to - USSSA - United States Specialty Sports Association

Transcription

Spring 2013
USSSA LIVE TO BROADCAST MORE
GAMES THAN EVER BEFORE
WITH A NEW WEBSITE LAYOUT!
Nationwide Conference USSSA
embarks on 8th season reflecting
quantity as well as quality
USSSA Pride
2013 Schedule touts
12 ESPN Broadcasts
lose.
It’s not whether you win or
It’s where you play the game.
With “The World’s Most Beautiful Beaches,” and plenty of fun-filled family attractions,
Panama City Beach is the perfect year-round destination for every sports enthusiast.
playpanamacitybeach.com | 800.PCBEACH (722.3224)
Softball · Baseball · Triathlons · Cheerleading · Dance · Gymnastics · Football · Fishing · Basketball · Martial Arts · Soccer
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Paddleboarding · Cycling · Wakeboarding · Band
6028 v Dr. • Fort Worth,TX 76133
(817) 944-7484 • [email protected]
Executive Director, CEO USSSA
Don DeDonatis
Publisher, USSSA Today
CONTENTS
6
44
The Desire to be the Best
Continues to Drive USSSA
1st Annual USSSA Basketball
Tournament of Champions
Stafford Connor
Managing Editor, USSSA Today
Greg Huchingson
Communications Director, USSSA
Tom O’Hara
8
USSSA National
Headquarters Update
Design / Printing
REEDESIGN
Lebco Graphics
Contributing Writers
Ian Auzenne
Robert Boudreaux
Greg Huchingson
Mark Linnemann
Mike Cisneros
Rick Phillips
Jared Dan
Jeff Foss
Van Galeon
Rachel Goossens
2013 USSSA
ESPN/USSSA LIVE Schedule
Craig Scriven
Judd Spicer
Dennis Turner
Dale Weiser
Gaye Lynn Wilson
Brett Helmer
Equipment Logistics
Roy “Heavy Peanut” Dean
Photographers
Hannah Brinks
Brianne Cisneros
Bill Diehm
Scott Duffy
Rachel Goossens
Brian Ragan
Pete Spatula
Dale Weiser
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.
Comeback Attempts Highlight
USSSA Golf President’s Cup
48
USSSA Volleyball
Jeremy Isenhower
David Brasher
Mike Cornell
12
46
14
Respected softball veteran
Hank Bassett joins USSSA
49
USSSA Karate
24
45th USSSA Annual National
Meeting
30
52
Texas Two-Step of Winter
Worlds draws 250 teams in
Lone Star State
USSSA Pride Schedule & Roster
36
NPF Holds 2013 College Draft
42
Colorado Rovers to Represent
USSSA in the 100th Edition of
Lamar Hunt US Open Cup
62
“Toys For Tots” returns to Palm
Springs and Big League Dreams
71
Bat Reviews: What Will You
Swing in 2013?
USSSA TODAY
5
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS UPDATE
MEN’S MAJOR WORLD SERIES INCREASES TO 18 TEAMS!
If you’ve been involved in USSSA Slow Pitch you understand the excitement of the Men’s Major World Series held at ESPN
Wide World of Sports, where the top 16 teams in Slow Pitch softball compete to be named the World Series Champions
and the best in softball. But for the first time since 2004, the Men’s Major World Series will showcase 18 teams instead of
the usual 16 teams. The top 16 seeded teams still receive their berths for the World Series based on points, while the 17th
seed will be reserved for the team that wins the Conference Championship Men’s Major World Series Qualifier bracket over
Labor Day weekend. That team, along with a Military All-Star team, will complete the 18 team bracket for the World Series.
“
We are excited about this change; the opportunity to get a berth to the World Series at Wide World of
Sports will definitely add a competitive and exciting dynamic to the Conference Championship Men’s Major
World Series Qualifier Tournament. Teams now have that one last chance to make it to the World Series and
play against the best teams out there.
-Don DeDonatis, Chairman of the Board/CEO of USSSA
”
MORE GAMES, MORE RINGS!
The increase of teams in the Men’s Major World Series isn’t the only change you’ll
find for USSSA World Series tournaments. The adult Slow Pitch World Tournaments
have increased to a three-game guarantee format. Teams work hard all year to get to
the World Tournament and USSSA wanted to give teams the opportunity to play more
games during the championship weekend.
Starting this year, USSSA World Champions in Slow Pitch, Fastpitch and Baseball will
receive rings made by Jostens! As the industry leader, Jostens provides championship
rings for the NFL, MLB and now USSSA! Jostens’ mission is to help athletes and teams
celebrate accomplishments with rings designed for a lifetime! Don’t miss out on your
opportunity to play in the USSSA World Series! To find out more about USSSA World
Series, visit USSSARoadToOrlando.com.
6 USSSA TODAY
USSSA VIDEO UPDATES
The USSSA New Media department is working hard to develop more ways
for you to watch and interact at USSSA tournaments. USSSA’s social media
presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube gives us the chance
to get feedback from players, parents and coaches.
Not only do these platforms give us feedback, but
USSSA NEWS
it gives USSSA members the ability to see what is
happening in all the sports of USSSA across the
VIDEO UPDATES
country. If you don’t use social media, you’re not
WILL HIGHLIGHT:
out of luck! USSSA New Media Group is developing
weekly video news segments that can be viewed
on USSSA.com. Each week, we will recap the
• Tournament Results
biggest USSSA tournaments happening across
• Top Teams
the nation. Be sure to log on to USSSA.com to get
• Players To Watch
caught up with all things USSSA and see if your
team is featured on the USSSA News! To submit
• Upcoming Events
your updates, email [email protected]
USSSA LIVE BROADCASTING AND
COVERAGE ON ESPN NETWORKS!
For the first time ever, USSSA will have multi-field coverage available at select tournaments,
meaning more teams and more games can be watched. The USSSALive viewer will be
able to choose whichever field they want to watch and with the click of the mouse be able
to jump from field to field and never miss the action!
In 2013, USSSA will broadcast more games than we have ever done. Between ESPN3
and USSSALive.com, there will be 53 live broadcasted events! Coverage includes
Baseball, Fastpitch, and Slow Pitch. The USSSA Pride, part of the National Pro Fastpitch
league, will not only get coverage on ESPN3 and USSSALive, but the Pride will also be
featured on ESPN2 when they play the NY/NJ Comets July 20th and 21st. ESPN2 will
also broadcast the 2013 NPF Championship in Rosemont, Ill. Stay updated with the Pride
all season long at USSSAPride.com!
With the USSSA Live broadcasting increase and the addition of the USSSA News video updates, we want our website
to be as user-friendly as possible. We are currently in Phase I of the new design of USSSA.com, which will give the site
a new look and feel. Stay tuned for more changes!
USSSA & TRAVELBALL SELECT ANNOUNCE
TRAVELBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
In January of 2013, USSSA partnered with Travelball Select (TbS) to create “The National Championship Series”, the
largest event series ever assembled in travel sports that crowns an undisputed 9u-14u Travelball® National Champion.
Geared towards the elite level teams, TbS will offer Super Regionals that qualify
teams for the TbS National Championship. In the “major travel ball states” of
California, Florida, Georgia & Texas, a Travel League Series, District Qualifiers, and
a State Championship will also be available to qualify teams for the TbS National
Championship. “The Road to the National Championship” kicked off on February 15
in Miami, Florida, with the first Super Regional and was broadcasted live on ESPN3
and USSSA Live. This event featured 86 teams, with many of the best teams
from all over the country playing for their chance to secure a berth to the National
Championship. To get the full Travelball schedule, check out travelballselect.com.
Quality Growth Highlights Nationwide
Conference USSSA’s 8th Season
by Dale Weiser (DW)- softballcenter.com
The Nationwide Conference USSSA
men’s slow-pitch softball league enters
its 8th year of play and is set for another
great season of competition. “The
Conference” as it is known in softball
circles just completed another season of
growth and unprecedented parity! The
league was created back in 2006 in an
effort to save the Major level of softball
which was suffering from a lack of organized tournaments and quality of teams.
Sponsors were tired of flying their Major
teams in to tournaments that had just 4 or
5 teams in them and others that would be
cancelled at the last minute due to a lack
of teams. So the Nationwide Conference
USSSA was formed. In its inaugural year,
2006, the league had 18 teams from 13
different states and played a 14 tournament schedule. Each year since 2006, the
Nationwide Conference USSSA teams
and tournaments have grown in both
quantity and quality.
2006
18 Teams
20 Tournaments with 8
different winners
2007
32 Teams
different winners
2008
34 Teams
different winners
2009
37 Teams
different winners
2010
34 Teams
different winners
2011
40 Teams
different winners
2012
40 Teams
different winners
2013
46 teams
28 tournaments and 7
affiliate tournaments
The teams earn points based on their
finishing position in each tournament
and the final standings at the end of the
regular season “seeds” the teams into
the USSSA Major World Series! In 2012
perennial favorite Resmondo-Specialty
Tank Worth dominated the regular
season with 7 tournament wins including
the prestigious 30th Annual Dudley
and the 44th Annual Smoky Mountain
Classic. However Laservision/Annihilation
/Supreme/D2E/Easton won the Major
8 USSSA TODAY
Conference umpires are regarded as “the best of the
best.” Picitured (left to right): Chuck “Doc” Beckwell,
Tony Walezak, Ken Hawk and Jason Oberlag.
Conference umpires travel the nation to ensure quality
officiating and take time to teach and instruct local
umpires to improve their skills.
World Series after winning just one
regular season Conference event during
the year. In the lower divisions R&M
Metals/Troupe/Pipac/S&R/Easton
from
Iowa won the ‘A’ World Tournament and
Down2EarthSports.com/SBC/Worth from
Georgia won the ‘B’ World Tournament.
The 2013 season looks to build upon
the unprecedented parity of competition that the Conference witnessed
in 2012. The best tournament in the
nation on any given weekend is the
Nationwide Conference USSSA tournament wherever that happens to be held.
The season begins in Las Vegas April 5-7
with the “Sin City Classic”. Then moves
on to Houston, Texas for the Lonestar
Shootout, and then to the Hall of Fame
Classic April 17-21 in Kissimmee, Florida
that will draw a record 36 Conference
teams and will have 3 games on Saturday,
April 20th broadcast on ESPN 3. Many of
the games throughout the season will
be broadcast on ESPN3.com, USSSALive.
com, or SoftballCenter.com. Some of the
other signature events are the “Music
City Classic” in Nashville in May, the
“Windy City Invitational” in Chicago in
June, the famous 31st Annual Dudley in
Minnesota in June, and the 45th annual
Smoky Mountain Classic in Maryville,
Tennessee in July. The tour has new stops
in Columbus Ohio, Toledo Ohio, Valdosta
Georgia, Portland Oregon, and Biloxi
Mississippi, as well as a return to Glen
Burnie Maryland.
The regular season also includes, for
the first time, Conference Affiliate tournaments where teams can earn points.
These tournaments will be held in South
Carolina, Minnesota, Indiana, Phoenix,
Seattle, Texas, and Utah. Teams in these
areas can replace one of their 6 qualifying events with one of these Affiliate
tournaments to complete their schedule.
The post season begins with the
Conference Championships, ‘A’ and
‘B’ World Tournaments, and finally
culminates in the USSSA Major World
Series which is played at the ESPN Wide
World of Sports in Kissimmee, Florida in
September of each year. That tournament crowns the best team in softball!
The league uses some unique rules for
slow pitch softball. If a Major classified
team plays another Major classified team,
each team can hit 16 home runs. In Major
vs non-Major games, both teams can hit
12 home runs. And in non-Major vs nonMajor games, the teams can hit 8 home
runs apiece. There is no foul ball allowed
after the first strike in Conference play,
the pitchers have to be touching the
rubber when they pitch, and the league
uses a group of “Conference” umpires
that travel the nation in order to give
players a uniform and consistent strike
zone and quality game management.
This group of umpires is considered to
be the “best of the best” and are a dedicated group who spend many weekends
improving the Conference events with
their hard work.
You can follow the Conference
on its live broadcasts at USSSALive.
com and tournament reports in magazines like USSSAToday, and websites
like
ConferenceUSSSA.com
and
SoftballCenter.com. You can follow all
of the action, statistics, league standings, and tournament brackets on these
websites and publications. The Major
World Series in September will even be
broadcast in its entirety online, including
a couple of the bigger games and the
prestigious home run derby on ESPN!
