Click here:
European Championships 2008
Thanks to Bernie Lopez for the link.
Belated news from May, but wanted to give props to our friend Panfilo Valdez, who also turned in an outstanding weekend in Santa Barbara at Best of the West, helping his team achieve a second place finish in a strong field of teams.
Panfilo Valdez Named Most Valuable Pitcher, Willie Echave MVP
The Houston Aces Traveled to San Antonio this past weekend to play in the Cinco de Mayo tournament. In a competetive field of 16 teams from various cities like El Paso, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Reynosa ( Mexico) and Pueblo ( Colorado) the Aces were able to come out as champs and stayed undefeated throughout the tournament. Below will be a small recap of the games.
In the first scheduled game the Aces were set to face Austin Castro Concrete. Due to a death within the Castro Concrete organization during the week the team did not attend the tournment thus giving the Aces a win by forfiet. At this time we would like to give our condolences to the Austin team and related family and friends. A very young man lost his life and we send our prayers to the team and family in these hard times.
2 P.M. vs Reynosa, Mexico
Houston Aces 2
Reynosa Mx 0WP – Terry Luster & Polo Davila
6 P.M. vs Pueblo, Co Diligaf
Houston Aces 3
Pueblo Diligaf 1WP – Panfilo Valdez & Polo Davila
Sunday
11 AM vs Houston Diablos
Houston Aces 4
Houston Diablos 0WP – Terry Luster & Polo Davila
3 PM vs San Antonio Titans
Houston Aces 7
San Antonio Titans 4WP – Panfilo Valdez, (S) Terry Luster & Polo Davila
All Tournament – Polo Davila, Moises Davila, Terry Luster, Willie Echave, Mario Perez
MVPitcher – Panfilo Valdez
MVP – Willie EchaveThe Aces next scheduled tournament will be Memorial Day Weekend in Austin
Young Canadian Junior National Players Ready for ISF Jr. World Championships
This is the first in a series of Player Profiles of Canadian National team members, who will be competing in the ISF Jr. World Championships at Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, June 20-29, 2009. Ballparkradio will be broadcasting from Whitehorse, June 25-29, 2008.
#3 Derek Arsenie
Born: April 1st, 1990
Hometown: Saskatoon, SK
Throws: Right
Bats: Right
Position: Catcher/Utility
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Sex: Male
Birthdate: April 1, 1990
Birthplace: Melfort, SK Canada
Hometown: Saskatoon, SK Canada
Residence: Saskatoon, SK Canada
Languages spoken: English
Height: 173 cm / 5’8″
Weight: 71 kg / 156 lbs
Throws: Right
Bats: Right
Marital status: Single
Father: Myron
Mother: Theresa
Sisters: Shaunda
High School: St. Joseph HS
High School Location: Saskatoon
Academic Awards: Principals honour roll 2008,2006,2005
Most Influential Person: Parents
Who most influence your softball career: Father, He introduced me to the game at a very early age and has coached me since
Softball Goals: Win on the Jr national team, Make the Sr National team, Win both an international and national title
Club Team: Aspen Selects
Club Team Coach: Mark Dauvin
Canadian Championships Experience: 2003 Pee Wee Boys Western Canadians- 8th 2004 Pee Wee Boys Western Canadians- Bronze Medallists 2005 Bantam Boys Western Canadians- Gold Medallists 2006 Bantam Boys Western Canadians-4th 2007 Midget Boys Nationals-Bronze
International Competitions: 2002 Boys Under 12 ISC championship in the U.S.A
Years on National Team: 1
Sports Awards: 2005 Leadership award [football] 2005 Earned 3 MVP awards at Western Canadians 2006 Earned 3 MVP awards at Western Canadians
Other Sports/Hobbies/Interests: Hockey, football, other sports, alto sax
Most Memorable Softball Experience: 2002 Boys Under 12 ISC championship in the U.S.A.
Favourite Movie: Little Big League
Favourite Food: Lasagne
Favourite Athlete: John Macdonald
Favourite country visited: United States
Favourite Drink: Chocolate Milk
Favourite Quote: Winners never quit because quitters never win
(Information courtesy of Softball Canada)
Young USA Junior Players Ready for ISF Jr. World Championships
This is the second in a series of Player Profiles of USA Jr. National team members, who will be competing in the ISF Jr. World Championships at Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, June 20-29, 2009. Ballparkradio will be broadcasting from Whitehorse, June 25-29, 2008.
#3 Nicholas Cole
Height: 5′ 10″
Position: Outfield – R/R
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
(Photo not available)
(Information courtesy of the official USA Softball website.)
Did you know?
