May 4, 2009 – Ashland, OH Stock Pack tops a wide-open field in the preseason ISC II rankings, followed closely by Bridgeport, ON Braves.

A total of 43 teams received consideration from the panel of 12, with several commenting that this is the most difficult year to judge ISC II as the competition is so tight. However, with some rosters still to be settled, there is sure to be plenty of movement among the top 10 throughout the year.

1. Ashland, OH Stock Pack
2. Bridgeport, ON Braves
3. Dundas, ON CPI/ADS Classics
4. Palermo, ON Athletics
5. Kitchener, ON Outlaws
6. Sun Valley, CA Rude Pac
7. Reading, PA Hoffman Rise
8. Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
9. Cobourg, ON Force
10. Elmira, ON Expos

The rankings will form the basis of the pools for the 2009 ISC II Tournament of Champions to be played in Rock Island, IL, a part of the Quad Cities.

For the full rankings, please see the ISC II section of the International Softball Congress website at www.iscfastpitch.com.

– 30 –

For more information, please contact:

Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
ISC Canada East VP

California LumberKings retain #1 ranking heading into Tournament of Champions

July 11, 2008 – The California LumberKings will be the top seed at the 2008 ISC II Tournament of Champions as they were ranked #1 by all 12 members of the ranking committee.

With three wins in their last four matchups, defending champion South Lebanon TNT edged the New York Knights for #2 spot.

The top 8 teams who will headline each of the pools in the ToC are:

1. Bakersfield, CA Taylor Farms Lumberkings
2. South Lebanon, PA TNT
3. New York City, NY Knights
4. Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Inspections
5. Ashland, OH Stockpack
6. Elmira, ON Cubs
7. Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
8. Wilkes-Barre, PA Keating’s Fitness

To see the full list, including how each committee member ranked the teams, please see the ISC II section of the ISC website at www.iscfastpitch.com.

The rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the seventh annual ISC II Tournament of Champions which will be played August 10-13 at Memorial Park in Appleton, Wisconsin.

For more information, please contact:

Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
Email: blairjs(at)rogers.com

June 19, 2008 – Winning the Snapper Shootout was more than enough to keep the California LumberKings on top of the ISC II rankings as they were picked number one by 10 of the 12 ranking committee members.

The New York Knights climbed one spot to #2 in the latest rankings on the heels of their convincing win in the Midland ISC II qualifier, while defending champion South Lebanon TNT dropped to #3 on inactivity.

Rounding out the top five are Oswego, NY CPI who knocked off a pair of top 10 teams on their way to qualifying for the 2008 ISC II Tournament of Champions in their home tournament, and Ashland Stockpack, who looked impressive in the Snapper Shootout.

A total of 39 teams from across North America received at least one vote from the panel of 12 rankers.

The top 10 are as follows:

1. Bakersfield, CA Taylor Farms LumberKings
2. New York City, NY Knights
3. South Lebanon, PA TNT
4. Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Inspections
5. Ashland, OH Stockpack
6. Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
7. Elmira, ON Cubs
8. Perkasie, PA Hoffman Rise
9. Wilkes-Barre, PA Keating’s Fitness
10. Waterdown, ON Hammer

To see the full list, including how each committee member ranked the teams, please see the ISC II section of the ISC website at www.iscfastpitch.com.

The rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the seventh annual ISC II Tournament of Champions which will be played August 10-13 at Memorial Park in Appleton, Wisconsin.

For more information, please contact:

Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
Email: blairjs(at)rogers.com

June 2, 2008 – A pair of tournament wins in Sonora and Sacramento propelled the California Lumberkings to the top of the ISC II rankings, edging out preseason favourite and defending ISC II champion South Lebanon, PA TNT.

#2 TNT dropped a close championship game to #3 New York Knights in Linden, NJ over the Memorial Day weekend.

Rounding out the top five are Hoffman Rise, who went 3-1 in an abbreviated Mid-Atlantic Fastpitch Travel League weekend and Ashland Stockpack, who picked up a tournament win in Bay City, Michigan.

A total of 42 teams from across North America received at least one vote from the panel of 12 rankers.

The top 10 are as follows:

1. Bakersfield, CA Taylor Farms Lumberkings
2. South Lebanon, PA TNT
3. New York City, NY Knights
4. Perkasie, PA Hoffman Rise
5. Ashland, OH Stockpack
6. Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Inspections
7. Waterdown, ON Hammer
8. Wilkes-Barre, PA Keating’s Fitness
9. Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
10. Elmira, ON Cubs

To see the full list, including how each committee member ranked the teams, please see the ISC II section of the ISC website at www.iscfastpitch.com.

The rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the seventh annual ISC II Tournament of Champions which will be played August 10-13, 2008 at Memorial Park in Appleton, Wisconsin.

For more information, please contact:

Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
Email: blairjs(at)rogers.com

May 6, 2008 – South Lebanon, PA TNT will open the defence of their ISC II crown atop the rankings. TNT topped a selection of nearly 50 teams considered by the ISC II ranking committee.

Rankers slotted the 2007 ISC II Tournament of Champions finalists California Lumberkings in second place while a revamped Perkasie, PA Rise lineup comes in at #3.

The rankings are as follows:

2008 ISC II Preseason Rankings
Rank Team
1 South Lebanon, PA TNT
2 Bakersfield, CA Lumberkings
3 Perkasie, PA Rise
4 Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Inspections
5 Wilkes-Barre, PA Keating’s Fitness
6 New York City, NY Knights
7 Ashland, OH Stockpack
8 Waterdown, ON Hammer
9 Palermo, ON Athletics
10 Port Elgin, ON Blue Devils
11 Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
12 Elmira, ON Cubs
13 Bridgeport, ON Braves
14 Monfort, WI New Image
15 Kitchener, ON Outlaws
16 Wyevale, ON Tribe
17 Sacramento, CA River City Rockers
18 Alvinston, ON Indians
19 Glencoe, ON Astros
20 Ephrata, PA Pennsylvania Power
21 Elora, ON Wellington Brewers
22 Memphis, TN Posse
23 Hermann, MO Black Gold
24 Harriston, ON Mercury’s
25 Grand Rapids, MI Priority Mortgage
26 Innerkip, ON Eagles
27 Sioux Falls, SD Scarlett’s Sox
28 Shakespeare, ON Falcons
29 Lloydminster, AB Scope Dodgers
30 Morris Plains, NJ Ricola
31 Mascoutah, IL Pete’s Blues
32 Appleton, WI The Bar of Appleton II
33 Ohsweken, ON Redmen
34 Reasnor, IA RPMs
35 Sun Valley, CA Rude Pac
36 St. Paul, MN ASB-Villard
37 Rockwood, ON Rush
38 Mitchell, ON Mets
39 Midland, MI Michigan Twisters
40 Portland, OR CR/Adidas
41 Springfield, IL Brandt’s
42 Bulyea, SK Rustlers
43 Galesville, WI Wilber Lime
44 Donnacona, QC Blue Sox
45 Hamilton, ON Hawks
46 Pleasant Grove, UT Innovative Communications
47 Mankato, MN Fisher Group
48 DeKalb, IL Hustlehogs
49 Radom, IL Lee’s Sports Falcons

To see the full list, including how each committee member ranked the teams, please see the ISC II section of the ISC website at www.iscfastpitch.com.

The rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the seventh annual ISC II Tournament of Champions which will be played August 10-13 at MemorialPark in Appleton, Wisconsin. The tournament will feature 32 teams from across North America playing for the ISC II crown.

For more information, please contact:

Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
Email: blairjs@rogers.com

Or

Jim Williamson
ISC II VP
Email: jrwilliamson@foodfacility.com

June 15, 2007 – Top finishes at the highly regarded Snapper Shootout and the Mitchell tournaments vaulted Elora Wellington Brewers from 10th into a tie for second in the June 15 ISC II rankings. Elora finished in a dead heat with the 2005 ISC II Champion Elmira Cubs, who dropped the championship game to the Brewers in Mitchell, on the heels of a strong showing at the Woodstock Legends tournament.

Remaining atop the rankings for the second straight period are the Niagara Snappers. Making his highly anticipated debut in Snapper black & white at the Shootout was ISC II strikeout king Corey Costello and he didn’t disappoint, leading the Snappers to the final game against Elora before it was rained out.

Moving up two spots to #4 are the California LumberKings, who have been giving fits to top-ranked ISC teams all season long. Rounding out the top five are the defending champion Tavistock Merchants who have played well, but haven’t been able to put it all together just yet.

A total of 35 teams from across North America received at least one vote from the panel of 12 rankers.

The top 10 are as follows:

1. Niagara, ON Snappers
2. Elora, ON Wellington Brewers
2. Elmira, ON Cubs
4. Bakersfield, CA Lumberkings
5. Tavistock, ON Merchants
6. Palermo, ON Athletics
7. Perkasie, PA Rise
8. Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Inspections
9. Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
10. South Lebanon, PA TNT

To see the full list, including how each committee member ranked the teams, please see the ISC II section of the ISC website.

The rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the sixth annual ISC II Tournament of Champions which will be played August 14-18 at Budd Park in Kitchener and Kinsmen Park in Cambridge, Ontario. The tournament will feature 35 teams from across North America playing a four-game round robin schedule in seven pools of five teams each. The top three teams from each pool along with three wildcards will advance to a single elimination playoff bracket.

For more information, please contact:

Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
Email: blairjs(at)rogers.com

June 1, 2007 – When Niagara Snappers face off against Tavistock Merchants at the Snapper Shootout tournament tonight at 9:15 pm in Virgil, Ontario, it will be a battle of the top two ranked ISC II teams.

While the defending champions from Tavistock were rated #1 in the preseason rankings a month ago, news that they’ve lost three key players was enough to drop them to #2 in the latest rankings.

Moving up two spots to #3 is the Perkasie Hoffman Rise who are coming off their win in the first weekend of the Mid-Atlantic league.

Holding steady at #4 are the 2005 ISC II Champion Elmira Cubs while Oswego Cutro Professional Inspections come in at #5, up one from the preseason rankings.

A total of 32 teams from across North America received at least one vote from the panel of 12 rankers.

The top 10 are as follows:

1. Niagara, ON Snappers
2. Tavistock, ON Merchants
3. Perkasie, PA Rise
4. Elmira, ON Cubs
5. Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Inspections
6. Bakersfield, CA LumberKings
7. Palermo, ON Athletics
8. South Lebanon, PA TNT
9. Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
10. Elora, ON Wellington Brewers

To see the full list, including how each committee member ranked the teams, please see the ISC II section of the ISC website at www.iscfastpitch.com.

The rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the sixth annual ISC II Tournament of Champions which will be played August 14-18 at Budd Park in Kitchener and Kinsmen Park in Cambridge, Ontario. The tournament will feature 35 teams from across North America playing a four-game round robin schedule in seven pools of five teams each. The top three teams from each pool along with three wildcards will advance to a single elimination playoff bracket.

For more information, please contact:

Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
Email: blairjs(at)rogers.com

June 15, 2006

Big wins at the Woodstock Legends of Fastball tournament were enough to move the defending ISC II Champion Elmira, ON Cubs and 2006 host Bridgeport, ON PROforma Braves into a dead heat at the top of the ISC II Rankings. Elmira, a finalist at the Mitchell tournament, which featured several ranked teams, is recognized as #1 for the period with more #1 votes from the ranking committee.

Perkasie, PA Rise climb from #10 to #5 on the strength of their win at the highly touted Snapper Shoot-Out in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON which featured 14 ranked teams.

Breaking into the top 10, up from #22, are the Glencoe, ON Astros based on their come-from-behind win over Elmira in Mitchell, as well as a semi-final appearance at the Snapper Shoot-Out.

The top 10 are as follows with their June 1 ranking in brackets:

1. (3) Elmira, ON Cubs
2. (4) Bridgeport, ON PROforma Braves
3. (2) Port Elgin, ON Blue Devils
4. (1) Niagara, ON Snappers
5. (10) Perkasie, PA Rise
6. (6) Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Services
7. (7) Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
8. (5) Alvinston, ON Indians
9. (13) Tavistock, ON Smully’s Merchants
10. (22) Glencoe, ON Astros

A total of 32 teams received at least one vote from the panel of 11 judges. One set of rankings was not received by the deadline.

To see the full list including how each committee member voted, please see the ISC II section of the ISC website.

Niagara, Ottawa, Alvinston, Tavistock and Glencoe along with 26 other Ontario and Quebec teams will be in action this weekend as the Canada East area qualifiers kick off tonight in Innerkip and Fitzroy Harbour. The Rise will see action in the Mid-Atlantic Fastpitch Travel League this weekend.

The rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the fifth annual ISC II Tournament of Champions which will be played August 13-18 at Budd Park in Kitchener and Kinsmen Park in Cambridge, Ontario.

