Softball Today Magazine

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

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MIZUNO INTRODUCES NEW AND IMPROVED EXPLOSIVE FRENZY 2™ SLOW PITCH BATS

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Norcross, GA (March 18, 2009) – Mizuno, one of the leading slow pitch bat manufacturers in the world, is scheduled to launch the new and improved Frenzy 2™ Slow Pitch Bat Series next month.

The Frenzy 2™ is an upgraded version of the highly successful Frenzy™, and offers an increased sweet spot and more durability than any previous Mizuno slow pitch bat. The Mizuno Frenzy 2™ slow pitch bat is available in both ASA and USSSA models.

The Frenzy 2™ bats are uniquely made with Black Onyx Carbon™, a state of the art carbon fiber. This carbon fiber is made in Japan, and is the same material used in the Boeing ‘Dreamliner’ 787 jets. Black Onyx Carbon™ provides maximum distance, ultimate control, and superior durability. The Frenzy 2™ is made from stronger materials for more consistent wall thickness for the most durable Mizuno bat ever.

Frenzy 2™ ASA Slow pitch bats utilize Mizuno’s Techfire Technology®, which is a unique threetiered layer of materials that maximizes performance through an enlarged sweet spot area. The outer layer consists of Black Onyx Carbon™, with the middle layer comprised of a carbon fiber piping, and the inner most layer made of a carbon glass piping. These tri-axial composites increase the sweet

spot of the Frenzy 2™ ASA, resulting in stronger and more desired performance.

The Frenzy 2™ USSSA approved bats are referred to as the Frenzy 2™ Xtreme. The Frenzy 2™ Xtreme bats are made with Mizuno’s revolutionary AX4 Technology™, a unique composite construction that fuses four layers of materials, an outer carbon wall, two middle layers of carbon piping, and an inner carbon wall. Mizuno was the first bat manufacturer to use this revolutionary double pipe construction on the inside of the bat. The AX4 Technology™ in the Frenzy 2™ increases the performance and the sweet spot area of the bat, producing better results.

All Frenzy 2™ ASA and Xtreme bats are tested for quality control prior to becoming available for purchase.

Using X-ray scanning technology, Mizuno inspects each Frenzy 2™ bat for cracks, wrinkles, and- pipe separations in the carbon “flags” to ensure the quality and durability of the bats, along with the desired performance.

“The Frenzy 2 bat line offers the most advanced slow pitch bats ever produced and they will quickly become the bat of choice for any player at any level looking for maximum distance, superior feel and ultimate performance, in a great looking bat,” said Dick Grapenthin, Vice President and General Manager of Diamond Sports, Mizuno USA. “The Frenzy 2 is upgraded from the barrel to the handle from the popular and successful Frenzy. We are confident that this new bat will be another top seller for Mizuno.”

“The Frenzy 2 has great feel, and even better distance from the original Frenzy. Our club is excited to make the switch to the Frenzy 2. We don’t think our opposition is too thrilled about it though.”

Brian Floyd-1B for the TaylorMade/Mizuno Slow pitch Team

All Frenzy 2™ ASA and Xtreme slow pitch bats are 34 inches in length, and are available in four different weights (26oz., 27oz., 28oz., and 29oz.). The Frenzy 2™ ASA is blue and white, and the Frenzy 2™ Xtreme is red, grey, and white.

The Frenzy 2™ collection of bats join the Frenzy, Wrath, Wrath 2, Techfire Envy, Techfire Crush, Techfire Crush 2, Techfire Rage, and the Finch Signature Series giving Mizuno its most powerful arsenal of softball bats ever. The Frenzy 2™ ASA and Frenzy 2™ Xtreme model bats will be available on April 15th, 2009. The suggested retail price for the bats is $249.99.

Mizuno USA, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mizuno Corporation, one of the largest specialty sporting goods manufacturers in the world. Mizuno USA, Inc. manufacturers and distributes golf, baseball, softball, running, track & field, and volleyball equipment, apparel, and footwear for North America. Mizuno USA, Inc. is based in Norcross, Georgia.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

“Our team used the original Mizuno Frenzy and had tremendous success with it. We started to swing the new Frenzy 2, and were impressed with the increased performance of the bat. This is one fantastic bat.”

Scotty O’Neil-Coach of the TaylorMade/Mizuno Slow pitch Team

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The Buzz about the Mizuno Frenzy 2™:

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Softball Today • JUNE 2009

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EASTON SPORTS LAUNCHES 2010 BAT LINE

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Easton’s new Clarity bat line, which includes a two-piece Stealth model and a single-piece Synergy style, is the latest innovation from the Easton Research and Development team to hit the fast-pitch field. For slow-pitch athletes, Easton offers its new 2010 slow-pitch bat line headlined by its new Tri-Zone bat series offered in the same Stealth and Synergy models.

The Stealth models in both the Clarity and TriZone line feature Easton’s patented ConneXion Design System (CXN), creating a true twopiece design by isolating the handle from the barrel to eliminate vibration with an elastomeric rubber cushion between the two.

Additionally, Easton’s focused flex handle optimizes the bat’s ‘kick point’ below the CXN joint to maximize whip through the zone and maintain the efficient transfer of energy.

The Clarity bat line promises to make the future of composite bats clear-literally-by utilizing Easton’s patented Visual Composite Technology (VCT). The Synergy Clarity bat features a composite construction which includes a clear composite glass outer diameter that allows both players and officials to see the bat’s design lay-up. This visual technology is made possible by Easton’s Strained Energy Optimization patent.

The benefit of VCT is that it allows Easton to design high-performance bats that protect the integrity of the game. When the design of the Synergy Clarity is compromised, the outer diameter of the bat will show delamination markings.

Delaminations are breakdowns in the epoxy resin system that hold composite structure together. A delamination greater than 1” in any direction deems a bat illegal for play - as it signifies that the bat’s performance level exceeds association performance standards of 98 MPH. Bats without delaminations are legal for play and will provide great Synergy performance players have known for years.

By manipulating the design along the length of the barrel and segmenting the bat inch by inch, Easton’s Tri-Zone Segmented Barrel Technology localizes the design of the bat from the taper to the end cap to increase flexibility and greatly enhance the hitting area of the bat.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

The Tri-Zone line offer slow-pitch players a signature bat designed to increase flexibility along the entire length of the barrel, taking performance to a whole new level. The Synergy Tri-Zone and Stealth Tri-Zone both offer a 13.5-inch barrel. The line also includes a Brett Helmer signature series edition, which features a 12inch barrel end-loaded for more power.

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Both Clarity models continue Easton’s technologically driven focus by including many features that made its Synergy lines so popular. An extended hitting area with patented Extended Flex design lengthens the hitting area along the entire barrel by increasing barrel flext toward the contour and end cap.

Superior design and construction, optimal swing weights to maximize bat speed through the hitting zone and Easton’s patented Vibration Reduction System (VRS) that gives hitter’s unmatched comfort at the plate also give batters an edge while meeting all 2008 ASA, USSSA, NSA, ISA, SSUSA and ISF regulations.

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Goal: To get to 21! For a point to count, an “out” must be made. There are no base runners, so the play must be made free of errors to earn a point. To be successful, they must communicate as a team and give great effort on each play to make the drill as game-like as possible.

The drill is called 21 because you need to get 21 outs in a seven inning game. This has become a fun, but competitive drill for the players as well as the coaches.

21 allows us to mimic the pressure that the players might feel when they are attempting to make a play with the game on the line. This will allow you as a coach to find out who can make the play with when the pressure is on, especially when they get to 20. My job as a coach is to prepare them to be able to handle this situation. Once they gain the confidence to succeed in 21, it makes an actual softball game that much easier.

Set up: Begin with a full field defense (minus a pitcher ). The pitchers stand in a safe place (dugout) and build up their teammates throughout the game. The extra positio n players will stand against the fence until they rotate in their position after the a few plays.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

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The coach steps into the batter’s box and hits the ball anywhere on the field. The players must play the ball live, fielding it cleanly and making accurate throws. For examp le, a ground ball must be fielded cleanly and thrown to first base and the ball must make it back cleanly to the catcher to be counted as a point. A fly ball to the outfiel d must be caught and thrown to second base (the second baseman or shortstop should go out for a relay) and thrown to the catcher. A diving catch counts as two points. A base hit does not give you a point, but you must still field it cleanly and get it in to the catcher and you remain at the same number prior to that hit. If at any time a ball is missed (due to lack of effort such as diving or miscommunic ation), bobbled, dropped or thrown errant, they return back to zero. If there is a bad throw, as long as the person catching the ball catches it cleanly, it will still count as a point. The pitchers or catchers should call each numbe r out loud for the team as soon as they catch it. Menta l things tend to happen. If they are at zero again, they might give up and they need to learn that they should fight back to win the game. Also, as they get close to 21, they should learn to be the one with the confidence that wants the ball and to make the play and not be worried about messing up and making the team go back to zero.

Communication is crucial as most of the hits are intentionally placed between all positions. Some of the main areas will be ground balls between first and second basemen, between shortstop and third basemen, fly balls between outfielders, and especially those bloopers between outfiel ders and infielders. Foul territory is just as important as fair territory. Remember to mix in bunts and foul pop ups for the catchers.

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As the players become more successful at the drill, you can add a time limit and a reward if they win. If they lose you can have a light “punishment” such as a lap around the field. That way they know that there is something on the line, just like there is with a game. This will bring out the competitive nature in some and show you which ones fear the worst possible outcome.

When they are successful and win they are excited about beating the coaches and overcoming a tough drill by working as a team.

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Goal: For each player to successfully field a pre-determined amount of ground balls in a row in each line.

Set-up: There are three different lines of players in the infield. Start with an equal number of players in each line. Each line is facing a hitter (coach) and a catcher (anybody can catch, you can even rotate players here), which are standing on the 1st base line. The first line is near and parallel to the 3rd base line. The first person in line about 30’ away from their hitter and they will field balls right at them and throw them back to their catcher. The second line is near the pitcher’s circle (avoid the pitching rubber).

They are also 30’ away from their hitter and they will field backhands and throw them back to their catcher. The last line is deep, behind 2nd base about 60’ away from their hitter and they will field balls and throw them back to their catcher.

Prior to the drill, the team is told what the magic number is for the day for this drill. For example, if we want a tougher day we might choose “10”, but if want a quicker day we might choose “4” or “5”. Each player must be set and ready to go quickly when it is their turn. They must field each ball cleanly and make a good throw for each of point to count. The catcher should call out the number on each catch they make in order to keep track. When the player fields and throws cleanly the correct number ground balls, they can move to the next line. If they miss one or make a bad throw, they go to the end of their line. While the players are standing in line waiting their turn, they are to be cheering on and building their teammates that are fielding at that moment. The person that is second in each line should “shadow” or mimic the player actually fielding each ball. flat Our pitchers use their regular glove for each station (to keep their pitching hand safe) while the rest of our players use baby gator gloves for the backhand line and use a and drill this for limit time a having by game-like more things make and them to pressure some add can you improve, they Once gloves for the other two lines. “punishment” such as a lap around the field for each line they did not finish.

This is a drill that we use almost every with all players. It is a great sense of accomplishment when each player finishes this drill.

I wanted to include them in the last 2 phases of our off-season strength and conditioning program. I am familiar with them but I felt they would learn them better with someone who specializes in this sport.

Unlike traditional lifting (bench press, squats, etc.), Olympic weightlifting is quite technical and you have to learn the proper technique of the lifts before you can really use them in training. That was the goal of this weekend session - to learn the basic technique.

There are many benefits to using Olympic weightlifting. It requires strength, flexibility, speed, and coordination. All characteristics of great athletes.

If you want to improve your speed, agility, strength, and power then you need to add Olympic style lifting to your program. You will see a dramatic improvement in a matter of weeks.

All of these qualities are very important in softball. Everything you do you on the softball field is explosive whether be throwing, fielding, hitting, pitching, quick accelerations or change of directions.

Olympic Weightlifting is one of the 3 ways you can train power along with plyometrics and explosive medicine ball work. The last two methods are more commonly used because they don’t require much of learning curve unlike Olympic weightlifting.

Marc Dagenais, MHK, CSCS, is a softball peak performance coach that helps softball players and coaches improve their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world’s best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com

However, once mastered, Olympic Weightlifting can be a powerful weapon to turn your body into an explosive athlete.

Olympic weightlifting is also a big part of the training regimen at the college level, especially in schools that have professional strength and conditioning coaches working with their sports teams.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

This past winter, I took my team to a local Olympic Weightlifting club so that they could learn the basic two Olympic lifts - the snatch and the clean and jerk.

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By Marc O. Dagenais, MHK, CSCS, ChPC http://www.softballperformance.com

If you are serious about becoming the best you can be, you should definitely consider adding some form of Olympic weightlifting into your training regimen.

Make sure to learn the proper technique before you start using it. Seek the help a qualified coach or instructor.

