Five broadcasts on Ballparkradio today.
11:30 AM
Wyevale, ON Tribe vs.
Jarvis, ON Rock
1:30 PM
Ottawa, ON Team Easton Thunder vs.
Ashland, OH Merchants
3:30 PM
Niagara, ON Snappers vs
Harriston, ON Mercury’s
7:30 PM
Bakersfield, CA California LumberKings vs.
Bridgeport, ON PROforma Braves
9:30 PM
Tavistock, ON Merchants vs.
Kitchener, ON Outlaws
Click the Ballparkradio below for the click to listen link.
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The ISC II Tournament of Champions gets underway Tuesday morning at Budd Park, in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The first radio broadcasts begin at 11:30 am EST on Ballparkradio, with Kyle Smith and Jim Flanagan. The ISC II Ballparkradio crew has grown to eight members this year, including Blair Setford, Jim Flanagan, Joe Todd, Lance Winn, Chris Bach, Kyle Smith, David Bakker and its newest member, Steve Sabourin, the “voice of the Monkton tournament.” We’ll be doing 27 games over the next five days, finishing up with our first ever video broadcast of the title game on Saturday at 11am EST.
Get the complete schedule, and all the details, including the “Click to listen” button at the Ballparkradio website. Click the logo below.
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LIVE STREAMING VIDEO FOR ISC II TITLE GAME
For the first time ever, the ISC II Championship game will be broadcast in live streaming VIDEO, on “ISC-TV”, on Saturday, August 18, 2007, at 11AM EST.
Ballparkradio.com will carry live streaming audio broadcast 27 of the 90+ games throughout the tournament, in its fourth year of broadcasting, culminating with the video broadcast of the finale. Visit the Ballparkradio.com website for more details.
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The Ballparkradio crew is asking each ISC II team manager or representative to complete an online TEAM PROFILE form, providing some basic information about your team for their use during the broadcasts.
As with the player profile team, the form is online, so you don’t need to send anything in — just fill in the blanks and click “Submit”. Better still, it’s much shorter than the player form, so it takes just minutes to complete.
We must receive a team form to keep you on the broadcast schedule, so please complete it as soon as possible.
Click here to go directly to the TEAM PROFILE form, or see the link on the front page of Ballparkradio.com
** Note: We would like managers and coaches to complete an “player profile” form too **
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** Note: The online player profile form is WORKING AGAIN. We have received over 140 profiles so far, and thanks to all of you who took the time to complete it. That still leaves about 500 of you that we don’t have a broadcast profile for – so please return to fill one in, won’t you?
Update: 200 profiles and counting. Keep ’em coming !
** Note: We would like managers and coaches to complete an “player profile” form too **
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* Notice to All Players Competing in the 2007 ISC II Tournament of Champions *
Ballparkradio will be broadcasting (at least) 27 games from this year’s ISC II Tournament of Champions.
We have posted an online “Player Profile” form at the Ballparkradio.com website, for you to complete. Nothing to handwrite, nothing to send in — just fill in the blanks, and click the “Submit” button and you’re done.
We encourage and request all players complete one, so that our broadcast crew has some information about you to share with the listening audience.
The form can be submitted entirely online, so there is nothing to mail or email. The first dozen or so items are basic information – name, team, uniform number, hometown etc. and are required, while the rest is up to you. (though we do appreciate you providing as much information as possible)
Don’t wait – you can do it now. Click here to go directly to the form.
Be the first team to have all of your players submit profiles !
International Softball Congress Men’s World Fastball Tournament
When: Aug. 10-18.
Where: Peter Hallman Ballyard in Kitchener.
The pitch: 32 of fastball’s top club teams battle for the world title. The Kitchener Hallman Twins, ranked fifth, are hosting. The Elmira Cubs, who won the second-tier ISC II’s two years ago, have moved up to the top level. Last year’s champs, County Materials of Wisconsin, have disbanded. The Broken Bow Gremlins of Clifton Park, N.Y. are the top-ranked entry.
ISC II Tournament of Champions
When: Aug. 14-18.
Where: Budd Park in Kitchener, Riverside Park in Cambridge, Peter Hallman Ball Yard.