TIM COCCO
ROBERT BLACKBURN
LEE POWERS
JOIN OUR TEAM OF
LOUISVILLE SLUGGER LOYALISTS
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13
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SSSA
Conference U
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2013
Nationwide Conference USSSA TEAMS
3rd Street/Louisville Slugger/Weller/MOJO
4 The Fallen/Miken
Albicocco/The Scene/Easton
ASPnation.com/Louisville Slugger
B & B/Sears/BMW Insulation/King Farms/Easton
B & C Softball
Baughford/Mojo/Louisville Slugger
Buzini/BWW/Worth
CSC/Desert Falls/Easton
Classic Glass/Easton/DSS Bats
Combat Rockstar
DEI/S&S/Scott’s/Easton
Demarini/Dirty Sports/Extreme Athletics
Elk & Elk/Louisville Slugger
Famous/Premier/Easton
Fence Brokers Inc/Hubs Pub/Game Time Supply/
Worth
GTL Doerflinger R & M/Easton
H. Auto LLC/Easton
Headhunter/OI Livingston/Baden
Laservision/Desert Falls/Boombah/Easton
Line Drive Sportz/sSs/Miken
Nightmare/Louisville Slugger
Nordkap/Suncoast Reebok
OC Swats/Easton
P&P 333/Suburban/Larry’s Tire/CMT/Mojo/Easton
Precision/Hang Rite
Primetime/Easton/Elite/Broughton Rx
Pure Romance/Chics/Insanity/Easton
Red’s Astros/Louisville Slugger/Creative
Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth
Ryno Ent/Monster Softball/DT Sports.net
S & S Pools/TPE/Sportsco/Easton
Shoppe/TYJA/Louisville Slugger
Sonny’s
Son’s of the American Legion Squad 8
South Texas Posse
SportsCenter/MS Storm/Worth
TG
TaylorMade/TM Sports/Mizuno
Team Adiktiv/Dynasty/D2E/Louisville Slugger/TYJA
Team Combat
Team Stoop/K&P International/Alt Analysis/Miken
Trust/Elite/Easton/MOJO
Softballmix.com/Vivid/TYJA/Louisville Slugger
Wheelhouse
WSC/Team Combat/Sniper
Xtreme/Combat
OH
AZ
NY
TX
NC
GA
FL
MS
UT
CA
WA
MA
FL
OH
CA
AR
IA
MN
AL
NY
MI
MO
FL
CA
MO
IL
GA
OH
IN
FL
AR
OH
KY
WY
VA
TX
MS
MI
VA
GA
WA
MN
MI
TX
WI
WA
MN
2013 USSSA
ESPN/USSSA LIVE SCHEDULE
DATE
EVENT
SPORT
COMPLEX
April 17 - 21
USSSA Hall of Fame Classic
Slow Pitch
Osceola County Stadium/Fortune Rd. ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
May 3 - 5
USSSA Super NIT 9 - 14
Baseball
Canton, MI
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
May 24 - 27
TBS Baseball 8 - 14 Regional Championship Baseball
Las Vegas
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
May 31 - June 2 TBS Baseball 8 - 14 State Championship
Baseball
Delray Beach, Florida
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
June 9 - 11
USSSA Florida Pride (Professional)
Fast Pitch
Osceola County Stadium
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
June 13 - 15
Fast Pitch
Corpus Christi, TX
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
June 21 - 23
TBS Baseball 8 - 14 State Championship
Baseball
Mansfield, TX
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
June 27 - 29
Fast Pitch
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
June 28 - 30
TBS Baseball 8 - 14 Regional Championship Baseball
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
July 1 - 4
Top Prospects 17U Championship
Baseball
Atlanta, GA
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
July 10 - 14
TBS Baseball 11 & 13 World Series
Baseball
Mansfield, TX
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
July 11 - 13
Fast Pitch
--
USSSA LIVE
July 14 - 20
Elite Baseball World Series 10, 12, 14
Baseball
Disney
--
USSSA LIVE
July 20th
Fast Pitch
Little Falls, NJ
ESPN
--
July 21st
Fast Pitch
Little Falls, NJ
ESPN
--
July 21 - 27
USSSA Fast Pitch World Series 8 - 14
Fast Pitch
Disney
--
--
July 24 - 28
TBS Baseball 9, 10 & 12 World Series
Baseball
Southern California
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
July 24 - 26
Fast Pitch
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
July 28 - Aug 3 USSSA Fast Pitch World Series 15,16,18
Fast Pitch
Disney
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
July 28 - 30
Fast Pitch
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
July 30 - Aug 3 TBS Baseball 14U World Series
Baseball
East Cobb, GA
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
Aug 4 - 8
Gold Medal Games
Baseball
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
Aug 4 - 10
Elite Baseball World Series 9, 11, 13
Baseball
Disney
--
USSSA LIVE
Aug 8 - 10
Fast Pitch
--
USSSA LIVE
Aug 9 - 11
Miken Last Chance Major
Slow Pitch
Sterling Hghts, MI
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
Aug 16 - 18
Mens Class A World Series
Slow Pitch
Fortune
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
Aug 24th
NPF Fast Pitch Championship Game 5pm est Fast Pitch
Chicago, IL
ESPN
--
Aug 30 - Sept 1 Conference USSSA Championships
Slow Pitch
Osceola County Stadium/Fortune Rd. ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
Sept 18 - 22
Men’s Major World Series
Slow Pitch
Disney
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
Sept 20
Men’s Major Home Run Hitting Contest
Slow Pitch
Disney
ESPN 3 USSSA LIVE
12 USSSA TODAY
Respected softball veteran
Hank Bassett joins USSSA
By Greg Huchingson
It’s not often that a 40-year veteran wins the
Rookie of the Year Award, but a recent addition to the USSSA staff may well be this year’s
top new addition for the world’s largest
multi-sport organization.
David “Hank” Bassett, one of the most
respected people in the adult slow-pitch
softball industry, agreed to join USSSA after
spending the last two decades-plus with
Hillerich & Bradsby, the parent company of
Louisville Slugger and manufacturer of TPS
bats. Bassett’s official title will be Equipment
Director & National Office Assistant, but the
experience and expertise he brings to the
organization will benefit USSSA in many ways. He will join
USSSA’s Disbarment Committee, Altered Bat Committee and
Major Player List Committee, along with various responsibilities with Nationwide Conference USSSA and throughout the
entire Slow-pitch Program.
“I will be forever grateful to Louisville Slugger for having given
me the opportunity work for them these previous 21-plus
years. Because of that I have been able to make my living
while remaining involved in the game I love so much. And ultimately it led to opening the door for the next chapter in my
life – working for USSSA,” said Bassett. “During the time I have
been involved in the slow-pitch game and other sectors, I have
seen USSSA make the transition from the loss of its long term
CEO, Al Ramsey in 1998, to the ascension of Don DeDonatis
to his current position wherein he has overseen the association’s growth from being primarily a slow-pitch organization
to the largest multi-sport association in the world. In doing so
he and all those who assisted the association not only renewed
USSSA’s growth and success, but made it the most progressive
and aggressive among its peers.”
“Having been involved in virtually every sector of our game
during my career, I now look forward to contributing to
USSSA’s efforts in continuing our drive to continually improve
and grow,” he added.
Bassett began his softball career in 1972, when a friend who
was attending Medical School at the University of Kentucky
asked him to help organize a team during the upcoming
summer break. There was only one problem – there was no
league for the team to play in. So Bassett had to do the “whole
enchilada” – meaning organize the league and find sponsors
for all the teams, in addition to putting together a team for
his friend
Bassett’s first team went 24-3 that summer, the beginning of
an eight-year run that saw the team post a 358-135 record,
a hefty .726 winning percentage. During the first couple of
14 USSSA TODAY
seasons Bassett did some pitching, and also
played some second base and right-field,
“wherever I could best hide my fielding deficiencies.” But as Bassett continued to find
better players, he quickly came to the realization that he had “recruited himself out of the
lineup.”
The team became Lexington Contractors/
Bassett Products in 1980 and posted a 52-18
record. Four more years under different team
names continued to produce winning results,
until 1985 when Starpath Softball made its
debut.
Over the next seven years (1985-1991), Starpath compiled a
434-141 record (.755 winning percentage) and became the
first – and perhaps only – team to win seven consecutive
berths to the USSSA Major World Series back when berths had
to be won at an N.I.T. Bassett was considered one of the best
coaches/general managers in the game. The highlight of his
career came in 1988, when Starpath became the first ever nonSuper team to win both the Smoky Mountain Classic and ASA
Super Nationals. The team compiled an 81-16 record, including
several regular season tournament championships. The top
players on the team were Davey Elder (MVP-Smoky), Dave
Johnson (MVP-Super Nationals), Dave Allen, Scott Jones, Greg
Whitlock, Gary Jones, Roger Wilt, Rodney Woods, Steve Sharp
and former Major League Baseball infielder Doug Flynn.
Bassett’s most memorable experience as a coach came in the
finals of the 1988 Smoky Mountain Classic.
“We had defeated Marlton Trucking in the semi-finals and
Steele’s in the winners’ bracket final, and Marlton came out
of the losers’ bracket with their offense in full gear,” Bassett
recalled. “Going into the top of the fifth inning, we were
leading by double-digits and they scored 24 runs, aided by a
missed call. If ever we were going to fold our tent, that would
have been the time. But we roared back with 17 runs in the
bottom of the inning and went on to win the game, 59-56,
without having to bat in the bottom of the seventh.”
After the 1991 season, Bassett transitioned from the playing
field into the corporate office of Hillerich & Bradsby, whose
equipment and sponsorship support had been crucial to his
Starpath teams since 1985. His career with the company began
as a full-time consultant to Rex Bradley. Rex was the long time
baseball (and then slow pitch) Promotional Manager.
“From my hiring in November of 1991 until he retired, Rex
Bradley was my immediate boss and oversaw the slow-pitch
marketing program. However, he generously gave me great
latitude in fashioning the program and formulating the budget
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AFF-0101FP (4/11)
for it. He allowed me to use my experience in most every facet of the game to
help elevate TPS’s slow-pitch promotional
program,” said Bassett. “After he retired,
I formally assumed the duties of being the
Business Manager of Slow-pitch Marketing
for H&B, which entailed a broad range of
duties, including deciding on who work
with – such as teams, players, tournaments, events, associations –how to best
go about it and budget for it.”
Bassett’s biggest obstacle was going from
being a TPS-sponsored team to being the
guy who was the link with all the other
TPS-sponsored teams, in many cases the
very teams he had been competing against
on the field for many years. But Bassett’s
credibility with those teams made the
transition almost seamless.
Hank is comfortable on a farm tractor as well as the
ballfield.
“Like all other sports in which the equipment can affect the play of the game, the
continual evolution and improvement of
that equipment has, in the case of slow
pitch softball, been revolutionary rather
than evolutionary,” he said. “ It evolved
quicker than our governing associations
could respond to the changes it brought
about and, as a result, we’ve been forced
to implement limits on offensive production – home runs in particular – with
which I’m less than comfortable, but see
no immediate alternate solution.”
Bassett has an interesting perspective on
the history of softball equipment and
where he sees it heading in the future:
“Wood, metal (sometimes combined),
aluminum, hi-tech aluminum, titanium,
multi-walled and composite. All of the
Bassett was instrumental in introducing
before-mentioned materials and designs
On-Base Percentage to slow-pitch softball,
have been a part of the evolution of bats,”
as he was a huge fan of Bill James back in
he said. “I remember when titanium
the early 1980s before most people in baseinitially came upon the scene, an individual
ball or softball had ever heard of James
representing one of the manufacturers
and long before the movie “Moneyball.”
said that it would be good if every player
Hank with Lee and Jimmy Powers.
Bassett also introduced and oversaw the
had the potential to be a home run hitter.
TPS Statistical Awards, which included and gave emphasis to
Quite naturally, being someone representing a manufacturer,
On-Base Percentage (rather than Batting Average) and Home
he was thinking that then more people would play the game
Run Frequency. The criteria for TPS Statistical Awards estaband thus, buy more bats. While titanium did not quite accomlished which tournaments were worthy of being included as
plish that (prior to being banned), multi-walled bats certainly
well as eventually limiting how many tournaments a team
made more players better hitters and composite bats certainly
participated in could count towards the season’s stat totals.
have come very close to making everybody a home run hitter.”
When Bassett began with Louisville Slugger, he encouraged
the company to change from the methodology of providing
big sponsorship money to team sponsors to instead signing
multiple players to varying length promotional contracts
because he felt that the best upper level teams invariably were
based on a core group of about 25 players, and that the championships would be won by the teams who had the best of
these players on their rosters. By doing this, the company was
assured that these players would be using and promoting TPS
products regardless of the sponsors who came and went.
Bassett has seen many of the legends of the game in his 40-year
career, including the likes of Rick “The Crusher” Scherr, Mike
Macenko, Craig Elliott and Charles Wright, all the way up to
the greats of today. He lists the quality of equipment as the
biggest change over the past 25 years.
“The performance of the equipment has enabled the players’
offensive performance to improve dramatically, thus changing
the type of athlete who can best excel competing in a game
using such equipment under the rules and restrictions currently
in place,” said Bassett.
Bassett also said the rapid ascension in quality of equipment
happened at a speed that made it difficult, if not impossible,
for the governing bodies to keep up with and regulate.
16 USSSA TODAY
“We should understand it is the responsibility of companies who make softball bats & balls to make money for the
stakeholders of that company (owners, stockholders and
employees). To accomplish that requires that you make the
best bat – in the eyes of the consumer, the player – the bat
or ball that will give the player the most performance for his
money while still meeting the performance standards set out
by the governing bodies of our sport. So, they spend a great
deal of money developing such equipment.”
Bassett added, “Our governing associations, on the other hand,
are faced with trying to make sure that all approved equipment
continues to meet their standards; that the manufacturers
haven’t discovered some new method or material (or interaction between the bats & balls) by which the governing bodies’
performance limitations are exceeded even though the new
bat or ball still passes the current test labeling it as a legal bat.”
“The biggest difficulty facing all governing associations is that
the manufacturers are continually spending large amounts of
money in their research and development and until the results
of such improvements are evident on the field, sometimes
the governing associations are a step behind. At this time, it
appears that the most promising avenue of controlling bat/ball
performance lies with the ball. However, there are so many
variables (temperature and humidity uppermost) involved that
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it requires constant effort and research
to meet the goals that each governing
association seeks,” he concluded.
Bassett is ready to roll up his sleeves and
get in the trenches, along with USSSA,
and use his expertise to help make slowpitch softball the best it can be for the
most teams and players.
When asked what advice he might have
for younger players looking to work
their way up from lower level teams
and eventually join a Conference team,
he said “Well it certainly helps to be
born with at least a certain amount
of athletic skills, but seriously, playing
slow-pitch softball is no different than
any endeavor, sports or otherwise,”
said Bassett. “To be the best, you must
devote a great deal of time to improve
your skills. Every game of skill requires
a great deal of repetitive workouts –
polishing your swing and your timing
with the bat and making yourself into
the very best defensive player possible.
The very best in our game, typically
devote an insane amount of time to
batting, fielding and conditioning. Yes,
18 USSSA TODAY
most of them are blessed with exceptional skills, but they hone them to a
fine edge with work – a huge amount of
extra work on the field and in the gym.
Then, work yourself up the ladder as
quickly as possible. It takes both perseverance and some good fortune. The
better the team you are playing with,
the greater the likelihood that you’ll
play against even better teams and your
play will impress one or more of them
and perhaps at some point enough so
that you’ll have an opportunity to move
up the ladder.”
Bassett also has other interests outside
of softball, with movies near the top of
that list.
“My wife, Sue, and I are avid movie
fans, probably having seen movies in
more theaters across the country than
99 percent of the population,” he said.
“And we obviously enjoy traveling, as is
evidenced by my line of work.”
Like most Kentuckians, Bassett is an
intense University of Kentucky Wildcats
basketball fan, which did not end as well
this year (first round N.I.T. loss) as it did
in 2012, when the team won the NCAA
National Championship, but like most of
the Big Blue Nation fans he looks for his
Cats to be back at the top next season.
Given his appreciation for statistics,
it is no surprise that Bassett has been
the official scorekeeper for his local
Monticello High School and then Wayne
County High School Kentucky varsity
boys basketball teams for the past 42
years. He noted, “I’ve been fortunate
to have worked with two of Kentucky’s
most outstanding high school coaches
during that time, both of whom are
in the Kentucky High School Athletic
Association’s HOF and one of whom
used to play for and help manage my
Starpath teams – Rodney Woods, who
is Wayne County High’s current coach.”
”Coach Woods has shown the same leadership there as he did with my teams,
having taken our local team to Kentucky’s
famous ‘Sweet Sixteen’ eight times in his
27 years of coaching, most recently this
season when we completed our 27-8
season at Rupp Arena” said Bassett.
Sounds like a chip off the old block.
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Pechanga Resort & Casino Hosts
45th USSSA Annual National Meeting
Temecula, California
by Mark Linnemann
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) celebrated its second consecutive regular
season National Professional Fast Pitch championship, and approached the 250,000 membership
mark at its 45th Annual National Meeting at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Ca.