For more information, please contact:

Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
Email: blairjs(at)rogers.com

2006 ISC II June 15 Rankings
Rank Team
1 Elmira, ON Cubs
2 Bridgeport, ON Braves
3 Port Elgin, ON Blue Devils
4 Niagara, ON Snappers
5 Perkasie, PA KMV Rise
6 Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Inspections
7 Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
8 Alvinston, ON Indians
9 Tavistock, ON Merchants
10 Glencoe, ON Astros
11 Elora, ON Wellington Brewers
12 Hermann, MO Black Gold
13 Harriston, ON Mercurys
14 Bakersfield, CA LumberKings
15 Palermo, ON Athletics
16 Denver, CO Colorado Rage
17 Micksburg, ON Twins
18 Ashland, OH Merchants
19 Marshall, MI Rice Creek Lightning
20 Toronto, ON Champion Indians
21 Waterdown, ON Hammer
22 Yakima, WA JRW Associates
23 Saginaw, MI Up-to-Date Painting
24 St. Paul, MN ABS-Villard
24 Hayward, CA A-1 Tank
26 Thomson, IL Area Merchants
27 Mitchell, ON Mets
28 Lancaster, PA Lancaster Motors
29 Kitchener, ON Phoenix Outlaws
30 Shakespeare, ON Falcons
30 South Lebanon, PA TNT
30 Harrisburg, PA PA Power

June 1, 2006

Strong showings against top ISC-level competition through the month of May was enough for the Niagara, ON Snappers to move up one spot to the top rung of the ISC II rankings released today, edging out the Port Elgin, ON Blue Devils by a single point.

Bridgeport, ON Braves also inched upward in the rankings after their win in the St. Clement’s, ON tournament while the defending ISC II Champion Elmira, ON Cubs fell to #3 after a poor outing.

Making the biggest jump in the rankings was the Bakersfield, CA California LumberKings, leaping up to #13 from #46 after signing of a pair of highly regarded B.C. pitchers.

Teams debuting in the rankings include Kitchener, ON Phoenix Outlaws and Thomson, IL Area Merchants.

The top 10 break down as follows with preseason ranking in brackets:

1. (2) Niagara, ON Snappers
2. (4) Port Elgin, ON Blue Devils
3. (1) Elmira, ON Cubs
4. (5) Bridgeport, ON Braves
5. (3) Alvinston, ON Indians
6. (8) Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Services
7. (6) Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
8. (7) Hermann, MO Black Gold
9. (10) Harriston, ON Mercurys
10. (9) Perkasie, PA Rise

A total of 37 teams received at least one vote from the panel of 12 judges. Two sets of rankings were chosen at random to be dropped from this term’s final rankings. A different two sets will be dropped in all future rankings.

To see the full list with each judges score, please see the ISC II section of the ISC website at www.iscfastpitch.com.

The rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the fifth annual ISC II Tournament of Champions which will be played August 13-18 at Budd Park in Kitchener and Kinsmen Park in Cambridge, Ontario. The tournament will feature 40 teams from across North America playing a four-game round robin schedule in eight pools of five teams each. The top three teams from each pool advance to a single elimination playoff bracket.

Full rankings are as following:

2006 ISC II June 1 Rankings
Rank Team
1 Niagara, ON Snappers
2 Port Elgin, ON Blue Devils
3 Elmira, ON Cubs
4 Bridgeport, ON Braves
5 Alvinston, ON Indians
6 Oswego, NY Cutro Professional Services
7 Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder
8 Hermann, MO Black Gold
9 Harriston, ON Mercurys
10 Perkasie, PA Rise
11 Elora, ON Wellington Brewers
12 Palermo, ON Athletics
13 Bakersfield, CA LumberKings
13 Tavistock, ON Merchants
15 Ashland, OH Merchants
16 Denver, CO Colorado Rage
16 Micksburg, ON Twins
18 Marshall, MI Rice Creek Lightning
19 Toronto, ON Champion Indians
20 Waterdown, ON Hammer
21 Yakima, WA JRW Associates
22 Glencoe, ON Astros
23 Saginaw, MI Up-to-Date Painting
24 Orrville, OH Orr Park Knights
25 Hayward, CA A-1 Tank
26 Kitchener, ON Phoenix Outlaws
27 St. Paul, MN ABS-Villard
28 Harrisburg, PA PA Power
28 Shakespeare, ON Falcons
30 Lancaster, PA Lancaster Motors
30 Mitchell, ON Mets
30 Thomson, IL Area Merchants
33 Grand Prairie, AB Pride
33 Ludington, MI Kelder’s Poured Walls
35 South Lebanon, PA TNT
36 Morpeth, ON Magic
37 Lloydminster, AB Scope Dodgers

NOTES:
1. 26 is recorded for a team not ranked by a given committee member.
2. The ISC II rankings will form the basis for seeding teams in the 2006 Tournament of Champions.
3. Ranking committee member identities will be kept confidential.
4. Committee makeup: 9 American, 3 Canadian.
5. Teams which don’t plan to participate in ISC II competition have not been considered for and/or will be dropped from the rankings.
*Denotes replacement committee member’s ranking used
Two sets of rankings picked at random were not used this term: #7 & #12 from preseason rankings.