• Born April 11, 1989
• Attends Consumnes River College
• What inspires you to play softball? “My bash brother Gentry Mitchell!â€
• Favorite movie: “Hardballâ€
• Favorite pro team: Los Angeles Angels
• Dream career: Sports medicine
• Favorite food: Shrimp
• Three people, living or dead, you would have dinner with: Michael Jordan, Jackie Robinson, and Barry Bonds
Coach’s Corner:
“A California native who will play in the USA outfield. Nick brings great athleticism and knowledge of the game to this team. Another quiet leader who leads by his work ethic and professionalism on the field. â€
— Coach Tim Lyon
Prior Profiles Posted
1. Jeremy Cline
Nine Powerhouse Teams for this year’s Rose Cup Tournament in Portland, Oregon: (rankings shown in parentheses)
1. Broken Bow Gremlins – (ISC # 4)
2. SoCal Bombers- (ISC # 5)
3. Vancouver Grey Sox- (ISC # 9)
4. Horse Lake Thunder- (ISC # 10)
5. IAC/Team Rainey- (ISC # 16)
6. Portland DeMarini- (unranked)
7. California LumberKings- (ISC II # 1)
8. River City Rockers- (ISC II # 19)
9. Innovative Communications- (ISC II # 38)
Schedule due out by the end of the week.
For Fastpitchwest’s Rose Cup Coverage for 2002 through 2007, click here. ( Photos available from 2002 to 2005)
For list of past Rose Cup Champions, click here.
This year, he’ll be pitching FOR them, instead of against them.
June 6-8
Kimberly, WI USA
The Circle Tap Fastpitch team ventured 1/2 hour south to beautiful Sunset Park for the Annual Jack Grafmeier Invite. Unfortunately, we only got in 3 ball games going 2-1(6-1 overall) due to some harsh rains in the area. Missing this weekend were Don Garvey and Paul Algar. Here is the action
Circle Tap 10 Stoneyard(Appleton, WI) 3 5innings
SY 3 3 0
CT 10 4 0
This was a bit of an odd game that saw 3 Stoneyard pitchers in the first inning. CT cashed in on 9 first inning walks and an RBI single by Kyle Magnusson and a 3 run triple by Tim Jorgensen highighting the 10 run inning.
WP:Juan Potolicchio 10K 3BB
LP:James Darby with relief from Eric Abitong and Mike Roberts
Young USA Junior Players Ready for ISF Jr. World Championships
First in a series of Player Profiles of USA Jr. National team members, who will be competing in the ISF Jr. World Championships at Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, June 20-29, 2009. Ballparkradio will be broadcasting from Whitehorse, June 25-29, 2008.
#29 Jeremy Cline
Height: 5′ 8″
Position: Outfield – L/R
Hometown: Pauma, Calif. (about an hour north of San Diego)
(Information courtesy of the official USA Softball website.)
Did you know?
• Born April 20, 1989
• Attends Palomar College
• Why do you play softball?: “Because the game is fast and very competitive
• Favorite pro team: San Diego Padres
• Three people, living or dead, you would have dinner with: Elvis Presley, Tupac Shakur, & Hugh Hefner
• Favorite color(s): Black, White & Red
• Favorite Quote: “The shortest path is not always the best to go.”
Accomplishments:
2007 Pala Men’s Fastpitch Club
• Finished second at NAIA Nationals
2007 Pala Men’s Baseball Club
• Finished first at Labor Day Tournament
• Named to All-Tournament Team
2007 Valley Center High School Baseball
• Member of 1st Team All-County
• Named team’s VIP
2006 Valley Center High School Baseball
• Named Honorable Mention for All-County
• Awarded the Silver Bat
Coach’s Corner:
“Although Jeremy came to the program late in the cycle, after being recommended by a member of the 2005 USA Team, he quickly earned his way onto this team. Jeremy is a solid outfielder who can hit in any spot in the order.â€
— Coach Tim Lyon
For those who might have missed the weekend news, California Lumberkings second baseman Kevin Castillo was injured by a sliding baserunner at the Snapper Shootout in Niagara, Ontario and appears to be out for the season, with a broken fibula and torn ligaments.
(Tuesday, 8am PDT) – Just got off the phone with Kevin’s dad, Paul. Kevin and his folks just arrived home to Southern California at 7am this morning, after driving — yes, driving — all the way from Buffalo, leaving there at 7pm Sunday night. (7pm Sunday night to 7am Tuesday morning).
The doctors told Kevin that the cabin pressure in an airplane could cause further swelling, and cautioned against flying for a few weeks. So Kevin’s parents, who flew the red-eye to Buffalo on Friday when they heard the news of his injury, rented a Chevy van, and drove cross-country to get him home. (The van permitted Kevin some measure of comfort, and room to put his leg up)
Not exactly the way you want to “See the USA in a Chevrolet”. Paul told me that because of Kevin’s condition and their focus on getting home, they didn’t do much sight seeing, but did get a quick look at Rosenblatt Stadium (home of the College World Series) in Omaha, Nebraska.
As for Kevin’s condition, not surprisingly, he is still taking prescription pain medication, and it will be a few months until they see how things heal up. We wish him a speedy recovery. Anyone wishing to drop him a line can send an email to kevin.castillo (at) fastpitchwest.com and it will be forwarded to him . I’m sure it would cheer him up to hear from fastpitch players and fans.
En Espanol:
While New Zealand and Canadian pitching has fueled many an American team during the past several decades, more and more teams are discovering another hotbed of talent – Argentina.