24 USSSA TODAY
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The Association also welcomed nine
new members into its Hall of Fame,
announced that it was finalizing a fiveyear contract extension with Disney and
ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, and passed
six slow pitch rule changes and two slow
pitch by-law changes.
During his opening remarks, Chairman of the Board,
CEO, Don DeDonatis, stated that “our (USSSA)
directors-across the board-are the most competent,
experienced and capable individuals in our industry.”
Disney’s Paul Lambert greeted the delegates with the
news of a 5-year contract extension with USSSA.
At its annual convention, the nation’s
largest
multi-sports
organization
continued to revel in its partnerships
with Osceola County, Fl., its leadingedge Nationwide Conference USSSA
program, and its ability to connect with
its membership through its popular
website, USSSA Today magazine, and
New Media Department, along with its
phenomenal growth. USSSA announced
that it had registered 242,873 members
through mid-November, marking an
increase of some 5,000 teams, officials
and directors over the same period the
previous year.
After welcoming newcomers to the
USSSA family in his keynote address,
USSSA Chairman of the Board/CEO
Don DeDonatis praised the organization’s Directors, Officials and staff as
the “finest team possible,” and thanked
them for making USSSA “the largest
multi-sport organization in the country.
2012 Hall of Fame inductees (bottom row, l to r): Rick Brockwell, Mary Papersky, Gordon Glennie, Larry Brushett.
(top row, i to r): Mike Shenk, Billy Messina, Jeff Hague. Also inducted: Charles Wright, posthumously, and Dave
Steffen, not pictured.
“Over the last 15 years our vision and
goals have remained clear and we, as
an organization, have remained determined to be the best, in everything we
do,” said DeDonatis. “The road to the
top was clearly defined and we were
determined to get there. The real challenge ahead of us is how do we remain
number one.
“Complacency is not an option and
mediocrity is not acceptable in the
USSSA today,” he continued. “Each and
every one of us must remain committed
to and share a common goal with a
single purpose – to work together as one
team – as a family – the USSSA family.”
To remain number one, DeDonatis challenged USSSA to emulate “organizations that produce winning teams every
year” and to focus on the fundamentals.
It was a great evening at the HOF closing banquet for
Gordon Glennie (MI.), as along with being inducted
into the Hall of Fame, received the E.A. Ramsey/CEO
Award. Presenting the award is Don DeDonatis (left).
26 USSSA TODAY
Alan Bingham, Jack Hilliard Distributing Co., Inc.
of Bryan, TX, accepts the Distinguished Service
Award. The Budweiser Softball Festival, Bryan/
College Station,TX. and sponsored by Jack Hilliard
Distributing, celebrates its 28th anniversary this year.
“We can never lose sight of the basics,”
said DeDonatis. “We need to understand our responsibilities and roles of
this team. It is the little things…that
make a champion and develop a culture
and expectation of success.”
The “key to USSSA’s success as an organization,” said DeDonatis, “sits right here
in this very room.
“Our Directors – across all sports – are
the most competent, experienced and
capable individuals in this industry,” he
said.
2012 was a banner year, said DeDonatis.
Not only did USSSA’s membership increase to 242,873, but it also
conducted over 35,000 events with more
than 216,000 participating teams. Page
hits at www.USSSA.com increased by
35 percent to a staggering 270 million.
USSSA Live, using their own equipment
and staffing, broadcasted select events
on ESPN, including games from the Elite
Baseball World Series, Girls Fastpitch
World Series, Men’s Major World Series,
and the Men’s Major Home Run Derby.
Assistant Executive Director, Jim Swint (left) presents
the Assistant Executive Director Award - Fastpitch to
Bill Dowell (AZ.).
Assistant Executive Director, Danny Brown (right)
presents the Assistant Executive Director Award Slowpitch to Elliot Clark (AZ.).
Yet another highlight for the Association
in 2012 was the continued success of the
organization’s Florida Pride team, which
captured its second consecutive National
Pro Fastpitch league title. During his
keynote address, DeDonatis introduced
several team members, who received an
enthusiastic round of applause.
DeDonatis then announced several
enhancements for 2013, including a partnership with Travel Ball Select, a leader
in youth sports media, that promises
to introduce thousands of non-affiliated teams to USSSA. DeDonatis also
announced that the Association was
finalizing a five-year contract extension
with Disney and ESPN’s Wide World of
Sports. In addition, he said that USSSA
had reached an agreement with Jostens
that will provide customized, championship rings for World Champions at
all baseball, fastpitch and slow pitch
events hosted at ESPN’s Wide World of
Sports. Also, DeDonatis announced that
several slow pitch World Tournaments
hosted at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports
would now feature a three-game guarantee. And finally, he said that it was
the Association’s goal to broadcast all
of the World Championships hosted at
ESPN Wide World of Sports via the ESPN
network.
“I believe that once again in 2013, USSSA
will continue to be the industry leader
in all sports by continuing to enhance
our top-quality events with new and
Don DeDonatis is flanked by USSSA Pride team members.
Baseball’s Spark Plug went to William Saunders
of Florida. He is flanked by Baseball VP’s Rick
Fotuna(left) and Joey Odom(right).
Slowpitch’s Director of the Year, Chris Thames (Softball
World, Euless,TX) and Slowpitch VP, Kevin Naegele,
Executive Vice President- Slowpitch Operations (left).
Representing Palms Hotel and Villas, Chris Degenova accepts the Award of Merit.
USSSA TODAY 27
innovative partnerships and technology,” stated DeDonatis.
DeDonatis went on to thank
his staff at USSSA National
Headquarters, Board of Directors,
Vice-Presidents and Directors of
all the Association’s sports “on an
outstanding 2012 season.
Georgia’s Matt Trebuchon received the Distinguish Service
Award.
Fastpitch Director of the Year, Scotty Baker (AL.).
John Dye, Maryland, received the Fastpitch Spark Plug
from Fastpitch VP, Bill Dowell.
Basketball VP, Conrad Foss (left) with Basketball Spark
Plug Award winner, Dan Klinkhammer of Minnesota.
28 USSSA TODAY
“USSSA has continued to raise the
bar and set our standards high,”
he concluded. “Much is expected
of us and I have no doubt that we
will continue to meet these expectations. Let us move forward
today, with the realization that
there is much more work to do
and new challenges that need to
be met. Thank you very much for
your attendance this week and I
wish each of you the very best and
strong and productive meetings
in the days ahead.”
The USSSA inducted nine new
members into its Hall of Fame.
They were: Dave Steffen (MI),
Billy Messina (CA), Mike Shenk
(PA) and Charles Wright (GA) in
the male player category; Mary
Papersky (MI) in the female player
category; Jeff Hague (OH) in
the manager category; Gordon
Glennie (MI) in the executive
category; Larry Brushett (CA) in
the sponsor category; and Rick
Brockwell (VA) in the special
service longevity category.
Nine new candidates were
selected for induction in 2013.
They were Larry Carter (OK), Tim
Cocco (KY) and Scott Streibel (FL)
in the male player category; Mary
Jane Ranz (OH) in the female
player category; Cecil Alford (NC)
in the manager category; Bob
Holland (MD) in the executive
category; Robert Parrish (MO)
in the sponsor category; Duane
Posavetz (FL) in the umpire category; and Rick Marz (NY) in the
special service longevity category.
The nine will be inducted during
a Hall of Fame banquet at the
USSSA National Meeting on
November 17-23, 2013 at the
Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort
& Spa, Ft. Myers, FL.
Joey Odom presents Baseball director of the Year to John
DeMagistris of New York.
(l to r): Lee Eggers (IL), slowpitch’s Umpire of the Year, Rick
Robertson, National Slowpitch UIC and Jason Oberlag
(AR), Official of the Year.
The conference umpires were well represented at the
annual meeting.
Wednesday is traditionally golf tournament day at each
year’s meeting. This year was no different: (l to r): Andy
Purcell, Tony DeDonatis, Don DeDonatis and Dalton
Brown. The tournament, once again, was perfectly
orchestrated by Ron Neely of Texas.
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DEMARINI.COM
NPF Holds 2013 College Draft
Presented by BOWNET
Akron Racers Select LSU’s Rachele Fico as No. 1 Pick
Photo by Hannah Brinks,
Photos by Bill Diehm; Courtesy of National Pro Fastpitch
Rachele Fico was the #1 pick
of the 2013 draft. Fico plays
collegiately for LSU and will
play professionally for the
Akron Racers.
USSSA Pride GM, Don
DeDonatis, selected Oklahoma’s
Keilani Ricketts, pitcher, with
the Pride’s pick in the first
round.
NPF Commissioner, Cheri
Kempf announces that
Keilani Ricketts is the
newest Pride team member.
The jerseys tell the story. Each of the four NPF teams display their jersey of their first round pick.
Twenty athletes were selected in the
2013 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) College
Draft held Monday at the Country Music
Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. The
Draft was carried live on ESPN3.
The first pick in the Draft went to the
Akron Racers, who selected Rachele
Fico, LSU’s All-American pitching ace. A
finalist for the 2013 USA Softball Player
of the Year, Fico boasts a 1.57 ERA and
32 shutouts in her three seasons with the
Tigers. She has also hurled 733 strikeouts, the fourth most in LSU’s history.
This marks the second year in a row
that the number one draft pick came
from LSU and the fourth straight year
that the first selection came out of the
Southeastern Conference. In 2012, the
USSSA Pride selected LSU’s All-American
Brittany Mack in the number one spot.
The four-team league focused heavily
on the mound in the NPF Draft, as the
first four picks were all pitchers. The
New York / New Jersey Comets selected
Hofstra pitcher Olivia Galati for the
second overall pick in the Draft. Cal
pitcher Jolene Henderson was picked
third by the Chicago Bandits and
Oklahoma pitcher Keilani Ricketts was
selected fourth by the USSSA Pride.
“For NPF to be successful, it’s absolutely vital that we continue to attract
36 USSSA TODAY
the top college softball players and I’m
pleased to see that a lot of those names
were called in the Draft,” said NPF
Commissioner Cheri Kempf. “As many
of the League’s Olympic stars move on
from the game, we must pass the torch
to a new generation of elite softball
players and I’m excited to see this topnotch group of players join the League.
I’m confident that this class of rookies
will help strengthen the growing popularity of professional fastpitch softball.”
The Southeastern Conference dominated the Draft with seven selections
– including picks from LSU, Tennessee,
Georgia, South Carolina, Texas A&M and
Missouri. The Big 12 netted five picks
with four of the players coming out of
Oklahoma.
Each of the NPF’s four affiliate teams
secured at least three players in the
five-round draft. The Akron Racers and
Chicago Bandits each picked up six players
for their 2013 rookie class. The New York
/ New Jersey Comets selected five players
and the USSSA pride picked three.
Due to NCAA regulations, an active
college senior-athlete is not eligible to
sign with her respective franchise until
her 2013 season is complete. Drafting an
athlete gives an NPF affiliate team rights
to that athlete for two full seasons.
USSSA’s Bernie Guenther
emceed the event for the
ESPN3 viewing audience.
NPF Draft Results – Presented by BOWNET
First round
1. Rachele Fico, P, Akron Racers (LSU)
2. Olivia Galati, P, NY / NJ Comets (Hofstra)
3. Jolene Henderson, P, Chicago Bandits (Cal)
4. Keilani Ricketts, P, Oklahoma, USSSA Pride (OK)
Second round:
5. Jessica Shults, C, USSSA Pride (Oklahoma)
6. Jessica Moore, P, NY / NJ Comets (Oregon)
7. Michelle Gascoigne, P, Chicago Bandits (OK)
8. Ivy Renfroe, P, Akron Racers (Tennessee)
Third round
9. Brianna Turang, OF, Akron Racers (Oklahoma)
10. Cyndil Matthew, OF, NY / NJ Comets (UMass)
11. Maggie Hull, OF, Chicago Bandits (Kansas)
12. Briana Cherry, OF, Akron Racers (La.-Lafayette)
Fourth round
13. Raven Chavanne, OF/3B, Chicago Bandits (TN)
14. Samie Garcia, SS, NY / NJ Comets (SC)
15. Mel Dumezich, P, Chicago Bandits (Texas A&M)
16. Tess Sito, U/P, Akron Racers (Georgia)
Fifth round
17. Bridgette Del Ponte, 3B/SS, Akron Racers (AZ)
18. Courtney Liddle, 1B, NY / NJ Comets (Virginia Tech)
19. Jenna Marston, SS/C, Chicago Bandits (MO)
20. Chelsea Thomas, P, USSSA Pride (MO)
2 0 1 3
N AT I O N A L
P R O
FA S T P I T C H
B R O A D C A S T
June 10
5:35 p.m.
NY/NJ Comets at USSSA Pride
June 10
8:35 p.m.
June 15
3:00 p.m.
Akron Racers at USSSA Pride
June 15
6:00 p.m.
June 29
1:00 p.m.
Chicago Bandits at Akron Racers
June 29
8:00 p.m.
Chicago Bandits at Akron Racers
June 29
5:35 p.m.
June 29
8:35 p.m.
July 20
2:00 p.m.
USSSA Pride at NY/NJ Comets
July 21
3:00 p.m.
USSSA Pride at NY/NJ Comets
July 25
5:35 p.m.
July 25
8:35 p.m.
July 30
5:35 p.m.
Chicago Bandits at USSSA Pride
July 30
8:35 p.m.
Chicago Bandits at USSSA Pride
August 23
5:00 p.m.
NPF Championship Series
August 24
5:00 p.m.
NPF Championship Series
PA C K A G E
All times are EST (Eastern Standard Times)
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DEMARINI.COM
(800) 327-0074
Colorado Rovers to Represent
USSSA in the 100th Edition
of Lamar Hunt US Open Cup
By Jared Dan
Colorado Rovers out of Golden, CO will
enter the U.S. Open Cup this May for the
first time in their team’s history and in
the history of USSSA.
This year’s competition will see the largest
field of teams ever and an increase in
the allocated prize money. 68 teams
will compete over a six month period in
single elimination games for the chance
to win the tournament and the $250,000
prize that goes along with it.
Last year Sporting KC of Major League
Soccer won the cup on penalty kicks
as they defeated Seattle Sounders FC
who were three-time defending champions going into the game. The Cup has
some magic to the event; it is where full
time professional players and teams can
come unstuck against amateur teams
who have their shot at glory.
Colorado Rovers qualified for entry into
the tournament by winning USSSA’s
Elite Bracket at the 2012 National
Tournament. They defeated Wickham FC
(Austin, TX) by a score 1-0 and booked
their place in history as they become
the first USSSA team to participate
in the Open Cup. “The most exciting
moment so far has been learning and
sharing with the guys that we are the
first amateur team in modern history
(according to www.thecup.us) to play in
the U.S. Open Cup.”
Rovers now have the opportunity to
test themselves firstly with other lower
division teams from members of U.S.
