From the Union Democrat in Northern California:

Devine’s big bat helps U.S. fastpitch team finish strong
Published: July 20, 2007
By KEVIN SAULS
The Union Democrat

Former Sonora resident Nate Devine had himself a time playing with the U.S. Men’s National Fastpitch Team in two major international tournaments.

He hit two home runs and posted a .385 batting average while helping the U.S. finish second in the Men’s World Cup in Prague, Czech Republic, and smacked two more homers and hit .350 as the Americans won the KFC World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City.

Devine, 30, played football and baseball at Sonora High School, from which he graduated in 1995. He played baseball at Modesto Junior College, Merced College and the University of La Verne, and spent a year playing independent professional baseball with the Johnstown (Pa.) Johnnies of the Frontier League before focusing his diamond energies on high-level fastpitch.

He has twice been named an Amateur Softball Association (ASA) All-American and twice has helped A and B division teams finish second in ASA national tournaments. He made the U.S. team during a selection camp in Chula Vista in May.

His international experience, Devine said, was divine.

“It was awesome being in the Czech Republic,” he said. “They think you’re superstars. There were 2- to 4,000 fans at every game and they were doing the wave and chanting and cheering for every play. They were going nuts.”

The U.S. beat the Czechs and also knocked off hotshot teams from Venezuela and Japan before losing to the Japanese in the championship game.

“When we played the Czechs it was a pretty hostile environment,” Devine said, “but it wasn’t mean.”

The U.S. avenged itself against Japan in the title game of the Oklahoma tournament, which was played in conjunction with the Women’s World Cup. The U.S. won that one, too.

Women rule in fastpitch.

“They scheduled our games after the women’s games so we could have some of the leftover crowd,” Devine said.

He started all but one game in the two tournaments and played in all of them as a first baseman, center fielder, left fielder of designated hitter.

Devine’s day job is as a business instructor at Merced College, where he also coaches pitching and hitting for the Blue Devil baseball team.

He plans to stay on the international fastpitch scene until the 2009 World Cup in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and perhaps into 2010.

The U.S.-Japan game from Oklahoma City will be televised at 10 a.m. Sunday on ESPN2.

See also our earlier post about Nate’s Home Run at the 2007 World Cup in Prague, CZ, “A High, Towering Drive to Left…..”

Here’s Nate in the midst of a victory celebration at Red Rock, which his team, the So Cal Bombers won for the second year in a row. (in photo from left to right, is Jason Porto, Nate Devine (22) and Mike Butler) (click to enlarge)