2012 Down2Earth Sports Peach State Mens Major NIT

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Fish Hawk Wolves 12U

Kissimmee, FL- This past weekend Osceola, Florida was the site of the USSSA Florida State Championship. This tournament brought together some of the states top ranked teams in the TbS/USSSA State rankings. The tournament featured the 10u division and the 12u division. Out of a total of 25 teams, 11 of those teams are ranked in the top 20 in the state not including the top ranked team in the 11u division the Florida Piranaz who decided to challenge their kids by having them play up one division in this tournament.

In the 10u division you had a total of 12 teams with seven of those teams ranked in the top 20 based on the TbS/USSSA state rankings and three of those seven teams ranked in the top 20 in the TbS/USSSA National Rankings with top Team Florida being one of those teams. One quarter final matchup had two teams ranked in the TbS/USSSA top 20 National Rankings facing off. The second ranked team in the state and fourth ranked in the country Team Avalanche Elite facing the fifth ranked team in the state and #16 ranked team in the country Strike Force Gold. The second ranked Team Avalanche Elite showed why they are the TbS defending National Champions and the fourth ranked team in the country by taking down the fifth ranked Strike Force Gold by a score of 11-5 to advance to the semi-finals. In another quarterfinal game you had the TbS/USSSA #19 ranked Central Florida Wolverines taking down the Tampa Hitman by a score of 11-0 to advance to the semi-finals and take on the second ranked Team Avalanche Elite. On the other side you had Wesley Chapel Storm 10u winning a close one against the West Florida Thunder by a score of 6-5 to advance to the semi-finals against the TbS/USSSA top ranked team in not only the state but in the National Ranking as well Team Florida who advanced by defeating Bombers Baseball 16-1.

In the first semi-final game the #19 ranked Central Florida Wolverines stayed on a roll and showed that they too are a team people need to look out for, as they were able to advance to the finals by upsetting the second ranked Team Avalanche Elite by a score of 9-5. In the other semi-final you had the top ranked Team Florida continuing to show their muscle by knocking off Wesley Chapel Storm 10u by a score of 12-4. In the finals the #19 ranked Central Florida Wolverines gave the top ranked Team Florida all they could handle, Wolverines jumped out to a two run lead only to have Team Florida tie the score at two a piece, the rest of the game went pretty much the same way until the bottom of the six when Team Florida scored in walk off fashion to capture the State Championship by a score of 6-5.

The 12u division had a total of 13 teams trying to capture the USSSA Florida State Championship. Among those 13 teams you had four teams ranked in the TbS/USSSA top 20 rankings along with the top ranked team in the state in the 11u division the Florida Piranaz who felt it would be a good challenge for their kids.

When the tournament reached the semi-final action it was no surprise that the four teams still standing were the #15 ranked Orlando Tigers going up against the #16 ranked Fishhawk Wolves in one semi-final and the other semi-final had the Stingrays 12u team going up against the third ranked PTI Maniacs. The PTI Maniacs got to the semi-finals by knocking off a very well coached and talented team in the top 11u ranked team in the state the Florida Piranaz who gave them all they can handle before falling by a score of 7-6. In the semi-finals the third ranked PTI Maniacs and the second ranked Stingrays 12u team found themselves in familiar grounds as these two teams seem to play each other just about every week with one team winning one week and the other team winning the next week in some very exciting games. This time it would be no different, as the Stingrays 12u team found the way to hold on and defeat the third ranked PTI Maniacs by a score of 5-2 to advance to the championship game. The other semi-final also had two teams very familiar with each other. The #15 ranked Orlando Tigers and the Fishhawk Wolves. This game turned out to be the highest scoring game in the elimination round as the Fishhawk Wolves outlasted the Orlando Tigers by a score of 11-8. The Fishhawk Wolves seem to have carried that momentum into the finals as they were able to hold on and upset the second ranked Stingrays 12u team to capture the title. These teams are gearing up for what should be a very exciting summer. With some of them attending the TbS National Championships out in West Covina California, other attending the USSSA Elite 32 World Series, and some attending Cooperstown Dream Park later next month.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Nashville, TN

Two Regional sites will air all games on  ESPN2 and ESPNU while six additional sites will be aired on ESPN3 and The Longhorn Network.

About USSSA Florida Pride:

The Nationwide Conference USSSA will resume play in Atlanta, Georgia next weekend.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

TbS Kentucky Super Regional – The Elizabethtown Sports Park will host the Kentucky Super Regional this weekend. Tournament director Rick Goff has brought teams in from numerous states, all battling for the Travelball National Championship berth. In the 12u division the Indiana Bulls look to be the early favorite. The Bulls won the 11u Travelball National Championship last year staking their claim as an Elite Travelball team. In the 10u division, the early favorite has to be Dulin’s Dodgers from Tennessee. The Dodgers took the loaded Atlanta Super NIT in March going 6-0. Last week the Dodgers took third at the MidSouth Super NIT.

Alabama Super NIT – The Alabama Super NIT has once again attracted some of the top teams in the entire country. This event has over 370 teams participating this weekend. Teams are playing for quadruple USSSA points and the Major division winners earn the coveted USSSA Elite World Series berth. The 11u division has the high powered Mississippi Storm. This team is regarded as one of the top team in the entire country. They have three Super NIT championships to date. The 13u division has several powerhouse teams looking to grab the berth as well.  Look for the East Cobb Titans and the Viper Baseball Academy to be in the thick of action on Sunday.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

• Florida Elite -  2 Top 100 players in the country (Brandone Francis and Dante Buford) They will be the team to beat in the 17U division

• 17U Teams to watch: Florida Select,  North Florida Elite, Taylored Athletes, Jacksonville Knicks, Florida Elite Black and West Coast Magic.

• In 16U Team Prospects comes in with a perfect 11-0 record on the season but will be tested against teams like Seba Select and Florida Elite

• 7^th Grade features the St. Paul Stars (42-5), Team UP Souldiers Elite (15-3) and Weston Wolfpack (31-10)

The Black Eyed Susan:

The Black Eyed Susan will kick off the first NIT event of the season in Maryland this weekend, May 18-19. This event continues to grow from the 27 registered teams in 2009 to the 120 teams from five different states that will be competing this weekend. Teams will compete for top rank in the 10U “Open”, 12U – 16U “B”, and 10U – 18U “C” divisions. The “Open” and “B” divisions will vie for triple points and a berth to the World Series. A great turnout for the “C” divisions with 71 teams all striving to be top of the pack on championship Sunday.

The Heat at the Beach III:

Teams from five states will visit the Rehoboth Beach Little League in beautiful Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to finish out a three weekend series. The top finalists are competing for a berth to the World Series. A number of competitive teams will be showcased in all the age groups 10U – 14U. The 12U Delaware Storm will try to uphold their championship title won in the Heat at the Beach I not too long ago as the 14U Cape Crushers try to one up their second place finish in the Heat the Beach I. Both teams leading in power rating and points for their respective divisions. The teams sure will heat up the beach in this dual to be crowned number one of the series.

Looking at the bracket, the two “play in” games and the 16 first round games are all on Friday night. Also Resmondo and Laservision if they win their first game they play a second game on Friday night. So everyone plays on Friday night starting at 5:30 PM Central time.

This tournament which has always had a solid showing as far as the number of quality teams has really grown into a monster. The round of 32 games are quality games with some great matchups.

How about two hot hitting teams at 5:30 on F10 – Albicocco coming off their Maryland championship vs Team Adiktiv who has been a pleasant surprise in 2013.

At 5:30 on F9 you have Pure Romance vs Sonny’s. A re-match of the PRI 39-37 win at the Hall of Fame Classic.

At 5:30 back on F7 a ‘B’ vs ‘B’ matchup P&P 333 vs Baugh Ford should be a good one.

At 5:30 a big matchup between Head Hunters and 4 The Fallen. Both teams really needing a win here to get moving in the right direction.

At 6:45 on F12 you have Red’s Astros who is off to a solid start taking on the red hot ASPNation.com who finished 1st in Houston and 4th in Euless.

At 6:45 on F9 you have Team Combat taking on Precision/Hangrite. Precision has beaten Combat twice this season. To be honest they probably shouldn’t have been bracketed together again but you have to play the team in front of you. There aren’t many easy games in this tournament in the winner’s or loser’s bracket.