Soccer, but if they progress past the first
two rounds then they could be drawn
against one of the professional teams
from MLS, NASL, USL PRO. If this were
to happen then the game would have a
David vs. Goliath feeling and the scene
would be set for what soccer calls “a
Giant-killer”.
The players and coaching staff are now
preparing for the May 7th showdown as
42 USSSA TODAY
they wait to see who they will get drawn
against. “The team is really excited to be
participating in the U.S. Open Cup for
the first time. The Colorado Rovers have
played in other national competitions so
we understand that we’ll be facing the
best teams in the country,” head coach
Erick French said. “To prepare for the
tournament we have added extra practices each week. We are spending more
time than normal on defensive organization, shape and transition. We have
recruited several new players and are
busy integrating them into our system
of play.”
Colorado Amateur Soccer League is
their home league and the team consists
of young players coming out of college
and former professional players who
have playing experience in the English
Premier League. These experiences of
the older players will help them out in
the early rounds according to French.
“I am expecting all of our players to
increase their focus and level of commitment to the team during our Open Cup
run. We’ve played PDL and D2 College
teams before so we understand what
kinds of teams we’ll see in the first
round. If we get past the first round, it
will be an entirely new experience for
most of us.”
So, as The Rovers continue to practice and wait to see who they will
play in the first step of their tournament journey, they can take pride in
being the first non-PDL amateur club
to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup in the
Modern Professional Era (1995-present).
They can take pride in their club as they
enter the tournament for the first time
and they can take pride in representing
USSSA in the event for the first time.
To follow The Rovers progress visit
www.thecup.us
1st Annual USSSA
Tournament of Champions
The inaugural USSSA Tournament of
Champions was a resounding success
in Kansas City 2012. More than one
hundred boys and girls teams from
nearly a dozen states met in KC to
square off to win their division championship title for the USSSA Tournament
of Champions. Players as young as
fourth grade through high school had
to qualify in their state’s USSSA regional
tournament to play in Kansas City.
Beyond the great national level of
competition for both elite Division 1
and Division 2, players parents and
coaches had a chance to socialize and
exchange gifts at the special Team
Celebration held on Saturday night.
44 USSSA TODAY
Okun Fieldhouse was overflowing with
excitement as the Parade of Teams
streamed across the court to the cheers
of parents and coaches. Then as a DJ
turned up the beats, teams competed
at various shooting stations across the
gym and had a chance to work up an
appetite just in time for a complimentary home cooked Mexican Fiesta meal
served to everyone! The team social
gave players, coaches and parents a
chance to mix and mingle, then get
geared up for a tough day of National
Championships on Sunday! The battles
in more than twenty divisions were
fierce, and well played as the first ever
USSSA TOC Champions and Runner-Ups
took home their gold!
The USSSA TOC for 2013 is shaping up to
be even greater as it will be hosted again
in Kansas City at the newest and grandest
tournament venue in the Midwest -the
Fieldhouse of KC. Teams from more
than half a dozen USSSA regions will be
hosting Regional Nationals again in late
spring and early summer to qualify for
the TOC in August. This year the excitement of the TOC will be captured on
video and shared with fans across the
nation with live streaming video and
DVD copies of select games available
on site! A fun filled interactive team
social is again being planned as the
best USSSA Division 1 and 2 teams from
across the country converge on KC for
the 2013 TOC!
2013
Garland Softball Association
GARLAND
Date
Garland
04/27/13
D/E
05/18/13
D/E-X
06/01/13
C NIT
06/15/13
D/E
07/13/13
D/E-X
08/10/13
D/E-X
09/07/13
E
09/21/13
D/E
10/19/13
D/E
ROWLETT
Date
Rowlett
Date
Rowlett
04/20/13
E, X
08/03/13
D State
05/04/13
D/E, X
08/10/13
AN (Sat)
05/11/13
D/E
08/24/13
D/E, X
05/18/13
AN (Fri)
09/14/13
D/E
06/01/13
D/E
09/28/13
C/D/E, X
06/08/13
D/E, X
10/05/13
C/D/E, X
06/22/13
D/E
10/12/13
D/E, X
06/29/13
D/E, X
10/26/13
D/E, X
07/06/13
C/D/E
11/02/13
D/E, X
07/20/13
D/E, X
11/16/13
C/D/E, X
07/27/13
D/E
11/23/13
D/E, X
C = Men’s C
D = Men’s D
E = Men’s E
Garland
M. G. “Jerry” Carter, Sr.
Softball Complex
550 West Oates Drive
Garland, TX 75043
Tourney Line (972) 613-7729
Walter Reed , Tournament Director
W = Women’s
X = Mixed
Rowlett
Rowlett Community Park
10200 Saint Andrews Lane
Rowlett, TX 75088
Tourney Line (972) 475-9988
Mike DeLatte, Tournament Director
Comeback Attempts
Highlight President’s Cup
by Ian Auzenne
Lafayette. Mejia shot 78 in both rounds
of the tournament. Jamison Thomassee,
an Opelousas golfer who was tied with
Mejia in second place at the start of the
round, finished fourth with a total score
of 160.
No lead is ever safe on the USSSA
Junior Golf tour. The President’s Cup
event, which was held the weekend
of February 2, is proof of this. For the
second straight tournament, the leaders
in multiple divisions had to fight off late
comeback attempts to stay atop the
leaderboard and bring home a championship from the Island Golf Course in
Plaquemine.
“It was another great event,” said
Robert Boudreaux, the director of the
Louisiana USSSA Junior Golf Tour. “Last
year, we rained out on Saturday and
played all 36 holes on Sunday. This year,
we had wonderful weather and didn’t
have to worry about course conditions.”
Zachary Ginn repeated as President
Cup champion following a stellar
performance. Ginn, a Denham Springs
resident, shot 75 in the second round-two strokes better than his first-round
score--to win the title (152). Steven
Benoit entered the second round in
fifth place. The Marrero resident put
together a spectacular second round,
shooting 74 (9 pars on the final 9 holes)
to finish with a total of 156, forcing a
tie for second place with Skye Mejia of
46 USSSA TODAY
The Boys 12-14 Division saw yet another
furious race to the finish. Cameron J.
Little and Joel Boyett both shot 75 on
the second day of competition after
entering the round several shots behind
leader Zac Ciesla. Their comeback was
not enough to overtake the lead, as
Ciesla took the championship back to
Lake Charles after posting a total of 158
(77-81). Little, of Baton Rouge, finished
one stroke behind Ciesla. Boyett, of
Calhoun, took third place with a score of
161, one stroke better than fourth-place
finisher Charlie Flynn of Alexandria.
Matthew Weber of Scott won his second
straight tour title by shooting a 93 in
the 18-hole Boys 9-11 event. Runner-up
Ryan Lam of Baton Rouge finished three
strokes behind the lead. Damon Gibson
of New Orleans finished third with a
total of 103. The only girl to compete
in the tournament, Cassidy Lambert of
Gretna, finished fourth in the age group
with a score of 110.
The USSSA Junior Golf Tour’s next event,
the Red River Clash, takes place the
weekend of April 6 in Shreveport. The
deadline to register is April 3. For more
information, visit www.usssa.com or
email [email protected].
USSSA is a multi-sports organization and
offers competition in Youth and Adult
Baseball, Basketball, Fast Pitch Softball,
Flag Football, Karate, Lacrosse, Slow
Pitch Softball, Soccer, Tae Kwan Do,
Volleyball, Wrestling, and Junior Golf.
Boys 15-18: L-R: Steven Benoit, Marrero; Zachary
Ginn, Denham Springs; Skye Mejia, Lafayette.
Boys 12-14: L-R: Joel Boyett, Calhoun; Zac Ciesla,
Lake Charles; Cameron Little, Baton Rouge.
Boys 9-11: L-R: Ryan Lam, Baton Rouge; Matthew
Weber, Scott; Damon Gibson, New Orleans.
Girls 9-11: Cassidy Lambert, Gretna.
“Daddy Ball” So What!
by Rick Phillips
You’ve heard it, maybe said it, and
probably at the very least thought it.
It’s that term used by many when they
might disagree on how the Head Coach
of a team their daughter is on handles
this; when, where, and how often the
Coach’s daughter plays.
As a Daddy first and then a T-Ball
Coach it’s a phrase that can leave those
scratching their head and saying to
them self, check that, their wife saying
to them, why are we doing this?
As they fast forward to recreational
leagues with All-Star picks and
Tournament Teams this term often gets
thrown around by inconsistent Parent
participants claiming an unfair advantage yet what remains consistent is this;
those Moms and Dads who have been
there over the years since day one T-Ball
practice, field clean up, snack shack
duty, as well as many other tasks that
seem to never end.
The bottom line is the Parents doing
all the work are often tagged with the
Daddy Ball label, is this fair?
always been difficult for a Coach to have
a full time job, other family matters and
then coach a team, not all on your team
will be happy.
2012 NVS USSSA Tournament Team (8-10U)
As girls promote to the club scene in an
effort to raise the bar the Daddy Ball
phrase continues to be a catchy name,
especially when a Parent is not happy
more so with their daughters play time
than that of the Coaches kid. Why is this?
It possibly could be that a Parent simply
can change teams when unhappy. This
has become an easy way out for kids
instead of working harder thus earning
a spot in the lineup. Learning to compete
at the younger ages could offer a valuable lesson to the kids not only on the
fields but in the classroom as well!
There is no easy Coaching gig as it has
With that said look at your local chat
rooms and forums popping up over the
country and see postings for club teams
with big bold print claiming the Coach
does not have a daughter on the team
so there will be no Daddy Ball. These
postings are usually for 14u and up....
Why is it that we never see an ad for a
6u team claiming that the Coach does
not have a daughter on the team?
Reality is this, if not for all of the Moms
and Dads who at the beginning volunteer to coach at the lower age divisions
there would be little to none as far as
teams in any sport. This Daddy ball is
the good stuff and fuels the fire of these
young athletes to play the game of Fast
Pitch Softball as well as other sports
to another level! To all you Moms and
Dads…..Keep up the good work and
Thank You!!
2K13 USSSA Super Divisional
Summit Convenes in Houston, TX
Southeast and Midwest Divisions
WTX State Director, Tommy Hawkins (second from
left) and his West Texas contingency.
Danny Malone presnting the Danny
Malone Award to Colorado UIC, Bill
Harper.
Upon completion of the Summit, the Party Bus took a
group to tour Big League Dreams in League City,TX.
Longtime friends Ron Neely (left) and
NTX State Director, Arnie Burke.
Summit organizers, VP Southeast Division, Greg
Huchingson(left) and Executive VP, Kevin Naegele.
Pictured is Kevin Naegele-Executive Vice PresidentSlowpitch Operations receiving honorary membership
into Texas A&M’s Johnny Football fan club.
Mississippi State Director, TJay Busin
USSSA legal counsel, David Evaul,
addressed 2013 bat issues.
USSSA TODAY 47
Volleyball
USSSA Volleyball is having a banner year. Team registrations and tournaments are up over the past several years.
This success is spread over all the different forms of volleyball. In some parts of the country this success is being
seen in adult (Men’s, Women’s, and Coed) events. In other
parts, the youth side of our program is leading the way. All
this growth, and the outdoor season is still several weeks
away. The least expensive team registrations, coupled
with the best insurance rates in the industry, are propelling USSSA Volleyball into a force to be dealt with in many
areas of the country.
West Texas USSSA Volleyball director Tommy Hawkins has
led nationally in team registrations each year since USSSA
Volleyball’s inception. However there are other bright
spots in the USSSA Volleyball family to report as well.
Louisiana Director Terry Hebert has been a big boost to
the program having introduced a youth coed brand of
USSSA Volleyball in Louisiana to go with his other youth
and adult events. Terry’s Louisiana Tour will develop a
following for USSSA Volleyball never before seen in the
South. The photos associated with this article come from
some of Terry’s tournaments.
Kirk Taraboika has been successful organizing adult
leagues in New Jersey. Registrations have doubled under
Kirk’s leadership.
Rick Philips in Arizona has developed an elementary
program to grow USSSA Volleyball from the ground up
in his area. Team registrations in Arizona could top an all
time high.
These are but a few examples of what is happening in
USSSA Volleyball. There are literally dozens of others
developing their own part of USSSA Volleyball all over
the country. From youth to adult, indoor or outdoor, sand,
grass or racquetball court, USSSA Volleyball offers any and
all types of volleyball for all skill levels.
USSSA Volleyball will host its first ever USSSA Volleyball
World Indoor Championships on June 8-9, 2013 in
Mandeville, Louisiana on New Orleans’ Northshore. There
will be divisions of play for youth of all ages as well as all
the adult divisions offered by USSSA Volleyball. Come visit
New Orleans, a place like no other in the United States.
Laissez les ‘Volley-balls’ rouler.
Our first ever World Beach Championship will be held later
in the summer at a location to be announced in late April.
For more information on USSSA Volleyball contact:
David Brasher
National Chairman
USSSA Volleyball
[email protected]
318-640-4079
48 USSSA TODAY
“Friendship Budo/Shia”
Martial artists coming together for sharing and
caring for the development of martial arts
USSSA TODAY 49
Corny’s
Corner
Mike Cornell
Hello again to all softball fans across
the country.
Spring is upon us, and tournaments
and leagues are beginning to crank up
all across the country. Everyone at Worth
has been very busy getting ready for
another powerful year at the yard.
In addition, we are celebrating our
continued partnerships with great teams
such as Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth.
These events and teams help us get our
new bats and equipment into your hands
so you unleash your power at the plate.
The new USSSA-approved Worth 454
models have been hot sellers this year,
including the new Jeff Hall signature
series bat (SB4JHU for end loaded; SB4BU
for balanced). The new BJ Fulk signature
Worth Mayhem (SBMUBJ) is ready to hit
right out of the wrapper. Be sure to see
the 2013 bat review section on page 76
in this issue for more information on all
of Worth’s new power sticks.
We are also fired up for the start of
Nationwide Conference USSSA action in
April as Worth teams begin their schedules in cities like Las Vegas and Houston.
The month wraps in Kissimmee, Florida
at the ultra-competitive Hall of Fame
dual event.
Sponsor Travis Resmondo, his staff,
and coaches John Rector and Frank Webb
return most of Worth’s flagship team,
the aforementioned Resmondo/Specialty
Tank/Worth. The veteran squad boasts
All-World pitcher Andy Purcell, shortstop
50 USSSA TODAY
In the Worth 454 Homerun Derby, Greg Connell
tops Conway Waddy. Pictured (left to right): Greg
Huchingson, Greg Connell and Conway Waddy .
First stop on the Worth Power Tour was Big League
Dreams- Mansfield, TX. Pictured (left to right): Jeff
Hall, Mike “Corny” Cornell and the Power Tour
winner for this stop, Mitch Chappell. Chappell cut
Hall by one homerun in a hit off.
STX State Director, Greg Huchingson (left) and MS
State Director/Buzini/BWW/Worth sponsor, TJay
Busin.
