Japan heads list of impressive NAFA 23-Under’s heading to Des Moines

June 4th, 2010

From the prolific pen of Bob Otto:
Written by Bob Otto on June 3rd, 2010

Story by Bob Otto/OttoinFocus

(click banner for original news story at OttoinFocus)

“This summer (2005) we had very rewarding experiences in the northern part of the United States, the home of softball. Playing on that stage and enjoying it thoroughly was like the fulfillment of a dream…” – Yuma Arai, captain, School of Human Sciences, (Waseda University) fourth year

DES MOINES, IOWA- With 14 teams committed to date, the North American Fastpitch Association (NAFA) Age-23 Under Tournament is shaping up as an outstanding tournament for young men’s teams.

And the team at the top of the list should be a crowd attraction.

According to news reports coming from NAFA headquarters, Waseda University in Japan is sending a young men’s team to Des Moines to compete in the 23-Under World Series championship.

Now this has to be considered a big boost for the 23-Under division – and the NAFA World Series in general – and an incentive for other U.S. and international teams to possibly enter as well.

The 14 teams committed outpaces last year’s 10, a 29-percent increase. Men’s fastpitch dying? Not if these numbers keep going up.

Show this list to other young fastballers (and baseball players) and it’s sure to light a fire under their competitive spirit.

For more information about the Age 23-Under Division and other NAFA men’s fastpitch divisions, visit the NAFA website at: NAFA FASTPITCH

To read about Waseda University fastpitch softball and their first journey to the U.S., visit this link:

Go! Go! Waseda Sports: Men’s Softball – (2005) World Champions!

The 14 Age 23-Under teams currently committed.
1) Waseda University, Japan
2) Hartford Explosion, South Dakota
3) Young Buck’s, California
4) Page Break, Utah
5) Warsaw Stagboys, Illinois
6) Ramsey Financial, Illinois
7) Kegel Knights, Minnesota
Northwest Implements, Kansas
9) Preston Merchants, Minnesota
10) Main Street FP, Wisconsin
11) Sibley Electric, Minnesota
12) Kenosha 23U, Wisconsin
13) Westerville Capitals, Ohio
14) Duluth 23U, Minnesota

2010 Snapper Shootout Divisions and Schedule

June 4th, 2010

(Bumped up)

Editor’s Note: Will this be where fans get their first peek at the revamped Jarvis lineup? The highly regarded Snapper Shootout was traditionally a bellwether tournament for ISC II teams to measure their strength against the competition leading into the always-tough Ontario qualifiers and then the ToC. With the unification of the ISC, the Shootout will be a leading indicator for some of the former ISC II teams to see how they stack up against the likes of Jarvis and Owen Sound.

Here is a look at the divisions and schedule.

Divisions

RED:
KW Cubs
Niagara Snappers
Palermo Athletics
Toronto Gators

BLACK:
Ashland Stock Pack
Elmira Expos
Oshawa BB’s
Quyon COMBAT Flyers

WHITE:
Alvinston Indians
Cobourg Force
Jarvis Travelers
Wyevale Tribe

SILVER:

Hill United
Owen Sound Selects
St. Thomas Centennials
Waterdown Hammer

Divisional Play
FRIDAY JUNE 4, 2010
G1 – 6:45pm – Owen Sound vs. Hill United – D1
G2 – 6:45pm – Waterdown vs. St. Thomas – D2
G3 – 6:45pm – Niagara vs. KW Cubs – D3
G4 – 9pm – Toronto vs. Palermo – D1
G5 – 9pm – Ashland vs. Elmira – D2
G6 – 9pm – Jarvis vs. Wyevale – D3