At 6:45 on F10 you have Taylormade who finished 2nd in Maryland taking on Xtreme who hasn’t made a run this year and is set to explode.

At 6:45 B&B Sears vs FBI, another great ‘B’ matchup.

The rest of the matchups in that round are more 70/30 type matchups with heavy favorites but that just leads to the “round of 16″ and each round just ratchets up the tension. You could argue that this set of teams is as good or better than what the Smoky will get this year.

This tournament produces so many Nationwide Conference points that every game is important as the winner will receive a few more points than the loser and points that can never be gained again.

Remember field #9 and #11 are the baseball fields using the stadium ball.

The other 4 fields used are smaller and play small and will use the regular conference ball.

Jenn Salling of the USSSA Pride

One of the top college exposure tournaments scheduled for this year is a 1st year tournament called the USSSA TOP GUN ELITE INIVITATIONAL. Kansas City and the surrounding communities are home to Olympian Christi Ambrosi, and the commissioner of the NPF (National Professional Fast pitch Association); ESPN Softball commentator -Cheri Kempf. The USSSA Top Gun event will take place on June 13-16, 2013, in Kansas City, MO Metro area.

The tournament is the vision of Robb Behymer and is being facilitated by Midwest Sports Production. All of the teams in this USSSA elite level tournament were directly invited by Robb. He has identified top level teams in a quest to bring them together to showcase their talent in a truly competitive environment.

Teams, representing 20 different states, are scheduled to participate in the USSSA Top Gun. The teams, accepting invitations to the TOP GUN Invitational, have distinguished themselves as Elite caliber teams. They finished in the top 10 in National Championships – 78 times, resulting in 20 National Titles; 9- 2nd Place finish; 5- 3rd Place finishes; 6-4th Place finish; 6- 5th Place finishes; 12- 7th Place finishes; and 20-9th Place finishes. Some of the top organizations being represented are FL-Team North Florida, VA-Shamrocks, AZ-Firecrackers, NJ- Intensity, KC Peppers, Originals, TX-Glory, Tulsa Elite, OK-Gamtime Stars, MO-KC Monarchs, MO-Team Power, KS-Wichita Mustangs, AL-Birmingham Mustangs, AZ-Suncats, and MO-St Louis Chaos. This is not a complete list, just a highlight.

This USSSA tournament is unique in that it gives the teams – 1 hour and 30 minute game times, a seven game guarantee, all the while being a college exposure venue. The USSSA Top Gun has developed a format for 24 athletes in each age group (10U-18U) to earn an All-American honor.
Kansas City is very excited to be hosting such an elite level USSSA softball event.

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Alot of teams deserved recognition as Team Combat finished 3rd, Fence Brokers 4th, and ‘C’ teams like Syndicate, H Auto, and Peak among others played well.

Shawnee, KS- Aloha! All of us here at Midwest Sports Productions in Shawnee, KS are excited and preparing for this upcoming weekend. We will be hosting one of the largest youth baseball tournaments in the entire country at various locations throughout the Kansas City Metro area. We will be welcoming 450+ teams representing 6 different states to the BaseballSavings.com Hawaiian Hitfest “Blow your socks off” NIT.

The majority of these teams are all 7-14 year olds and we try our best to make this tournament both fun and competitive. We are able to have some fun extra activities to go along with the high-level of competition that this tournament promises year after year. Some of these activities include a spirit contest, dugout decorating contest, and a sock drive to help out the local homeless shelters here in Kansas City. There are awesome prizes for all of our competitions including custom made trophies for the division champions directly from Hawaii!!! We are excited to welcome everyone to Kansas City this weekend, and we hope that you all will leave ready to reserve your spot for 2014!

About USSSA:

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

1 Chad E. Mullins Red’s Astros/Slugger/Stucco/Dirty   38-44   0.864
2 Isaac Gonzalez Famous/Premier/Easton   59-73   0.808
3 Dale Brungardt Demarini/Dirty/XtremeAthletics   53-67   0.791
4 Brian Wegman LaserVision/DesertFalls/Boombah/Eas   40-51   0.784
5 Bryson Baker LaserVision/DesertFalls/Boombah/Eas   58-74   0.784
6 Scott Kirby LaserVision/DesertFalls/Boombah/Eas   50-64   0.781
7 Michael Cervantes ASPNation.com/Easton   42-54   0.778
8 Kevin Filby LaserVision/DesertFalls/Boombah/Eas   52-68   0.765
9 Jeremiah Isenhower Resmondo – Specialty Tank / Worth   57-76   0.750
10 Jeff Lahair DEI/S&S/Scott’s/Easton   33-44   0.750

Home Run Leaders

1 Dale Brungardt Demarini/Dirty/XtremeAthletics   25
2 Greg Connell Resmondo – Specialty Tank / Worth   24
3 reggie schulte Fence Brokers/Hubs Pub/GTS/Worth   19
4 Isaac Gonzalez Famous/Premier/Easton   19
5 Chad Durick LaserVision/DesertFalls/Boombah/Eas   19
6 Brian Lipman Famous/Premier/Easton   17
7 Jeremiah Isenhower Resmondo – Specialty Tank / Worth   17
8 Brandon Dillon GTL Doerflinger R&M/EASTON   16
9 Clay Smitherman Baugh Ford/Mojo/Louisville Slugger   16
10 Jason Kreider OC SWATS/EASTON   16

RBI Leaders

1 Scott Langford TaylorMade/TM Sports/Mizuno   64
2 Greg Connell Resmondo – Specialty Tank / Worth   63
3 Jeremiah Isenhower Resmondo – Specialty Tank / Worth   63
4 Reggie Schulte Fence Brokers/Hubs Pub/GTS/Worth   58
5 Kevin Filby LaserVision/DesertFalls/Boombah/Eas   57
6 Brandon Dillon GTL Doerflinger R&M/EASTON   56
7 Dale Brungardt Demarini/Dirty/XtremeAthletics   56
8 Brian Lipman Famous/Premier/Easton   55
9 Isaac Gonzalez Famous/Premier/Easton   53
10 Ronald Mack III Resmondo – Specialty Tank / Worth   49

THAT’S RIGHT PRIDE FANS! Have dinner with the USSSA pride in Corpus Christi Texas on Wednesday, June 12th 2013 at 7:00 pm-9:30 pm.

Location:
Holiday Inn Emerald Beach
1102 S. Shoreline
Corpus Christi, TX 78401

Please get this out to your families as soon as possible.

This is an opportunity for players, coaches, and families to dine with the Professional players. Sit at the same table with the Pro’s. Ask them one-on-one questions and get to know them.

Dinner with the Pros

Cost: $25 per person. or $300 per table of 9 (1 pro player is 10th guest)

Dinner Menu: Garden Salad w/House Dressing
Chicken Fried Steak
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Warm Dinner Rolls w/Creamery Butter
Iced Tea, Coffee, Iced Water
Chocolate Cake
Iced Tea, Salads & Dessert would be pre-set at tables.

Key Note Speakers, motivational speaking by Coaches and Players, Silent Auction, Entertainment, and more.

Seating is limited to 300 so act fast.

For more information or send payment to:
Tony Elizondo
361-944-2911
tony.elizondo@usssa.com

TbS Chicago Super Regional – The Chicago Super Regional will qualify teams to the Travelball National Championship. In the 14u division look for the Upper Deck Cougars who last week won the Canton Super NIT to make a run at the championship. The Upper Deck program out of Illinois is known for their superior level of play. This team is no stranger to elite competition. Last year at 13u they traveled all over the country seeking out the best competition they could find. In the 13u division, look for the Next Level Tornadoes to out of Plainfield, IL to contend for the championship. The Tornadoes also won the Canton Super NIT last weekend in Michigan securing their berth to the Elite World Series in Orlando, Florida.

About USSSA:

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Click here to see the bracket for the Kansas City Major!

All fields will be broadcast on USSSALive so tune into our tournament center at www.usssalive.com to watch!

Requirements:

• Open to females only
• Must be 21 years of age
• Completed eligibility at a 4 year institution

Note:  If offered a contract from the USSSA Pride, the athlete will forfeit her remaining college eligibility.