The pitch: The pitch: 35 of the top intermediate teams slug it out in the ISC’s second-tier world tourney. Kitchener’s Bridgeport Braves are the host team. The Tavistock Merchants are defending champs.
ISC midget tournament
When: Aug. 16-18
Where: Peter Hallman Ball Yard in Kitchener
The pitch: Six under-19 squads square off in 17-game tourney. Entries include Waterloo, St. Marys, Glanworth, Newmarket, Richmond, P.E.I. and defending-champ Baltimore, Maryland.
Championship Saturday
When: Aug. 18
Where: Peter Hallman Ball Yard
The pitch: All the big games go on one day at the same location. The semifinals and finals of the top ISC tourney, the semis and finals of the ISC II’s and the consolation and championship game for the midget tourney.
From the Mitchell Advocate
Need to keep clicking in all facets of game to have a shot at title, coach says
By Andy Bader
Wednesday August 08, 2007
The Mitchell Mets have two final tune-up games prior to the start of the International Softball Congress (ISC) II Tournament of Champions tournament in Kitchener and Cambridge next week – and they hope to better last year’s finish.
The Mets, 5-1 losers to the Shakespeare Falcons last Wednesday (who are also entered in the T of C), host Linwood tonight (Wednesday) before a re-match is set with the Falcons this Saturday in Shakespeare.
The games will be solid tests, as both the 86ers and Falcons are also in the T of C, along with five other South Perth Men’s Fastball League (SPMFL) squads, including the defending champions from Tavistock.
But coach Bob Ward is confident that the club, as long as they continue to hit the ball and play as well as they have this season, will fare out fine at the T of C.
“I think we have a good shot at it – our pitching is going to be there, definitely our defence and we hit the ball,†he said last week. “You’ve got to hit the ball – if you don’t in this tournament, you’re in trouble.â€
The Mets have averaged more than six runs per league game this season, and although it’s doubtful they won’t amass such offense against top quality teams at the T of C, look for their offense to carry them.
Veterans Jeff Pauli, his brother Dennis, Kevin Gettler, Kevin Quipp and Darryl Eidt have hit the ball well most of the season for the Mets, and with steady contributions from centerfielder A.J. Moses, catcher Matt McGill and second baseman Joe Harris, the club looks to continue to put the ball in play and make things happen offensively.
“I’d say our top six batters have been as good as anybody in the league,†Ward said. “ And the guys we’ve picked up are going to help out, too. It may be difficult to work guys in, but depth will be an asset. It’s going to be nice for the puposes of when we do get into some tight games, we’ve got some bench that you can throw a guy in to run.â€
The Mets bolstered their lineup with two members of the Mitchell Jr. Chiefs, middle infielders Scott Lealess and Kevin Ward, as well as outfielder Scott Kemp and pitcher Jeff Smith from the Monkton Muskrats.
Kevin Pomfret is the Mets’ ace, and is rounding into form, although he did suffer the loss to the Falcons last week. He struck out 12 in the complete-game, but was hurt by his defence, normally a strong part of the Mets’ game.
Ward agreed that defence is a key element of the game, and in their loss to the Falcons, they made some errors early which led to two unearned early runs.
“If you make the other team earn every run they get, it’s a lot easier on us,†he said.
Also expecting some pitching duty is Garnet Kraemer, Jeff Pauli, Kevin Gettler and Smith. Others on the team include outfielders Mark Bye and Kory Dietz and infielder Daryl O’Connell.
The club opens the 35-team tournament (seven pools of five teams each) next Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 4 p.m. against Glencoe at Budd Park in Kitchener. On Wednesday, Aug. 15, the Mets will take on Ottawa Valley at Riverside Park in Cambridge at 3:30 p.m., and conclude the round-robin Thursday, Aug. 16, against Palermo (last year’s runner-up), at 11:30 a.m., at Riverside, and again at 4:30 p.m., also at Riverside, when they take on South Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Playoffs, if the Mets qualify, will take place Friday with the final set for Saturday as part of the ISC World Championship final.
Last year, the Mets went 3-1 in their division and won their pool, but dropped their first playoff game to Ashland, Ohio.
Other SPMFL teams to participate other than those already mentioned include the host Bridgeport Braves, Hickson Reds, Wellington Brewers and Harriston Mercurys.