SATURDAY JUNE 5, 2010
G7 – 9am – Cobourg vs. Alvinston – D1
G8 – 9am – Quyon vs. Oshawa – D2
G9 – 9am – Owen Sound vs. Waterdown – D3
G10 – 11:15am – Palermo vs. Niagara – D1
G11 – 11:15am- KW Cubs vs. Toronto – D2
G12 – 11:15am – St. Thomas vs. Hill United – D3
G13 – 1:30pm – Ashland vs. Quyon – D1
G14 – 1:30pm – Elmira vs. Oshawa – D2
G15 – 1:30pm – Jarvis vs. Cobourg – D3
G16 – 3:45pm – Wyevale vs. Alvinston – D1
G17 – 3:45pm – Hill United vs. Waterdown – D2
G18 – 3:45pm – St. Thomas vs. Owen Sound – D3
G19 – 6pm – Toronto vs. Niagara – D1
G20 – 6pm – Palermo vs. KW Cubs – D2
G21 – 6pm – Oshawa vs. Ashland – D3
G22 – 8:15pm – Alvinston vs. Jarvis – D1
G23 – 8:15pm – Cobourg vs. Wyevale – D2
G24 – 8:15pm – Elmira vs. Quyon – D3

Playoff Round
SUNDAY JUNE 6, 2010
G25 – 9am – “A” QF – Red #1 vs. Black #2 – D1
G26 – 9am – “A” QF – White #1 vs. Silver #2 – D2
G27 – 10am – “B” SF – Red #3 vs. Black #3 – D3
G28 – 11:15am – “A” QF – Red #2 vs. Black #1 – D1
G29 – 11:15am – “A” QF – White #2 vs. Silver #1 – D2
G30 – Noon – “B” SF – White #3 vs. Silver #3 – D3
G31 – 1:30pm – “A” SF – Winner G25 vs. Winner G28 – D1
G32 – 1:30pm – “A” SF – Winner G26 vs. Winner G29 – D2
G32 – 2pm – “B” Championship – Winner G27 vs. Winner G30 – D3
G33 – 3:45pm – “A” Championship – Winner G31 vs. Winner G32 – D1

A look back at some of the action from last year’s Snapper Shootout, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Revised Schedule for 2010 Best of the West

June 4th, 2010


Click here for printer friendly PDF of complete Best of the West tournament info and schedule


(click logo to visit our complete section on Best of the West, including a 20 year archive)

Below is the slightly revised schedule for 2010 Best Of The West after The Mexican National Team dropped out at the last minute leaving us with Nine teams instead of Ten.

The Caribbean Team has agreed to play a 4th Game on Saturday to assure that all teams play at least 3 games. They will be allowed to eliminate a game of their choice when determining their 3 game record on Saturday.

In breaking ties among teams with the same record on Saturday, to determine Sunday’s 1st – 9th Place bracket seedings, the following criteria will be used.

1. Head-to head results if the two teams played
2. Fewest Runs Allowed
3. Most Runs Scored
4. Coin Flip

The revised 9 team Sunday Brackets are attached.

Pool A
Liberty Fastpitch
Caribbean Fastpitch
Maccabi USA
Santa Cecelia / Mexicali
Cal State Builders

Pool B
Bakersfield Silverhawks
Rude-Pac
California Athletics
Italian Athletic Club


Saturday June 5 Schedule

Game 1 9:00 AM Field #1 Liberty Fastpitch Vs Caribbean Fastpitch
Game 2 9:00 AM Field #2 Bakersfield SilverHawks Vs Rude Pac
Game 3 11:00 AM Field #1 Maccabi USA Vs Santa Cecelia / Mexicali
Game 4 11:00 PM Field #3 Cal State Builders Vs Caribbean fastpitch
Game 5 11:00 AM Field #2 California Atletics Vs Italian Athletic Club
Game 6 1:00 PM Field #1 Liberty Fastpitch Vs Maccabi USA
Game 7 1:00 PM Field #1 Santa Cecelia / Mexicali Vs Cal State Builders
Game 8 1:00 PM Field #2 Bakersfield SilverHawks Vs Italian Athletic Club
Game 9 3:00 PM Field #1 Liberty Fastpitch Vs Cal State Builders
Game 10 3:00 PM Field #3 Caribbean Fastpitch Vs Santa Cecelia / Mexicali
Game 11 3:00 PM Field #2 Rude Pac Vs California Athletics
Game 12 5:00 PM Field #1 Caribbean Fastpitch Vs Maccabi USA
Game 13 5:00 PM Field #2 Bakersfield SilverHawks Vs California Athletics
Game 14 5:00 PM Field #3 Rude Pac Vs Italian Athletic Club