Players should bring:  glove, cleats, catcher’s gear, batting helmet, bat, batting gloves and any other equipment deemed necessary by the player

Players will be judged on the following:

• Hitting skills
• Fielding
• Position specific skills
• Base running and 40 yard time
• Arm strength
• Knowledge of the game

There are no cancellations or refunds.  All participants will receive a t-shirt and ticket voucher to USSSA Pride home game at Osceola County Stadium. We look forward to seeing you there!

Youngsville, Louisiana–Last weekend marked a first for junior high school athletics championship in Louisiana. USSSA Junior Golf sponsored the Third Annual Junior High School Golf State Championship Tournament. Sixty-eight golfers converged on Les Vieux Chênes Golf Course to take part in the event, making the tournament the largest in USSSA Junior Golf’s young history. This marked an introduction between junior high golfers to the USSSA Golf Program.

Northwestern Middle School took the boys’ team state championship back with them to Zachary. The squad shot a total combined 335. Benton Middle School, led by individual state champion Hayden White, finished in second place with a score of 341. White finished the one-round, 18-hole event at -4 (68). S. J. Welsh Middle School of Lake Charles took third place with a score of 356. Welsh’s Gage Primeaux tied for individual second place by shooting 72. Eric Brown of Hamilton Christian School in Lake Charles also finished with an even mark to claim a share of the runner-up award.

St. Cletus of Gretna claimed the girls’ team championship. The squad, comprised of Madeline Boudreau and Cassidy Lambert, shot a total of 218. Karlie Hemler took home the individual girls’ title. The Groves (Texas) Middle School student shot nine-over-74 (83) to claim the championship. Brooke Duzan of Maplewood Middle School in Sulphur shot a 90 to take runner-up honors. Boudreau finished third individually with a mark of 99.

The USSSA Junior Golf Tour’s next event, the Swashbuckler II, takes place the weekend of May 11 at the National Golf Club of Louisiana in Westlake. The deadline to register is May 9. For more information, visit www.usssa.com or email rboudreaux@lausssa.com.

USSSA is a multi-sports organization and offers competition in Youth and Adult Baseball, Basketball, Fast Pitch Softball, Flag Football, Karate, Lacrosse, Slow Pitch Softball, Soccer, Tae Kwan Do, Volleyball, Wrestling, and Junior Golf.

BOY TEAMS
Northwestern Middle, Zachary, 335
Benton Middle, Benton, 341
S.J. Welsh, Lake Charles, 356
St. Michael, Crowley, 362
Moss Bluff Middle, Lake Charles, 370
Menard, Alexandria, 386
Holy Cross, New Orleans, 434
Fontainebleau, Mandeville, 435
Ascension Episcopal. Lafayette, 466
Edgar Martin, Lafayette, 490
Converse, Converse, 532

GIRL TEAMS
St. Cletus, Gretna, 218

About USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Canton Super NIT (Michigan)

Tennessee Super NIT – With 20 teams from six different states, the 12u division battled for the elusive Elite World Series berth. In the end, the Motor City Baseball Club went 6-0 on their way to the championship. The MCBC are hitting their stride as they outlasted several top ranked teams. In the 13u division, the Cincy Flames defeated the East Cobb Stealth to claim the championship and the Elite World Series berth. The Flames are no stranger to travel as they have already traveled to South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and now Tennessee just to compete in USSSA Super NIT’s and play the competition these tournaments offer the USSSA Major teams.

Bat Wars – Southern California Super NIT – Another great weekend of USSSA Baseball in Southern California! With over 100 teams all playing for quadruple USSSA points and the major division offering Elite World Series berths, teams traveled from all across the country. In the 14u division, the Central Florida Gators from Orlando Florida came up a little short in the pursuit of the championship. The high powered So Cal Outlaws were a little too much for the boys from Florida this weekend. This is the second Super NIT championship for the 14u Outlaws. In the 9 and under the division, Team Rawlings – California took down the Diamond Stingrays, defeating them 7-6 in the championship. Team Rawlings earned a bye after going 2-0 and only giving up 2.5 runs a game. The bye proved helpful during the championship game as the Stingrays were forced to play an extra game due to a tie in pool play.

Oklahoma/Texas Shootout (Oklahoma) – The 12th Annual Oklahoma/Texas Shootout continues to roll out an impressive number of teams’ week in and week out. The 13u age group turned out over 60 teams from six different states. In the end, the Dallas Tigers – Watten rolled to a 7-0 record and another USSSA Championship.

About USSSA:

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

The tournament was played in cool and windy conditions but the sun shined throughout. Starting on Friday night, there were very few upsets as most of the higher seeded teams won as expected, until the quarter finals early on Saturday afternoon. One team that played two outstanding games on Friday night was Old School/Elite, a ‘C’ team from Texas who knocked off a very good Golds Gym team 26-25 and then fought hard against Buzini Sports in a 40-37 loss which was one of the highest scoring game of the tournament.

All eight of the quarter final teams were from the Nationwide Conference USSSA. Demarini/Dirty run ruled FBI 23-5; Buzini run ruled their rival Baugh Ford 30-15, and Resmondo was taken a full seven innings by ASPNation. Resmondo would emerge victorious, winning 30-24. In the final quarter final game, GTL struggled to keep pace with an offensive minded Adiktiv team and trailed them 26-21 going into the bottom of the seventh. GTL quickly scored four runs and loaded the bases with nobody out but Adiktiv pitcher Cam Byars got a popout and a 5-10-3 double play to end the game and the win for Adiktiv 26-25.

In the final four of the winner’s bracket, Adiktiv gave Demarini all they could handle in a 26-22 Demarini win. The game ended on a controversial overturned call at third base when Adiktive was rallying from behind with two outs. In the other semi final Resmondo trounced Buzini 23-6 before Buzini could really get going. Then in the winner’s bracket championship game which was a much anticipated match up between Demarini/Dirty and Resmondo late on Saturday night, Dirty put up 26 runs on the strength of third baseman Dale Brungardts, who went 4-5 with 3 homers and Adam Rockoffs 4-5 with 2 homers. But Resmondo got an assist and a nice play on the fence from their young outfielders, while batting around their lineup in the bottom of the 6th with 5 home runs to get a big lead and held off Demarini’s top of the 7th rally to win 28-26.

In the loser’s bracket, GTL ran the table with four wins in a row over Nationwide Conference opponents including the loser’s bracket final over Demarini/Dirty, when pitcher Brendt Newbill shut down Demarini the last three innings. GTL then went to the finals where their 14 runs over five innings was not a terrible output. It included two home runs from Kyle Pearson, but was no match for Resmondo, batting around their lineup in each of the last 4 innings to win the tournament championship 29-24.

DW on New USSSA Live Streaming Technology and Broadcasting Efforts:

Demarini/Dirty takes on GTL, Live on USSSALive New Tournament Center

“For the first time in Major softball history all of the games on every field were successfully live streamed on USSSALive.com. A thank you to Bernie, Andy Purcell, and Texas director Chris Thames for their hard work getting the cameras setup. A true feat of technology and a great success for what is to come at future events! The video and audio quality was very good. Unfortunately only a few scores were kept up to date. Thank you to Doc and the first umpiring crew on Sunday morning for their score updates. In the future Bernie hopes to give the teams and the fans watching with smart phones the application and password to be able to update the scores in real time!

Remember anyone can give a score update by simply talking in a normal voice near where the iPod touch is hanging on the fence. Heck you can even try your hand at play by play”

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Hall of Famer Brett Helmer Homers to Right Center

Combat Music City Homerun Derby (May 16th @6PM) will take place at Triple Creek Park in Gallatin, TN prior to the Nationwide Conference Tournament.

Please email bnifong@combatsportsgroup.com or tnewton@combatsportsgroup.com for questions and entries!!

Limited to 64 participants and already have a list of over 20 people confirmed hitting in this so don’t wait to the last minute to enter. The cost for entry is $20 and a portion of the pot will be paid to the winner. USSSA looks forward to seeing everyone out there.

Bryce Harper’s Player Profile on USSSA.com

Fans of the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball can’t help but talk about outfielder Bryce Harper. After his selection as the number 1 pick in the 2010 MLB Draft by the Nationals followed by his Debut for the 2012 season his popularity has just exploaded as he is putting together some of the most impressive stats for any young player in Major League Baseball history.

