Archive for April, 2009

2009 Snapper Shootout Division and Schedule

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Editor’s Note: The always popular Snapper Shootout is set for June 5-7, 2009 with 16 teams, including pre-season ISC II co-favourites Ashland, OH Stock Pack and Bridgeport, ON Braves. Also on hand, among others, are Ontario Challenge Cup Champions Elmira Expos, hard hitting Port Elgin Blue Devils, the talented Shakespeare Falcons and Darren Zack and the Ohsweken Redmen.


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From Al’s Fastball: The field is setfor the 6th annual Niagara Snappers Shootout taking place from June5th-7th at Centennial Park in Virgil, ON. Up to the minute reporting will be sent to Als Fastball from the ballpark throughout the weekend with detailed daily recaps to follow at the end of the day.

More information can be found on www.niagarasnappers.com

Divisions and schedule below.

RED DIVISION

Bridgeport Braves
Hamilton Hawks
Niagara Falls Dawgs
Team Quebec Combat

WHITE DIVISION

Ohsweken Redmen
Niagara Snappers
Newmarket Juniors
Shakespeare Falcons

BLACK DIVISION

Elmira Erb Electric Expos
NY Gremlins
Napanee North Key Express
Niagara Falls Fury

SILVER DIVISION

Ashland Stockpack
Linwood Chiefs
Port Elgin Blue Devils
Wyevale Tribe

Friday June 5/09 (Diamond Assignment)

7:00pm – NiagaraFalls Dawgs vs. Hamilton Hawks (A)
7:00pm – Quebec TeamCombat vs. Bridgeport Braves (B)
7:00pm – ElmiraExpos vs. Niagara Falls Fury (C)
9:00pm – Niagara Snappersvs. Ohsweken Redmen (A)
9:00pm – AshlandStockpack vs. Port Elgin Blue Devils (B)
9:00pm – WyevaleTribe vs. Linwood Chiefs (C)

Saturday June 6/09 (Diamond Assignment)

9:00am – NY Gremlinsvs. Napanee North Key Express (A)
9:00am – NewmarketJuniors vs. Shakespeare Falcons (B)
9:00am – NiagaraFalls Dawgs vs. Quebec Team Combat (C)
11:00am – Port ElginBlue Devils vs. Wyevale Tribe (A)
11:00am – LinwoodChiefs vs. Ashland Stockpack (B)
11:00am – BridgeportBraves vs. Hamilton Hawks (C)
1:00pm – NY Gremlinsvs. Elmira Expos (A)
1:00pm – NapaneeNorth Key Express vs. Niagara Falls Fury (B)
1:00pm – ShakespeareFalcons vs. Niagara Snappers (C)
3:00pm – NewmarketJuniors vs. Ohsweken Redmen (A)
3:00pm – NiagaraFalls Dawgs vs. Bridgeport Braves (B)
3:00pm – Quebec TeamCombat vs. Hamilton Hawks (C)
5:00pm – AshlandStockpack vs. Wyevale Tribe (A)
5:00pm – LinwoodChiefs vs. Port Elgin Blue Devils (B)
5:00pm – NewmarketJuniors vs. Niagara Snappers (C)
7:00pm – NY Gremlinsvs. Niagara Falls Fury (A)
7:00pm – ElmiraExpos vs. Napanee North Key Express (B)
7:00pm – OhswekenRedmen vs. Shakespeare Falcons (C)

Sunday June 7/09

10:00am – Quarter Final #1(game #25)
Black #1 vs. Silver #2
Diamond A

10:00am – Quarter Final #2(game #26)
Red #1 vs. White #2
Diamond C

12:00pm – Quarter Final #3(game #27)
Black #1 vs. Silver #1
Diamond A

12:00pm – Quarter Final #4(game #28)
White #1 vs. Red #2
Diamond C

2:00pm – Semi-Final #1(game #29)
Winner Game #25 vs. WinnerGame #26
Diamond A

2:00pm – Semi-Final #2(game #30)
Winner Game #27 vs. WinnerGame #28
Diamond C

4:00pm – Final Game(game #31)
Winner Game #29 vs. WinnerGame #30
Diamond A

2009 Millgrove Early Bird Tournament

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Editor’s Note: The Millgrove Early Bird Tournament goes May 8-10, hosted by the 2008 ISC II Finalist Waterdown Hammer. A total of 14 teams are on hand including last year’s ToC semi-finalist Kitchener Outlaws, the highly regarded Bridgeport Braves, Ontario Challenge Cup champion Elmira Expos and the always tough Niagara Snappers. The big question is: Will Darren Zack make his ISC II debut in Millgrove with the Ohsweken Redmen?