Against the Falcons in their loss last week, Jeff Pauli’s RBI-single was one of four hits yielded by Shakespeare pitcher Fred Follings, who struck out 11. Moses hit a single and walked twice, while Quipp legged out a double.
Reprinted with permission from the Woodstock Sentinel Review.
By Cory Smith
Sports reporter
HICKSON — While their Oxford County rivals compete under the glaring spotlight of defending champions, the Hickson Reds will have no such distraction.
Prior to the 2007 season, the Reds weren’t even on the ISC II radar. By July 6, the Reds were ranked 29th. It was a modest but important blip on the fastball screen for the Reds as they prepare for the world championships in Kitchener.
Of course, that means the Reds will face the toughest competition in Pool F, beginning Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. against the No. 12 Port Elgin Blue Devils.
The Reds move on to face the Ashland Merchants in their second game, Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. In their third round-robin game Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., Hickson plays the Ottawa Team Easton, ranked sixth as of July 6.
The Reds close the prelims with a date against the No. 23 Waterdown Hammer Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Hickson sits in the middle of the Smith/Egli division of the South Perth Men’s Fastball League, but has fared reasonably well in tournament play thus far.
The Reds went 3-2 at the Canada East Softball Congress II qualifier in June, outlasting the Ingersoll Crush and Innerkip Orioles of the Tri-County Men’s Fastball League.
Their biggest highlight was a win over the second-ranked Elora Brewers. Mark VanVliet pitched a strong game to pick up the victory and the Reds hurler will be a main component for the club next week.
Led by hometown manager Al Harmer, the Reds are truly a local team, boasting 13 players from Oxford County.
Reprinted with permission from the Woodstock Sentinel Review.
By Cory Smith
Sports reporter
TAVISTOCK — If the St. Marys/Tavistock Merchants have any hope of defending their ISC II world fastball championship, they’ll have to find the missing ingredients they used to win last year. The Merchants started 2007 ranked No. 1 among ISC II teams, but a slow start in the South Perth Men’s Fastball League and a disappointing finish at the Ontario eliminations last weekend dropped the club to a top-five world ranking. Hardly anything to be ashamed of, but the Merchants will have a bull’s-eye on them all week. “We expect to be able to compete. With a little luck anything can happen,†Merchants manager Steve Kaufman said. “I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of teams gunning for us.â€
First on that list will be the Kitchener Outlaws, who host the Merchants Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
“I don’t think expectations are going to be a problem,†Kaufman said. “We’ve had a lot of expectations for many years, going back to Fargo in 2004 when we got second. It was like a relief to win last year.â€
Nearly everything went the Merchants’ way in Kitchener last August. Tavistock — before adding St. Marys to its name this season — went 7-1 over eight games and outscored its opposition 34-7. The pitching staff — which hurled five shutouts, including a Ryan Cummings no-hitter — is back this year. There are some holes, such as the departure of shortstop Mark McKay, who scored the winning run in the eighth inning of last year’s championship, but Kaufman is confident that players brought in from St. Marys will mix with the returnees to form another formidable mix.
“We need good pitching and good hitting and timely hitting, that’s what it takes,†he said. “We have the ability to score lots of runs, but when it comes to playoffs and good teams it’s pitching and defence that comes through.â€
Reprinted with permission from the Woodstock Sent.
By Darryl G. Smart
Sports Editor
INGERSOLL — The rankings have them at the bottom but that’s not going to bother the Ingersoll Crush when they go to Kitchener for the Intarnational Softball Congress II Tournament of Champions. The Crush, who have qualified for the ISC II ToC for the first time, will have a good mix of youth and veterans. “I think our team chemistry is our biggest strength by far,†Crush manager Rob Deakin said. “We all eat, drink and hang out with each other. This is a real close-knit team and I think that will help us in a tournament like this.†Having umpired in the ISC worlds several times, Deakin knows about the magnitude of the ToC, which is something he said the younger players will learn in a hurry. “We have the veterans to calm the young guys’ nerves down. I know we’ve played a lot of these teams before and have done well against them. But this is the Tournament of Champions. The level of ball is raised, which something I want them to experience.â€
The Crush have had a solid season thus far in the Tri-County Men’s Fastball League, but consistency has plagued them at times. “I think if we play error-free ball and get rid of the mental errors, I think we could make it to the playoffs, where anything can happen,†he said.