ESPN shot a documentary called “Bryce Begins” chartering Harper’s rise from the amateur baseball scene to the pro level. But his career before College and the Major Leagues is equally filled with impressive achievements. In his youth he made waves as a rising star on the diamond. Many aren’t aware that Harper played USSSA Ball for many seasons during his teen years. Check this out from Elite Sports Productions:

As a USSSA player, Bryce Harper played the 2004 season with the 11u So Cal Redwings. He joined the team in May of 2004. The team traveled to play in the Memorial Day Classic Super NIT where they took first place and qualified for the Elite 16. In early July of 2004 the Redwings played in the 11 & Under Major West World Series in Southern California where they went 8-0 on their way to the championship.  On July 31 the Redwings traveled to Florida to play in the USSSA Elite 16 World Series where they went on to take 3^rd place by going 5-1.

Bryce Harper in 2005 – Playing USSSA Baseball

Two years later, at 13, Bryce and the So Cal Redwings went 7-1 on their way to the expanded Elite 24 World Series Championship. Bryce would pitch 7 innings in the semifinal game against the Tulsa Lookouts in the semifinal game where they won 5-2. For Bryce’s effort at the plate and on the mound he would earn Elite World Series All Tournament Team Honors.

Over the course of 5 years of USSSA Baseball Bryce Harper would play with several teams and made several USSSA Super NIT and Elite World Series appearances.

Bryce Harper’s USSSA Player History

Bryce Harper 13u Elite World Series

Harper shows such promise from such a young age that his entire life has been filled with playing competitive baseball, his coaches, teammates and friends all credit his hard work ethich and love for the game as the keys to his success. Harper is also well known for his 502ft home run at the 2009 Power Showcase at Tropicana Field. Check out the video here:

Follow Bryce Harper on Twitter

His rise to the Major Leagues and his popularity are definitely a great role model for those athletes currently playing USSSA Baseball.

About USSSA:

The 10u Semi-Final and Championship as well as the 13u Championship on Sunday May 5 will be broadcast on ESPN3

Kissimmee, FL- USSSA will continue its ESPN baseball coverage this weekend broadcasting live three games of the Canton Super NIT on Sunday, May 5th. The Canton Super NIT, played in Michigan, will feature 104 teams across six different age groups (9u-14u). Eight different fields will be broadcast love for the entirety of the event so tune in at any time on the new tournament center to view the game of your choice at USSSALive.com.

Coverage on ESPN will begin at 11:30 AM with the 10u Semi-final with the 10u Championship immediately after at 2PM. The 10u division features 20 teams. Headlining the 10u is The Motor City Hitdogs out of Rochester, MI. They’ve won three tournament championships so far this year and look to be there on Sunday as one of the two teams in the championship game on ESPN.

At 4:30PM will be the 13u division Championship. The 13u is expected to bring 26 teams to Canton to compete and will likely be the most competitive division in this tournament. The Michigan Wave Elite, Little Caesar’s Blue, and Beaver Valley Red are all powerhouse teams in the 13u and are just a few teams to keep your eye on this weekend. The Michigan Wave Elite won the Atlanta AAA Super NIT in March, going 6-0 and came in second at the Alabama Major Super NIT in April. Little Caesars Blue won the last two events over the last two weekends and is looking to win their third tournament in a row.

When asked about being given the opportunity to have his events be broadcast on such a huge stage, USSSA State Director Don DeDonatis was extremely proud, “The exposure for the kids and USSSA on ESPN is a major sign of things to come and the direction youth sports in USSSA are heading and I appreciate all the hard work it takes behind the scenes to make a major event like this go off.”

Other teams to watch over the weekend are the 14u Upper Deck Cougars from Romeoville, IL. They have won 3 tournaments over the last two weekends, going 9-0 over that span. The Midland Tribe from Cincinnati are looking to stay hot this weekend after winning the USSSA Cincy Global World Series Qualifier last weekend in Ohio.

In the 12u, the Warriors Baseball Club of Michigan will be the team to beat, as they already have three championships on the year. The Beaver Valley Red from Pennsylvania went 5-0 to win the Championship Challenge two weeks ago and look to carry that momentum to this tournament.

In the 11u, the Cincinnati Elite look to take the championship in this Super NIT, after placing second at the USSSA Cincy Global World Series Qualifier last weekend. The Plainfield Diamond Kings went 5-0 last weekend to win the ESP Invitational and will make a case to be there on Sunday.

In the 9u, the Cincy Flames and the Motor City Hitdogs have both won two tournament championships this season and are looking to add a third.

Visit USSSALive.com to view the live broadcast of eight different games and visit WatchESPN.com to view the three games that will be broadcast on ESPN.

Below are the Links to each of the games chosen for ESPN:

Sun, May 5, 2013 – 11:30 AM

USSSA Canton Super NIT – 10 And Under (Semifinals)

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/895447/usssa-canton-super-nit-10-semifinals

Sun, May 5, 2013 – 2:00 PM

USSSA Canton Super NIT – 10 And Under (Championship)

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/895449/usssa-canton-super-nit-10-championship

Sun, May 5, 2013 – 4:30 PM

USSSA Canton Super NIT – 13 And Under (Championship)

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/895451/usssa-canton-super-nit-13-championship

About USSSA:

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Tennessee Super NIT – The 12u major division will see 20 teams from six different states battle for the elusive Elite World Series berth. Look for the Stingrays from Florida, who are on their third attempt to be in the championship game on Sunday. In the 9u major division, teams from seven different states will be playing for the Elite World Series berth. This age group has several teams that could be considered favorites. Teams to watch are the Tampa Tribe (FL), Alabama Elite, and the Georgia Yard Dogs.

Bat Wars – Southern California Super NIT – This event is loaded with top ranked teams. In the 12u division, the three time defending Elite World Series Champion Diamond Stingrays from Norwalk look to be the favorite. In the 14u division the Central Florida Gators are traveling across country to show they will play anyone, anywhere.

Canton Super NIT (Michigan) – This event will broadcast several games on ESPN3. This will be the first Super NIT to have games broadcast on the ESPN network. In the 10u division, 20 teams from five states will play for the Elite World Series berth. A couple of the favorites look to be the Mokena Blaze (IL), Upper Deck Cougars (IL), Beaver Valley Red (PA) and the Cincy Flames (OH). The 13u division has 26 teams from four different states. Two of the favorites are the Michigan Elite Wave who have already traveled to Georgia and Alabama to compete in Super NIT’s and the Motor City Hit Dogs from Rochester, Michigan.

Be sure to tune in this Sunday at 11:30AM to ESPN to watch as well as USSSALive.com for the all weekend broadcast of eight different fields.

Below are the links to the USSSA Baseball games on ESPN this Sunday:

Sun, May 5, 2013 – 11:30 AM

USSSA: Canton Super NIT – 10 And Under (Semifinals)

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/895447/usssa-canton-super-nit-10-semifinals

Sun, May 5, 2013 – 2:00 PM

USSSA: Canton Super NIT – 10 And Under (Championship)

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/895449/usssa-canton-super-nit-10-championship

Sun, May 5, 2013 – 4:30 PM

USSSA: Canton Super NIT – 13 And Under (Championship)

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/895451/usssa-canton-super-nit-13-championship

About USSSA:

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

In the Boys’ 15-18 Division, Peyton Andreucci of Conway, South Carolina took home the championship with a score of 258 after 36 holes.

In the Boys’ 12-14Division, Wesley Bryant from Nakina, NC took home the championship with a score of 166 after 36 holes.  Kevin Burris of Conway, SC finished second with a score of 171.  Matthew Register of Nakina, NC finished third with a score of 191.  Payton Burris from Conway, SC finished fourth with a score of 241.

About USSSA:

Click here to view the 2013 “Texas Legends” Bracket!

The Nationwide Conference “Texas Legends” Euliss Event features 28 teams, 11 of which being Nationwide Conference teams. Resmondo, GTL-Doerflinger, Buzini Sports, and Demarini/Dirty headline the list of favorites to win in. That also includes ASPNation.com, a “C” Team in the Nationwide Conference who won the “Space City Classic” in Houston earlier in the year, beating a field of 64 teams and becoming the first “C” team to win a Nationwide Conference Event that wasn’t a rain out.