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May 8-10 Millgrove Early Bird Tournament Schedule
Millgrove 1
Fri 7:15 pm: Kitchener Outlaws vs. Linwood Jrs.
Fri 9:00 pm: Bridgeport Braves vs. Niagara Falls Dawgs
Sat 9:00 am: Waterdown Hammer vs. Orangeville
Sat 10:45 am: Waterdown Hammer vs. Elmira Jrs.
Sat 12:30 pm: Niagara Snappers vs. Waterloo Jrs.
Sat 2:15 pm: Bridgeport Braves vs. Ohsweken Redmen
Sat 4:00 pm: Waterdown Hammer vs. Diamond Jaxx
Sat 5:45 pm: Waterloo Jrs. vs. Cayuga Rebels
Sat 7:30 pm: Niagara Snappers vs. Kitchener Outlaws
Millgrove 2
Fri 7:00 pm: Waterloo Jrs. vs. Quyon Flyers
Fri 8:45 pm: Elmira Jrs. vs. Sudbury Cardinals
Sat 8:30 am: Ohsweken Redmen vs. Diamond Jaxx
Sat 10:15 am: Kitchener Outlaws vs. Quyon Flyers
Sat 12 noon: Cayuga Rebels vs. Linwood Jrs.
Sat 1:45 pm: Sudbury Cardinals vs. Orangeville
Sat 3:30 pm: Elmira Jrs. vs. Niagara Falls Dawgs
Sat 5:15 pm: Quyon Flyers vs. Linwood Jrs.
Sat 7:00 pm: Ohsweken Redmen vs. Orangeville
Freelton
Sat 9:30 am: Niagara Snappers vs. Cayuga Rebels
Sat 11:15 am: Bridgeport Braves vs. Sudbury Cardinals
Sat 1:00 pm: Niagara Falls Dawgs vs. Diamond Jaxx

Teams will be ranked from 1st to 14th based on their win-loss-tie record during the round-robin (1 game won will be ranked higher than 2 games tied)

Ties in the standings will be broken in the following order:
1. Head-to-head results between the teams tied
2. Run differential for all 3 games (maximum run differential is 7 runs per game)
3. Runs against in all 3 games
4. Runs for in all 3 games
5. Coin toss
If more than two teams are tied, the rules above will be applied until one team wins the tie-breaker, after which the rules will be applied again, beginning at #1, for the remaining teams that are tied

• The 1st to 4th placed teams will advance to the A-division on Sunday
• The 5th to 8th placed teams will advance to the B-division on Sunday
• The 9th to 12th placed teams will advance to the C-division on Sunday
• The 13th and 14th placed teams are eliminated after the round-robin

Millgrove 1
Sun 9:00 am: C semi-final
9th place vs. 12th place
Sun 10:45 am: B semi-final
5th place vs. 8th place
Sun 12:30 pm: A semi-final
1st place vs. 4th place
Sun 2:15 pm: B final
Sun 4:15 pm: A final

Millgrove 2
Sun 9:15 am: C semi-final
10th place vs. 11th place
Sun 11:00 am: B semi-final
6th place vs. 7th place
Sun 12:45 pm: A semi-final
2nd place vs. 3rd place
Sun 2:30 pm: C final

Villa Grove Log Cabin Invitational Qualifier

Friday, April 24th, 2009


Editor’s Note: The Log Cabin Invitational in Villa Grove, IL goes May 16-17 with nine teams vying for a berth in the 2009 ISC II ToC. Games will be played at Henson Park (below) with additional games at Richmond Park.


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May 16-17, 2009
Pool A
Springfield Franny’s
T-town Wessel’s Coors Light
Kelso Fastpitch

Pool B
DeKalb Hustle Hogs
Belleville Stallions
Pinckneyville Lee’s Sports Falcons

Pool C
Decatur Pride
Altamont Home Center
Villa Grove Log Cabin

Saturday, May 16
Game 1 – 10:00 AM @ Henson Park – Franny’s vs. Wessel’s
Game 2 – 11:45 AM @ Henson Park – Wessel’s vs. Kelso
Game 3 – 1:30 PM @ Henson Park – Kelso vs. Franny’s
Game 4 – 1:30 PM @ Richmond Park – Hustle Hogs vs. Belleville
Game 5 – 3:15 PM @ Richmond Park – Belleville vs. Pinckneyville
Game 6 – 5:00 PM @ Richmond Park – Pinckneyville vs. Hustle Hogs
Game 7 – 3:15 PM @ Henson Park – Decatur vs. Home Center
Game 8 – 5:00 PM @ Henson Park – Home Center vs. Log Cabin
Game 9 – 6:45 PM @ Henson Park – Log Cabin vs. Decatur

Sunday, May 17
Game 10 – 10:00 AM @ Richmond Park – 3rd Pool B vs. 3rd Pool C
Game 11 – 10:00 AM @ Henson Park – 2nd Pool B vs. 2nd Pool C
Game 12 – 11:45 AM @ Richmond Park – Winner #10 vs. 1st Pool A
Game 13 – 11:45 AM @ Henson Park – 1st Pool B vs. 2nd Pool A
Game 14 – 1:30 PM @ Richmond Park – 1st Pool C vs. 3rd Pool A
Game 15 – 1:30 PM @ Henson Park – Winner #11 vs. Winner #12
Game 16 – 3:15 PM @ Henson Park – Winner #13 vs. Winner #14
Game 17 – 5:00 PM @ Henson Park – Championship

Update on Ken Vierling

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

Editor’s Note: Please take the time to sign the guestbook on the blog below and send your best wishes to Ken. He is going to need strength from all of us in the fastball community in the days and weeks ahead.

For those not aware, ISC II Umpire-in-Chief Ken Vierling was in a terrible one-car accident on Saturday, April 18, near Colorado Springs, CO. His passenger was apparently killed and Ken has a broken neck.

He is in ICU at:
St. Anthony Central Hospital
4231 West 16th Avenue
Denver, CO 80204-4098
(303)629-3511

Hopefully, the below blog will keep everyone informed about Ken’s condition and recovery.

Hi there, You don’t know me but we have a mutual friend in Ken Vierling, I was on the phone with another family friend, Dave Lax, and he gave me a blog that his brother Dave is keeping with information about Ken’s condition. I know through the conversation with Dave that Ken broke his neck and is currently paralyzed from the chest down. I apologize that I have no more information but if you keep up with the blog you should have all the info you need.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/comicdude

ISC II UiC Ken Vierling in serious condition

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

We are sorry to report that our good friend, ISC II Umpire-in-Chief Ken Vierling was involved in a one car auto accident near Colorado Springs and has been hospitalized with very serious injuries. The report we received indicated that, Ken was traveling to Las Vegas for a bowling tournament, and apparently hit a patch of ice and rolled over near Colorado Springs. Ken was taken to St. Anthony Hospital in Denver last night. We will keep you apprised of further reports as we get them but ask you to keep Ken in your prayers.

Ken was named as the new ISC II Umpire-in-Chief for 2008 when Bruce Bierman was named ISC WT UIC.

We have set up an email for Ken, for anyone wishing to sent a note to him: (click link)

ken.vierling (at) fastpitchwest (dot) com

We’ll pass the notes along to him/his family.

For those who may not know Ken, we include the short bio from the ISC website below.

(more…)

Ashland, OH Stock Pack announce 2009 roster

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

ASHLAND, OH

The Stock Pack fastpitch team, based out of Ashland, Ohio is pleased to announce their roster and tentative schedule for the 2009 season. The organization is looking to build on its successful 2008 season which saw it win two tournaments and place 5th at the ISC II Tournament of Champions.

The complete roster is as follows:

#1 David Wiley – IF
#2 Justin Blair – OF
#3 Pete Spoerl – IF
#4 Mike Justice – Utility
#5 Chad Honaker – IF
#6 George Salmons – P
#7 Trevor Urban – SS
#8 Shane Flinner – C
#11 Jim Saffle – Coach
#13 Jeff Van Hooser – P
#17 Nick McCurry – DP
#18 Jr. Rodriguez – IF
#19 Tyron McKinney – P/IF
#20 Rick Plangger – P
#23 Brad Webb – OF
#25 Jason Whiteley – OF
#40 Jaime Thompson – P
#44 Jim Yates – P

Our tentative schedule is as follows:
May 9-10 Early Bird Classic Coldwater, MI
May 22-25 Twisters Memorial Day Invitational Bay City, MI
June 5-7 Snapper Shootout Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
June 12-14 Boulevard Lounge Tourney (ISC II Qualifier) Midland, MI
June 26-28 Outlaws Invitational Elkhart, IN
July 10-12 Mickey Brennan Memorial Lackawanna, NY
July 17-19 Pete Schwab Memorial Frankenmuth, MI
July 30 – Aug 2 ASA Major South Bend, IN
Aug 15-16 DH’s vs. Decatur Pride Decatur, IL
Aug 18-22 ISC II Tournament of Champions Quad Cities, IA/IL

jasonwhiteley2000@yahoo.com

ISC II Eligibility Updated

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

ISC announces appeals process for players in ISF competition

April 7, 2009 – The International Softball Congress is announcing a modification to existing ISC II eligibility rules for players and pitchers who compete in the ISF World Championship.

The modified rule will enable players or pitchers who play in the ISF World Championship to file an appeal for ISC II eligibility. ISF pitchers and players must follow the same appeals process in place for those named on the ISC II Ineligible Pitchers List or PRAWN list or who competed in the most recent ISC World Tournament, Canadian Senior Men’s National Championship or ASA Major National Championship. Pitchers and players who have previously been classified as eligible for ISC II are exempted from having to appeal.

The rule change was approved by the ISC Executive Committee.

Under the previous eligibility rules, pitchers and players who competed in either of the most recent Pan Am championship or the ISF World Championship were not eligible to play in ISC II competition, effectively a four-year ban with no avenue to appeal. The rule change provides the ability to appeal.

The stipulation with regard to the Pan Am championship has been deleted as men’s fastpitch is no longer a part of the Pan Am Games. Pitchers and players who participate in the Pan Am qualifier will be governed by the ISC II Ineligible Pitchers List along with the requirement for all international region pitchers and players to be approved by the ISC prior to playing in ISC II.

At the time when the Pan Am/ISF rule was conceived in late 2003, it wasn’t believed that any ISC II pitchers would be members of a national team, but with the continued “internationalization” of fastpitch, there are at least three pitchers currently at the ISC II level who would have been unable to continue to play in ISC II for four years under the old rule. In addition, interest has been expressed by some international teams about playing in the ISC II Tournament of Champions, which they would not have been able to do prior to this change.

The updated Eligibility Rules are reproduced below and can be found in the ISC II section of the ISC website at www.iscfastpitch.com.

For further information on the ISC, please contact

Ken Hackmeister
ISC Executive Director
iscken@comcast.net

or

Jim Williamson
ISC II Vice-President
jrwilliamson@foodfacility.com

ISC II Eligibility Guidelines
Below are the Guidelines for ISC II eligibility for teams, position players and pitchers. Please note that all eligibility issues must be resolved prior to any team, player or pitcher participating in any ISC II Travel League, Regional Qualifying Tournament or Championship Tournament. See below for submitting appeals.

Teams:
Teams that competed in the previous year’s ISC World Tournament, the previous year’s ASA “Major” Tournament or the previous year’s Canadian Senior Men’s Championship and are returning at least 70% of their roster cannot play in the ISC II Tournament of Champions unless an appeal is granted.

Appeals will be considered through the process outlined below until June 1 of the current year.

Position Players:
Any player who participated in the most recent ISF World Championship, the previous year’s ISC World Tournament, the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship or the ASA “Major” National tournament or is an ISC “PRAWN” cannot play in the ISC II Tournament of Champions unless an appeal is granted. Appeals will be considered through the process outlined below until June 1 of the current year.

Pitchers:
Any pitcher that participated in the most recent ISF World Championship, the previous year’s ISC World Tournament, the Canadian Senior Men’s Championship or the ASA “Major” National tournament or is an ISC “PRAWN” or whose name appears on the ISC II Ineligible Pitchers list published in the ISC II section of the ISC website cannot play in the ISC II Tournament of Champions unless an appeal is granted.

Appeals will be considered through the process outlined below until June 1 of the current year. Note: Appeals for pitchers/players in the most recent ISF World Championship must be filed by June 1, but evaluation will not begin until the first day after completion of the ISF tournament.

Exceptions:
Pitchers who are currently classified as ISC II eligible are exempted from having to appeal if they pitch in the ISF World Championship.

Rosters:
All ISC II team rosters must be approved by the ISC prior to participation in any Qualifying Tournament or Championship Tournament.

No team, player or pitcher will be allowed to compete in both the ISC World Tournament and ISC II Tournament of Champions in the same season.

No player or pitcher may attempt to qualify for the ISC II Tournament of Champions from more than one region or for more than one team in any one season.

Pitchers or players who play on an ISC team which qualifies for the ISC World Tournament but does not attend are not eligible to play in the ISC II Tournament of Champions.

ISC II teams may have up to three (3) out-of-region players, including from the international region. There is a limit of two (2) out-of-region pitchers per team, including from the international region. All out-of-region players must be registered with the ISC, and the appropriate fee must be paid by May 1 of the current year.

NOTE: It is mandatory that any international region pitcher or player be submitted for approval even if he doesn’t appear on the ineligible list.

Additional details on out-of-region player registration and fees can be found on the ISC website under the Rules section.

Once teams have qualified for the ISC II Tournament of Champions, they are allowed three (3) pickups from ISC II-eligible players from within their region. Pickups must meet all ISC II eligibility guidelines and must be noted on the final roster submitted at the Tournament of Champions registration.

Returning teams must have 70% of their roster to qualify for an automatic berth for the following year.

Appeals:
All appeals must be submitted no later than June 1 of the current year to your ISC Regional Vice President (see the Contacting Us page for details) using the ISC Appeal form (available on the Rules and Forms page).

Any eligibility questions not covered above should be directed to your team’s Regional VP and copied to ISC II VP Jim Williamson (jrwilliamson@foodfacility.com) and ISC II Commissioner Blair Setford (blairjs@rogers.com).

The ISC strongly suggests resolving eligibility questions early so there are no surprises or disappointments prior to league, tournament or championship play.

Jim Williamson
ISC II Vice President
jrwilliamson@foodfacility.com

Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner
blairjs@rogers.com

OASA Intermediate Elims winner to receive ToC berth

Monday, April 6th, 2009

OASA & ISC Canada East announce ToC berth for Intermediate Eliminations winner

April 6, 2009 – The Ontario Amateur Softball Association and the International Softball Congress (Canada East) are pleased to announce that, effective this season, a berth in the following year’s ISC II Tournament of Champions will be awarded to the winner of the annual OASA Intermediate Eliminations Tournament.

“The OASA is pleased to have the opportunity to work with the ISC to help promote the game of fastball in the Province of Ontario. We look forward to having a very competitive tournament at Hillside Park in Waterloo this August,” said OASA Men’s Committee Chair Brad Thomson.

“This is a terrific opportunity for the two leading men’s fastball organizations in the province of Ontario to cooperate and provide teams with a 12-month window to plan for a trip to the top intermediate championship tournament in the game,” said ISC Canada East Regional Vice-President Blair Setford.

Information on registration and roster requirements for the OASA Intermediate Eliminations will be available through OASA and ISC Canada East sources. The tournament will be governed by Softball Canada rules and will use the ISC pitching rule and eligibility guidelines.

The 2009 OASA Intermediate Eliminations tournament will be held in Waterloo at Hillside Park July 31-August 2. The winner will receive a berth in the 2010 ISC II Tournament of Champions to be held in Midland, Michigan.

For more information, please contact:

OASA contact info
Brad Thomson
OASA Men’s Committee Chair
519.954.1269
thomson.brad@gmail.com

or

Blair Setford
ISC Canada East Regional VP
905.826.2697
blairjs@rogers.com

Qualifier Info:
July 31-Aug 2, 2009
OASA Intermediate Eliminations
Location: Waterloo, Hillside Park
Format: Double knockout
Entry fee and deadline: $465 Cdn, payable to OASA by June 10, 2009
Berth: 1 for 2010 ISC II ToC
Local Contacts: Brad Thomson, bradthomson41@hotmail.com, 519-954-1269
ISC Contact: Rick Boyd, rdboyd@rogers.com, 519-240-3188
Umpire In Chief: Tim Whitelaw, happyump@hotmail.com (tentative)