Sunday June 6 Schedule

Game 15 8:00 AM Field #1 9th Place Vs 6th Place
Game 16 8:00 AM Field #2 8th Place Vs 7th Place
Game 17 10:00 AM Field #1 1st Place Vs Winner of Game 15
Game 18 10:00 AM Field #2 2nd Place Vs 5th Place
Game 19 10:00 AM Field #3 3rd Place Vs 4th Place
Game 20 Noon Field #1 Winner of Game #16 Vs Winner of Game #17
Game 21 Noon Field #2 Winner of Game #18 Vs Winner of Game #19
Game 22 2:00 PM Field #1 Championship Game – Winner of Game 20 vs Winner of G21
Game 23 2:00 PM Field #2 Only if necessary to determine 2nd ISC Berth

Yakima Fruit Bowl – June 5-6 in Yakima WA

June 3rd, 2010

Yakima Fruit Bowl
Kiwanis Park, Yakima, WA
June 5-6, 2010

Teams:

1. JRW & Associates, Yakima, WA
2. Gamblers, Yakima, WA
3. River Dogs, Boise, ID
4. Action Towing, Yakima, WA
5. K-Club, Bremerton, WA
6. Cleon’s Auto, Tacoma, WA
7. YakKane (Looking for a Sponsor)
8. Interbay Door, Seattle, WA

Saturday June5

10am.
JRW vs K-Club
Gamblers vs Interbay
Action Towing vs YakKane

12pm.
JRW vs Cleon’s
Gamblers vs Boise
Action Towing vs K-Club

2pm.
Cleon’s vs YakKane
Boise vs Interbay

4pm.
JRW vs Interbay
Gamblers vs K-Club

6pm.
Cleon’s vs Action Towing
Boise vs YakKane

Sunday June 6 – All teams play Single Elimination

Portland Facebook Page

June 3rd, 2010

New Portland fastpitch team Facebook page.

Be the first on your block to join.

I got a call from the owner of a refrigeration truck parked near the outfield fence at the Boatnik tournament in Grant’s Pass, Oregon last weekend. Seems that his truck was damaged by a flying home run ball. Anyone know how I can get a hold of Rob Gehrke?

Editor’s note: Yes, I was kidding about getting a hold of Rob Gehrke…

2010 ISC Roster – Bar of Appleton

June 3rd, 2010

Johnson Josh P/OF Alabama
Johnson Jared OF Oregom WI
Delorit Jesse C/Inf Minneapolis MN
Delorit Chris OF/DH Green Bay WI
Miller Daryn Inf Bloomington IL
Crouch Tom Inf Dekalb IL
Seidl Brandon Util Little Chute WI
Colombo Justin OF Appleton WI
Humphries Pat C/Inf IL
Peters Nic C/Of Kimberly WI
Armitage Mike Inf Madison WI
Gulick BJ OF Hammond WI
Huss Bill Inf Sherwood WI
Blackshaw Andrew P Queensland AUS

Boys softball is Steeltown’s sport

June 2nd, 2010


(click logo for original news story)

By Adam MacInnis
Northeastern Nova Scotia League

TRENTON – Baseball may be OK for other boys. Soccer may be a fine sport for other towns to specialize in, but for the town of Trenton, softball is tradition.

The Steeltown has a heritage of raising softball players and today is the only municipality in Pictou County that offers the sport to boys.

“Trenton is really the only softball for boys in Pictou County,” said Cindy MacKinnon who coaches a team with the town. “That’s telling us something.”

She, like a lot of people in Trenton, grew up playing softball and over the years has watched children and teens in the town take to the field.

“My family was familiar with softball, so that’s why Mike started the program seven years ago,” she said.

This summer registration is already as high as it was at its height last year with about 75 youth signed up. There will be teams for the Mite, Squirt and Peewee boys as well as Peewee girls. The season opens June 22.

The softball association strives to develop players through their Learn to Play program which focuses on the fundamentals of the sport such as throwing and catching.
MacKinnon’s 13-year-old son Jake plays on the Peewee team. He’s a pitcher and has been playing for about six years now.

His motivation is simple – “It’s fun,” he says.

His friend Brandon McKay, 12, agrees. “We get to hang out with friends and have great coaches,” he said. He doesn’t remember why he joined softball, but knows he wants to stick with it. “I just started to play it and I really like it,” he said. He thinks their team will be good this year. “We got a lot of good hitters and good catchers and a lot of good things about our team,” he said.