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Haruna Sakamoto high fives a teammate after hitting a home run in the Japanese Pro League

Kissimmee, FL- The USSSA Pride signed Japanese infielder Haruna Sakamoto last week. She joins the Akron Racers and Chicago Bandits as the third NPF Franchise to add talent from the Japanese Pro League. Earlier this month, the Akron Racers signed Ayumi Karino and the Chicago Bandits signed Eri Yamada and Kazuki Watanabe.

In February, USSSA Pride General Manager Don DeDonatis got a first hand look at Sakamoto in two exhbition games against the Pride in Palm Springs, CA and came away extremely impressed. In the two games against Team Toyota of the Japanese Pro League, Sakamoto batted clean up and homered in both contests. Shortly thereafter, the decision was made after the two parties met that there was mutual interest in making Haruna part of the USSSA Pride. Sakamoto brings a different international dimension to the Pride and a power bat to go along with another solid infield glove. Sakamoto joins Danielle Lawrie and Jenn Salling (Both from Canada) on the Pride as three athletes with international ties.

Sakamoto has competed with the Japanese National Team since 2008, and also plays in the Japanese Softball League. She joins an already loaded Pride roster for the 2013 season and will be competing for a starting job come spring training. Sakamoto will continue wearing her #6 jersey with the Pride, just as she wore playing for Japanese National Team.

Albicocco/The Scene/Easton went 5-0 and defeated Taylormade/TM Sports/Mizuno in the championship game 28-13 to win the Nationwide Conference USSSA event in Maryland.

Meanwhile Classic Glass/Easton knocked off OC Swats/Easton 21-20 in the finals of the Cactus Classic to become only the 2nd ‘C’ team to ever win a Nationwide Conference USSSA tournament!

Worth Sports55 Bash on the Chesapeake Major NIT Bracket!

Power Coco Cactus Classic Bracket!

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Cinco De Mayo – This event in Canton, Michigan will host well over 100 teams with 38 teams in the 13U Division alone. Look for Little Caesars Blue to try and make it back to back championship, weekends after winning the Eastside Spring Thaw last weekend. In the 12U the Motor City Baseball Club to make some noise as they gear up for a heavy month of May. This team will look to qualify for the Elite World Series by playing in three Super NIT’s this month alone. Two in Michigan and then off to Cincinnati.

TbS Florida Super Regional – This weekend, Kissimmee will play host to the TbS Florida Super Regional. Teams are playing for a berth to the Travelball National Championship. Several nationally ranked teams have converged on Central Florida for their chance to qualify. The 13U and 14U age divisions will play at the Osceola County Stadium Complex, Spring Training home of the Houston Astros. In the 14U division, MBA Pride Elite and Orlando Scorpions will undoubtably be there on championship Sunday. In the 9U Division, the South Florida Stealth, having already qualified of the Elite World Series, traveled to Orlando for the superior competition these events offer the Elite teams.

About USSSA:

Bachman Sports Complex in Glen Burnie, MD

The Maryland Major has 29 teams, four of which are Nationwide Conference teams. Much like the Phoenix Major, Maryland is an opportunity for one of the Nationwide Conference ‘A’ teams to get a tournmanent win. Look for the favorite sixth ranked Taylormade/TM Sports/Mizuno to use their youthful exuberance and some momentum from the Hall of Fame Classic to push them to the finals.

Taylormade knocked out Laservision last weekend at the Dual and scored a number of quality wins. Taylormade is led by the offense of young first baseman Blake King (.745) and infielder Scotty Langford who had 44 RBI last weekend. They will be challenged by Albicocco/The Scene, who has pitcher Dirty Sanchez and some big hitters like Shaun Ballard, John Robinson, Steve Allen, and Dal Beggs. Some other teams that could slip into the championship game would be DEI/S&S/Scotts/Easton (formerly Magic) and Valley Motors, who is a ‘B’ team out of the north east. Some other Sunday finishers could potentialy be Rochester Athletic Club or Deluxe Bakery.

Broadcasting will be up on field #1 for a livestream around 2:30 PM Eastern time until the end of the tournament. Some possible broadcasting match ups would be Albicocco vs Valley Motors, opossibly Cash House (the old Elk and Elk team) vs Rochester Athletic, Albicocco vs DEI, Albicocco vs Taylormade etc. provided the favored teams win.

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

West Coast Doerflinger/Easton after winning the Cactus Classic with a 21 run 7th inning

The Power Coco Cactus Classic returns to the Sahuaro Ranch fields in Phoenix, Arizona. Five good Nationwide Conference teams from the west all have a chance to win this event. Sonny’s is an ‘A’ team based out of Wyoming and is the favorite and will have to beat Famous, 4 The Fallen, OC Swats, Classic Glass, West Coast Miken, AZM, and Mad Skills. Those are all the teams with a good chance at a Sunday finish in this Nationwide Conference tournament.

The weather will be hot and the competition should be fierce as there is a good collection of evenly matched teams this weekend. Last year, in the winners bracket final, the Saturday night battle between West Coast/Doerflinger and Team Combat that resulted in almost 100 runs. Then on Sunday West Coast scored 21 runs in the 7th inning to beat Team Combat for the championship.

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

CORPUS CHRISTI

Professional softball returns to Corpus Christi June 13-14-15 as the National Pro Fastpitch Coastal Classic pits Cat Osterman and the USSSA Pride against the Akron Racers in a reprise of last year’s inaugural event.

But things are certainly different this time around.

It’ll be the last chance for fans of Osterman – who recently announced her retirement after the 2013 season – to see the 30-year-old international softball icon, Houston native and four-time UT All-American pitch on Texas soil. Her farewell campaign begins June 9 at home in Osceola County (Fla.) Stadium against the New York/New Jersey Comets.

The Whataburger Field event is comprised of four contests. Single games on Thursday, June 13 and Friday the 14th begin at 7:05. Saturday’s doubleheader is set for 2:30. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 26 atwhataburgerfield.com, cchooks.com and 361-561-HOOK (4665). The box office opens weekdays at 9 a.m.

Reserved-seat tickets are a great value: just $12 for adults and $6 for children 12-and-under.

“Last year’s event was a tremendous success, with almost 9,000 fans enjoying world-class softball right here in the Coastal Bend,” Hooks VP/general manager Michael Wood noted. “With NPF, you have Olympic medalists, world champions and former college superstars competing at the highest level. They’ve helped grow the sport as it continues to capture the interest of girls across the country.

“The NPF players are fantastic role models, on and off the field.”

Osterman thrice earned national collegiate player-of-the-year honors, going 38-4 for the Lady Longhorns while pitching them to three College World Series (2003-05-06). The lefty earned six gold medals internationally, including 2004 Olympic gold in Athens. She was a silver medalist four years later at the Beijing games. Her career Team USA record: 59-4.

Last season, Osterman went 9-4 with an NPF-leading 0.71 ERA for the 31-12 Pride.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi pitching coach Sarah Pauly also pitches for the Pride. Inducted into the Islanders Hall of Fame last year, Pauly won 112 games from 2002-05, including 37 as a senior. She was 8-2 with a 2.49 ERA last year and 2013 is her ninth pro campaign.

Center fielder and former Arizona Wildcat Caitlin Lowe is a 2008 Olympic silver medalist and two-time national collegiate champion.The 2012 NPF Mizuno Player of the Year hit a league-best .440 to go with a .496 on-base percentage and 12 steals. Outfielder and Alabama product Kelly Kretschman is coming off a .373/3/24 performance.

The Pride shortstop is former UCLA star Natasha Watley (.382/2/17/11 steals), a four-time All-American, Olympic gold and silver medalist and College World Series champion. Former Lady Longhorn Megan Willis (.271/5/12) is back behind the plate.

Akron catcher Sam Marder, who played at Ohio State, topped the Racers in hitting last summer at .343/8/27 and was NPF offensive player-of-the-year.

The Pride-Racers series is one of two main planks in Corpus Christi’s June softball project. The United States Sports Specialty Association (USSSA) conducts the Texas State Tournament June 12-15 at various sites throughout the region. Age range of players is 7-18. These athletes compete during the day for the state championship and enjoy professional softball at Whataburger Field afterwards.

About USSSA Florida Pride:

Final Results:

9u Champion – Dallas Patriots *Pittman (TX) Runner Up – Frisco Riders Black (TX)
10u Champion – Dallas Tigers *Polk (TX) Runner Up – Dallas Tigers South (TX)

Southern Elite 8 NIT – The Southern Elite 8 in Valdosta, Georgia was in doubt on Friday night due to the rain all day Friday. However, after the skies cleared the games got underway and in the end the Georgia teams dominated by winning all 6 divisions in this cross state rivalry. In the 10U Division, the East Cobb Astros took the championship by defeating Team Avalanche from Central Florida in the title game. In the 13u Division, the Stealth Chain went 6-0 taking down the Gulf Coast Elite from Florida in extra innings.

Final Results:

9u Major Champion – Acworth Warriors Orange (GA) Runner Up – Team Avalanche (FL)
10u Major Champion – East Cobb Astros (GA) – Team Avalanche Elite (FL)
11u Major Champion – Home Plate Chili Dogs *Vandagriff (GA) Runner Up – Central FL Wolverines
12u Major Champion – Team Georgia Red (GA) Runner Up – Gatorball Baseball Academy (FL)
13u Major Champion – Stealth Chain (GA) Runner Up – Gulf Coast Elite
14u Major Champion – 6-4-3 DP Cougars (GA) Runner Up – Orlando Scorpions (FL)

The USSSA Global Clash – The Global Clash in Kansas City, Missouri hosted teams from all over the region. This was again a great event for teams to qualify for the Global World Series. In the 13u AA division the KC Flash went 5-0 and defeating the Blue Springs Cubs in the championship game. In the 11u division the Capital Mudcats from Topeka, Kansas went 5-1 taking down the KC Astros in the championship game.

Final Results:

10u Champion – The Train (MO) Runner Up – KC Bandits (MO)
11u Champion – Capital Mudcats (KS) Runner Up – KC Astros (MO)
12u AA Champion – Northwest Thunder (MO) Runner Up – Vipers (MO)
12u AAA Champion – Millhouse (MO) Runner Up – KC Giants (MO)
13u AA Champion – KC Flash (MO) Runner Up – Blue Springs Cubs (MO)
13u Major Champion – Kansas Redlegs (KS) Runner Up – KC Monarchs (MO)
14u AA Champion – Sliders (MO) Runner UP – VooDoo Baseball (MO)
14u AAA Champion – KC Impact (KS) Runner UP – Grays Baseball (MO)
14u Major Champion – Midwest Giants (KS) Runner UP – NBA Black (KS)

Nashville, TN

A startup company, opening business in 2012, Hang Rite Athletics considers their brand to be a step up in athletic and sports apparel and are dedicated to comfort, style, and performance throughout their product line.

“Hang Rite Athletics is excited to be launching a relationship with the world’s very best softball players,” stated Frank Alvarez, President of Hang Rite Athletics. “We look forward to seeing the NPF professionals in Hang Rite gear, and we are optimistic about the possibilities and potential that exists in glorifying the NPF and affiliate team brands, through the licensing agreement.”

Hang Rite shoes will be offered to players for on-field competition as a member of the NPF Equipment Pool. Additional performance wear options will be available for NPF player use as well as affiliate team merchandise sales. Hang Rite is the newest addition to a sixteen-company supplier pool that exists for National Pro Fastpitch, its teams, and athletes.

“We are proud to welcome Hang Rite as an Official Supplier for the NPF”, commented NPF Commissioner, Cheri Kempf. ”Broadening our supplier pool is important, but additionally to be able to add Hang Rite Athletics and their quality apparel as a licensee, will be great for increasing sales and visibility of the NPF brand.”

The NPF’s 10th Anniversary season kicks off on June 5th with the Chicago Bandits hosting the Akron Racers at The Ballpark at Rosemont and on June 9th the USSSA Pride will host opening day competition against the NY/NJ Comets in Kissimmee, FL.

About USSSA Florida Pride:

Resmondo Worth was victorious in both Nationwide Conference Events this weekend

Kissimmee, FL- It didn’t take Resmondo-Specialty Tank Worth very long to establish themselves as the top team in the nation as they won in both legs of the Nationwide Conference USSSA’s 8th annual Hall of Fame Classic. Resmondo went 12-0 over the grueling four day event and defeated Nordkap/Suncoast Reebok 26-11 in the championship of the first tournament and GTL/Doerflinger/R&M/Easton 19-12 in the championship of the second. The only other team to win both Dual tournaments was Dan Smith in 2009.

The Hall of Fame Classic (HOF) had an NCAA “feel” to it as the long anticipated bracket of the record 38 Nationwide Conference USSSA teams came out last Monday. Much like the NCAA basketball tournament selection shows, the bracket was received with some teams being happy with their seeding and others wishing they could have avoided the top teams early on.

On Wednesday, the players began arriving and some participated in a 100 player Home Run Derby with the proceeds going to Grace Landings Charity. The winner was Laservision and Florida native Kevin Kennington who put on an impressive display of a few 400+ feet home runs. Kevin defeated Kevin Filby and Chris Larsen in the semi-finals and Brett Helmer in the Championship and earned and automatic berth in the Major World Series Home Run Derby in September at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports.

The first Dual tournament started on Thursday morning on eight different fields with very few upsets, but played games in near perfect weather. As the tournament went along, the teams that adjusted to wind and field conditions the best, usually won the game. The cream did rise to the top as Resmondo battled Laservision in the winner’s bracket finals with two of the top ‘A’ teams, Shoppe and Nordkap in the final 4. There were also some of the best ‘B’ teams in the top 16 – Buzini, Reds Astros, Baugh ford, Adiktiv, Precision, OC Swats, and DEI.

The second Dual tournament started on Saturday morning at 8 AM and had a few more upsets. Laservision got knocked to the loser’s bracket early on by H. Auto, a ‘C’ team with some experienced players out of Minnesota. Team Combat lost to Precision out of Illinois in their opener. ‘B’ teams like Famous sent home Demarini/Dirty on Saturday night. At the end of the winner’s bracket though it was Resmondo beating GTL/Doerflinger/R&M 19-12 with GTL getting to the finals by knocking off Shoppe 20-7.

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Statistics

- All teams will be required to take a picture or scan of each of their game score sheets and email them to dw@softballcenter.com for posting in a picture album.   THIS RULE WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED BY USSSA.
- All teams are also required to turn in their totals spreadsheet to Stacy at USSSA by Tuesday following each tournament throughout the year.
- Remember that a fielders choice is scored as an out for the batter, not a single.
- Sacrifice fly’s, even game winners, are scored as outs and count as a plate appearance.  No exceptions.
- All outs in each game must be accounted for and visible on the score sheets for players to be eligible for conference awards.  If your team bats 6 innings, you must have 18 outs accounted for.

The USSSA broadcast schedule of each teams first game is listed further down.  USSSALive.com will have multiple cameras and an announcer on the main stadium field.  They will also have one camera on each of the other 7 fields.  USSSALive.com will allow viewers to pick which game you want to watch and you will be able to switch whenever you want. ESPN 3 will carry Dual #2  Winners Semi final and Final on Saturday!

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

12th Annual Oklahoma/Texas Shootout

Southern Elite 8 NIT – This event has some of the top teams in the southeast and the United States. Tournament director Bubba Smith from Georgia has again, done a great job bringing the top teams from Alabama, Georgia and Florida together to duke it out in Valdosta, Georgia. The 12U Division is as loaded as any with the East Cobb Astros and Georgia Yard Dogs representing Georgia, the LA Bombers out of Alabama and the Central Florida Wolverines all the way from Orlando Florida.

The USSSA Global Clash in Kansas City Missouri -The Global Clash has a solid showing of teams this weekend. The Clash will afford teams an opportunity to qualify for the wildly popular Global World Series and earn double USSSA points! In the 11U AA Division, look for the Lee’s Summit Patriot’s and the Crushers Blue to be right there in the end.

About USSSA:

The 2013 Slow Pitch season and the Nationwide Conference USSSA is getting off to a great start this week! Softball fans, tune in and check out the 2013 Hall of Fame Classic Home Run Derby as it is broadcast live on USSSALive.com from Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, FL

There are currently around 100 participants so it is going to be a fun long night of big guys hitting the long ball!