Resmondo’s new
outfielder - Nic Santana
Don DeDonatis III and stalwarts BJ Fulk,
Bobby Hughes, Jimmy Salas, Bubba Mack,
Jeremy Isenhower and Howie Krause.
A few newcomers join the “Sod Boys”
in 2013, including young outfielders
Nic Santana and Jeremy Yates, making
Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth one of
the teams to beat in the Major division
this year.
Also returning will be last year’s
USSSA B-class World Series runner-up
Buzini/BWW/Worth. Sponsors T.J. Busin
and Jarvis Chappell have their eyes on
taking the prize in 2013 as they lead a
solid mix of experience and youth into
Conference play. Buzini is coached by
Jeff Lohrmann and Steve Gentry, and will
be led by veterans Kelly Hartman and
Donald “Buckshot” Plaisance.
FBI/Gametime Supply/Worth will also
bring a strong squad into Nationwide
Conference USSSA play. Chris Walker
and his Arkansas-based team are always
competitive, and if you recall made one
heck of a run in the 2010 Men’s Major
World Series, finishing in third as the
highest, non-major team.
Finally, it is my pleasure to bring back
two of our longest-tenured, Worthsponsored teams: Check King/Worth
and Sportscenter/Worth. These teams
have been with us for more than 15
years, and we could not ask for two,
more loyal sponsors than Jimmy “Dogs”
Consiglio (Check King), and Bubba Tatum
(Sportscenter).
I wish all of our Worth teams good
luck this season!
Worth has always been a leader in
slowpitch grassroots events across the
country, and this season will continue
that tradition with the first annual Worth
Power Tour, a grassroots event series
unlike any other, as Worth celebrates the
beasts that dominate the sport.
These events combine hitting exhibitions by Worth Advisory Staff member
Jeff Hall and a home run derby performed
by some of the best amateur hitters
across the country. The winners of the
amateur derby will be given the chance
to square off against Hall in a bonus
round. We have already completed two
of these events, and with more than 140
contestants showing off their home run
prowess. Anything can happen on the
Worth Power Tour, and at each event,
the bonus rounds have been decided by
only one home run. In Mansfield, Texas,
Mitch Chappell beat Hall by one, with
Hall returning the favor against Ryan
Gasperson in Kissimmee. With the next
stop in Tupelo, Mississippi, I’m looking
forward to more fireworks in each round.
And back by popular demand, the
Worth 454 Home Run Derbies return to
more than 60 communities across the
country this year. These local events give
players a chance to try out all the newest
Worth bats and show off their home run
skills.
Stay tuned to the Worth Facebook
page for updates on all of our grassroots
events.
I hope all of you have a great 2013
season, and until next time…SEE YOU AT
THE BALL FIELD!
Buzini/BWW/Worth
sponsor, Jarvis Chappell
and son, Mitch.
Corny
28th
presents
Annual Budweiser
Softball Festival
In Bryan/College Station on
May 4th & 5th, 2013
Brought to you by
Jack Hilliard Distributing,
Bryan/College Station,TX
To enter your team,
contact Greg Huchingson
at (979) 774-9408
Texas Two-Step of Winter Worlds
draws 250 teams in Lone Star State
By Van Galeon
The 2013 softball season got off to a fast start in Texas, with
over 250 teams competing in two different USSSA Winter
World Tournaments on back-to-back weekends. One-hundred
teams played in the South Texas Winter Worlds on Jan. 12-13 at
Big League Dreams in League City, Texas (near Houston), while
an all-time North Texas record 152 teams – from 10 different
states – played in the North Texas Winter Worlds on Jan. 19-20
at Big League Dreams in Mansfield, Texas (near Dallas-Fort
Worth).
“Slow-pitch softball is truly a year-round sport here,” said
Tournament Director Greg Huchingson, who is the new USSSA
Vice-President for the Southeast Division. “This number of
teams coming out to start their seasons at a time when much
of the country is still covered in snow is a testament to the
enthusiasm that teams in Texas, and surrounding states, have
for the USSSA program.”
The League City event attracted 16 teams in the Men’s C division. Old School/Elite from nearby Spring went undefeated
through five games to capture first place. Old School/Elite won
its first three games by a combined total of five runs – over
the LA Strokers from Lafayette, La. (9-6), FTP/Lethal Assault
from San Antonio (13-11) and Sell Out Sports from Baytown
(16-15) – to reach the winner’s bracket finals undefeated. Old
School/Elite beat DC/Y&R/A&A Utility from Houston (21-12)
to advance to the championship game, where they defeated
DC/Y&R/A&A Utility again, this time 16-15, to claim the crown.
NTX/Men’s B/C Champions: ASPNation.com/Easton
NTX/Men’s BC/Second Place: Team DeMarini/Diamond Sports
DC/Y&R/A&A Utility settled for second place with a 4-2 record,
while Texas Threat/RBI/Texas Inks from Houston came in third
at 5-2, and Nationwide Conference USSSA team South Texas
Posse from Pearland finished fourth at 3-2.
Richard Hass of Old School/Elite was named Most Valuable
Player of the division, while Joshua Bergeron of DC/Y&R/A&A
Utility was the Gold Glove winner. Others named to the
All-Tournament team were Taylor Lobb, Chase Harmon, Casey
Brown and Dalton Cross, of Old School/Elite; Jared Williams,
Larry Juarez Jr. and Angel Juarez, of DC/Y&R/A&A Utility; Chris
Lopez, Abelardo Lerma and Justin Mark, of Texas Threat/RBI/
Texas Inks; and Kirk Laird and Mark Cridland, of South Texas
Posse.
There were 32 teams in the Men’s D bracket, and the Goons/
NES of Houston went 6-0 to win first place. The Goons/NES
defeated UAS Softball of Houston (8-6), Tapout from Baytown
(16-10), Mayhem/Buzini from Houston (16-12), Asylum
Softball from Humble (14-6) and Team Worth It/Star Bar from
Beaumont (13-4) to advance to the championship game undefeated. Texas Hazmat from Conroe lost their first game of the
tournament to Team Worth It/Star Bar (26-13) to drop to the
loser’s bracket, where they won eight straight games to make
it all the way back to the championship game, before losing a
52 USSSA TODAY
NTX/Men’s D/Champions: LA Classics/Buzini
NTX/Men’s D/Second Place: Cool Runnings/Meade Servicing Group
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close battle to the Goons/NES (15-13).
Following the champion Goons/NES at 6-0, Texas Hazmat came
in second place with an 8-2 record. Team Worth It/Star Bar
captured third at 4-2, and Team MTS from McAllen near the
Texas/Mexico border finished fourth at 5-2.
Scott Vidrine of Goons/NES was the Most Valuable Player of
the Men’s D division, while Sal Aguilar of Texas Hazmat was the
Gold Glove winner. They were joined on the All-Tournament
team by James Schoppe, Warren Brooks, Cody Robinson and
Zach Galliher, of Goons/NES; Jonathan Cole, Sean Derbes and
Brad Gabel, of Texas Hazmat; Aaron DeLuna, Chaz Bruce and
Taylor Robicheau, of Team Worth It/Star Bar; and Mike Aguirre
and Sergio Hernandez, of Team MTS.
Men’s E was the largest division with 53 teams. Team Mash
made the long trip over from Austin and went undefeated at
7-0 to claim the title. Team Mash defeated Hardfeathers from
Houston, (17-14), Texas Swagger from San Antonio (10-0),
Rehab – It Happens from Converse (19-14), Texas Swat from
Alice (13-2), Sucka Free from Corpus Christi (18-2) and Texas
Rampage from Houston (9-8) to advance to the championship
game, where snuck by DX/Sports55.com from Pasadena (11-10)
to take the crown.
DX/Sports55.com had an outstanding weekend by posting
an 8-2 record in finishing runnerup. Texas Rampage captured
third place at 5-2, while the Young Gunzz from Montgomery
came in fourth at 7-2. Other high finishers in the big bracket
included Sucka Free and A.T.M./TI Sports from Houston, tied
for fifth place; Burn Out Softball from Nederland and Chop
City from Houston, tied for seventh; and Slaughterhouse from
Corpus Christi, Slik Stix/HCCI Agency from San Antonio, Texas
Swat from Alice, and MVP Sportz from San Antonio, all tied
for ninth.
NTX/Men’s E/Champions: Happy Hour
NTX/Men’s E/Second Place: Outta Control/Paradise Lawn
Lucio Govea III of Team Mash was named Most Valuable Player,
and Taylor Wagner of DX/Sports55.com won the Gold Glove
award. Others named to the All-Tournament team were Paul
Maldonado, Jorge Fernandez, Phillip Canty and Ryan Zaydell,
of Team Mash; Oscar Martinez, Marcus Sutton and Cory Blair,
of DX/Sports55.com; Herbert Griffin, Aaron Pope and Jerred
Scroggins, of Texas Rampage; and Aaron Bell and Joshua
Sleyko, of Young Gunzz.
Not to be outdone by the South Texas event, the North Texas
USSSA Winter Worlds the following weekend drew 152 teams
making it the largest adult slow-pitch tournament ever held in
North Texas. Big League Dreams in Mansfield has eight fields –
compared to just six in League City – plus the Virginia Weaver
Complex in nearby Cedar Hill was used for some loser’s bracket
games.
NTX/Women/Champions: Famous Freaks/Diamond Sports
There were 17 teams in the Men’s B/C “Upper” division,
including three teams who played Nationwide Conference
USSSA in 2012, plus a fourth throw-together team with several
Conference players on their roster. ASPNation.com/Easton
from D-FW went 5-1 to win first place. ASP defeated Texas
Stroke from Temple (22-9), Team DeMarini/Diamond Sports
from Hurst (15-5), Jokers from Ft. Worth (15-11) and NACSF,
Inc./Stanley Law from Oklahoma City (23-13) to advance to the
championship game undefeated.
The scrappy Team DeMarini/Diamond Sports team scored a huge
54 USSSA TODAY
NTX/Women/Second Place: KC Sker’s
upset in their first game by defeating Buzini/BuffaloWildWings/
Worth from Jackson, Mississippi (15-9). Buzini was the heavy
pre-tournament favorite, as they qualified for the 2012 USSSA
Men’s Major World Series at Disney where they tied for ninth
place. After Team DeMarini/Diamond Sports lost to ASPNation.
com/Easton in their second game, they dropped to the loser’s
bracket and defeated South Texas Winter World champion
Old School/Elite from Houston (17-4), Walker Timber from
East Texas (18-7), TKO Softball from Tulsa, OK (17-2), Buzini/
BWW/Worth in a re-match (21-8) and NACSF, Inc./Stanley Law
from Oklahoma City (20-12) to make it all the way back to
the championship. Team DeMarini/Diamond Sports even beat
ASPNation/Easton once (24-19) to set up a winner-takes-all
“if” game, which ASP won (17-2).
Following champion ASPNation.com/Easton at 5-1 and runnerup Team DeMarini/Diamond Sports at 7-2, NACSF. Inc./
Stanley Law came in third at 3-2, and Buzini/BWW/Worth
finished fourth at 4-2. Sagnasty/Prototype Gear from Saginaw,
another 2012 Nationwide Conference USSSA team, tied for
ninth place in the 17-team bracket along with The B Team
from Euless and two others. The 1-2 finish by The B Team
had to be disappointing, considering their roster had several
Nationwide Conference USSSA players such as L.C. Watson,
Cory Large, Matt Arlett, and Steve Whaley.
Shortstop Nick Mitschke of ASPNation.com/Easton was named
Most Valuable Player, while Chris Pucci of Team DeMarini/
Diamond Sports was the Gold Glove winner. They were joined
on the All-Tournament team by Jason Trammell, Jason Allen,
Chris Lopez and Demetrius Hornesburger, of ASPNation.com/
Easton; Cody Duncan, Scott Perkins and Juan Rodriguez, of
Team DeMarini/Diamond Sports; Derrick Roland, Dusty Brown
and Oliver Odle, of NACSF/Stanley Law; and Jason Williams
and Shannon Smith, of Buzini/BWW/Worth.
Men’s D was the monster bracket in Mansfield, drawing a
mammoth 56 teams which was even more than the Men’s E
division. LA Classic/Easton/Buzini from Haughton, Louisiana
went undefeated at 7-0 to capture first place. The Shreveportarea team defeated Turmoil/Split-T from Oklahoma City
(17-14), Canes 51210 from San Antonio (16-7), Brew Crew from
Killeen (15-5), Oops Reloaded from Searcy, Arkansas (17-11)
and Focus from Ft. Worth (14-13) to advance to the finals of
the winner’s bracket, where they snuck past Cool Runnings/
Meade Servicing Group from Wylie (16-15). After losing to LA
Classic, Cool Runnings dropped to the loser’s bracket and beat
Full Draw/99 Properties from Southeast Arkansas (16-10) to get
another shot at LA Classic. But the Louisiana team won again
(17-5) to claim the crown.
NTX/Mixed/Champions: Nexxus
NTX/Mixed/Second Place: Co-Ed Connection
STX Men’s D Champions: Goons/NES
Following champion LA Classic/Easton/Buzini at 7-0, and
runnerup Cool Runnings/Meade Servicing Group at 6-2, Full
Draw/99 Properties finished third at 9-2, and Oops Reloaded
came in fourth at 6-2. Rounding out the Top 10 was Focus from
Ft. Worth and Trouble/Aw Ready from Austin, tied for fifth;
Playoffs from Seguin and Fury from Lubbock, tied for seventh;
and North Texas Takeover from Waxahachie, Urban Assault
from Austin, Vendetta/Duron Masonry from McKinney, and
Trophy Hunters from Arlington, all tied for ninth.
Chris Shaw of LA Classic/Easton/Buzini was named MVP of the
division, and Taylor Wright of Cool Runnings was the Gold
Glove winner. Others named to the All-Tournament team were
56 USSSA TODAY
STX Men’s D Second Place: Texas Hazmat
Jay Arthur, Mitch Best, Travis Harrell and Lee Wallace, of LA
Classic; Logan Collins, Daniel Jordan and Loy Petross, of Cool
Runnings; Dustin White, Nick Johnson and Randy Phillips, of
Full Draw/99 Properties; and Ronnie Brown and Mike Cates, of
Oops Reloaded.
In the 50-team Men’s E bracket, a Louisiana team also won
first place, as Happy Hour from West Monroe, Louisiana also
went undefeated. Happy Hour defeated BFC Softball from San
Angelo (12-9), Oddballers from Dawson (13-8), Bohika from
Odessa (13-8), OuttaControl/ParadiseLawn from San Antonio
((8-7) and New Era from Texarkana (18-10) to advance to the
championship game. OuttaControl/ParadiseLawn rallied to
make it back to the championship, but Happy Hour was too
much to overcome as they won the crown in an 11-1 romp.