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Crossword Puzzle Softball Today • JUNE 2009

Crossword by Myles Mellor

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ACROSS 1 Winners of the Midland Lone Star Shootout 5 Win 10 Gators' star, Francesca 11 Identify 13 Kind of pitch 14 In the ____ (hot) 16 Compass point 17 Take part in the game 19 Beer company that sponsors a softball team 25 Columbia locale 26 Taunt 28 In no way 29 Morning 30 Failing grades 32 Home run with 3 runners on base (2 words) 36 TV network

38 39 41 42 44 45 50 52 54 56 58 60 61 62 63

Manner indicated Wield #1 All Time softball player Cheerleading cry High in the air Without any curve Manhattan neighborhood Overtime, briefly Great game for a pitcher (2 words) Pitching ____ Beatle wife Kind of shooter Regret Delivered the ball Pitcher's pride

DOWN 1 Curves downwards 2 Corona team that won the U12 best of the best in 2008 3 Southpaw 4 Not good/not bad 5 Blue Ridge Mountains locale 6 Softball high score 7 Softball low score 8 E-mail subject line intro 9 Luxury sea going vessel 12 Extra sensory perception, for short 15 Lubricate 18 Professional 19 Block 20 Red-white-and-blue initials 21 Daddy sanctuary 22 Shoe part 23 Young lady

Answers will be posted on www.softballtoday.com

24 Player trying to get home?

(2 words) 27 Psyche 31 Softball position (2 words) 33 Query 34 State of mind 35 Pitching speed letters 37 Stand ___ me 40 Place locator 41 Drink holders 43 Skill 46 Ad ___ 47 One of the bases 48 Bulldogs star, Alisa 49 Adidas product 51 Alternative word 53 Squad 55 Stylish 57 Accountant, abbr.

59 Expression of surprise

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Softball Today • JUNE 2009

By Anthony Bronson

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

NCAA

Sixty-four teams were set to battle in the NCAA regionals for 16 super regional spots. Whose season would end here and who would continue down the road to compete the Women’s College World Series?

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GAINESVILLE, FL— Our number one pick and NCAA top powerhouse in 2009, the Florida Gators (63-6), would square off against Florida A&M (30-30), Lehigh (36-16-1), and Texas A&M (3120) in pool play for this first of 16 Regionals. It was not surprising that Florida routed each of these teams with ease given that they have lost just 3 times this year while battling the top competition in the nation. The Gators’ senior pitcher, Stacy Nelson lead the team in the circle pinning down the offensive units of their opposition to just a combined one run. With Florida A&M and Texas A&M taking early eliminations in the pool, Florida was set to battle Lehigh to advance in which the Gators served up a 9-0 shutout and the advance to the super regional that would bring them back to Gainesville.

TALLAHASSEE, FL— When ranked teams enter into pool play, that mere number next to their name often symbolizes immortality to many, but this regional opened the eyes of many to the harsh reality known as “the upset.” In this Florida bracket, California (38-19), Mississippi St. (2827), Oklahoma St. (36-21), and number 16 Florida St. (44-15) entered the ring. While Mississippi St. took an early elimination against Florida St. in a 5-0 shutout, Florida St. found themselves sent home the very next game in 12 inning upset 1-0 to Oklahoma St. The final game in this pool found the California Golden Bears going to bat with Oklahoma St., who was carrying momentum into the finals, but had little time to rest from their last deadlock.

The Bears would manage to squeeze out a narrow 2-1 victory over Oklahoma St. and advance to the first super regional against a rigid Florida Gators team.

Sooners senior pitcher and all-conference honoree, D.J. Mathis, finished her season with a staff-best 2.39 earned run average in 131.2 innings piched and held batters to a .201 batting average during the season.

LOUISVILLE, KY— The former Women’s College World Series champion, Arizona Wildcats (46-16), met with Louisville (48-10), Purdue (31-19) and Tennessee-Martin (38-23) in this third regional at Ulmer Stadium. While Purdue took an early loss to Louisville early in pool play, they came up with two consecutive wins, which eliminated two consecutive teams. Without Tennessee-Martin and Louisville in this pool, Purdue met with the talk of this pool, the Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats were ripping the ball over and over again putting up huge numbers in their 184 victory over Louisville and their 9-3 victory over Tennessee-Martin. While Arizona carried some huge momentum into the final pool game, Purdue was able to level the playing field until the fifth inning when Wildcats’ Lauren Schutzler ripped a three-run homer to seal the deal and advance to the Super Regionals.

STANFORD, CA— The Stanford Cardinals (48-10), who have had a pleasant view at the top of the NCAA ranks found themselves embarking on their playoff journey in this regional with Cal Poly (41-12), Nevada (40-18) and Portland St. (29-25) It wasn’t very clear who we would have guessed to play Stanford in the later games of this pool. Cal Poly struggled early on taking a first game loss against Nevada while the Cardinals won the next 2 consecutive games against Portland St 10-3 and Nevada 9-1. Cal Poly managed to turn their regional experience around winning their next two games as well and eliminating Portland St. in a 5-0 shutout and Nevada 6-1.

After a rocky start, Cal Poly found themselves squaring off against the Cardinals where they took their final loss of their year in a 4-0 shutout.

ANN ARBOR, MI— Nikki Nemitz and the Wolverines of Michigan (46-12) were in the cooker with Miami (3323), Cleveland St. (36-17) and Notre Dame (43-17) in this regional at Wilpon Softball Complex. The fifth-ranked Wolverines found themselves inflicting some serious damage in an 11-3 first game against Miami. While the light was focused on the Wolverines, Notre Dame was silently escaping elimination while Cleveland St. took their elimination from Miami, who was later eliminated by Notre Dame. While Michigan had outscored Notre Dame 13-8 in the tournament, they were engaged in a deadlock for 6 scoreless innings until the Wolverines put together four runs in the last two innings to send the Fighting Irish home and the Wolverines to the Super Regionals against an unanticipated opponent.

WACO, TX— The number 12 team in the nation, Northwestern (31-14), had seen a large degree of success this season until they came to Getterman Stadium in this regional with Texas St. (41-17), Lafayette (33-15) and Baylor (40-20). The Wildcats took two immediate 8-0 and 3-2 losses against Texas St. and Lafayette respectively to quickly bow out of the WCWS. This left the remaining three

KNOXVILLE, TN— This regional pool of number 13 Tennessee (41-17-1), James Madison (35-15), Nebraska (35-18), and Jacksonville St. (39-13) was extremely competitive and mysterious as well at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Tennessee was the early favorite as the Lady Vols took early 4-3 and 5-2 victories over James Madison and Nebraska respectively, while a team that looked to be doomed early on advanced with a vengeance. Jacksonville St., who took a first game loss to Nebraska 4-2, turned on the jets and won their next 2 games eliminating James Madison and Nebraska. When it came time for Jacksonville’s elimination game, they not only solidly denied Tennessee, but denied them two games in a row to defeat the pool favorite and advance to the super regionals.

AMHERST, WA— The nation’s number 3 team, the Washington Huskies (49-12), have been a story by themselves all season. With their huge improvement from last year, the Huskies marched into the Umass Softball Complex with no doubt that they could advance to the next round, but what they didn’t expect was the level of hunger of their opponents. Sacred Heart (26-27), Cornell (42-12) and Massachusetts (41-19) accompanied Washington in this pool and they all desired a chance at derailing a very successful Huskies team. In their first game, Washington set off the fireworks with a staggering 9-1 over Sacred Heart, which solidified their presence in the pool. The Huskies’ most formidable competition of the pool was Massachusetts, who came out with a bang of their own. They scored three booming victories of their own with two 8-0 shutouts over Cornell and Sacred Heart and a game six victory over Washington by 5-1.

Washington rallied back in a game seven to claim their pass to the Super Regionals 6-1.

ATLANTA, GA— Mewborn Field hosted one of the lowest scoring Regionals of this year. In six games, number 14 Georgia Tech (44-13), Boston University (43-18), Auburn (29-29) and Iowa (42-13) scored 30 points combined, which is the amount of points some teams have

COLUMBUS, OH— At New Buckeye Field, number 11 Ohio State (47-10) had the home field advantage hosting Canisius (27-23), BYU (40-17) and Kentucky (3422). As heavily favored as the Buckeyes were, they did not perform as dominantly as one would have hoped, however they did succeed in subduing the momentum of BYU after an 8 inning battle in game three to win 5-4. This opened the door for Kentucky, who laid the takedown on BYU in game five to advance to a show down with the Buckeyes in game 6. In their first Regionals in school history, the Kentucky Wildcats could not muster enough offensive power to match the Buckeyes, who scored all seven of their runs on home runs that game. It was a bittersweet loss for the Wildcats, but they are returning all but one player to next year’s lineup and have valuable experience to learn from.

CHAPEL HILL, NC— The young number 6 Georgia Bulldogs (47-11) walked into Anderson Softball Stadium with their heads held high and confident that they could push through the regionals with high hopes of success.

After all, this is a team who, year after year, works their way into NCAA post season action almost every year. The Bulldogs would be joined by North Carolina (47-12), Radford (41-14) and Campbell (38-15) in this double elimination regional. The Bulldogs have been a very offensively successful team all year, but in game one, it looked as if that firepower was going to be matched by North Carolina when they run ruled Campbell 21-2. After coming off game two with a victory, Georgia battled with North Carolina for pool supremacy. It turned out North Carolina’s bark was much worse than its bite as they were shut out 6-0. This scenario would repeat itself in game 6 until Georgia came up with 2 runs in the last inning to seal the deal and advance to the super Regionals.

NORMAN, OK— The number 7 Oklahoma Sooners (36-19) have seen an up and down year, and this regional was a perfect example of that. As the heavy pool favorite, the Sooners were joined by North Dakota St. (38-19), Tulsa (40-17) and Arkansas (27-28). The Sooners took a surprising regional opening loss to North Dakota St. by a small margin of 1-0, but as North Dakota St. marched through regional play, so did the Sooners. After the Sooners 21-2 victory over Arkansas, it looked like they would make it to the final pool game until they were routed

by Tulsa 5-3 and eliminated from the tournament. North Dakota St. would go on to prevail over Tulsa 4-1 and win a much unexpected trip to the super Regionals where they would be squaring off against last year’s champion.

TEMPE, AZ— Aside from the pool of the number one team in the nation, the pool of last year’s champion was another highly anticipated round. The Arizona State Sun

Devils (47-18), lead by Kaitlin Cochran, were joined by LSU (34-17-1), San Diego St. (33-19) and Cal State Fullerton (30-20), who hosted the Judi Garman Classic earlier this year. At the Farrington Stadium, this pool of teams was highly competitive and, when one team emerged victorious, they were downed the next game by one of their other opponents, which made for some exciting action for the fans. LSU and the Sun Devils came out winning their first games, but when they squared off in game three, LSU stood tall with a 10-2 victory, but last year’s champion was not going to stop there. They shook it off, and in game 4, they shut out the Titans of Cal State Fullerton 7-0. Carrying the momentum from that staggering victory, Arizona St. sailed through LSU two straight games to, once again, be a contender for the national championship.

COLUMBIA, MO— The Columbia Regional, held at University Field, was a very defensive pool. When you thought that 30 combined points in the previous pool was low, this pool scored only 20 points for the entire regional. The pool favorite, number 15 DePaul (39-14), was joined by Bradley (26-27), Illinois (29-16) and Missouri (49-10). The pool favorite was routed right away in game one 1-0 by Bradley, who was then beat in game three by Missouri 2-1. DePaul rallied back to chalk up 2 consecutive 6-0 and 2-1 victories over Illinois and Bradley respectively. Missouri and DePaul carried heavy momentum into the final game of the pool. In a fierce pitching duel, Missouri managed to break out of their shackles and put up the one and only run in the sixth inning to grant the Missouri Tigers their second consecutive trip to the super Regionals.

LOS ANGELES, CA— Just as in any sport, the number 2 UCLA Bruins (45-10) were a heavy favorite, not just coming into this regional pool play, but to take the national championship. In this Los Angeles Regional, UCLA was accompanied by Fresno St. (38-20), UNLV (31-20), and Cal State Long Beach (35-20). Fresno St. came out with a bang in game one, prevailing over UNLV 2-1, but their momentum was quickly cut off as UCLA motored through them by a score of 4-2 after routing Cal State Long Beach 4-2 as well. The Bruins had a chance to catch their breath in the next two games. Fresno St. proved they had what it took at Easton Stadium as they dominated Cal State Long Beach 12-2. After Fresno St. took the lead in the first inning of game 6, UCLA fought back to rip a home run and spark a 7 run chain in the second inning for the Bruins. While only giving up 2 runs from there on out, UCLA coasted to their regional victory and advanced to the Super Regionals where they were set to face the Tigers of Missouri.

At the end of the weekend, the dreams of 48 teams had been shattered while the championship dreams of 16 teams had flourished. 16 teams will advance to the super regionals, where the stakes are much higher and the competition is more demanding.

The unexpected has struck some of the nation’s top contenders, but that has only opened the doors for those who have won an unexpected trip to the next level of post season NCAA competition.

NCAA

TUSCALOOSA, AL— All eyes were on the Alabama Crimson Tide (54-10) as they have been on their upswing coming down the home stretch of this season. Before they could march their way into Oklahoma City, they would have to get past their pool of Texas (40-19), Chattanooga (30-23), and Mississippi Valley (38-15). The Crimson Tide, who has been heavy hitters all year offensively, racked up some explosive victories early in pool play. With two consecutive 12-3 and 10-1 victories over Mississippi Valley and Texas, Alabama was able to get a beat on their eventual final opponent, Texas. While the Longhorns took a devastating loss to Alabama in game 3, they managed to shut out Mississippi Valley 4-0 in game 5 to earn their redemption against Alabama. Kelsi Dunne and the Crimson Tide were just too much for the Longhorns as they were not only defeated, but held to zero runs in the final game granting Alabama a pass to the 2009 super regionals.

scored in the regionals in just two or three games. The heavily favored Georgia Tech got a taste of what their final game of the pool would feel like early on as they put away Boston University in game two 5-1. Boston University then rallied back in their next two games to knock out twothirds of their competition, but a late game rally by Georgia Tech in game six derailed the Boston University momentum and Georgia Tech moved on to the super Regionals to host the Washington Huskies.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

teams to battle it out and that is exactly what they did. One team that won immediately lost to another and it remained a mystery of who we might see in the final pool game until Texas St. was eliminated by Lafayette in a 5-0 shutout and was later defeated 6-1 by Baylor, who surprisingly advanced to the Super Regionals to face Michigan.