This past weekend, plenty of Argentine pitching talent was on display in Santa Barbara at the Best of the West tournament, including tournament Most Valuable Pitcher, Sebastian Gervasutti, who pitched for the eventual winner, Team Rainey/IAC, Lucas Mata, who pitched for the highest ranked team (# 5) A1 So Cal Bombers, Matias Tessore, who pitched for the third place team, Portland DeMarini (pictured above) and young Guido Silbert, all of 18 years old, who pitched for Clyde Bennett’s 23-and-under team, the Young Bucks, and soon-to-be Argentine Jr. National team in Whitehorse later this month.
Lucas Mata is probably the best known of this group, with back-to-back ISC World Championships to his credit in 2005 and 2006 with County Materials, followed by a runner-up finish with his current team, the So Cal Bombers in 2007. Mata has been named to the All World team in three separate ISC World Tournaments (2003 and 2005 with County Materials and last year with his current team, the So Cal Bombers.) He teamed with Andrew Kirkpatrick in 2005 and 2006 to win World titles as members of County Materials). He is credited with taking the So Cal Bombers to the “next level”, defeating then-top ranked Broken Bow during the 2007 season, and again, later, in the ISC World Tournament. He is among the hardest throwers in the game.
(ISC All-World Team Pitcher Lucas Mata of the So Cal Bombers)
(photo by Maddy Flanagan)
Sebastian Gervasutti is but 24 years old, but already owns an ISC World Championship ring which he won as a member of The Farm Tavern team last year, and has several World Tournament under his belt, including one in 2006 with his current team, Team Rainey, in which he beat higher ranked opponents. Sebastian is a different type of pitcher than Mata, but can be equally effective, known for the tight rotation and movement of his pitches, and also for his quick smile and amiable nature. At Santa Barbara this past weekend, Mata and Gervasutti traded 2-1 wins, with Sebastian’s coming on Sunday to eliminate Mata’s Bombers. Earlier this year, Sebastian was one named Co-MVPitcher at the AAU International Tournament
in Orlando, helping his Mac’s Sprayers team win the 2008 championship. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment to date was pitching the Argentine National team to the bronze medal in the Pan Am Games in 2006 at Hermosillo, Mexico. The irony was that Argentina’s bronze bumped the USA off the medal stand, to 4th place.
(Sebastian Gervasutti of Team Rainey/IAC, Best of the West MVPitcher)
(photo by Maddy Flanagan)
Matias Tessore is also in his early 20’s, with ISC World Tournament experience, last year, as a member of the Bloomington, Illinois team. Matias is with Portland DeMarini, which finished in a third place tie in the Best of the West, winning a berth to the ISC World Tournament. Matias is physically larger than the others, and appears to have veteran pitching savvy.
(Matias Tessore of Portland DeMarini)
(photo by Maddy Flanagan)
Guido Silbert is 18 years old, having met Dave Blackburn while David’s Maccabiah team was competing in Buenos Aires earlier this year. Dave introduced him to Clyde Bennett, and Guido (properly pronounced Gee-doh with a hard G as in got, not Gwee-do, as Spanish is the native language). Guido is also a member of the Argentine Jr. National team that will be competing in the ISF Jr. World Championships, in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.
(Guido Silbert of Santa Barbara Young Bucks)
(photo by Maddy Flanagan)
There are, of course, others across the country. Illinois teams in particular have bolstered their pitching staffs with Argentine pitching — Juan Potolicchio, of Dolan & Murphys, Tessore and Max Montero of the Bloomington Stix, and Roberto Bahler, of Thomson, Illinois, and formerly of Portland DeMarini in the early 2000’s, one of the first to come stateside to pitch. Jose Betto Guerrinieri pitched with the Townline team in Wisconsin last year. This year, Montero will be in Pueblo Colorado, with another well known Argentine pitcher, Francisco (‘Sisko) Sabate, on the Bandit team. Sisko’s dad is the manager of the Argentine National team, and Sisko serves as pitching coach. A number of Argentine players have spent time playing in Omaha, Nebraska, after the 19 and under Argentine team toured their a few years ago.
(Did I leave anyone out?)
With this kind of talent, it is a safe bet that teams looking for talented pitching will continue to look south to Buenos Aires and other parts of Argentina.
A question that I have heard more than once, is “why the Italian sounding names” if Argentina is a Spanish speaking country ? The answer:
It is estimated between 20 to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent (over 60% of the total population). Italians began arriving to Argentina in great numbers in the 1870s, and this migratory flow continued to the 1960s.
Italian settlement in Argentina, along with Spanish settlement, formed the backbone of today’s Argentine society. Argentine culture has significant connections to Italian culture, also in terms of language, customs and traditions.
The Italian population in Argentina is the second largest in the world, by numbers, outside of Italy (after Brazil). Italian historian, Marcello De Cecco has specified:
“Italians, as it is known, were a people of emigrants. For many centuries, they spread out into the four corners of the world. Nevertheless only in two countries, they constitute the majority of the population: in Italy and in Argentina…”
Source: Wikipedia
In Spanish, for the people of Argentina:
En español, para el pueblo de la Argentina: