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