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Softball Today • JUNE 2009

NCAA

By Anthony Bronson

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GAINESVILLE, FL— After making their way through the Tallahassee Regional, the California Golden Bears (38-19) dropped two straight games to the number one Florida Gators (64-6) 2-0 and 2-1. A down pour of rain delayed the initial start of the game, which was for that Saturday night, but the game rolled over into a double header the next day with typical Florida weather— hot and muggy.

In game one of the series, Gators’ senior pitcher Stacy Nelson was too much for the Bears’ offense and, along with a solid defense behind her, kept California from ever making an appearance on the scoreboard.

Although the Bears were out hitting Florida early on, the Bears’ offense could not poke enough holes in Nelson defense at the right times to launch any kind of offensive campaign.

The Bears would have a better turn of luck in the second game when matched up against Florida’s number two pitcher, Stephanie Brombacher. The Bears’ junior second baseman, Shannon Thomas not only got on base, but put herself in on a stolen base and a capitalization on a Gators’ throwing error. With a 1-0 lead, Cal looked to be back in position to have a chance to take down the number one team. Florida slowly moved themselves into position in the third inning and scored two runs on a double to left field.

The remainder of the game remained deadlocked and California eventually fell to the Florida Gators for a second consecutive game 2-1 sending them home for the second consecutive time in the Super Regionals.

“It was an absolutely great NCAA Super Regionals,” said Bears’ head coach Diane Ninemire. “I was proud of our effort today and I felt that we improved our position against them with our performance today.”

“It was an absolutely great NCAA Super Regionals,” said Bears’ head coach Diane Ninemire. “I was proud of our effort today and I felt that we improved our position against them with our performance today.”

STANFORD, CA—After punishing their opponents in regional pool play, the Wildcats of Arizona (46-16) and the Stanford Cardinals (48-10) met face to face to determine their fate in the 2009 playoffs.

While the Wildcats lead through much of the first part of game 1, the Cardinals made it happen in the fifth inning when Senior second baseman Maddy Coon ripped a three-run home run that propelled the Cardinals to the lead in a dominating fashion, which lead the Cardinals to a 64 come from behind victory and an early confidence booster in super regional play. This win was huge for Stanford as it was its first super regional win in

school history. Prior to the victory, the Cardinals were 0-6 in Super Regional bouts.

The Wildcats would have none of this in game two as they stomped the number 8 seed 7-3 and forced a game three decision. Stanford came out strong with the first blood in the opening inning scoring one run to take the lead, but the Wildcats put together a great offensive campaign later in the game to score 7 runs in the last 4 innings.

The deciding game was a thriller and a turn of

events as the University of Arizona outlasted the Cardinals 6-5 with the help of Wildcats’ pitcher Lindsey Sisk. After relieving starting pitcher Sarah Akamine, Sisk plowed through the Cardinals offense retiring 14 batters and recording a career performance. To top it off, Arizona home runs from Sam Banister and Jenae Leles helped to seal the deal and lead the eight-time national champions to a 6-5 victory and advance to the WCWS final bracket where they would meet with the Florida Gators.

ANN ARBOR, MI—When Baylor (40-21) upset the Waco Regional taking the pool and eliminating number 12 Northwestern (31-14), they set the stage to square off with the Wolverines of Michigan (46-12) at the Wilpon Softball Complex. There was no sympathy for Baylor in this relentless two-game ground and pound.

In game one, Michigan’s sophomore first baseman Dorian Shaw ripped three home runs and chalked up 6 RBI to propel

the Wolverines to an 81 victory over the bears, which would get a second chance to upset the heavy favorite. “We ran into a team that was playing unbelievable tonight” Baylor head coach Glenn Moore said. “We just didn’t have it tonight, but this team has a lot of fight left and we will do that tomorrow.”

Game two unveiled much of the same as the Wolverines teed off on the Baylor Bears in the third inning, scoring 4 runs and taking back the early lead that the Bears had built up in the second inning. In the fourth, the Wolverines added 3 runs to their lead and smothered the Bears as they marched to their 7-1 victory and their advance to the WCWS final bracket.

“It’s a tough way to end the season,” Moore said. “I can’t say enough about the job this team did to get to this Crimson Tide junior utility and SEC Player of the Year, Charlotte Morgan, led the team with a .414 batting average with 56 RBI and a .515 on-base percentage. In the circle, the lefty sported a 17-6 record and a 1.86 ERA. In 139 innings, she downed 121 batters and had not taken a loss in the circle since March 28.

TUSCALOOSA, AL—Similar to the Ann Arbor Super Regional, when Jacksonville St. (39-13) upset the Knoxville pool and advanced to the Tuscaloosa Super Regional, they found themselves with a very formidable opponent standing between them and the gate to the WCWS final bracket.

The heavy hitting Alabama Crimson Tide (54-10), who put up some amazing tallies on the board in regional play, stepped into the ring with brass knuckles and let loose on the Jacksonville offense. Sophomore pitcher Kelsi Dunne threw her third no-hitter of the season pinning down the opposing Jacksonville offensive unit. “It was just a great game for us, starting with Kelsi and just up and down the lineup, that’s the way we wanted it to be all year long,” Alabama head coach Pat Murphy said. “I think we had nine people score and eight people got hits and you can’t ask for anything better.”

One no-hitter was not enough for Dunne, however. In game two, she threw a repeat and became the first player to throw back-to-back no-hitters in NCAA postseason play.

Stack that with their offensive firepower and the product was another 9-0 victory, which let them slide into the Women’s College World Series. “With us, you don’t really think of a script like this where you beat a team and throw two no-hitters, it’s just unbelievable,” Murphy said. “It’s a dream come true for us.”

The win gave the Crimson Tide its sixth berth into the WCWS and its second in a row.

ATHENS, GA— The UGA Softball Stadium was host to a match between the young number 7 Bulldogs of Georgia (47-11) and the talented number 11 Ohio St. Buckeyes (47-10). The series proved to be extremely competitive, leaving fans on the edge of their seats in both games.

The Buckeyes took charge early in game one while they racked up 4 runs in the first 3 innings, but when Georgia got a beat on their offense, they were slowed to a

TEMPE, AZ—When the Oklahoma Sooners (36-19)

Bruins senior infielder and Easton AllAmerican, Amanda Kamekona, batted .318 in her final season and made all 56 starts for the team.

She led the Bruins with 19 doubles, which is the second most in school history.

were eliminated in the Norman Regional, no one but the Sun Devils of Arizona St. (47-18) could breathe a larger sign of relief. The number 7 Sooners, who had been on an upswing in the later part of the season, were eliminated in their Regional pool and North Dakota St. (38-19) assumed the position that many had already written off and given to Oklahoma.

There was little that the Bisons could do but sit back and watch as Sun Devils Freshman pitcher Hillary Bach threw her fourth complete game shutout of her five postseason starts. Sophomore Lesley Rogers, Senior Kaitlin Cochran and Sophomore Kaylyn Castillo lead the way for the Arizona St. pushing their team to a 3-0 victory over the Bisons and driving them further away from an early elimination.

The Sun Devils brought the heat from the desert early on in game two as they scored 10 runs in the first two innings allowing them to coast the rest of the way to victory thanks to Bach, who recorded her second no-hitter in a row and her fifth postseason complete game shutout in six postseason starts. The Sun Devils’ offense had 14 hits on the game while scoring off of 11 of those hits. They couldn’t have orchestrated a more dominant game if they wanted to and received their pass to Oklahoma City to compete in the Women’s College World Series.

LOS ANGELES, CA—After a performance just good enough to get them through the Los Angeles Regional, the UCLA Bruins (45-10) coughed and sputtered through the entire Los Angeles Super Regional, which was surprising for the number 2 team in the nation.

Missouri (49-10) wasted no time setting the bar high for the Bruins in game one at Easton Stadium.

Freshman Chelsea Thomas pitched a spectacular game and led her team to a 2-1 victory over the Bruins, which was their first NCAA Super Regional victory and their first win over the Bruins in the two team’s history of playing each other. The Tigers were slow to start in their three up three down first inning, but in the next two innings, they would score all of the runs necessary to carry themselves to a game one win over UCLA. In game two, the Bruins were not going to accept an early elimination and give up a championship that could possibly be theirs. They were quick to strike in the second inning scoring the first run of the game on a bunt single by sophomore infielder Monica Harrison.

Thomas, in five innings, allowed four runs, four hits and three walks. The Tigers rallied back late in the last inning to scored 2 runs, but the Bruins offense pulled it together enough to keep them in the series for another game.

Missouri set off the fireworks in the beginning of game three to score 5 runs in the first 2 innings, which UCLA would never battle back from. The Bruins tallied one run in the third inning, but their offensive campaign was slowed to a halt for the rest of the game. The Tigers’ win forced the UCLA Bruins out of the WCWS after high hopes of giving the top competition a run for their money.

NCAA

ATLANTA, GA—With 2 of the first four Super Regionals producing huge blow outs, the Washington Huskies (51-12) were looking to add to that streak. They would have the chance to do so at Mewborn Field where they would go toe-totoe with number 14 Georgia Tech (44-13).

With Junior Huskies pitcher Danielle Lawrie only allowing four hits and retiring 10 batters for the game, there wasn’t much wiggle room for Georgia Tech as they put up one run in their first attempt at matching the agility and skill of the Huskies. Washington pulled out 14 hits on the game making it look as if they were at batting practice. They were held to three runs for most of the game until they blew it wide open in the sixth, chalking up 4 runs and running away with a first game victory over their opponent 7-1.

If the Yellow Jackets thought that they didn’t have much to work with in game one, then they were in for a very lengthy game 2. Lawrie pitched a three-hit shutout that ended the Yellow Jacket’s run to the national championship. She gave up only three singles on the game while not walking a single batter and downed 8 batters as she lead the Huskies to their WCWS berth.

halt. While Ohio St. was unable to score for the remainder of the game, the Bulldog’s bats came alive in the fifth inning. A slurry of singles and errors made on the Buckeye’s side allowed the lady Bulldogs to chalk up five runs, which was enough to carry them to a game one win.

“It was an exciting game,” Georgia head coach Lu HarrisChamper said. “”We will take a win on any day, especially against a team like Ohio State.”

The second game of the series presented another late game erasing of the deficit that the Bulldogs had collected all game long. Once again, the Buckeyes came blasting out of the gate, scoring all six of their runs in the first three innings, but this was not enough to hold off the resiliency of the Bulldogs. Georgia began scoring in the top of the first, but it wasn’t until the sixth inning that they scored five runs to erase their four run deficit. This late game rally allowed them to clinch their spot in the Women’s College World Series. “I am proud of the hard work that the team, staff and everyone around this program have put in,” Georgia head coach Lu HarrisChamper said. “To beat a great team such as Ohio State, you have to work hard to get the win.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

point, and I have never had a team with more heart than this group.”

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Softball Today • JUNE 2009

NCAA

Gators senior catcher and 2009 SEC Tournament MVP, Kristina Hilberth, ties for third all-time for runners picked off in her career with 4 and is third on Florida's alltime list for runners caught stealing with 33.

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By Anthony Bronson OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. - It is every young collegiate softball player’s aspiration to capture a national title.

As the hopes of eight teams were peaking, records were broken and this year’s field of contenders was some of the best that the Women’s College World Series has ever seen.

According to a Washington Huskies (51-12) softball article, “The eight participants of the world series combined to set a new WCWS record with 120 runs scored — an average of eight per game — shattering the old mark of 95. The previous record average was 6.8.” Teams shattered their own school records for the amount of victories captured and the WCWS home run record was also broken showing that these eight teams were elite.

As the tournament pressed on, dreams were broken and tears were shed. Those who we thought disappeared in the mist of defeat reappeared and demonstrated their resiliency. In the end, when the dust had settled and the smoke cleared, USA Softball collegiate player of the year, junior Danielle Lawrie, and the Washington Huskies were the ones to hoist the trophy and keep the national title in the PAC-10.

After coming off of a rebuilding year, the Huskies cranked up the heat to sit atop the national standings all season. Despite being the number 3 seed, there were plenty to argue that, with their harsh mid-season slump, there would be minimal shelf life for Washington in the WCWS. In eight of their 12 losses for the season, a shut out was the fate of the team.

“I think we just kept getting better and better throughout the postseason,” Washington head coach Heather Tarr said. “And by the time this game came, we were peaking. Our batting averages might not be the best, but we train all year for this; we train all year to be where we need to be when we need to be there.”

“There” is most certainly where the Huskies had ended their journey, but this first championship for the University of Washington softball team was nearly derailed.

Sophomore Alisa Goler and the Bulldogs (47-11), out of the University of Georgia, met with the Huskies early in the tournament. The youthful Georgia softball team was known for their powerful offense, but the Huskies were not star struck as they appeared in their first Women’s College World Series at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.