And the Crush just have to look at the Tavistock Merchants for inspiration. Ranked 22nd heading into last year’s ToC, the Merchants got on a roll and beat the 32nd-ranked Palermo Athletics in the final. The 35th-ranked Crush will begin their quest to climb the ladder Tuesday against the Kingston Cowboys at 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday at 11 a.m., they will take on the Hoffman Rise and then the Elora Brewers at 5:30 p.m.The Crush will round out the round-robin with the Rockwood Rush Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
“It doesn’t matter who we’re going to play, every game’s going to be tough,†Deakin said. “But I really think we can have a 2-2 record and maybe get into the playoffs. But the main thing is that our guys enjoy the tournament and take in the experience.†Deakin said not only has the team been committed to doing well at the ToC, sponsors like Elgie Trucking have been important.
Rogers Cable 20 in Waterloo Region will be telecasting the 2007 ISC II Championship Game as part of a six-pack of games they will be televising from the ISC World Tournament in Kitchener.
From the Rogers Cable 20 website:
Leading off the exciting coverage is an exclusive broadcast of the Exhibition Game between local media and the Kitchener Rangers on Thursday, August 9 at 9 pm on Cable 20. Rangers’ alumni and members of the 2003 Memorial Cup team, Steve Eminger, Dave Clarkson, Scott Dicke and Marcus Smith will join Rangers coaching staff, Peter DeBoer and Steve Spott and Ranger Matt Halischuk to take on members of the media, including Rogers Television’s OHL Prime Time commentators, Mike Farwell and Mike Torchia. The game will be immediately followed by the showdown between the host team, the Kitchener Hallman Twins and the St. Thomas Centennials at 10:30 pm.
ISC Fastball World Tournament Games on Rogers Television, Cable 20
THURSDAY, August 9
Media vs. Kitchener Rangers
Starts at 9 pmTHURSDAY, August 9
Kitchener Hallman Twins vs. St. Thomas Centennials
Starts at 10:30 pm
or immediately following Exhibition GameFRIDAY, August 10
Elkhart Albaugh Inc. vs. St. Thomas Centennials
Starts at 8 pmSATURDAY, August 11
Ashland Mets vs. Kitchener Hallman Twins
LIVE at 8 pmSATURDAY, August 18
ISC II FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
LIVE at 11 amSATURDAY, August 18
ISC FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
LIVE at 7 pmBroadcast schedule is available to Rogers Cable customers in Guelph, Waterloo Region, Brantford and Stratford on Cable 20.
“For nine days Kitchener will be home to some of the top fastball players in the world, says Jeremy Clark, Regional Station Manager for Rogers Television. “We are thrilled to showcase the talent and skills of these teams to our viewers with exciting coverage of this world class tournament.â€
The ISC Fastball World Tournament and ISC Tournament of Champions are expected to attract close to 50,000 players, family and fans to Kitchener for the nine-day event.
August 9, 2007 – ISC Canada East VP Blair Setford and Regional Commissioner Joe Todd are pleased to announce that the Ontario Challenge Cup will be played in Innerkip Sept. 21-23.
The 12-team tournament will feature teams from eight leagues across southwestern Ontario along with the host Innerkip Orioles and the Northern Explorers team from the Algoma league.
Leagues represented are:
South Perth
Golden Horseshoe
Kitchener
Simcoe Rural
Blue Water
Tri-County
Inter County
St. Thomas & District
Along with the Northern Explorers, several teams are already qualified for the Challenge Cup including Elmira Cubs, Mitchell Mets, Minesing Monarchs, Port Elgin Blue Devils and Orangeville Kings.
The winner of the double knockout tournament will receive a berth in the 2008 ISC II Tournament of Champions in Appleton, WI.
Previous winners of the Challenge Cup include Norwich, Port Elgin and Kitchener.
For more information, please contact:
Blair Setford
ISC Canada East VP
blairjs(at)rogers.com
or
Joe Todd
Canada East Regional Commissioner
ftode739(at)rogers.com