lot of ball in a short time with great competition.
Understanding USSSA Fast Pitch Rules Line-ups
John Dye, Chairman / USSSA National Fast Pitch Umpire Committee
Each team has the option of playing with a nine (9),
ten (10) or eleven (11) player batting order. After
the line-up is accepted, the team cannot change the
number in the batting order either up or down.
The team must keep each spot in the line-up filled at
all times with the following exceptions.
1). A team who only has eight (8) players may start
with a nine (9) player batting order and the ninth position vacant.
2). A team who loses a player, other than to ejection,
may play with one vacant spot in the line-up.
2 AP’s in an eleven player batting order. All available
players are in the game. There are no available substitutes.
1. A player gets hurt and cannot continue. The team
can continue. If the injured player is the batter or
on base, she is out (5.2.A.1). Every time her team
reaches her spot in the line-up, an automatic out is
recorded (5.2)
2. A second player gets hurt and cannot continue. A
team may only play one player short (5.2). The game
is over. The team forfeits.
The team may not continue with more than one vacant
spot in the line-up. The vacant spot becomes an automatic out each and every time it would come to bat.
The team cannot play with a vacant spot if there is a
substitute available. A team may take one position and
split it into two by using a designated hitter. This must
be declared before the line-up is accepted. Both the
offensive player and the defensive player should be
listed in the same position in the batting order. Neither
player may occupy another batting position. The team
may decide to have either player play both offensive
and defensive. Once this is done they may not go back
to having two players in that spot.
3. A player is ejected from the game. The team is not
allowed to play short on ejection (5.2.A). The game is
over. The team forfeits.
The following examples fall under the Playing Short
Rule - Rule 5 Sec 2
2. The DH is ejected. The team may continue by terminating the role of the DH and playing with ten players
since all ten spots in the batting order are filled.
Scenario: Team has 11 players. They are playing using
92 USSSA TODAY
Scenario: Team has 11 players. They are playing using
one AP and a Designated Hitter/Defensive Player in
the 3rd batting position of a ten (10) player batting
order. There are no available substitutes.
1. The player in the first batting position is ejected.
Neither the DH nor Defensive Player can move from
the 3rd batting position to the 1st batting position.
Without a substitute, the team can not fill the 1st spot.
The team may not play short on an ejection. Therefore
the team must forfeit.
USSSA
Behind the Lenz
USSSA Behind the Lenz will be accepting
pictures of interest from USSSA fast Pitch
teams for each edition. Please submit
your high quality photo to RickPhillips1@
cox.net. These photo’s can be player’s in
action as well as a feel good time caught
on camera. Please include a caption for
the photo as well as the name of the
photographer.
This edition’s photo was sent by Jen
Martin from a Peoria Illinois USSSA sanctioned Coach Pitch League. Jen’s photo
caption, “Get Em While There Young”

to - USSSA - United States Specialty Sports Association

Transcription

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