Washington learned to fight fire with fire as their

victory came at the hands of their own youth. Freshmen Niki Williams and Kimi Pohlman chalked up all three runs in their series opener to defeat the Bulldogs 3-1 and advance to their next game, where they would go toe-to-toe with last year’s champions. The triumph gave Huskies pitcher, Danielle Lawrie, a sense of revenge for her team’s loss to the Bulldogs earlier this season in the SEC/Pac-10/Big 12 Challenge in Tuscaloosa, AL. Lawrie and the Huskies, however, were not the only ones experiencing success early on in their quest for the national title.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest players in NCAA history, Arizona St. (47-18) senior Kaitlin Cochran was on a mission of her own. After leading her team to the 2008 Women’s College World Series title, she wanted nothing more than to follow up her final season as a collegiate player with a second national championship.

After dazing Missouri (50-11) with their 7-3 win in their first round of play and sending the Tigers to the loser’s bracket, the Sun Devils would collide with the Cinderella team—the Washington Huskies.

The battle between the Huskies and the Sun Devils was a pitcher’s duel of sorts and was scoreless right down to the bottom of the eighth inning, Huskies’

but today’s game taught me about our seniors, about this program and about myself as well. I’m very upset, but what else do you do? You go out there and you fight until the end and that’s what we did. It just didn’t go our way.”

While the national champions had solidified their spot in the WCWS finals, the Huskies were vanquishing their competition, but they had one final robust hurdle to jump.

After taking an early round one loss to the Washington Huskies, the University of Georgia fought back from near elimination. After defeating Missouri 52 and the Wolverines 7-5, the Bulldogs were back as a big dog. They carried a momentum from those two games that was very much a reality and something to be feared.

In the Bulldog’s elimination game against Washington, they firmly reinforced the fact that they did not want to go home. They had come too far not to go the distance. Both teams wasted no time teeing off on one another right from the start in this 4 hour and 15 minute marathon bout. By the fifth inning, both teams had tallied up 8 points a piece. With Georgia’s change of pitchers three times during the game, they had managed to hold the Huskies scoreless for the rest of the game, which is more than Washington could say for the Bulldogs.

In the ninth inning, the Bulldogs finally wore on Lawrie, who pitched the entire game for the Huskies.

Georgia pulled out the victory and, once again, they

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

Huskies senior infielder and three-time AllAmerican, Ashley Charters, is ranked number 2 all-time in the university in runs and hits with 215 runs and 315 hits in her collegiate career while tying the Huskies’ record for the number of all-time triples with 16 on her career.

Florida Gators base runner Kristina Hilberth is called safe on a “boom boom” play at third base in the championship game of the Women's College World Series.

NCAA

Sophomore Morgan Stuart tallied up the game winning run when she drove in Kimi Pohlman, who came off of a fantastic game one leading her team to a convincing victory. While Lawrie statistically flew under the radar with only three strikeouts, she pitched a very tough game that took her to her 20th shutout of the season.

The Sun Devils’ loss would force them into the loser’s bracket and one game closer to elimination, where they would face a sound Crimson Tide of Alabama (54-10).

As the nation watched the softball heavyweight and last year’s champion fall early, this year’s number one seed had been powering through their competition.

On the other side of the bracket, after two rounds, the nation was watching the number 1 seed advance through their competition flawlessly. Senior ace, Stacy Nelson, and the Florida Gators (63-6) shut out the 8 time national champions, the Arizona Wildcats (46-16) 3-0 and the number 5 seed, Michigan (46-12) 1-0.

Alabama, after taking a round one 6-1 loss to Nikki Nemitz and the Wolverines of Michigan, sent the eight time national champions home and made a statement of their own. The already battered Wildcats fell to an Alabama flooded scoreboard 14-0 and were doomed to their second loss of the tournament, sending the team back to the drawing board for the 2010 season earlier than they had originally anticipated.

“We sat down as a team (after our first round loss) and we talked and none of us are ready to go home,” Charlotte Morgan said. “Sometimes your back is against the wall and our motto was we haven’t started throwing our punches yet. So we were coming out and we wanted to start fighting back. I think that we set the tone for the first inning and we believed that we could do it. And that is our thing, is to have fun and don’t press and don’t overdo it.”

Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide’s redemption was short lived as they fell to the Florida Gators by a walk-off grand slam from sophomore Aja Paculba one out from an upset of the number one seed in the tournament. For the Florida Gators, they were living the dream as they locked in their position in the championship game, marching toward what could have been their first national softball title and the first national softball title for the Southeastern Conference.

“Obviously I’m upset; we fought to the end,” said Alabama’s Lauren Packer. “It didn’t work out our way,

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The Washington Huskies scored their first Women's College World Series title in the history of the university, keeping the national championship in the PAC-10, who has won 21 of the last 27 WCWS titles.

Nelson failed to scoop the ball cleanly and cost the Gators and the SEC their first national softball title.

The Huskies never looked back after that third point as Lawrie shut out the top seed for the rest of the game and gave the Huskies their first national championship.

“There’s a reason she’s the most outstanding player in the tournament, probably the best pitcher in the country and one of the best pitchers in the world,” Gators coach Tim Walton said. “I don’t know if it was just me or my imagination or it was getting dark out there, but it

seemed like every time we had somebody on base, she revved it up another gear. And the last two innings, she revved it up probably two more gears.”

It was a bittersweet loss for Nelson and the Gators after a spectacular season and one of the best the university has ever seen. “There is a lot of pain that comes with this loss,” Nelson said. “But I’m going to remember my time at Florida as being the best time of my life.”

NCAA Softball Today • JUNE 2009

escaped elimination, but their celebration would be short lived as the Huskies return the favor later that day in a punishing 9-3 victory to solidify their spot in the championship game against the nation’s number one team.

Heading into game one of the championship series, many were worried about the condition of Lawrie after she pitched in the double header against Georgia the day before, but with 12 strikeouts in the first game, those doubtful minds were laid to rest. With just four losses on the season, and one of them from the Huskies, the Gators knew that Washington had what it took.

The opening game in the series was a complete disaster for the Gators. Right from the get-go, the Huskies had Nelson’s number as they scored repeated hits and chalked up 4 runs in the third inning. On the other side of the coin, Danielle Lawrie improved as the game went on as she held the national favorite to zero runs and a stunning loss that very few teams could force all year long.

The Gators were not going to take their loss lightly and shot out of the gates scoring 2 runs in their first at-bat to set the bar early in game two. However, the Huskies quickly countered with two runs of their own to tie the game early and signal that they could match the number one team blow-for-blow. The University of Washington pushed the bar higher in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Sophomore Morgan Stuart scored Kimi Pohlman on a bunt when Stacy

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Softball Today • JUNE 2009

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By Dave Utnik

24

Allentown, PA. - ECTB Stadium at Bicentennial Park was rocking. Nearly every young fast pitch softball player within 100 miles of Allentown stood and cheered at the top of her lungs — for the opposing team’s pitcher.

As much as they adore the Philadelphia Force, the fans in eastern Pennsylvania also have a love affair with Jennie Finch and the Chicago Bandits star pitcher gave them all an outing to remember on June 16 with a 97-pitch perfect game.

“She said it was one of her best performances in a long time,” Bandits owner Bill Sokolis said.

“She was definitely a crowd pleaser.”

In her fourth National Pro Fastpitch season, and at the age of 28, Finch is still one of softball’s most recognizable and popular players.

She is a two-time Olympian — winning gold in Athens and silver in Japan — and

Chicago Bandits All-Star pitcher Jennie Finch allowed only two hits while recording six strikeouts in the Bandit’s 4-2 win over Monica Abbott and the USSSA Pride in late June.

an NCAA champion.

In the suburbs of Philly, Finch is the reason that Force owner Tom Kleinman anticipated 2,000 fans for a recent Saturday night game in nearby York, Pa. That would have happened even without the perfect game, but Finch’s second victory of the season has created a far-reaching buzz throughout the league as the defending champion Bandits got off to a 9-3 start.

“I think it’s something this league really needed,” Sokolis said.

All five NPF teams feature at least one member of the U.S. National Team and they are greeted like rock stars in every city — from Akron to Osceola, Fla. In Rockford, Illinois, where the second-place Thunder are off to a 7-4 start, Cat Osterman is the player young girls want to emulate and, in Akron, there is a swirl of excitement over the arrival of rookie Lisa Norris, who tossed a perfect game in the Racers’ home opener on June 11 to earn her first professional victory.

“I can’t wait to see her pitch,” Sokolis said.

Norris joined the Racers following the completion of her collegiate career at North Carolina and introduced herself in electrifying fashion by beating the Thunder, 4-0.

“This is sometimes only a once-in-a-lifetime performance, but to do this on opening night at home against a very talented Rockford lineup is almost unbelievable,” Akron general manager Joey Arrietta said. “She received some extraordinary defensive plays by her teammates who sensed what was happening.”

Rockford Thunder record-breaking pitcher Cat Osterman led her team to a 5-0 victory over the Akron Racers while retiring ten batters and allowing only one walk on the way.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

Since then, Osterman has gone on to earn USA Softball National Player of the Year honors three times. She was the youngest member of the 2004 gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic team and is such a popular player in Akron that her no-hitter coincided with Cat Osterman Poster Night.

“Cat expects to win every time out, so when she’s in the circle the team’s confidence goes up as well,” Moore said. “The no-hitter came at a perfect time for us. We were in need of a big start in the circle after losing the first game of the doubleheader and she did her thing out there. The best part about having a player like Cat on our roster is that she makes everyone out there better.”

The Bandits feel that way about a lot of their players, too, especially reigning NPF player of the year Stacy May and rookie of the year Rachel Folden, who are among the best hitters in the league so far.

May (.314) hit a ninth-inning homer to clinch a 4-3 win over the USSSA Pride, while Folden (.407) and rookie Tammy Williams (.467) hit four home runs in the team’s first eight games.

The Pride, which relocated from Washington under new ownership, earned their first victory by beating the Bandits, 6-5, in Chicago on home runs by shortstop Amber Jackson and outfielder Kelly Kretschman (.556).

Akron (4-6) rode the momentum from Norris’ perfect game behind hot starts from free agent third baseman Jackie Pasquerella, a .464-hitter who won league titles with New Jersey in 2004 and New England in 2006, as well as catcher Jenny Topping (.357), Jamee Juarez (.348) and Crystal Bustos (.321).

The Force (2-5) won its first game of the season, 5-4, in Chicago, on a 2-for-4 night from DeAnn Justice (.357) and bolstered their roster by signing two free agents — shortstop Alex Newton, who led Texas State with a .322 average this spring, and Lock Haven’s Kristin Erb, who was recently named the Honda Division II player of the year for the second consecutive season.

Erb struck out nine in her professional debut — another impressive pitching performance from one of the league’s rising stars.

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Pitching highlighted the opening weeks of the season as the Bandits’ rotation of Eileen Canney, Kristina Thorson and Finch combined for eight victories while Osterman threw a nohitter in a 5-0 victory over the Racers on June 13.

“These are all pitchers who have been throwing on a regular basis, so I’m not surprised,” Kleinman said. “Even with the good college hitters it takes a while to catch up with these experienced pitchers.”

Osterman is as difficult as ever to hit these days. At 4-0-1, she was tied for the league lead in victories and ranked first among league pitchers in strikeouts (46) and ERA (0.28) after two weeks of play.

“Cat has been very good in the circle, but we’ve expected that from her,” Thunder general manager Aaron Moore said. “She has a demeanor about her that not all athletes have and it makes her tough to beat at all times.

No-hitters are nothing new to Osterman, who is one of two Americans to achieve that feat in Olympic competition.

The 6-foot-2 left-hander threw 20 no-hitters during an All-American career at the University of Texas and she graduated from Cypress Springs (Texas) High School as the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year.

That was after she asked her parents for pitching lessons for her eleventh birthday present.

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The USSSA Pride had plenty of reasons to celebrate as they have new owners, a new complex, and a new chance to compete in the NPF.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

NPF

By Dan Granger

26

Osceola County, FL. - Second baseman Courtney Bures had essentially retired as a professional softball player. Her team, the Washington Glory, was folding and, after hitting nine home runs and driving in 23 as a rookie, she was preparing to move on with her career.

Then National Pro Fastpitch president Cheri Kempf called with news that changed Bures’ plans.

The Glory is extinct after two seasons, but the franchise that went 64-28 during its brief tenure in northern Virginia will continue to play under new ownership this summer in Osceola, Florida.

“There wasn’t really a chance of going to another [National Pro Fastpitch] team. The only chance I had to keep playing was if the Glory got reestablished,” Bures said.

The United States Specialty Sports Association provided the two-time collegiate All-

American with that opportunity on May 13 when a cooperative agreement with NPF gave birth to the

league’s newest team — the USSSA Pride.

“In keeping with our current goal of becoming the nation’s premier fastpitch organization,

partnering with the NPF and the acquisition of a professional team are important steps in that growth process,” stated Don DeDonatis, chairman of the board and CEO of USSSA. “We pride ourselves on having the top level teams of any softball program across the country.

We feel we have stayed atop the slowpitch division with the program that we put on. This was the first chance we have had to get in on fastpitch on the pro level since it has been dominated by our competitors.”