Here is the most current list of home run derby hitters:

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

Cat Osterman decides to retire

Courtesy of Graham Hays of ESPN.com

Few athletes ever seemed in more control of their surroundings than Cat Osterman did in the pitching circle of a softball diamond. She will exit the circle the same way, at the time and in the manner of her choosing.

Osterman confirmed to espnW that she intends to retire from competition at the conclusion of her upcoming National Pro Fastpitch season with the Florida-based USSSA Pride. The announcement comes on the pitcher’s 30th birthday and more than a decade after she first arrived on the national scene as a star at the University of Texas.

“When I first joined the national team, I always thought 2012 would be it,” Osterman said. “And obviously, with [softball] getting voted out of the Olympics and the NPF being a continuing option, I stuck around. I can still throw, obviously, but I just have a passion for coaching, and I have a passion for wanting to have time to do other things. So in my heart, as much as I still love the game, my heart’s not in it to keep playing past this summer.”

Cat Osterman led Rockford to an NPF championship in 2009 as the league’s MVP. She won another title in 2010, with the Pride.

A two-time Olympian, two-time world champion and the only three-time national college player of the year, Osterman is universally considered one of the greatest pitchers in softball history. Easily identifiable by her 6-foot-2 frame and the shortened version of her given name, Catherine, the left-hander became one of the sport’s most popular stars during a period of domestic growth, marked by increased attendance and television ratings for college softball and the continued survival of a professional league. She also was one of its most visible international advocates before softball was dropped from the Olympics after the 2008 Beijing Games.

A Houston-area native who stayed in-state rather than play for one of college softball’s traditional West Coast powers, Osterman led Texas — which started its varsity softball program just five years prior to her arrival — to three appearances in the Women’s College World Series. The Longhorns twice fell one win shy of the championship round. A four-time All-American, she is the only three-time winner of USA Softball Player of the Year, college softball’s top award.

She struck out 554 batters as a freshman in 2002, at the time the second-best single-season total in NCAA history, but a mark she would beat in her junior and senior seasons. Although since passed by Monica Abbott as the NCAA’s career strikeout leader, Osterman remains the record holder for strikeout rate by a comfortable margin. Known more for the incredible spin and movement she was able to get on pitches rather than her pure speed, she is the only pitcher who ever averaged two strikeouts per inning for an entire college career, totaling 2,265 strikeouts in 1,105 2/3 innings.

She took a year off from school to compete with the United States national team that won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Osterman, the youngest player, struck out a team-high 23 batters and didn’t allow a run in 14 2/3 innings in Athens.

Her national career continued after college, when she won back-to-back world championships with Team USA in 2006 and 2010, in each case starting the gold-medal game. Her greatest international disappointment came during the 2008 Olympics, when the U.S. lost in a pitching duel against Japan in the gold-medal game.

Along with many stars of the era, she retired from international competition following the 2010 ISF World Championship in Venezuela and committed herself full-time to NPF, the four-team domestic professional league that plays a summer schedule. Prior to that, she won an NPF championship with the Rockford Thunder in 2009 and another with the Pride in 2010. She also competed professionally in Japan after leaving the national team.

Slowed at times in recent years by injuries, including surgery after the 2011 season to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome, she nonetheless remains one of the most dominant pitchers in the sport and arguably its biggest draw after Jennie Finch retired. Fully healthy last summer, she led NPF with a 0.71 ERA and finished second to Abbott in strikeouts.

Currently an assistant coach at Division II St. Edward’s University in Austin, where her former college teammate Lindsay Gardner is the head coach, Osterman is unlikely to leave softball entirely behind.

“Even when you have tough days and you think you want to get away from the game, there’s nothing I know as well as I know the game,” Osterman said. “I really enjoy giving back, and seeing other athletes be able to fall in love with the game and get better with the game. I will always remain part of it. Coaching is probably going to be my extended future. I can’t see myself giving that up. I’m very much still going to be a part of it.

“Even though I’m not playing, hopefully I can still be around the NPF and do some things to help the league and the sport grow.”

The NPF also released the news:

Fastpitch Softball Legend Cat Osterman Announces Retirement

Nashville, Tenn. – Cat Osterman, the standout left-handed pitcher for the Florida USSSA Pride, has announced plans to retire from National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) following the 2013 season. Considered one of the most popular and decorated fastpitch softball players of all-time, Osterman is a two-time Olympian and the only three-time national college player of the year.

After six seasons with the NPF, Osterman announced her retirement plans Tuesday, her 30^th birthday.

“It was a hard decision for me to decide to hang up my cleats after this season, but in my heart, I know it’s the right one,” Osterman said. “I’ve enjoyed a great run, both with the National team and the NPF and I look forward to watching the next generation of players continue to help the NPF grow. I can’t say enough about the opportunity the NPF has given all of us and I’m proud to have been part of both the Rockford Thunder and the USSSA Pride, as well as the NPF.”

Osterman joined the NPF in 2007 as a pitcher for the Rockford Thunder and later moved to the USSSA Pride in 2010. Osterman won back-to-back NPF Championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named NPF’s most valuable player for the 2009 season.

In her 2011 season, Osterman broke the team strikeout record and led the league with 156 strikeouts. She also led the league in wins with her 14-2 regular season record. Osterman was named to the Combat All NPF Team for the 2012 season, in which she achieved 134 strikeouts and a 0.71 ERA.

“Not only is Cat the best pitcher in the world, she is a consummate professional and incredible team player who is always supporting the league and her teammates,” said Don DeDonatis, General Manager of the USSSA Florida Pride. “The impact Cat has had on USSSA fastpitch, the Pride, and the NPF is immeasurable.”

In addition to her professional career, Osterman played on the USA National Team, where she won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2004 and an Olympic Silver Medal in 2008. She also helped the team win three World Cup Championships in 2006, 2007 and 2010.

Osterman spent her collegiate career at the University of Texas, where she led the team to three Women’s College World Series appearances. During her tenure at Texas, she set the NCAA strikeout record and strikeout ratio record and has the second most shutouts of all time with 85.

“The success of the NPF is due in large part to our ability to attract top-tier talent, such as Cat Osterman,” said NPF Commissioner Cheri Kempf. “Cat has had a profound impact on our sport and has elevated the prominence of our League. Professional softball won’t be the same without her.”

About USSSA Florida Pride:

12U Maniacs lost to Team MVP in the 12U Championship game

Vero Beach, FL- The top tournament in Florida this past weekend was the USSSA Super NIT at the Vero Beach Sports Village. This tournament featured some of the best teams in the state. Among the 65 teams signed up to participate in the 6 different age divisions, 35 of those teams are rank by TbS/USSSA in the top 20 in the state in their respective division. That is the main reason this tournament was loaded with talented teams. The winner of each age division received a berth to the USSSA Elite World Series at Disney’s Wild World of Sports in July.

In the 9U Division, there were 10 teams, with seven of those teams ranked in the top 20 in the state, all competing for the title and the berth to the USSSA Elite World Series. After some tough games in pool play and in the quarterfinals, four teams remained. One semi-final had the top ranked team in Florida Team MVP/Legends versus the seventh ranked Central Florida Lugnuts. In the other semi-final you had the eighth ranked team in the state, Team Extreme versus the fourth ranked South Florida Stealth. Team MVP/Legends got to the semi-finals by squeezing out a 6-5 win versus the eleventh ranked Miami Elite in the quarter finals. Again they showed why they are not only ranked top ranked in the state, but in the country as well. Knocking off the seventh ranked Central Florida Lugnuts 5-2, they advanced to the finals. In the other semi-final, a slugfest continued with the eighth ranked Team Extreme, holding on for the victory against the fourth ranked South Florida Stealth by a score of 11-10. Rain however, would prevent the Championship from being played. Since both teams are from the South Florida area, both will play the championship game on Tuesday at their local park.