Following champion Happy Hour at 6-0 and runnerup
OuttaControl/Paradise Lawn at 6-2, New Era finished third at
5-2, and hometown favorite Dodging Bullets from Mansfield
came in fourth at 8-2. The rest of the Top 10 included Ice Cold
from Arlington and Them Boyz from Tyler, tied for fifth; Texas
Heat from Decatur and Bohika from Odessa, tied for seventh;
and The Elite from Kilgore, Texas Connextion from Sonora,
Peter’s Elite from Longview, and D-Bat from Mansfield, all tie
for ninth.
Tyler Burdeaux of happy Hour was named MVP, and Gabriel
Ramirez of OuttaControl/ParadiseLawn was the Gold Glove
winner. Joining them on the All-Tournament team were
Blake Bosely, Aaron McCready, J.D. Lawson and Peter Smith,
of Happy Hour; James Kemp, Tyler Betts and Matt Cable, of
OuttaControl; Cory Clements, Geraelle Brewer and Chris
Briggs, of New Era; and Derek Bryant and Daniel Caudillo, of
Dodging Bullets.
STX/Men’s C/Champions: Old School/Elite
STX/Men’s C/Second Place: DC/Y&R/A&A Utility
North Texas Winter Worlds also featured an 18-team Mixed
C/D bracket. Nexxus from Moore, Oklahoma went 5-1 to claim
the championship; 2012 USSSA Mixed C West World Champion
Co-ed Connection from San Antonio finished second at 6-2;
Bad Life Decisions from Mansfield came in third at 3-2; and
Midnight Express from Tulsa, Oklahoma took fourth at 4-2.
Troy Mallory of Nexxus was the MVP, and Leslie Svoboda of Co-ed
Connection was the Gold Glove winner. Other members of the
All-Tournament team were Anthony Tarver, Kevin Peery, Ashley
Gamble and Casey Trowbridge, of Nexxus; Donte Lapointe,
Greg Jones and Luke Evans, of Co-ed Connection; Chad Stewart,
Catherie Stewart and Sara Montes, of Bad Life Decisions; and
David Diaz and Annie Martin, of Midnight Express.
STX Men’s E Champions: Team Mash
In the 11-team Women’s C/D division, Famous Freaks/Diamond
Sports from Sanger came from the loser’s bracket to doubledip KC Sker’s of Kansas City, Missouri and win first place with
a 7-1 record. KC Sker’s was runnerup at 4-2; Lady Canes II from
Cedar Hill finished third at 2-2; and Quiet Storm from Killeen
came in fourth at 3-2.
Ashley Heath of Famous Freaks/Diamond Sports was named
Most Valuable Player, while Lindsey Abbott of KC Sker’s was
the Gold Glove winners. The rest of the All-Tournament team
included Jana Melton, Joann Delarosa, Jessica Martin and
Moriah Davis, of Famous Freaks; Kristen Hansen, Brandi Brown
and Ashley Meredeith, of KC Sker’s; Aeisha Waites, Nyroko
Bryant and Tasha Tates, of Lady Canes II; and Windy Reeves
and Alicia Zamora, of Quiet Storm.
58 USSSA TODAY
STX Men’s E Second Place: DX/Sports55.com
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The Power of Giving:
“Toys For Tots” returns to Palm
Springs and Big League Dreams
by Judd Spicer
The beautiful mountains overlook Big League Dreams,
while Marilyn Monroe overlooks downtown Palm Springs.
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – With the flying
yellow spheres of leather near-mirroring the
golden orb above, idyllic conditions welcomed
back the annual USSSA “Toys For Tots” softball
tournament to the Palm Springs, Calf. Region.
Hosted by the replica fields at the nation’s
original Big League Dreams Sports Park, the
event enjoyed another smashing year of sport
meshing with philanthropy.
“I’ve really been aggressive in promoting it
across the country,” said tournament director
Dennis Rulli, now in his third year of running
the tournament. “It’s not just a charity event
with the ‘Toys For Tots’ and the Marines, it’s
also a way for these guys across the country –
the best players – to get out of the cold.”
With more than 140 teams dueling across
four divisions of play under the desert sun,
Big League Dreams general manager Pat
Queenen has enjoyed witnessing the tournament’s ascending influence.
“This is our largest adult softball tournament
of the year,” said Queenen, who added that
he receives a host of calls from local restaurateurs every year to ensure the event’s return.
“And Dennis has really done a great job with
it; before, it would be about 115 or so teams
and this year will be around 140. So he’s really
growing the event. And we’ve got an all-time
high of Men’s Open Division teams; typically
we’ll have around 10, but this year we’ve got
more of the big boys flying in for the event.
62 USSSA TODAY
Toys for Tots began with one toy(a handmade doll in 1947) and has now grown to providing 7 million children with approximately 16 million toys.
And those guys play at such a high level
it’s really fun to watch.”
And with the burgeoning number of
desert guests comes the echoed influence of further charity. With each player
required to bring a toy donation (or cash
equivalent) for the holiday season, initial
charitable numbers from the tournament appeared to crest the better than
2,500 toys and $3,000 raised in 2011.
Such numbers become more poignant
when considering that “Toys For Tots”
began with just one toy – a handmade
doll – crafted by the wife of Major
William Hendricks, USMCR, back in
1947. That year, Hendricks and his fellow
Marines began the annual giving traditional by collecting, and delivering, 5,000
donated toys to children in Los Angeles
who would have otherwise awakened
without tinsel on Christmas morn.
The year following, the Marine Corps
expanded the program to a national
scale. Today, the donations made by
softballers coming to “Toys For Tots” in
Palm Springs are part of a giving effort
that sees approximately 16 million toys
provided to 7 million children annually.
Recent USSSA Hall of
Famer, Billy Messina(left)
and Miken’s Denny Crine
are strong proponents
in the flag ceremonies
remembering 4 the Fallen
soldiers. Crine stated, “It’s
about raising awareness
for those who have been
fighting-to make sure no
one forgets what’s going on.”
“Since I enlisted, I’ve seen a lot of
different perspectives of what the
Marine Corps is about,” said Private
Dominic Redd, one of several on-site
Marines from the nearby Twentynine
Palms base volunteering time to collect
toys from tournament attendees. “Just
being able to come out here and help
other people and seeing it actually
USSSA TODAY 63
happen, and experience it and be a part of it –
I think it’s a really cool thing.”
Fellow Marine Corporal Omar Nadir collected
donations alongside Redd, adding:
“It’s my first time out here, but this is a traditional of the class of Marines that I grew up
with. All of my friends have done it – so I
want to make sure I get involved. You do this
because other Marines have done so before
you, and you know that only good can come
of it. I brought toys and put them in squadron’s box, too. I didn’t just want to be like, ‘Oh,
I’m only helping to collect the toys.’”
2012 Toys for Tots Champions- Famous Sports/Premier
Players from across the country gathered to
soak in the relaxed atmosphere (along with
some golf and casino gaming), and also to
share in the games and the goodwill.
“I did 13 years in the military, so to have the
military presence out there and the Wounded
Warriors out there, for me personally, it’s close
to my heart,” said Dustin Roberts of Nordcap/
Suncoast Reebok. “I have a lot of buddies who
have been wounded overseas. The cause to me
is better than anything; it’s a blessing to be a
part of it. I definitely go up to those Marines
and shake their hand and thank them for
everything they’re continuing to do.”
The new look Nordkap/Suncoast Reebok team placed third. Dustin Roberts, a thirteen year military
veteran, says that the December event allowed the Reebok team the ideal timing for cohesion. He also
made it a point to shake each marine’s hand in gratitude for their service.
The homerun hitting contest drew large number of participants. The warm daytime temperatures of 80+
degrees gave way to the chilly, mountain-area nights.
Easton’s Brett Helmer of B2 Sports/MAB made
his 17th trip to the tournament, saying the
opportunity to gather with peers in a loose
setting is a big part of his annual desert
traverse.
“It’s the opportunity to come out and donate
a bunch of toys for the kids and seeing the
Marine Corps,” said Helmer. “We play so
serious all year long, we get together at the
end of the year around the holidays and not
take things so seriously – it’s just refreshing,
and an all-around great time.”
Known as one of the game’s most loyal ballers
for his 20-year relationship with Resmondo,
Howie Krause, playing with Chris Walker’s
Fence Brokers/Game Time Supply, made his
eighth trip out to “Toys For Tots.”
“What’s nice about this tournament is the
relaxed atmosphere, and it’s also for a great
cause,” detailed Krause. “For me, I get to get
away from Cleveland – you won’t see too many
palm trees or mountains in Cleveland. When
I get back home it will be 35 degrees with a
chance of snow any second. So this is a great
escape in the middle of December.”
Of the giving element, Krause added:
“The ‘Toys For Tots’ is tremendous for all the
kids. You feel sorry for someone who can’t
have the Christmas that they were hoping for.
If we can help put a smile on a kids’ face come
the holidays then it’s all worth it.”
Toys for Tots tournament directors (left to right): Ralph Nolet , Dennis Rulli, Elliot Clark and Jack Lopez.
64 USSSA TODAY
Slick-fielding Easton charge Bryson “Scuba
Steve” Baker, arrived for his 10th “Toys For
experience
the perfect
serve
Sports in Lubbock is about excitement, athleticism, competition
...and service. We believe that every game is an opportunity
to show good, old-fashioned West Texas friendliness. We’d be
happy to help you ace your next sporting event.
Scott Harrison, Sports Director
lubbocksports.org 800.692.4035
Homerun contest champions left: Brian Wegman and
Isaac Gonzalez with runner-ups Jay Hill and Andy
Purcell.
To ensure solid, quality umpiring,conference umpires
travel across the country to lend a hand: (left to right)
Jason Oberlag (Arkansas), Tony Walezak (Michigan)
and Chuck “Doc” Beckwell (Michigan).
Tots” to play the weekend with Mel’s
Angles.
entrants swung Miken sticks and the
dollars added to the cache of charity.
“This is more than just another tournament to everybody. It has meaning
beyond softball,” said Baker. “This is an
event that’s talked about year-round.
You’ve got players flying in from all over
the country just to see the atmosphere.”
“It’s one of my favorite events during
the year,” Crine continued. “You
get to play with guys that you don’t
usually play with. Its great competition;
Saturday round-robin, you play your
games, loosen up, have fun. And then
Sunday you get after it and try to win
the thing. Today it’s was 82 degrees out
here, and a lot of these guys are coming
from where it’s 30 with snow.”
Along with the Wounded Warriors
team, the 4 The Fallen club was present
as further homage to our nation’s
service men and women.
“It’s about raising awareness for those
who have been fighting – to make sure
no one forgets what’s going on,” said
Denny Crine of Miken Sports, playing
the event with 4 The Fallen. “We do
flag ceremonies at each of the tournaments honoring wounded veterans or
those who have died while in action
defending our country.”
Miken sponsored this year’s Saturday
night Home Run Derby, whereupon paid
From their vantage behind the dish,
some of the top conference blues
manned the Wrigley, Fenway and
Yankee Stadium replica fields.
“We’re out here because it’s ‘Toys For
Tots.’ We love it out here and want to
make sure that the Open Division games
all get solid umpiring,” said veteran
umpire Chuck “Doc” Beckwell who,
along with fellow umpire Tony Walezak,
continued on page 68
SOFTBALL IS MY GAME
by Brett Helmer
Hey Softballers,
Well, here we go again!
The 2013 softball season is
here and the early tournaments are coming fast and
furious. If you’re like me, the
start of a new season if your
favorite part of the year. It gets
us back on the field with our
teammates and friends. Gets
our competitive juices flowing,
and gets us focused for a fun
season of ball. One season that
is underway is the 2013 USSSA
Conference events. The year
kicked off is Las Vegas with a
tremendous turnout. Next up
will be the Dual in Kissimmee.
This one will have almost every
registered conference team
playing! This is a can’t afford
to miss event as some teams
unfortunately found out last
year. The points are huge
and so are the fields. A nice
addition this year is a huge
home run derby for charity on
Wednesday night. Anytime we
can get together to raise funds
for a needy charity is a great
thing!
One of the other great
things about starting a new
66 USSSA TODAY
season is checking out the
latest greatest equipment
from your favorite company
(Easton)! LOL! Hot on the heels
of last years awesome Slowpitch bats, we have done it
again with the launch of our
Raw Power line. This line of
bats truly sets the standard for
the fine line of performance
and durability you want as a
player. We have five models
to choose from, so finding the
best fit for your swing won’t
be a problem (please see
USSSA Today bat reviews on
page 72 of this issue). Along
with your bats, you may need
to update your bag, glove,
batting gloves, etc. Please take
a look at Eastonbaseball.com
for all of our great gear and
you can either shop directly
from our website or go to your
favorite local dealer and grab
what you need for a great
2013 season.
As far as our Easton
Sponsored Teams are
concerned, we have another
great lineup for 2013. Coming
back hoping to make it a
repeat is the 2012 USSSA
Men’s Major World Champs
Pitcher Brendt Newbill (along with Justin
Mucciarelli) will handle the pitching
duties for the Rusty Bumgardner-led
GTL/Doerflinger/R&M Metals/Easton.
Laservision Easton. We have
made a couple of key additions to the roster with Kevin
Filby, Kyle Moyer, Chad Durick,
Travis Clark, Mike Umscheid,
and from the sponsor side,
Mark Meersman of Desert
Falls. We are fortunate to
have the GTL group back in
the game for 2013! Having
combined with Doerflinger
and last years A world champs
RandM Metals, and led by
one of the all-time greats
Rusty Bumgardner. This
group should be right in
the hunt for the A Worlds
and the major. These two
teams are just the tip
of the iceberg for what
promises to be another great
season for our Easton teams.
Speaking of teams, we have
had quite the shake up this off
season with player movement.
The top 6-8 A teams look really
strong and should make for
yet another great A world
Series this year. The conference
continues to get stronger and
the talent pool deeper each
and every year. I can’t wait for
the season to really get going
so we can see what teams will
separate themselves from the
pack as the season winds on.
Until next time, stay healthy
and have fun! See you at the
yard.
Brett
inTRodUcinG
RAw PoweR
The new line of RAw PoweR Slow-PiTch
bATS hAve ARRived AT eASTon.com/Slow-PiTch
amazing. We had a great time and we
accomplished exactly what we needed
to. We didn’t win it, but that part will
come later.”
continued from page 66
escaped the cold of Detroit. “And
crowd-wise, this is one of the premier
events. You’re looking at nearly 150
teams – that’s huge. There are maybe 10
of this size around the country with this
type of participation.”
“With the conference guys, they’re here
to have fun, too. It’s not like a job, so to
speak,” added Walezak. “ And we like
to help the local guys out. To give them
some pointers on umpiring if they want
to advance in the conference. I tell them
to be consistent on strike zone and to
be vocal on everything.”