“By becoming involved at the very highest level of women’s fastpitch softball, utilizing our resources and the exceptional ability of the athletes playing the game, USSSA will be provided with a unique opportunity to promote fastpitch softball at the grassroots level.”

“USSSA wants to take the younger girls that are in our program and give them Olympians to look up to while they are playing. It gives them a future place to play at the top level. This acquisition is for the betterment of fastpitch and we are dedicated to

becoming the top fastpitch program in the country.”

Bures, three members of the U.S. Olympic team and 10 players who helped the Glory capture the 2007 championship have agreed to follow the franchise to Florida, where the Pride will play home games at Osceola Heritage Park.

“The best part of it is the majority of the girls I played with last year will be back,” Bures said.

“So even though we’re starting over, it’s with the same girls.”

Along with Bures, the Pride will feature 2007 NPF Pitcher of the Year Desiree Serrano and 2007 NPF Player of the Year Amber Jackson as well as Olympians Kelly Kretschman, Monica Abbott and Caitlin Lowe.

The Pride also inherited the Glory’s draft selections — pitcher Stacey Nelson and outfielder Kim Waleszonia of the University of Florida and shortstop Maddy Coon from Stanford.

“What happened with the Glory was definitely unexpected. It was tough when I first heard about it,” Bures said. “I was crushed.”

The Glory had been a marquee team in National Pro Fastpitch since winning the league championship as an expansion squad in 2007. The franchise spawned the Diamond Elite Academy; a fledging fastpitch youth travel program and a multimillion dollar stadium renovation at George Mason

University next month.

But, after agreeing to a one-year contract, the Stonewall Jackson High School graduate suddenly found herself without a team when a prospective owner backed away from a potential deal on April 10.

“We all had signed our contracts and turned in the paperwork so we were thinking it was going to happen,” she said. “It was kind of a shocker.”

When a pending sale of the Glory that w-kept the team in Washington fell through, Bures began to focus on fulfilling a longtime personal goal of playing for the national team.

In addition to graduating from Mississippi State University earlier this month, the Bulldogs’ career RBI leader spent most of the spring getting ready for a Team U.S.A. tryout in early June.

Even if she makes the national team, Bures is guaranteed a spot on the Pride’s roster — a factor that ultimately convinced her to resume her pro career.

“I got a call from the league commissioner and she told me everything that was happening with the team,” Bures said. “She asked me what I was going to do and at first I wasn’t sure.”

“I’d been thinking about it because I knew there was a possibility that they would be playing in Florida, but I’d already made a commitment to U.S. tryouts and didn’t want to make the team and

not be available for the pro season but that won’t be the case.”

Bures, who played for the U.S. squad that won the World University Games in 2006, has a clause written into her contract that will allow her to miss league games that would conflict with any potential Team U.S.A. responsibilities.

The Pride, who will be coached by J.Y. Davis and Margaret Davis, opens the season against the reigning champion Chicago Bandits on June 10.

“The situation with the Washington Glory team placed a group of extremely talented, dedicated and accomplished women into a very undeserving position of uncertainty in regard to their future as professional athletes,” Kempf said. “I am thrilled with this outcome and I am proud to announce that this group of players will not only play in 2009, but will be treated in a first-class fashion by a top quality organization.”

This top quality organization has big plans for the 2009 season and for the rest of their future as they embark on a new journey together.

“We plan on being in the playoffs and playing in the finals,” DeDonatis explained. “Our focus is to win it. When this team gets back together and renews that chemistry and meshes with their new players, we will have no problem making an appearance in the finals.”

The Pride will feature 2007 NPF Pitcher of the Year Desiree Serrano and 2007 NPF Player of the Year Amber Jackson as well as Olympians Kelly Kretschman, Monica Abbott and Caitlin Lowe.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

NPF 27

The Ohio Slammers were crowned the 14U Hall of Fame champions. The Slammers were the best of the best as the tournament drew competition from 13 states.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

ASA

By Michael Lee

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—When the going gets tough, it’s because you’re playing teams above your level. This tells the story of the 14U ASA Hall of Fame champions, who were crowned victorious at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium this month. Among 26 teams, assembled from 13 states including South Dakota, Virginia and Washington, the Ohio Slammers (North Canton, Ohio) surpassed the competition in flawless fashion.

For a team who has been together since 2004, the Slammers are no strangers to high degrees of success.

“The Slammers began as a local team at 10U in the fall of 2004,” said Ohio Slammers head coach Bill Lilley. “The Slammers immediately dedicated themselves to becoming a nationallevel contender through ASA softball tournaments at the local and regional levels. The Slammers were 60-10 in 10U competition, 54-13 in 11U and then began playing at elevated levels and were 80-6 with a fifth-place finish at the ASA 12U nationals in 2007. The girls went 63-12 in 2008 playing mostly 18U and 16U tournaments during the season.”

Having played many games in divisions above their own last year, the intense competition of the 16U and 18U was not uncommon to these ladies as they stepped out onto the field.

“The Slammers are 23-3 this year, with the

losses in the 18U and 16U divisions,” Lilley explained. “The Slammers won the 14U Hall of Fame Tournament qualifier in North Canton, finished third in the 18U Tigertown Invitational in Massillon, won the ASA Hall of Fame Tournament with a 6-0 record and finished fifth in the 32-team 16U field at the Compuware Invitational last weekend in Detroit.”

With an impressive resume such as this, the Slammers already had formed a reputation before the weekend was even kicked off.

“The girls have an incredible base in the fundamentals of the game of softball,” said Lilley. “To achieve that, we bring in specialists Howard Kobata for two weekend-long defensive clinics each year; internationally renowned pitcher Bill Hillhouse for pitching lessons and riseball/dropball hitting workouts with the Slammers hitters; St. Louis Cardinals minor-league middle infielder Brett Lilley in the fall and winter for infield defense. The Slammers hit three days each week and field twice each week during the fall and winter.”

Due to their own thorough preparation and training throughout the year, the Slammers were able to surpass the competition with ease, posting a perfect 6-0 record on the weekend.

The Slammers downed Olathe Kansas Hot Stix 8-2, SoCal Hurricanes 3-0, Georgia Elite 6-1, Kennworth Bandits 5-4, and Arizona Cats 1-0 on their way to championship play. Pitcher Abbey Filliez allowed one run, which was unearned in 21 innings and pitching shutouts against SoCal Hurricanes and

Arizona Cats.

“We played against outstanding teams and players throughout the tournament,” Lilley said. “We go to Oklahoma City because we believe it is a national-level tournament in the middle of the season and it best prepares the Slammers for the high intensity of playing at ASA Nationals the first week of August.”

“The teams are all incredibly well based in fundamentals and the margin of error is very small in virtually every game. They push you to your limits.”

The Slammers’ found themselves squaring off against the Arizona Cats for the second time in the tournament for the right to become the 14U ASA Hall of Fame champion.

The Cats struck first by scoring an unearned run in the top of the first, but Brittanie Fowler blanked the Cats over the ensuing four innings.

Meanwhile, the Slammers offense went into high gear beginning in the second inning.

“Funk and Lilley both drove in a run in the second to give the Slammers a 2-1 lead,” Lilley explained. “The Slammers added three runs in the third with Casey Burns contributing a two-run double and then put the game away with six runs in the fourth. Prantl, Lilley, Burns, Rice and catcher Erika Warren all had two hits to lead the Slammers offense.”

The Slammers capped a strong weekend with a run-rule victory with a promising future in postseason competition.

The Frost Comets went 6-0 at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, outscoring their competition 35-6 en route to their tournament victory.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

ASA

By Mitch Shasta

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—It has been a long and winding road for the ASA 12U Hall of Fame Champions, who have a rather unique story to tell.

They say that they pride themselves on being competitive and showing respect for their competition, but that doesn’t tell the entire story. It doesn’t tell what had to be done to be able to pride themselves on the above-mentioned traits.

“In the fall of 2008, the Huntsville Comets and Frost Falcons formed a union unlike any other in the southeast,” said Frost Comets head coach Glen Bradley. “As the fiercest of rivals for many years, with myself as coach of the Comets, and Kirk Lewis of the Falcons, we made a decision to consolidate our teams in an effort to take our young ladies to an unprecedented level. What resulted is the ‘Frost Comets,’ and it has been a tremendous ride!”

Tremendous does not even begin to describe their performance in the ASA this year. The Frost Comets hold a stunning 44-1 record in 12U play and a 12-8 record in 14U competition. You heard correct, these ladies trained for the finals by stepping up into 14U competition.

“To prepare for Oklahoma City, the Comets played up, going to 14U to better prepare themselves for the Hall of Fame tournament,” Bradley said.

“Going 5-1 and taking the championship trophy while playing up in age group was a true testament to the

Comets grit and determination.”

For the team that is listed as coming out of Chattanooga, TN, the Frost Comets come from areas distant from this very city.

“The Comets have team members from 3 different states: Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia,” said Bradley. “It goes without saying that scheduling practices has been challenging. Often players and parents have had to be responsible for getting the work in on an individual basis.”

“With this being said, the success and spirit of ‘Team’ that the Comets have is truly a tribute to the love that these players have for the game, and each other.

The Comets truly believe that they are an ‘unbreakable chain.’ Each girl, coach and parent associated with this team is willing to do whatever it takes to be successful, not just on the field, but off the field also. We want our girls to be successful outside the dugout as well.”

This unbreakable chain put together an unbreakable winning streak as they went 6-0 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, outscoring their competition 356 en route to their tournament victory.

“We have faced some very talented teams from all across the nation,” Bradley commented. What is refreshing is the how the spirit of competition leads to a level of respect that is very admirable. We have received many comments on the sportsmanship that our players show, and we have also seen that same spirit from those teams we play.”

On the Frost Comets’ flawless run to the

championship game, they ousted Oklahoma Finish 8-3, California Grappettes in an 8-0 shutout, Arizona Fever 3-1, Texas Peppers 8-1 and Texas Bandits in another 20 shutout.

“The Bandits appeared to be the biggest obstacle to the championship game and this proved to be true,” Bradley explained. “Ashton Edwards pitched what may possibly have been her biggest game as a Comet. With the Bandits putting in patient at bats, Ashton was forced to rely on more than just her overpowering fastball.

Haley Williamson proved her strength as a true team player, coming off the bench to deliver a key base hit late in that game.”

The Frost Comets’ game 5 shutout over the Texas Bandits was not the last they would see of them, however. The Bandits would return for a shot at redemption in the championship game, only to face much of the same adversity from the game before.

“The Comets were determined to avoid another nail biter against a very talented Texas Bandit team,” Bradley stated. “Taylor Parker and Sara Adams delivered key hits early as the Comets jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. This was more than enough as the Comets continued to play stellar defense with Meghan Toney and J.J. Hamill turned a tremendous double play to kill a Bandit rally. Cori Jennings gave up 2 hits as the Comets became 12U ASA Hall of Fame Champions.”

For this deadly combination of two teams from the southeast, the result was their achievement in being one of the top 12U teams in the nation.

The Cat Osterman Experience includes a state-ofthe-art complex consisting of world-class softball fields aptly named the “Hall of Fame Fields” that are meticulously groomed and designed specifically for girl’s fastpitch softball. The fields also include covered spectator seating, mist-cooled dugouts, individual team bullpens, bricked batter boxes and pitcher’s circles, as well as Diamond-Pro infield mix.

The “Hall of Fame Fields,” will also be home to a 4,000 square foot tournament headquarters building, affectionately referred to as “The Barn.”

Inside the Barn, you’ll find a Pro-Shop, General Store, concessions area, an umpire’s lounge, arcade, and an attached covered patio that provides a shaded dining area. Within the Cat Osterman Experience, is the exclusive “Champion’s Village” also referred to as the athlete’s only area.

The Champion’s Village includes the elite AllStar dining pavilion, the air-conditioned Team Clubhouses that will accommodate each individual team, a Player’s Grill that’s open until 10 o’clock every night (just in case you have a late night game or get the munchies), an arcade, a giant outdoor movie screen and a commons area.

Part of the Cat Osterman Experience, and arguably the ultimate highlight of the week, includes an induction ceremony where each player and coach will be individually inducted into the U.S.

Girls Softball Hall of Fame. Regardless of outcome, each participant is recognized and honored for their achievements, and will receive the coveted U.S. Girls Softball Hall of Fame Ring and Bracelet.

Other highlights and memorable experiences will consist of: each team having the opportunity to participate in activities that will include Cat Osterman and/or one of her Olympic teammates where the softball greats of today meet and inspire the softball greats of tomorrow; participate in skills challenges (fleet foot, homerun derby, around the horn, etc.); opening and closing ceremonies; and “family nights” at the Cat Osterman Experience.

This is another aspect of the Cat Osterman Experience that makes it very unique it has been designed to be a “family experience,” or an event the whole family can enjoy. When Cat elected to play her collegiate softball at the University of Texas, one of the reasons she chose that university is because it was close enough for her family to come and watch her play.

Family has always been a big part of Cat’s life and success, and she believes the same holds true for a lot of athletes especially younger ones.

That’s why, as the complex was being designed and created, there were activities and features that were implemented for the enjoyment of both the family and the athlete. Some of these elements include: a three-story water slide; video arcade; basketball and sand volleyball courts; tours of the U.S. Air Force base; web broadcasts; waffle ball fields; a pro-shop where you will be able to find your favorite memorabilia and paraphernalia; and amenities too numerous to try and mention them all.