The Peewee boys will be competing in the Northeastern Nova Scotia League against East Hants, West Hants and Sheet Harbour.

Although it’s not too late to join, the Peewees will get their season underway this weekend when they host a double-header on Sunday against Sheet Harbour. The games start at 2 p.m.
“They’re excited to start Sunday.” MacKinnon said.

Because they are the only association with boys team in the county, Trenton will represent Pictou County in four provincials this year.

Last year the Peewee boys did a good job representing at provincials going 4-0 in the round-robin play.

MacKinnon attributes this to the closeness of the players who have played on school teams and participated in softball together for years. Kids who play sports and study together at the school find it natural to go to the softball field together, MacKinnon says.

On July 23 and 24 the Peewee boys will have their tournament.

Practice for Trenton softball players aged 11 and 12 will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Scotia Park field. Mite practice will be held at the Main Street field.

For more information call 752-4497.

Interested parents who would like to help are asked to attend as well.

St. Clements Tournament Results

June 2nd, 2010

In a rematch of the 2009 ISC II Championship game, #16 Port Elgin Blue Devils and #20 KW Cubs split the final of the St. Clements tournament.

Scores courtesy Bob Hall, Kitchener Outlaws
Preliminary Rounds
Wellington Sox 6 – Mitchell Chiefs 1
Kitchener Outlaws 2 – Hallman Jr Twins 0
Mitchell Mets 4 – Orangeville Kings 2
Alvinston Indians 7 – Linwood Jrs. 2
K-W Cubs 4 – Elmira Erb Expos 3
Fisherville A’s 4 – Morpeth Magic 0
Port Elgin Blue Devils 7 – Georgian Bay Axemen 0
Oshawa Double B’s 7 – Nappanee Express did not show
Kitchener Outlaws 1 – Mitchell Mets 0
Alvinston Indinas 4 – Wellington Sox 3
K-W Cubs 6 – Fisherville A’s 1
Port Elgin Blue Devils 6 – Oshawa Double B’s 1
Hallman Jr. Twins 5 – Orangeville Kings 4
Linwood Jrs. 4 – Mitchell Chiefs 3
Elmira Erb Expos 8 – Morpeth Magic 1
Georgian Bay 7- Nappanee Express did not show

*A* Division Play

Kitchener Outlaws 5 – Alvinston Indians 0
Port Elgin Blue Devils 11 – K-W Cubs 4
Port Elgin Blue Devils 9 – Kitchener Outlaws 4
K-W Cubs 5 – Alvinston Indians 2
K-W Cubs 6 – Kitchener Outlaws 1
Port Elgin Blue Devils 8 – K-W Cubs 7

IF Game not played as both teams agreed to split

*B* Division

Mitchell Mets 6 – Linwood Jrs. 5
Wellington Sox 5 – Orangeville Kings 3
Fisherville A’s 11 – Georgian Bay Axemen 2
Elmira Erb Expos 7 – Oshawa Double B’s 1
Wellington Sox 3 – Mitchell Mets 2
Elmira Erb Expos 3 – Fisherville A.s 2
Elmira Erb Expos 6 – Wellington Sox 1

Elmira Erb Expos win B Division

*C* Division

Waterloo Hallman Twins 11 – Mitchell Chiefs 1
Morpeth Magic 7 – Nappanee Express did not show
Waterloo Hallman Twins – 9 – Morpeth Magic 0

Waterloo Hallman Twins win C Division

Best of the West – June 5-6, 2010 at Ellings Park, Santa Barbara

June 1st, 2010

Ellings Park, in beautiful Santa Barbara, the home of the Best of the West tournament.

Click here for address and driving directions.


View Larger Map

Father’s Day Tournament June 19th, 20th 2010 Update

June 1st, 2010

Father’s Day Tournament Link

Teams Committed:
Houston Geo Per
First Americans
Manor Dirtbags
Austin As
Castro Concrete
Austin Jokers
Houston Dynamo
McCrory Engineering Apaches
Houston Carnage, Katy Jesters.

Teams Pending:

Monterrey As
Austin Indians

Thank you,

Henry Munoz, Geo Per
geo.per (at) hotmail.com