Such a sentiment was echoed by umpire
Jason Oberlag:
“The conference level isn’t for everybody, for sure. But there are some guys
out here who are capable of stepping
up and doing more.”
Reigning in the top title in the Open
Division this season was Aaron Ingram’s
Rounding out the hardware ceremonies
were SoCal WD Express, who won the
Men’s D Division, while Straight Deadly
claimed the Men’s E title and GDB’s took
the Mixed (Co-Ed) Championship.
Longtime Sod Boy, Howie Krause enjoys helping out
a good cause and escaping the brutal Cleveland,OH
winter.
Famous Sports/Premier, which edged
the Brett Helmer-led B2 Sports/MAB for
the crown. Claiming bronze was Dustin
Roberts and his Nordcap/Suncoast
Reebok charges. Roberts said the
December event allowed his team the
ideal timing for cohesion.
“As a new team – especially at the
upper level – you kinda wonder how
all the personalities are going to fit
with one another and how the guys are
gonna mesh,” said Roberts. “But it was
Yet no trophy shone as bright as the
truckloads of gifts collected by the
Marines. Assuming the collective stance
of those playing, and serving around
him, Private Redd surmised the event’s
identity by offering:
“For me, I put myself in the kids’ position and imagine myself receiving a
gift from somebody who defends my
country. That would mean the world
to me and I’d probably keep that gift
forever. Being able to see that Marines
aren’t just here to fight – but also that
the Marines are also here to support us.
We protect. We defend. That’s what we
do.”
Softball Insight
with Miken’s Isenhower
Season is finally here.... This is the most
excited I’ve been about a season in a
long time.. Our team looks awesome,
the competition looks tough and I’ll be
swinging the best bat on the market.. Its
the return of the Psycho... When Miken
approached me about my new signature bat and wanted to do the Psycho
with my name on it I was absolutely
pumped.... The idea was to bring back
the original Psycho and give the people
what they want... Well, they went above
and beyond the original... The look is
awesome and the performance, in my
opinion, is better out of the wrapper
than any bat I’ve ever swung...
This fall one of my long
time friends and the
original Psycho passed
away….. His name was
Ryan Robbins…. When
this happened, I took
Ryan Robbins
an emotional connection to this bat, like I never thought
would happen…. We came up with the
idea to put Ryan’s number 16 on the
bat right above my number 2 and my
68 USSSA TODAY
signature…. When I saw this for the first
time I got chills…. Ryno was a long time
teammate and roommate of mine on
some of my former teams. To be able to
do a tribute to such a good friend and
teammate really meant a lot to me…
Then to see the expression on his wife
and daughters’ faces when they saw the
bat made it all worth the while...
Now for the performance… Besides the
look of the bat being sick, the performance is what makes this bat.. As I’ve
always said in the past, new bats scare
me.. Especially when your expected to
hit it for the season without basically
having a choice… Well after hitting this
stick for a few tournaments and exhibition events, this would definitely be
my choice of bat anyway.. I had to do
a hitting exhibition the first week I got
this bat at a junior college close to my
home in Kansas. When I was talking with
the coach at this college, he mentioned
that there was a building that stood
470 away from home plate and that
he’s never seen hit and was hoping that
I could reach it... I jokingly said that it
won’t be a problem at all to get with
this new bat I had.This made both of us
laugh a little cause we both knew the
chance of me hitting one 470 ft with
a bat with only about 20 swings on it
was not probably going to happen..
Well long story short, on my 8th swing
I hit one right off the middle of this
building.. I had to actually stop hitting
and wave to everyone cause its never
happened. (See USSSA Today bat review
on the Psycho on page 73 this issue).
I’m not saying this bat is going to
make everyone be able to play
for Resmondo, but I promise
everyone that they will
have better results
than they’ve
ever had with
any other
bat.... This is the reason
for me being as excited as I’ve
ever been about a season in a long
time...
See everyone at the yard...
Izzy
®
RETURN OF
THE PSYCHO
USSSA 1.20 CERTIFIED,
tm
NSA, ISA
Psycho
supermax
JEREMY ISENHOWER SIGNATURE SUPERMAX MODEL
WWW.MIKENSPORTS.COM
Hello
Softball Diehards!
by Dennis Turner
Another softball season is under way and I’m
sure you are anxious to purchase the new line of Z2000 bats.
As you know, we ran into a little speed bump in the off-season,
but we are up and running and back to making the high
performing bats that you have come to love in the Z2000’s.
With the re-issue USSSA/NSA models (shown below) and new
ASA models, we here at Louisville Slugger feel that we are
making a huge impact in the slow-pitch world when it comes
to bats. We are committed to being a top player in the slowpitch industry and are already working towards next season.
You may have heard rumblings about the addition of the
Z3000 to the line and yes, it’s true. We have been testing these
new Z3000’s and what can I say, “They are off the charts!” I
cannot believe they are even going to be legal, but they are,
and I have had all types of players hitting them, and they are
performing as good if not better than the Z2000’s. The Z2000’s,
even though being a 2-piece bat swing very similar to that of a
1-piece but with a better and more forgiving feel.
The Z3000’s (USSSA/NSA & ASA models), as you can see below,
will have the similar camo graphics but with more of a look
that will stand out at the ballyard. These Z3000’s which are
slated to launch later this fall have tremendous performance
and durability. What I have found in testing these Z3000’s is
that you really do not have to kill it and if you take a nice fluid,
and smooth swing, the ball will keep spinning and provide
you with more distance. We are continuing to test these in
the field and so far, so good which is exciting to see. In addition to the new look we created a revolutionary new transition
technology named TRU3 –to strengthen the link between the
barrel and the handle to give it more of a trampoline spring
and dramatically reduce vibration on contact and all of the
energy is being transferred through the ball and not into
your hands giving it a great feel upon contact. The straighter,
thicker rubber ring results in a bat that’s not only sturdier, but
feels better with every swing. Don’t these look good!
In Nationwide Conference USSSA play this season, our top
Major team, Shoppe/TYJA/Hang Rite/ LOUISVILLE SLUGGER
will start the season with a pre-season #4 ranking amongst the
other top Major teams in the Conference. Shoppe added top
players, such as Brett McCollum, Neil Haglund, Victor Cordova,
Casey Rogowski, Andy Vitcak, Jonathan Lenz and David Kessler
to combine with veterans Tim Cocco, Robert Blackburn, Lee
Powers, Kyle Cowart, Chente Granados, Eric Thompson, and
Shane “Cheese” Spicer. We also have a handful of other top
teams that will compete for numerous titles and NIT’s and we
feel that our line-up of teams will compete with anyone on
this stage. In addition to Shoppe, we bring back Reds/Astros,
pre-season #8, which improved themselves by adding a few
key players to add to their strong core of hard-nosed players
from the Midwest. In addition to these 2 top teams, Louisville
Slugger brings back 3rd St. Financial, pre-season #16, led by
Robert Mahaffey and a host of key veterans. Baugh Ford (#19)
from the southeast will work towards the “A” title with a
group of chemistry driven players that will do some damage
throughout the season. Newcomers to the program that will
compete in Nationwide Conference USSSA play will be Vivid
Software (#30) out of Texas, Elk & Elk (#36) out of the Ohio
Valley, Team Adiktiv (#25) out of the southeast, and Nightmare
(#34) from the Midwest. Louisville Slugger has a strong line-up
this year and we are looking to #LEAVEYOURMARK throughout
the season with tournament victories.
Here at Louisville Slugger we are committed to getting back to
where we were in the 90’s by offering best in class slow-pitch
products in addition to the top of the line bats. We are focused
on getting you, the Slugger loyalist everything you need to
represent on the field. It is going to take some time, but I guarantee you will be seeing us in a new light in 2-3 years down
the road. Equipment bags, slow-pitch specific fielder’s gloves
and batting gloves are just a few of the initiatives that we are
going through to re-brand Louisville Slugger as the top slowpitch manufacturer in the game.
Until next time stay focused and play hard.
70 USSSA TODAY
DT
What
Will
You
Swing
in
2013?
The official ball supplier of
USSSA Today Bat Reviews
By Michael Cisneros
Photos by Brianne Marie Cisneros
The USSSA bat standards
changed for 2013 and bat
manufacturers have stepped up
to the plate to offer the best
bats allowed by the new USSSA
performance testing. As bat
makers get closer to building
the best-performing bats
allowed by law (OK, allowed by
the rules), the focus is moving
toward personalization with the
largest range of weights, loads,
barrel lengths, materials and
even graphics this generation
of players has ever seen. Now
more than ever the question is
not “who makes the best bat”
but “what is the best bat for
the type of hitter I am?” On the
following pages are some new
offerings from Easton, Miken,
Mizuno, Reebok, and Worth that
just might answer that question
for you …
USSSA TODAY 71
L 1.0 Brett Helmer
L 2.0 Brian Wegman
Raw Power is the new name in Easton
softball as the Raw Power arsenal of
bats replaces the 10-year-old Synergy
and 7-year-old Stealth lines of bats.
Replacing such popular nameplates
is a bold move, but Easton is doing it
by focusing on the individual player
and giving each hitter exactly what he
needs. Raw Power takes everything
Easton has learned over the last 10 years
of composite technology and uses it in
each bat then offers different options to
fit different talent levels. Easton’s IMX
Composite Technology is a process of
synchronizing the materials, design, and
assembly to get the most performance
possible out of each. The advanced
composite barrel is tuned for distance
and durability during ball impact while
the black carbon handle is designed for
flexibility and strength; how they are
merged in each bat is determined by
the model – the 1.0 models are twopiece bats with the separate barrel and
handles permanently bonded together
by a patented ConneXion elastomer
piece. This piece stores and releases
energy to the ball resulting in greater
average performance with no vibration;
the 2.0 models are one piece bats but
still combine the two different composites through a Single System composite
design which allows for all the benefits
of specialized carbons doing separate
jobs while allowing the batter to experience all the touch and feedback that
top hitters demand. Raw Power bats
are available in 13.5-inch barrels for the
average hitter and 12-inch barrel for
the expert hitter – while the barrels are
both of the same material, the difference in length means different sweet
spots, hitting surfaces, and overall
performance. The B-Series of Raw Power
bats are balance weighted; the L-Series
are end-loaded up to two ounces –the
different weight distributions make
each bat feel, swing, and perform a
little differently allowing the hitter to
find the bat best suited to his swing.
Easton tries to cover the needs of all
72 USSSA TODAY
B 1.0
B 2.0
players so they offer a mix of barrel
lengths and weighting choices. “The
bats are all made from the same
composite so the only real difference is
barrel length and end load or balance,”
Easton’s Brett Helmer told USSSA Today
Magazine.
The idea of Raw Power is regardless
of what iteration works best for each
hitter, Easton offers the best bat they
make in that exact design. We hit all four
USSSA bats and, as expected, different
types of hitters liked different models
best: the easiest to hit was probably the
B 2.0 because of the long barrel, the
true swing weight, and the stiff handle.
Though it is not known as a Synergy
anymore, it feels familiar and performs
the way you expect any Synergy would
and is a good bat for line drives and home
runs; the B 1.0 has the same barrel but
is the two-piece version formerly known
as the Stealth. Performance is similar to
the B 2.0 with the CXN piece bonding
the barrel and stiff handle together –
an advantage for players like me with
slow hands because it exaggerates the
flex during the swing, in effect speeding
the barrel up through the hitting zone.
If you can hit the B 2.0, you can hit the B
1.0 and might even find yourself getting
a few more feet out of each drive. The
L 1.0 and L 2.0 are Easton’s professional
models and really are designed for the
above average player, with heavy end
loads and small barrels. The idea here is
to put the weight on the end to move
the sweet spot to where the bat speed
is the greatest for the most possible
distance. These bats are meant to hit
the ball hard. The L 1.0 is the two-piece
Brett Helmer model, a design he says he
fell in love with 3 years ago for its feel
and performance. The CXN construction
does enhance your swing speed but the
one ounce end load and 12-inch barrel
rewards smooth, solid, and consistent
contact while being less forgiving on
miss-hits and poor technique; the L
2.0 Brian Wegman model is even more
specialized as a one-piece with 12-inch
barrel and a whopping two ounces set
into the end. The benefits are obvious
if you are strong enough to swing it,
but if you are not then you need to be
honest with yourself and use a different
model – which is the same bat but with
a design more suited to you. After all,
that’s the idea behind Raw Power.
L 1.0 Brett Helmer
Brett
Helmer
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Brett Helmer Professional Mode
ConneXion two-piece technology
IMX Composite Technology
CNT Advance Composite Barrel
SIC Black Carbon Handle
12-inch barrel
Thin gauze tape grip
1 oz. End Load
L 2.0 Brian Wegman
Brian
Wegman
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Brian Wegman Professional Mode
Single System composite design
IMX Composite Technology
CNT Advance Composite Barrel
SIC Black Carbon Handle
12-inch barrel
Thin gauze tape grip
2 oz. End Load
B 1.0
n ConneXion two-piece technology
n IMX Composite Technology
n CNT Advance Composite Barrel
n SIC Black Carbon Handle
n 13.5-inch barrel
n Thin gauze tape grip
nBalanced
B 2.0
n Single System composite design
n IMX Composite Technology
n CNT Advance Composite Barrel
n SIC Black Carbon Handle
n 13.5-inch barrel
n Thin gauze tape grip
nBalanced
Psycho Supermax
Rev-Ex
Psycho Supermax Jeremy
Isenhower
The Psycho Supermax Jeremy Isenhower
was created in the fashion of previous
Psychos, by taking the design of the
beloved bats of the past – in this case
the Recoil and NXT – and applying the
most recent materials and technologies
to it. The one-piece composite Psycho
has a familiar shape, a familiar feel,
and a familiar sound. It features 750X
HPI Technology – a proprietary process
that injects an ultra-tough epoxy into
the highest grade carbon and aramid
fibers available at a steady 750 pounds
per square inch – where extreme pressure and premium materials combine
to create a new durable, high-performance shell. 100 Comp Formula means
Miken uses 100% premium aerospace
grade fibers only for consistent performance and durability; 100 Comp was
the revolutionary formula that allowed
Miken to introduce high-performance,
100% composite bats to the marketplace. It has the same 14.5-inch barrel
the NXT and Recoil models did with a
thin handle and cushioned synthetic
grip. The Supermax end load moves
the sweet spot further toward the end
of the barrel where it will do a power
hitter the most good.
“The biggest difference for me is the
Supermax end load. It gives me better
whip through the ball and allows me
to stay on the ball better through the
swing,” said Isenhower, the Resmondo
and Team USA player whose name is on
the Psycho. “It is a very familiar design
but with the Supermax end load I get
much better distance out of the bat.”