Additionally, each evening at the village will include a family activity ranging from: opening and closing ceremonies; Hall of Fame induction ceremony: a live comedy show; outdoor movies displayed on a giant screen; live bands; family barbecues; and a host of other events.

One of the many reasons Bellevue, NE was carefully selected as the host city for the Cat

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

It has been said by an anonymous author, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

If you believe this is true, then when was the last time you did something that took your breath away? When was the last time you participated in something that had a positive impact on you and provided you with an experience that you could turn to and reflect on throughout your life?

Well that’s just the kind of experience that Olympic Gold Medalist and U.S.A. Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Cat Osterman wants to provide for teams who participate in girls fastpitch softball when the “Cat Osterman Experience” opens in the summer of 2010.

The Cat Osterman Experience will take place on a beautiful 40-acre site in Bellevue, Nebraska (the third largest city in Nebraska located just minutes south of Omaha). The multi-million dollar facility was designed to provide the ultimate softball experience to girls, their fastpitch softball teammates and their families.

The idea for the Cat Osterman Experience was hatched from Osterman’s desire to re-create what she felt and experienced while walking with Team USA at the Beijing opening ceremonies, interacting with other athletes while staying in the Olympic athletes village, the numerous times she walked ontothe carefully groomed softball field at the University of Texas, when she stepped into the pitcher’s circle at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, and when she was selected number one in the 2006 National Pro Fastpitch draft.

All of these experiences have culminated to create a lifelong love of softball and the ideals that are associated with team sports that she can never abandon. The players and coaches will actually stay onsite where they will eat, sleep, and participate in team building experiences while taking part in skills challenges and a week-long tournament against teams from the U.S. and Canada. The tournaments are divided into 12-, 14and 16-year-old and under divisions.

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Softball Today • JUNE 2009

The “Cat Osterman Experience” The multi-million dollar facility was designed to provide the ultimate softball experience to girls, their fastpitch softball teammates and their families.

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Softball Today • JUNE 2009

1-888-888-1CAT www.CATSVILLAGE.com

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Softball Today • JUNE 2009

Osterman Experience is because of its relatively central location within the U.S., and there are numerous local attractions for the family. Some of these local attractions consist of the: Omaha FunPlex and Water Park, Henry Doorly Zoo and the Sky Safari (nationally acclaimed); Omaha Children’s Museum; Omaha Magic Theater; AK.SAR.BEN Aquarium & Nature Center.

And, for the adults who are looking for a little fun and excitement of their own the complex is located 15 minutes from Council Bluff, IA where you can enjoy some “down time” at one of the local casinos.

“Everyone deserves to have similar feelings and experiences that they can turn to throughout their lives,” said Cat. “I have forged memories and relationships that I will cherish for a lifetime because of these experiences. I feel I would be very ungrateful if I didn’t give back to the sport that has given me so much, and I want to give these young girls an opportunity to participate in something that in some small way re-creates the softball experiences I have had, and provides them with something they can cherish for the rest of their lives. I want them to have an experience that has no equal when it comes to fastpitch softball. You won’t find anything like this at a weekend softball

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tournament, academy or camp. That’s why it’s called the Cat Osterman Experience.”

It has been this attitude of giving back to the sport she loves that has compelled Cat to join the coaching ranks. She currently serves as an assistant coach at DePaul University, even as she plays fulltime professional softball for Rockford Thunder and represents the USA in international softball events. In the past, she has also found time in her busy schedule to coach the Austin Storm, an Austin-based select fastpitch club who boasts an unparalleled record of college recruitment in Central Texas.

The dream of giving back is becoming a reality, as Cat has coupled with a group of investors (WBV, LLC) and the city of Bellevue to make this a “dream come true” for girl’s fast pitch softball. The city of Bellevue deserves recognition and a lot of credit for making this a reality,” explained Osterman, “They have bent over backwards” and made significant commitments and contributions to make this happen I can’t tell you how excited I am to introduce the rest of the country to this great city and their friendly and outgoing citizens! They truly call this the ‘heartland’ for a reason.”

Bellevue Mayor, Ed Babbitt, echoed Ms. Osterman’s enthusiasm. “The City of Bellevue has been excited about this concept from day one,” noted Mayor Babbitt. “We cannot wait to welcome softball players and their families to our riverfront city for the softball experience of a lifetime.” The concept of stay-and-play facilities has actually been around for a number of years, but they’ve only been

available to baseball players that consist mainly of boys.

These facilities have been a huge success amongst baseball players ranging from 9-yearsold and up, and in some cases you have to sign up a few years in advance to secure your spot at the tournament. Some naysayers have said this concept will never work for girl’s softball, but Cat, like she has done so many times in her career, is out to prove them wrong.

She believes girl’s fastpitch softball has come of age, and that young women want the same opportunities that are readily available to the boys. At this point, you might be asking yourself so, what does an experience like this cost? It’s surprisingly affordable; the standard all-inclusive price per player and coach for the six-day experience is $599 (including meals and accommodations for 6 days, 8 games guaranteed, home and away jerseys, access to site attractions and entertainment, etc).

However, for the inaugural season there is an early sign-up incentive that actually drops the price to $399 for each player and coach, and all teams that sign-up by July 31st of 2009 are eligible for the incentive.

Additionally, through Softball Today Magazine there is a ‘signed-shirt’ bonus, in which all teams that sign-up within the early incentive period will also receive an autographed shirt by Cat Osterman! (Shirt’s will be handed out upon check-in) There are two ways to register your team: 1) you can speak to a representative of the Cat Osteman Experience by calling the following tollfree number 1-888-888-1CAT (1-888-8881228); or 2) go online to www.catsvillage.com to review the list of available dates, and get your team signed up. Then get ready to have your breath taken away!

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

USSSA

By Anthony Bronson

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ANKENY, IA—When we are young, there was always that need to be better at everything than your younger siblings. You had to be the best, because you are older and therefore you thought you were more talented. In the back of your mind there was always that fear of what people would think of you if you were beaten at a game by your younger siblings.

This fear came alive as this harsh reality became fate for many teams at The Midwest Showdown 18U A tournament, which was held at the Prairie Ridge Sports Complex. The tournament champions out of Omaha, Nebraska, Frozen Ropes Fury, brought an element to the table that stunned their competition—their age.

“We were playing up an age bracket the weekend of The Midwest Showdown,” commented Frozen Ropes Fury head coach Dave Peterson. “We are really a 16 and under team made up of 16 and 17 year old girls.”

In their third tournament of the year, Frozen Ropes Fury has impressively chalked up their third tournament win as well.

“Our record so far this season is 20-1 and we hope to hold that through the 10 or 11 tournaments we will play in this season,” stated Peterson. “We are one of the best 16 and under teams in the Midwest, finishing in the top three at the last 3 national tournaments we have gone to.”

Their goal is very much in reach for a team that has created a strong foundation to be successful going forward. “The core of the team has been together since they were 9 and 10 years old,” Peterson said. What’s special about our team is how close of friendship they have made, which makes them better on the field.”

Aiming higher and higher after every tournament requires an increased amount of training and practice, but that doesn’t scare these girls. “Our success this season has been the hours

Finishing in the top three in the last three national tournaments they have gone to, Frozen Ropes Fury held an impressive record of 20-1through the beginning of June. the girls have put in during the winter,” Peterson stated. “Thanks to this, they all know their rolls and what each has to do to help the team win games.”

Their rigorous work ethic has produced results this season as we have already seen. During the Midwest Showdown, Frozen Ropes Fury carried an impressive team batting average of .511. Shortstop Tonya Peterson lead the team with a .547 batting average and 10 RBIs and Catcher KC Miller followed up with a .500 slamming one home run and driving in 9 runs.

This impressive offensive campaign helped to shut out Fort Dodge (Fort Dodge, IA), RCS-Black (Pleasant Hill, IA), Iowa Blitz (West Des Moines, IA), Indianola Indians (Indianola, IA) and Sizzle Red (Omaha, NE) while still producing a commanding win over Okoboji (Milford, IA) In addition to the devastating offensive onslaught that weekend, their pitching created a deadly combination. “Our pitching was awesome that weekend,” Peterson said. “We scored 52 runs that weekend while only giving up 5 runs.”

Pitching duo Karissa Hovinga and Kayla Hansen managed to seal the deal in the circle with little opposition for the weekend. Hovinga went 6-0 on the weekend with 51 strikeouts and a 0.21 ERA while Hansen went 2-0 on the weekend with 19 strikeouts.

Despite encountering little resistance on the weekend, Frozen Ropes Fury did not take their championship opponents lightly. The championship game was against MSA Gold, out of Des Moines, IA, and they proved to be a formidable opponent for these ladies.

“They were a team that we were watching all weekend, knowing that might be a team we would Stunning Frozen Ropes Fury pitching duo Karissa Hovinga and Kayla Hansen were unmatched in the circle, holding their opponents to a combined 5 runs on the weekend.

run into late in the tournament,” Peterson commented. “We were both undefeated going into the championship game and they had very good pitchers and hitters.”

The game kicked off with a bang as Frozen Ropes Fury scored 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Center fielder Mara Eeman and Catcher KC Miller were the scoring runs putting Frozen Ropes Fury into that familiar position they had seen all tournament long.

“There wasn’t any more scoring until the top of the third when MSA had a two hit inning in which they scored a run.” Peterson added. After scoring two more runs in the third inning, the fate of the game was decided as Frozen Ropes Fury walked away victorious over MSA Gold by a score of 4-1 and racking up their third championship win of the year.

SHAWNEE, KS- Kansas is used to being at the mercy of harsh storms, especially during tornado season, but this state had not seen anything until the Mac-N-Seitz Storm (Overland Park, KS) passed through the Hawaiian Hitfest at the Mid-America West Sports Complex. This is a very talented yet humble group of softball players that brings a fresh edge to the sport.

“We travel around the Midwest to play in tournaments and are always impressed with the caliber of athletes and coaches we see,” said Mac-N-Seitz head coach Rick Rogers.

The Storm have left their mark all over the Midwest this year, taking home multiple championships and near championships. “We started of the 2009 season strong taking the Championship in the first tourney we played,” Rogers commented. “The Hawaiian Hitfest was our second championship of the season. We have played in nine tournaments so far in 2009 and have two championships, three runner-ups and one third place finishes.”

In just their second year of existence, this squad has demonstrated that they have the raw talent to be successful, but to much surprise, the Storm still seem to be in their break in period. This is not good news for their competition.

“It’s a learning process for both players and coaches,” Rogers commented. “The girls are learning fundamentals that apply to both baseball and softball from instructors with years of professional ball experience and we, as coaches, are constantly expanding our knowledge of the game and teaching

SHAWNEE, KS- “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” That’s that thought that Stingers12 (Chillicothe, MO) embedded in the minds of their opposition and tournament onlookers at the 12U Hawaiian Hitfest, which was held at the Mid-America Sports Complex.

“The team is from Chillicothe,MO and we also have four girls from nearby towns,” said Stingers12 head coach Scotty Boley. “Our team started out the 2009 season with C ball, but with all of hard work by the players, coaches and parents, we have done very well in B. By the end of the season we hope to try some A tourneys.”

It looks like this team of dedicated and hard working young ladies just might get there by the end of the season too because they have the track record to prove it. The Stingers placed sixth in a tournament of more than 23 teams earlier this year at the Mizuno tournament, but after stepping it up a couple notches in practices, the team was able to take home their first championship of the season at the Hawaiian Hitfest.

The ladies found themselves as the only team not plagued by a loss throughout the entire tournament, but that doesn’t mean that they coasted the entire way.

In a string of narrow victories against the Clay Center B’s (Clay Center, KS) and the Summit Sharks

some key hits and swung hot bats,” Rogers said. “ The road to the championship would bring the Storm back to the team they had narrowly beaten earlier in the tournament: Mid Missouri Ricochet.

“The Championship game was a rematch of game 1 for both teams in the tournament,” according to Rogers. “The Storm knew that they would have to play another flawless game against a strong Ricochet team to have a chance to take home the championship.”

The Mac-N-Seitz Storm quickly started making work of the Ricochet in the first inning. After Allie Macfarlane ripped a triple to right field, she was scored on an infield hit by Ashley Mars. This gave the Storm the immediate lead and set the pace for the rest of the game.

After going quietly in the second inning, the Storm struck again in the third inning when Brooke Zimmerman got on base on a bunt. She quickly stole second and reached third on a passed ball. It was Meg Garton who played it smart, hitting a grounder to right on a full count to score Brooke and lengthen their lead to two runs.

The Storm went on scoring 1 more run in the fifth when Lauren Thomas stole third on a wild pitch and eventually scored on another passed ball. To continue their relentless attack, the Storm scored their final 2 runs in the sixth to win the game 5-0.

“There were countless situations this tournament where we came up with a huge defensive play with 2 outs, scored several runs with 2 outs, battled with 2 strikes to get a hit or draw a walk, Rogers said. “All while 11 girls encouraged their teammate on.”

(Lees Summit, MO) by scores of 5-3 in both games, the Stingers found their tempo for the tournament, which would result in more runs chalked up on the scoreboard by themselves and less by their opponents.

“Savannah Sturgess, Samantha Baldwin and Sara Smith all had great performances in the tournament opener,” Boley said. “I think this inspired the girls to push through the next game where Lauren Jones and Kelsey Boley stole the spotlight.”

The maturity that these young girls show on the field helps them to pull out these clutch victories and kept them alive until they really cranked up the heat and laid waste to the rest of the competition.

“I think this team is special because we have several young girls that are playing a lot older than their age,” Boley commented.

The rest of the Stingers’ road to the championship game was as smooth as a baby’s bottom. There were no bumps, potholes, roadblocks or detours. There were just 4 teams, which combined, were defeated 29-7.

KC Impact (Kansas City, KS), Northland Stunners (Dearborn, MO), Hallsville Blaze (Hallsville, MO) and Lawrence Phenix (Lawrence, KS) were all steamrolled by the Stingers in 7-1, 9-4, 8-1 and 5-1 losses respectively, which propelled the Stingers to the championship game, where they would face the Angels (St. Joseph, MO).

“Our girls were having a spectacular tournament,” Boley stated. “Sammi Overton had multiple strikeouts with

2 RBI. Samantha Baldwin had hit a homerun and Jaylene Sturgess was making some great catches over in right field.”

The Angles were also having an extraordinary tournament run themselves, but little did they know the kind of derailing that the Stingers were going to lay on them.

The Stingers came out swinging right away and drew first blood, chalking up one run in the first inning.

“Megan Kearns came up with a double that inning while Kelsey Boley and Samantha Baldwin both had singles in just that first inning,” Boley said.

In the third inning, the ladies would strike again as the Stingers tallied one more run that would take them through the rest of the game.

“The game saving play was made in the 3rd inning by Brooke Nelson,” Boley added. “There were runners on second and third when a linedrive was hit to left center. Brooke made the catch and got a double play at second.”

After this miraculous play, all threats of the Angels taking this championship away from them would be eliminated. The game ended in a 2-0 loss for the Angels, while the Stingers took home their first tournament championship of the year.

“The Angels team has great coaches, players, and fans,” Boley concluded.

USSSA

By Anthony Bronson

concepts unique to fast pitch.”

Whether it is that strong pitcher that keeps batters chasing their tails such as Elena Keating, that great utility such as Meg Garton, or that great vacuum at third base such as Jordyn Bogdan, the team realizes that their success can not be possible without one another.

“From our perspective what makes this team special to us is that they play together as a team,” Rogers stated. “The girls understand that success in this sport and that of our team relies on interdependency instead of independence. The never quit attitude until the final strike of the final out of the final inning is what we try to instill in our girls.”

This rigid team attitude and dedication allowed the Mac-N-Seitz Storm to dominate their competition, outscoring them 55-18 while recording three shutouts and only taking a single narrow loss to Road Runners (Topeka, KS) by a score of 6-5.

“We were entering bracket play on Sunday coming off a tough loss in our final pool game late Saturday night where we let a 5-0 lead get away from us,” Rogers explained. The girls were pretty down leaving the park Saturday night. Before we started play Sunday we told the girls to forget about the night before and if they went out and played to the best of their ability that today could be a special day.”

Leading up to the championship game, the Storm were able to put down Mid Missouri Ricochet (Jefferson City, MO) 1-0, shut out Red Hots (Lees Summit, MO) by a dramatic 15-0, Precision Panthers (Raytown, MO) 10-7, Flames (Frontenac, KS) 6-5 and the Cowgirls of Lees Summit (Lees Summit, MO) 13-1.

“The Storm took advantage of runners on base with

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

By Anthony Bronson

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Softball Today • JUNE 2009

ASA

Ticket Info

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Tickets for the Border Battle are available by calling 1-800 654-8337 or logging on to www.softballoutlet.com.

Admission to the Border Battle is a part of the following World Cup of Softball ticket packages: Ultimate Fan Zone ($250), All Session – Reserved ($75); All Session – General ($40); and Session 3 – General ($15).

Meet the Border Battle Team

The Amateur Softball Association’s (ASA) Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Okla., will bring together the premier players of slow pitch softball on July 18 at 3 p.m. for the first Border Battle. A premier matchup between the United States and Canada held during the 2009 World Cup of Softball, the Border Battle offers fans the rare opportunity to see two of the sport’s primary disciplines side by side.

Here is a glimpse at the 15 men representing the United States:

Dexter Tyrone Avery Sr.

JD Genter

Andy Purcell

Avery’s favorite place to be is Walt Disney World with his sons Rashawn Vontrell and Dexter Tyshawn Jr. Although the father of two is a decorated baseball, basketball and softball player, athletics is not the only place where he excels for the United States. He is also a communication technical operator for the Army.

“The friendships and experiences are what I enjoy most of all,” the father of two said. “Competition is the driving force, but the many friends and experiences that are a result of playing are what mean the most.” Genter is also a high school teacher.

Purcell’s advice to young players: “I would say no matter what the score is, always play as hard as you can and never give up. Lead by example and the rest will follow.” His team won the Grand Slam of Softball (the ASA, NSA, ISA, USSSA World Series) in 2001 and 2003. In the same years, he was named Player of the Year.

Bryson Baker

Infielder from Chickamauga, Ga.

Brett Helmer

Pitcher from Naples, Fla.

Brian Rainwater

Infielder from Magalia, Calif.

Catcher and first baseman from Cicero, N.Y.

“It means everything to be able to wear the USA uniform,” Baker said. “It gives me chills just thinking about it.” The father of two, Jet and Nyah, is a baseball and softball instructor when he is not playing on the field. He lists his parents as the most influential people in his life.

Helmer is an explosive hitter Team USA will look to for an offense outpouring. In 2004, he became the first player to hit a ball out of the then 2-year-old Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. He did it in a pregame, slow-pitch softball home run exhibition by the Easton Bomb Squad.

The person he admires most is his wife Natalie.

“She teaches 7th graders all day and then has to come home and put up with me,” said Rainwater, a Boston Red Sox fan who teaches high school English. “She is great with our little girl and a true blessing.”

Outfielder from West Harrison, Ind.

Infielder from Defiance, Mo.

Infielder from Moorpark, Calif.

Rick Baker

His softball resume includes several individual honors like the ASA ‘Major’ Most Valuable Player and five Golden Glove Selections. When he is not on the field, he likes spending time with his wife Renee and two daughters, Gracie and Laney.

Baker’s hobbies include boating and golfing.

Catcher and first baseman from Gastonia, N.C. Bumgardner played baseball and football for Wake Forrest University before becoming the first player signed by the Florida Marlins expansion team. During the Marlins first year of existence, Bumgardener hit the first two home runs for the Marlins at Bucky Dent Baseball School in Del Ray Beach, Fla.

Don DeDonatis Jr.

Infielder from Kissimmee, Fla. “I grew up at a young age watching my dad play and coach softball,” DeDonatis said about his start. “I was always a baseball player, but knew one day when my baseball career was over I would get into playing competitive softball.” The three people he would most like to have dinner with are Michael Jordan, George Steinbrenner and Babe Ruth.

Dennis Rulli

“When I was 14 years old, I was watching my brother’s team and they didn’t have enough players. They let me play so they didn’t have to forfeit,” said Joerling, who has a twin son and daughter. “After that I was hooked.” His favorite sports teams are the St. Louis Cardinals and the Missouri Tigers.

Rulli is one of the most decorated members of Team USA with several honors already bestowed on him this season. In April, he was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player for the USSSA Hall of Fame Tournament. He also received honors at the Columbus Major NIT and USSSA Music City Major NIT in May.

Outfielder from Naples, Fla.

Outfielder from Hamilton, Ohio

Jason Kendrick

Brian Wegman

“Don’t throw the ball as hard as you can every time, you will need that arm in the future,” Kendrick said of the advice he’d give to young players. “Play every game and tournament like it is your last game and tournament.” The three people he would want to have dinner with are Tiger Woods, Anthony Hopkins and Michael Jordan.

“The Border Battle is an outstanding concept,” Wegman said. “It’s a perfect way to showcase and educate our sport at the highest level. I am very honored to be a member of this team and have the ability to represent the USA.” “He made the First-team All-American team at the 2008 ASA Men’s Class A National Championship.”

Catcher and first baseman from Lake Wylie, S.C.

Pitcher from Omaha, Neb.

John McCraw

He played baseball for the Houston Astros. “My parents have always been my biggest supporters,” said McGraw, who has two daughters. “From the days of dropping me off at little league practice to driving several hours to watch me play college and professional baseball and even coming to softball games when they thought it wasn’t a real sport.”

Losson White

“The keys to the success of the USA Men’s National team are fundamentally sound defense, timely hitting and the team always carrying a positive attitude,” said White, an insurance adjuster. His favorite food is chicken parmesan but his go-to late night snack is Oreo Cakesters.

ASA

Rusty Bumgardner

Todd Joerling

Outfielders from Kathleen, Ga.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

Outfielder from Sierra Vista, Ariz.

41

Having already met with success this season, Hostility has tallied 5 championships and 5 other top five finishes.

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

USSSA

By Anthony Bronson

42

EULESS, TX- When a new team is formed, the first item on the priority list is to make sure that the team meshes well and can get along on and off of the ball field. This is the case with the newly formed hometown Hostility (Euless, TX).

“We just started playing together last year,” Hostility head coach Joshua Potter. “We have a team with pretty diverse backgrounds, but we’ve managed to become a pretty close-knit unit. You can always find us grilling and hanging out together as a team during tournament play.”

For a team that is still considered by many to be in their early stages of development, Hostility has been met with their fair share of success. The team as participated in 15 total tournaments this year and has taken home the championship in 5 of them and finished in the top 5 in six others. With this kind of success, the boys from Euless have high aspirations for the rest of the year.

“We fully intend to play state, nationals, and worlds this year,” Potter said. “With that in mind, we are looking to build chemistry and to gel before that stretch run August-September.”

That summer home stretch will be a tough one too. This is the point in the year when all teams have played in multiple tournaments and when players are the most prone to injury. In addition, this is the time of the year when temperatures are at their peak, but this doesn’t scare these men.

“The best thing about our team is the fact we know there’s room for improvement,” Potter explained. “Playing in Texas, we feel we face some of the toughest competition in the country, because of that, we feel we can compete with any team at any time, on any given day.”

This attitude allowed Hostility to lay waste to their opponents, outscoring them by a whopping 85-45. While only taking a single loss to Revelation

(McKinney, TX) by a score of 10-6, they were able to defeat NTSC (Rowlett, TX) 8-6, Most Hated (Fort Worth, TX) 17-7, Canos Crew (Euless, TX) by a slim 7-6, Sangre (Euless, TX) 15-7 and win a second game against Revelation 8-6 up to the championship game. The victory against Revelation in that rematch was one of the most satifying victories the team had acquired during the tournament.

“We did not feel that our hitting was the best it could be but we did get the timely hits when needed,” Potter explained. “As usual Mike Williams was a beast at the plate, hitting seeds all over the field. Our leadoff hitter, Chad Cloud, was a machine, getting on base at a near .900 clip all tourney. Our defense and pitching was stellar throughout the tournament only allowing an average of 7 runs per Hostility demonstrated their offensive dominance during the SBW Big Apple/NYPD Cup Series E as they outscored their opponents by a combined 85-45.

game – including turning 12 double plays and even 1 triple play. There were several highlight reel diving catches from the outfield, and two huge put out throws from Sean Moore and Jake Hardisty.”

The team, however, had something very unusual and unfortunate happen to them mid-tournament.

“In our 3rd game of the tourney one of our players slid into third head first and was called out on a close play,” Potter outlined. “The 3rd baseman pushed our player down to his back while calling him obscenities. Our player then began to try to free himself, only to get punched multiple times before a bench clearing squabble ensued. Both players were ejected to our dismay, and we had to overcome the loss of our player. We were stunned for a minute, but we quickly turned the drama into fire on the field.”

And they quickly put that fire to work in the championship game where they would go toe-to-toe with Revelation for one more game. This was their chance to break the tie and prove that they were the better team out there.

“The game was a rematch with the only team we had lost to,” Potter said. “We took the field with the motto, ‘let’s make them pay $80 to watch us beat them’. We had to double dip them, and after the first victory the second game almost seemed inevitable. We started out from the 1st inning pretty much in rhythm. We put up 6 runs to start the game, and then held them to only 1 run. The landslide continued and we coasted to a 20-7 victory.”

This tournament victory has driven Hostility into a completely new league as they head into summer tournament play.

“We have high aspirations for the rest of the year,” Potter stated. “We will not make any guarantees, other than the fact we will make some noise every tournament we play in and we will be a team to be reckoned with.”

By Anthony Bronson guys in the few years after and brought on the other half of our team in 2006.”

More often than not, when a large portion of the team is replaced, there is a gap that must be bridged between the players that are brought on and the playing style of the team core, unless you bring on a group that is similar to yourself.

“The other half of the team was a bunch of guys who grew up together playing baseball all the way through high school,” Marotta explained. “We have had very little turnover on this team since 2006.

We very seldom argue on the field and are good friends off the field.”

This team has brought together all of the elements despite some team reconstruction to produce a near flawless run towards state and world competition. On their way to the championship, PTC put together a spectacular performance, outscoring their opponents by a whopping 60-35. On their dominating trip to the championship game, they motored through George Pizza (Burrville, RI) 8-4, Double Barrel Softball (Southington, CT) by a slim 1312, Dreamhouse Painting (Bristol, RI) 14-6 and the hometown team Tammany Hall/Impact (Pawtucket, RI) 11-9.