The Psycho is ready to go right out of
the wrapper: within the first 5 swings
balls hit with it were leaving the yard. It
sounds powerful and will fill the hitter
with confidence before he has hit a
handful of pitches; the combination of
materials, shape, and weighting make
for a satisfying swing and - more often
than not - a desirable result. “There is
hardly any break-in at all with this bat,”
said Isenhower. “I played this weekend
in Cincinnati and it was the first week I
got to play a tournament with it. It was
insane – the control was there and the
distance too. It is my favorite bat ever
right out of the wrapper and I’m not
just saying that because my name is on
it, I’m saying it because it’s true. I’m very,
very pleased with this bat.”
Not only does the Psycho have
Isenhower’s name on it, it has a bit of
his style and a subtle, deeply personal
touch. “My approach is a bit different
than many of the other Miken players,
maybe a bit wilder, and this bat seems to
fit my personality,” said Isenhower. The
2013-14 model features Jeremy’s team
colors (Resmondo), signature, and his
#2 uniform number. It also has the #16
uniform number of Isenhower’s friend
and former softball teammate/roommate Ryan Robbins who passed unexpectedly late last year. “Ryan was a very
good friend of mine and his nickname
was Psycho. It was my and Lisa’s (Miken
Head of Promotions Lisa Bahnuv) idea
– well, mostly hers, and it turned out
great.”
Psycho Supermax
n
n
n
n
n
Jeremy Isenhower
750X HPI Technology
100 Comp
14.5-inch barrel
Synthetic cushioned grip
Supermax 1 oz End Load
Rev-Ex Maxload and Balanced
The all-new Rev-Ex features 750X HPI
Technology – a proprietary process
that injects an ultra-tough epoxy into
highest grade carbon fibers and aramid
fibers at 750 pounds per square inch –
where extreme pressure and premium
materials combine to create a new
durable, high-performance shell. 100
Comp Formula means Miken uses 100%
premium aerospace grade fibers only
for consistent performance and durability. The Rev-Ex has the longest barrel
in softball which means it has the most
usable hitting surface. It is available
with a Maxload end load to improve
swing speed for the power hitter or in
Balanced for more control for a consistent swing plane for the contact hitter.
The Rev-Ex mirrors the design and
performance of top-of-the-line Mikens
but at a lower price point; it makes a
very different sound than the Psycho
but has remarkably similar performance.
“Like the Psycho, the Rex-Ev performs
right out of the wrapper – the results
were there right from the get-go,”
said Isenhower. “At the tournament in
Fayetteville I was talking to (USA teammate) Kevin Filby and he was giving the
Rev-Ex nothing but praise. He loves it
– he will probably swing it this season
until he gets a signature bat of his own.”
We hit the Rev-Ex immediately after
hitting the Pyscho and the first thing
we noticed was the difference in the
weighting; the Maxload and Balanced
Rex-Ex were much lighter just sitting in
your hands. The second thing was the
sound; it doesn’t have the same crack, but
more of a muffled thump. But the third
thing was the most important - that the
difference in performance was minimal.
Both versions of the Rev-Ex have plenty
of pop and seem pretty live all through
the long barrel. “In Fayetteville a lot of
the guys didn’t swing my bat, they didn’t
like the extra end load. But they liked
the Rev-Ex. It reminds me most of the
Orange Recoil with the Maxload, which
was my favorite bat until they came out
with the Supermax load.”
Rev-Ex Maxload
n One Piece Fully Composite
Construction
n 750X HPI Technology
n 100 Comp Formula
n 14.5-inch barrel
n Synthetic cushioned grip
n Maxload .5 oz End Load
Rev-Ex
n One Piece Fully Composite
Construction
n 750X HPI Technology
n 100 Comp
n 14.5-inch barrel
nBalanced
USSSA TODAY 73
Blackout Balanced
Blackout Balanced
The 2013 Blackout was an answer from
Mizuno for players who asked the
company to make a high-performance,
end-loaded bat. It was well received but
it didn’t keep the softball public satisfied
for long. “Over the last five years Mizuno
has traditionally offered balanced bats
and players began telling us that we
needed to offer and end-load,” said
Mizuno USA’s Chad Robertson. “We
came out with the Blackout and the
immediate response was ‘this is great;
where is the balanced version?”
The 2014 Blackout is that balanced
version. It is made similarly to the original
Blackout with Black Array Carbon which
has 5% more glass fiber and 5% more
resin than previous Mizuno composites; it is sold as a “No Warranty” bat to
keep the price down but also because its
improved durability allows the company
to do so. The added glass gives the
Blackout a sharp sound and improved
performance. The barrel is created by an
Enhanced Cylinder Seaming technique
which uses precise machine wrapping
of the carbon layers with exact pressure
for consistent quality. It has a 13-inch
barrel and a small knob which allows
for a more comfortable off-handle grip
like those preferred by power hitters.
Unlike the original Blackout which came
in .5-ounce weights, the new Blackout
comes in full-ounce weights.
“We took the extra weight out of the
end. We will continue to offer the original Blackout while adding a balanced
version,” said Robertson.
The new Blackout won’t be available
until May, so we did not get a chance to
hit it. We did hit the original Blackout
and it received high marks for performance and durability. The new Blackout
should perform similarly as its construction is nearly identical, but feel lighter
and allow for more control for the spray
hitter. “We had some guys from our
sponsored team, TaylorMade, hitting
it,” said Robertson. “Some of them
continued to hit the Craze last year
because they didn’t want to switch to
end loaded. We got their blessing on
this design before deciding to go ahead
with it … the TaylorMade/TM Sports/
Mizuno guys are just great ambassadors
of the brand; really good players and
really good guys. They will be using this
bat in the Spring.”
Like the original Blackout, the new
balanced version will be sold as a
no-warranty bat at about half the price
of top-of-the-line warranty bats. “It
has the same look with a color-scheme
change but the basic design is the
same,” said Robertson. “The Black Array
Carbon has been a big addition to our
lineup – not only does it perform well,
but it lasts.”
Blackout Balanced
n 100% composite one-piece
construction
n Black Array Carbon
n Upgraded glass fiber
n Enhanced Cylinder Seaming
TaylorMade/TM n Coiled end cap
Sports/Mizuno
has been a great n Digi-Grip wrap for improved
feel
ambassador
for the Mizuno
nBalanced
brand.
Barrage
Barrage
The Barrage is the first two-piece bat made
by Reebok. Anything else you may have
heard about this bat so far is probably
just a rumor. That’s because the Barrage is
currently available only through Suncoast
Sports and is scheduled to start shipping
in April and hitting the fields in May. The
composite is made by CCM, the leading
maker of hockey sticks worldwide; the
barrel’s walls are held together by a
patented rubber glue which will allow
the bat to continue to perform even if it
breaks on one side. The barrel and handle
are bound together with Dual Response
Technology; a vibration reduction system
74 USSSA TODAY
that is new for the 2013-14 season. The
DRT-1 design offers explosive power
by combining optimal barrel flex with
handle stiffness. The look, the sound, the
feel and the performance of the Barrage
is different from anything Reebok has
offered in a bat before because it was
redesigned from the ground up by
Reebok Research and Development and
Suncoast softball players.
in the world – it’s not even close.” The
material is pliable and is responsive in
the barrel while being stiff in the handle.
The whole thing is held together with
Dual Response Technology, a rubberized vibration reduction system that
allows the stiff handle to deliver extra
power off the barrel. A system, points
out Trotter, that mimics his star player’s
initials and number – DRT-1.
“We designed this bat with Reebok’s
R&D guys; Dustin Roberts, who is #1 on
the team, had a lot of say in what we
did,” said Suncoast Sports’ Lee Trotter.
Reebok started with a proven product
– composite from CCM. “It’s an advantage we have that we don’t have to test
different composites. CCM is the number
one maker of composite hockey sticks
The odd thing about this two-piece bat
is that it really feels like a one-piece; it
does not feel loose or too flexible. The
handle is stiff enough that the bat head
is always where your hands think it is, you
don’t have the drag early in the swing
or the dramatic flex after the swing that
keeps many power hitters away from
two-piece bats. The ball comes off the
2013 BARRAGE LEGEnd SEniOR SLOw PiTch BAT
ZiG cOOPERSTOwn QUAG
whEELEd ELiTE LOckER BAG
For more information on team pricing please contact [email protected]
© 2013 Reebok International. All Rights Reserved. Reebok is a registered trademark of Reebok.
2013 BARRAGE USSSA SLOw PiTch BAT
SOFTBALL 2013
barrel well and seems to go farther the
more you swing it, though I’m not sure
if that is due to the composite breaking
in or simply the hitter getting used to
where the sweet spot is on the barrel.
It sounds solid, not as glassy as Reebok
bats of the past.
“If you’ve swung a Reebok bat in the
past five years, this is going to be totally
different,” said Trotter. “We tested
many different designs, both one-piece
and two-piece bats, and this Barrage
was the players’ choice.”
Reebok Barrage
n CCM Opti-Composite Design
n Dual Response Technology
Reebok’s
Dustin
Roberts
n DRT-1 Vibration Reduction
System
n 13-inch Barrel
454 Reload Jeff Hall
454 Balanced
454 Balanced and Reload
Worth already has one of the most
popular lines of bats with the 454 Series.
But don’t expect them to be satisfied with everything they have done
up to now. “One of Worth’s long-time
core mottos is ‘Performance through
Technology’ and we take that seriously.
We are never going to stop trying to
make a better bat,” said Worth Sports’
Mike Cornell.
The proof can be seen in the 2014
versions of the 454 Balanced and Jeff
Hall Reload. Worth has added HMF
to its 454 Technology. HMF – High
Modulus Fiber – Technology uses fibers
with a smaller diameter which allows
a greater number of individual fibers
to be woven together in the same
amount of space, resulting in amplified
strength for greater performance and
improved durability. 454 Technology
is a proprietary design of composite
materials arranged in a four-layer/
five layer/four layer pattern down the
length of the barrel in such a way that
the natural sweet spot of the barrel has
been extended an additional two inches
toward each end of the bat. Worth uses
a proprietary combination of carbon,
graphite, glass and aramid fibers in a
design that begins with a Performance
Inner Core where multiple layers are
cured with high heat. A Rapid Air
Vacuum Process is used where pressurized molds hold the layers in place while
air is quickly removed from the fibers;
simultaneously the Epoxy Induction
76 USSSA TODAY
Mayhem BJ Fulk
Process infuses the fiber with epoxy
under constant heat and pressure. The
RAV and EIP processes eliminate air
pockets and other impurities and result
in consistent performance and durability.
“I think the feedback this year has been
more favorable than last year, especially
regarding how good it is right out of
the wrapper,” said Cornell. “Of course,
I’ve always found in softball that if you
ask 10 different people something you
are going to get 10 different answers
too.” That is why the 454 Series offers
choices: the Balanced swings true to
weight and allows for an ease of control
for hitting the ball to all fields while
packing enough pop to reach the seats
when you need to; the Jeff Hall Reload
uses an end load with an extra .5 ounce
added to give the hitter a faster swing
important for power hitting. “It’s a
choice based on how strong a hitter is.
A stronger guy is more likely to prefer
the end load while a guy not as big or
strong will usually choose the balanced.
It’s a question of weighting.”
The Balanced has a huge, responsive
hitting surface. The performance is
pretty consistent up and down the
barrel. There were no surprises while
hitting this bat, which tells you two
things – that it lived up to the reputation established by its earlier version,
and that high expectations did not
diminish its actual performance in the
least. Plus it even looks better than
previous versions. “That yellow on black
always looks good,” agreed Cornell.
The Jeff Hall Reload, which entered
the Worth Mayhem lineup in 2007 but
has not been available for the past two
seasons, has returned as part of the
454 series with a ton of momentum. It
is already a part of many a tournament
player’s bat bag due to its ease of swing,
solid sound, and consistent pop. It was
one of the first bats my guys wanted to
try and the compliments simply flowed
after each round. And the graphics and
colors may be the best ever. “As far as
the design … Jeff Hall really likes pink
and black. You’ve got to change things
up every once in a while. Sometimes
change is nice.”
454 Reload Jeff Hall
construction
n 454 Technology
n Performance Inner Core
n Rapid Air Vacuum Process
Jeff Hall
n Resmondo Loading
(Resmondo model)
n Soft Touch Grip
454 Balanced
n 100% composite one-piece construction
n 454 Technology
n 14-inch barrel
n Soft Touch Grip
nBalanced
Mayhem BJ Fulk
The Mayhem BJ Fulk is no longer Worth’s
top-of-the-line slow pitch offering, but
it remains among its most popular. It is
the last surviving Mayhem model and is
still designed the way Mayhems were
in the past. It features ACT technology
- an exclusive blend of carbon, graphite
and aramid fibers; aramid being more
commonly known by the brand name
Kevlar. The 100% composite, onepiece bat features a Performance Inner
Core – two layers of composite fibers
assembled with braided layers of other
composite materials between them. It is
assembled by using the same Rapid Air
78 USSSA TODAY
Vacuum Process and Epoxy Induction
Process as the 454 series. Technologically
advanced manufacturing processes and
Worth’s high elongation epoxy system
ensure the highest quality, The barrel
features 5.4L design – the precursor to
454 – which helps elongate the sweet
spot. The 2013-14 BJ Fulk Mayhem is
balanced weighted for superior bat
control.
“Although I think one thing that keeps
the Mayhem popular is also its price,”
said Cornell. “Under $200 is a good
price point for rec or league players who
maybe only play once or twice a week
and maybe an occasional tournament,
and this is a really good bat. It is still
popular with all level of players”
The Mayhem may not be the newest
design or feature the most recent
technologies, but it is still a very good
performer. It is easy to use with its
long barrel, extended sweet spot, and
balanced weighting. It is designed for
maximum bat control, consistent barrel
performance and the durability to last
the tournament season. It is a good
line drive bat and a good power bat
depending on how you swing. It has
the Mayhem mystique behind it and an
aggressive paint job on it.
“It is a little different,” admitted Cornell.
“Also depending on the balls you are
going to use … if you are using the
new low compression balls like the
52COR/300 Compression, you will find
that the Mayhem works pretty well on
those softer balls.”
Mayhem BJ Fulk
construction
n Soft Touch Grip
nBalanced
BJ Fulk
USSSA Slow Pitch Softball Invitational
4-6 October 2013
Divisions of Play: Men’s B/C, Men’s D, Men’s E
Women’s C, Women’s D/E
Entry Fee: $325.00
Information: Bert Frederick 575-647-3034 or email [email protected]
Home Run Hitting Contest: Men’s: 5 October, 7-9pm, Harty Park, Women’s 9-11pm, format change: (longest
ball hit) $15.00 Entry Fee, Provide your own Pitcher, 5 Pitches, Winner = New Bat & Pitcher = New Glove.
Format = Single Elimination. Entry Deadline: 4 October, 6pm Harty/Maag Park or first 32 entries. (May enter
at Team Check-In, 1-4pm, 4 October, Harty Park)

to - USSSA - United States Specialty Sports Association

Transcription

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