“In the winners bracket final against Tammany Hall/Impact, we jumped out to a quick 8–0 lead after two innings,” Marotta explained. “Tournament MVP OF Jason Pekrul made 2 great defensive plays in the

gaps to stop potential rallies from Tammany Hall/Impact and gave us a great 11-9 win.”

That satisfying victory over the hometown favorite allowed the boys from Kensington to punch their tickets to the championship game of the TYJA Sports Memorial Day tournament. They would square off with a team that they had gone toe-totoe with once before—Double Barrel Softball.

PTC would have to compete for the tournament championship without one of the links in their tight-knit crew.

“OF Ryan Snyder’s, the team’s number five hitter, back tightened up in between the winner’s bracket final and the final game and was forced to sit out for the championship game.”

PTC was quick to strike in the final bout of the tournament as they drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning with a huge run that would cripple Double Barrel Softball and leave them playing catch up for the rest of the game.

“In the bottom of the 1st in a rematch with Double Barrel Softball with 2 outs and only one run in, we had 10 consecutive batters reach base,” Marotta happily stated. “2B Mike Snyder, OF Dan Silva, 3B Brian Potash, C Mike Rogers ripped doubles to the gaps in that rally and the end result was an 11–0 lead after one inning.” PCT went on to score an 11-4 victory and earn their third straight tournament.

USSSA Softball Today • JUNE 2009

PAWTUCKET, RI—Having achieved high marks in an already successful season, Team PTC (Kensington, CT) was out to lift the bar even higher at the USSSA TYJA Sports Memorial Day ‘E’ tournament, which was held at the Hank Soar Complex. So high, in fact, that their competition would not be able to lay a finger on it.

Having participated in 5 tournaments throughout the state of Connecticut this year, PTC has taken 4 tournament championships back home to Kensington.

“We have won 3 straight tournaments and 15 straight games since losing the first game of a tournament and we have won 2 NITs during that stretch,” explained PTC team manager and head coach Carlo Marotta.”

“We are hoping to repeat as CT E state USSSA champions and win ASA D states this year. Also looking to improve on our recent success in USSSA E Worlds where our team place 33rd in 2007 and 25th in 2008 where each tournament had over 200 teams in it.”

With the team firing on all cylinders as they head into the home stretch for the season, this team has had a successful past that was built on even longer previous relationships.

“Half of the team has been playing together since 2003,” Marotta stated. “We started to lose

43

By Anthony Bronson

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

USSSA

TACOMA, WA—When Thad Bruesseau envisioned his dream softball team, he saw bringing all of the very best talent from the Mount Vernon, WA area and bringing them together to form an all-star team.

Until this year, this dream looked like a complicated winding road into oblivion from all of the negotiating that would have to happen to make this dream a reality. This was until, one day, two talented softball teams, Hiddenwave/Burton and Rightway Plumbing decided to merge. Taking the best players of these two teams and putting them on a field was success in the making that finally paid off for Bruesseau.

“Hiddenwave/Burton is comprised of friends that live and have played together for years in the Mount Vernon/Sedro Wooley area,” said Hiddenwave player Tim McQuery. “This year, we have played in four tournaments and this is our first tournament win of the year.”

This new creation has seen constant improvements all year with minimal setbacks. They kicked off the year with the Mike Ford’s King of the Northwest Tournament finishing in the ninth position. Since then, they have seen a fifth place finish in the C/D NIT in Everett, WA and a championship victory in the recent Awards Service/JJ’s D NIT, which was held in the city of Tacoma.

Many are wondering what it is that has brought this

44

By Anthony Bronson EVERETT, WA—For a men’s slow pitch softball team, aside from getting out there on the weekends and having a good time, clinching berths to state and world competition is much like having Christmas arrive early.

That is, unless a green man resembling the Grinch comes and steals it. Mr. Green With a Lead Pipe, the locals out of Everett, WA, stole not only the tournament victory from their competition, but also a berth to world competition from their championship game opposition.

Their victory in the Awards Service/JJ’s/USSSA E World tournament in early May was their first tournament victory of the year. Carrying a tournament record of 12-5 on the year in 6 tournaments, this team has a unique history. “Most of us met through playing ball or through friends who play ball,” said head coach Peter Boyle.

“Almost all the guys on the team have played against each other for years, but this is their first time on the same squad.”

Boyle has been running slow pitch softball teams for over 10 years, but the core of this team has played together for 3 seasons now. “You could say that we are a team of softball misfits that came together and found a perfect,” Boyle humorously commented. Two of the players are cousins and Boyle has known the team’s recent addition, center fielder Joe Engbert, since they were in junior high and high school.

“I ran into Joe again 5 years ago on the field and have been trying to get him to play for me ever since,” Boyle said. “He finally agreed, along with first baseman Denny Jones to leave Alside Windows (Everett, WA) and

newly formed team so much success. “Our team’s motto is to score three runs per inning,” McQuery said. Under this theory of, “one small step for the inning, one giant step for tournament victory,” Hiddenwave/Burton was the highest scoring team in the tournament averaging 19.33 runs per game. “We also had the highest differential in the tournament averaging 11.16 differential per game,” McQuery added.

These impressive statistics were the product of their 6-0 run in the tournament with victories over Interstate Batteries (Olympia, WA) 27-16, Guzzlers/U.S. Army (Tumwater, WA) 22-7, Rage/Chihuahuas Bar and Grill (Auburn, WA), Absolute Concrete Inc. (Port Angeles, WA) 214 and two consecutive victories over Loaded (Renton, WA) 16-4 and 18-4.

The tournament, however, was not all smooth sailing.

“During this tournament, we were missing 2 of our starting outfielders,” McQuery stated. “This put our coach, Thad Bruesseau, in the lineup for the weekend and he ended up leading the team with a .739 batting average.”

With that hole plugged, which kept the boat from sinking, the Hiddenwave boat sprung another leak during the tournament. “Jake Lazzari, our second and third baseman, injured his knee in the Guzzlers game,” McQuery added. “He fought through the pain for the next few games, but had to sit out the winner’s bracket final and the championship game.”

This did not prevent Hiddenwave from setting off the fireworks in the championship game against Loaded however. They came out swinging for the fence as they scored 7 runs in the first inning to heavily dent the confidence of their opponent, or so we would have thought. “Loaded chipped away each inning for the first four scoring 6 runs to cut into our lead,” McQuery said.

“Both teams struggled a little in this one as it was a long one day tourney and both teams were on their sixth game of the day.”

Reaching deep inside of themselves, the boys of Mount Vernon found the energy in the sixth and the seventh innings to chalk up eight additional runs to seal the deal and to rightfully claim the tournament victory.

“Defensively, mid-infielder Travis Geary and shortstop Joey Pendergrass made some amazing plays to stifle the efforts of Loaded,” McQuery commented. “P.J. Simpson was 5-5 with four runs scored, and Thad Bruesseau was 4-4 with three runs scored in the final inning.”

Hiddenwave/Burton has now secured their berth to the ASA C Nationals in Portland, OR and USSSA D Nationals in Sterling Heights, MI. “The plan for the rest of the year is to get/stay healthy, play the best competition we can, and get better each and every weekend,” McQuery said. “This team’s main objective is to bring a title back to Mount Vernon.”

come join Mr. Green.”

With some new players and a new fielding strategy, Mr. Green has had many new things to stitch into the fabric of their team. “We adopted the 5-man infield and there has been a lot of bumps as we’ve been installing it,” Boyle stated. The new strategy finally clicked during this last tournament and it left a mark on the competition.

“The 3 man outfield of Bobby Wright, Joe Engbert, and Jeff Mugge was phenomenal, tracking ball after ball that would have hit off the fence,” Boyle commented. “Their strong arms and hitting the cutoffs kept runners from advancing, saving many runs throughout the tournament.”

As a result, Mr. Green turned 15 double plays in 8 games and kept their competition’s scoring to a minimum all tournament long.

This helped Mr. Green score 5 victories against Alside Window (Everett, WA) 15-12, Shock Softball (Maple Valley, WA) 18-12, Mutiny (Lake Stevens, WA) 13-8, Longhorn Barbecue/SPS (North Bend, WA) 12-11 and Precision Softball (Sumner, WA) 23-14 while only incurring a single loss to Young Guns/Lineup (Sumner, WA) 12-10 before the “if” game.

All of their success during the tournament did not come without some major setbacks, although no one would ever guess. “Our starting shortstop, Ryan Schlotfeld, is in the Navy and was deployed back in February, but he will be home and rejoining the team by the start of June,” Boyle said. “Right fielder, Jeff Mugge, was just recovering from Pneumonia two weeks and is still having lung issues.” In addition, the team was coming off of a disappointing performance in a tournament a week prior to this tournament in which the team said they were “dominated in

two straight losses.” This only inspired them to work harder at practice the week leading up to that weekend.

Later in the tournament, Mr. Green’s eventual championship competition, Young Guns/Lineup, was out to size them up only to find it was going to be a tough battle. “The Young Guns were sitting in the bleachers watching us being down 10-0 in the 3rd and then rally to put up 10 runs & 11 runs respectively in the last 2 innings of the game versus Precision,” Boyle stated.

“After the fact, this moment has been referenced as a possible turning point for the team this season.”

The championship game would prove to have a lot more on the line than a mere advance in the tournament. “Before the championship game, the opposing coach and I talked about how this was the ‘money game’ because a paid world berth was on the line and both teams wanted it,” Boyle said.

Young Guns led off with a single that was quickly followed by three outs. “That bit of solid defense took away any momentum the Young Guns had and put the ball in their court,” Boyle commented. “Young Guns didn’t have a runner past second base until the fourth inning, which ended, while having bases loaded, on Joe’e ESPN highlight catch. His diving catch towards right field in this game was the nail in the coffin and would put most ESPN Top 10 catches to shame.” Mr. Green never looked back after that moment and went on to win the tournament and a world berth 12-3.

“The ultimate goal for the team is to play well at State and then at Worlds, which is being hosted in WA this year, Boyle said. “We will continue to challenge ourselves against all levels of competition.”

Top 5 of 15

46

GREENVILLE, TX—As one of the most active teams in the USSSA playing in a total of 17 tournaments this year, Lethal Assault (Euless, TX) has fine-tuned their softball instruments to become a team that could very well be right in the thick of it at the end of the season.

Having taken home 5 other tournament victories this year, Lethal Assault sealed the deal on their sixth tournament win this year at the Remember the Majors D NIT, which was hosted at the Greenville Sports Complex.

“This team is very young, and have many of years ahead of them to play softball,” explained team manager and head coach Jesse Champion. “If they stick together, such as they have this entire year, and continue to play hard and win like they do now, they will be a team that can hang with anybody in softball now and in the years to come.”

Despite their young age, many of the young men on Lethal Assault have a track record that can compete with the best of them.

“The core of the team has been together for now 3 years,” Champion said. “Some of the guys have started out playing softball, but not on the same team, just from playing each other. A couple of the guys know each other from outside of softball as well.”

It would seem that young age and experience do not go together and it is something that is not heard of very often, which makes it a beautiful façade for when they step out onto the field before a game.

The façade and the past experience allowed them to steamroll their competition as they outscored their opponents by a score of 50-9 and defeat Raging Lunatics (McKinney, TX) 12-4, Outlawz (Dallas, TX) 14-1 and The Core (Dallas, TX) 2-1 as they made their way toward the championship game untouched.

“As a team, the whole team batted outstanding,” Champion stated. “The team’s top 5 batters were Robbie Loflin, Jason Southers, Brandon Childress, Cody Kagiorgis, and Johnny Valle.”

Despite the team teeing off on virtually every opponent they encountered, Lethal Assault does not credit their offense very often.

“Our best assest as a team is our defense,” Champion said. “The key play in the first game was when our right-center fielder, Brandon Childress, was running

Order of Finish:

Softball Today • JUNE 2009

USSSA

By Joseph Tulli

Place

State

towards the fence and laid out while making an over-theshoulder diving catch to save 3 runs early in the game.”

“In the second game, our infield turned 6 double plays with the combination of third baseman Tyler McBee, shortstop Cody Kagiorgis, and second baseman Tim Bevan,” Champion continued. “In the third game, it was just an all out great defensive game to hold a very good team, The Core, to 1 run.”

One could never tell because of the great numbers they put up and the miraculous plays that were made, but it came as a huge surprise to find out that Lethal Assault was actually down four players during the Remember the Majors D NIT. “Our team was actually missing 4 players,” explained Champion. “But we have many players that can play multiple positions to where we could change it up and

still be able to come out on top.”

And come out on top is exactly what took place.

Lethal Assault faced the hometown Texas Turbulence (Greenville, TX) in the championship game. Luckily for our victors, the hardest of their games were behind them.

Lethal Assault teed off early on their opponent and 20 points later, the relentless ground-and-pound ceased while leaving Texas Turbulence shattered and stunned at the skill of Lethal Assault.

“There wasn’t really many big plays in this game, just a lot of hitting on our part and great defense,” Champion commented.

With this victory, Lethal Assault took home their sixth tournament championship trophy of the year while their solid performance will strike fear into their future opponents in state and world competition.

Lethal Assault slaughtered their competition at the Remember the Majors D including scoring a whopping 20 points in the tournament finale in their relentless beating of Texas Turbuence.

Team Name

Team Class

Wins

Losses

1

TX

Lethal Assault

D

4

0

2

TX

Texas Turbulence

E

6

2

3

TX

The Core

D

3

2

4

TX

Unreal Softball

D

2

2

5

TX

Raging Lunatics

D

3

2