The 10U Division had a total of ten teams, seven of which are ranked in the top 20 in the state of Florida. When the tournament reached the semi-finals, the sixth ranked CBC Riverhawks from Jacksonville faced the third ranked Team MVP 10U in one semi-final. In the other semi-final, the second ranked Team Florida went up against #19 ranked Bulldogs. To get to the semi-final, Team MVP had to hold on against the tenth ranked Florida Pokers for a 9-8 win. In the semi-final game between Team MVP and CBC Riverhawks the weather played a big role. With the CBC Riverhawks up 6-5 in the top of the fifth inning, the rain started and after a 2-hour rain delay, the game was moved to another park. Once play resumed, feeling ignited behind two big clutch hits, Team MVP held on for an 8-7 victory and advanced to the finals. In the other semi-final game second ranked Team Florida defeated the #19 ranked Bulldogs 9-2. The finals had Team Florida against Team MVP. In the end Team Florida proved to be too much for Team MVP as Team Florida put on a show and took home the championship by a score of 16-1. Team Florida now has an overall record of 19-2 with three out of four tournament wins in USSSA play.

11U Florida Piranaz were crowned Champions in the 11U

In the 11U Division 15 teams competed for the Elite World Series berth. Out of those 15 teams, TbS/USSSA ranks eight teams in the top 20 in the state of Florida. Four of those teams rank in the top 20 in the country. This division was one of the most competitive this weekend. Going into the semi-finals eleventh ranked MVP/Pines competed against the third ranked Florida Piranaz in one semi-final and top ranked Team MVP squaring off against the Wellington Colts. After losing their two seeding games, MVP/Pines went on to win their first two elimination games and find themselves in the semi- final game. However, the Florida Piranaz proved to be too much for them as the they won the game by a score of 10-2. In the other semi-final game, Team MVP found themselves in a battle with the unranked Wellington Colts (that should change in this week’s ranking). The Wellington Colts gave Team MVP all they could handle, but Team MVP squeezed out a 9-8 victory. The championship game was a pitchers dual, as Florida Piranaz held off a late rally by Team MVP to capture the championship 3-1. The Florida Piranaz now has an overall record of 41-14 with 5 tournament wins in USSSA play.

12U Team MVP beat the Maniacs to win the 12U Florida Super NIT

The 12U Division had a total of 15 teams competing for the title and out of those 15 teams TbS/USSSA ranks 7 in the top 20 in the state. The semi- finals featured 4 of those teams. One semi-final had the #1 ranked team in the state Team MVP against the #5 ranked team in the state the Stingrays 12U out of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The other semi-final had the #3 ranked team in the state South Florida Stealth facing off against the #8 ranked team in the state PTI Maniacs. The #1 ranked Team MVP jumped out to a 5-1 lead going into the 5th inning only to have the #5 ranked Stingrays score 2 to make it 5-3 however that as close as it would get as #1 Team MVP held to a 6-3 victory. In the other semi-final the #8 PTI Maniacs jumped out early in the first inning with 3 runs and never looked back as they defeated the #3 ranked South Florida Stealth 14-2. The finals saw #1 Team MVP jump out to a 2-0 lead only to have #8 PTI Maniacs come back to tie the score and eventually take the lead 3-2 in the top of the 6. However #1 ranked Team MVP has found them in this situation before and it showed, as they were able to rally and pull off a 4-3 win. Team MVP has a record of 64-0 with 15 tournament wins, among those two Super NIT Titles in USSSA play.

13U Team MVP beat the Florida Blackhawks to win their second Super NIT

In the 13U Division, eight teams competed for a berth to the Elite World Series. Out of those eight teams, TbS/USSSA ranks four in the top 20 in the state. In the semi-finals, the ninth ranked Piranaz faced off against the Florida Blackhawks out of Melbourne, Florida. In the other semi-final you had top ranked Team MVP going up against the All American Prospects. The Florida Blackhawks surprised the ninth ranked Piranaz by winning the game by a score of 12-7. In the other semi-final the top ranked Team MVP took down the All American Prospects by a score of 8-4. In the championship game Team MVP showed their muscle and ended a good run by the Florida Blackhawks to capture their ninth tournament win in nine tries so far this year. Team MVP has a record of 43-0 with nine tournament wins, including two Super NIT’s in USSSA play.

The 14U Division had a total of seven teams competing for the right to earn a berth to the USSSA Elite World Series. However at the end, weather would not allow the championship game to take place between the South Florida Elite and the Orlando Scorpions. A decision has not been made to determine the outcome.

About USSSA:

ASPNation became the first “C” Team to Win A Nationwide Conference Tournament

The tournament nearly took a drastic turn on Saturday night in the winner’s bracket final between ASPNation and Buzini/BuffaloWildWings/Worth, when ASPNation blew a double digit lead. Buzini scored 15 runs in the top of the seventh to take a four run lead and then a rash of infield mistakes let ASPNation tie the game at 22-22 in the bottom half of the seventh.

In extra innings, Buzini Sports put up a zero and ASPNation got an inside the park home run that deflected off the glove of the diving right fielder. Ben Dunn came through with two outs in clutch fashion. This wild seventh and eighth inning truly determined the outcome of this tournament and ASPNation made the most of it and came out firing on Sunday in the Championship game.

The tournament began early on Friday night, on all six fields at the League City Big League Dreams. The near perfect weather, artificial turf infields, and scenic replica Major League Baseball stadiums coupled with the more even competition of the ‘B’ and lower field of teams made for a solid tournament. There were very few upsets throughout the tournament however and the “wall ball” rule was used after the tournament director asked the 7 Nationwide Conference teams to vote on it. (6 teams voted for). I would say most teams did not use their 8 home runs in a given game and the “wall ball” didn’t really get too much out of hand. The wind blowing in on 3 of the fields may have had something to do with the reasonable scores during the “meat” of the tournament on Saturday.

One of the great things about Nationwide Conference softball is the variety of competition that can be seen on any given weekend. Different balls are used at different size parks. There are games on stadium fields and regular softball fields. We have Major versus Major games and we have just as competitive games with B and C teams. Every team is fighting for every point and they all have a different agenda. But in the end it is the best slowpitch softball in the world.

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

10U SBA Canes NC Super NIT Champs

Beast of the East Super NIT (NC) – In the 10U division, the TbS #15 nationally ranked team, SBA Canes Black out of Matthews, North Carolina won their second Super NIT by going 6-0. In a hard fought championship game they defeated Strike Force Gold 4-2 in the championship game. SBA also won the South Carolina Super NIT earlier in the year.

14U Georgia Jackets

In the 14U division, TbS top ranked Georgia Jackets took down the Carolina Cubs Red in the championship game to earn the berth back to the Elite World Series in Orlando, Florida this summer. The Jackets will be looking for their third consecutive EWS title victory.

Dallas Super NIT (TX) – The 13U age group had an astonishing 38 teams competing for the Elite World Series bid but in the end the TbS eleventh ranked Dairy Queens Rawlings Prospects out of Arkansas went 6-0 and defeated the TbS #2 Banditos Black (TX). The Banditos Black ended the tournament with a record of 6-1 having played seven games in two days.

In the 11U Division, the TbS #14 Oklahoma Elite went 6-0 en route to their Super NIT win and earned their Elite World Series berth in the process. The Oklahoma Elite looked very impressive while outlasting the 22 team field.

Florida Super NIT – In the 10U Division, TbS third ranked Team Florida out of Tampa went 5-0 on their way to the championship. Team Florida defeated fifth Team MVP in the championship game. This was the second Super NIT for Team Florida. In January, they took third place at the MLK Super NIT in Southern California.

In the 12U Division, TbS first ranked Team MVP went 6-0 to improve their USSSA record to 64-0. MVP defeated the powerful PTI Maniacs out of Tampa, FL by a score of 4-3 in the championship game.

About USSSA:

Click Here For the Bracket for Dual Event #2

Don’t forget to watch coverage on usssalive.com and conferenceusssa.com over the weekend!

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:

USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

9U Team MVP

In the 9U division five teams ranked within the top ten in the state. When it was all said and done, the TbS top ranked team in the state, Team MVP Legends defeated the third ranked MVP/Pines by a score of 9-1. To get to the finals, both teams had a tough go at it as MVP/Pines edged out the tenth ranked Miami Outlaws 7-6, while Team MVP Legends had its own battle against eighth ranked Team Extreme. Team MVP Legends prevailed by a score of 5-3.

In the 10u division, 12 teams started the tournament and at the end it was no surprise who was last standing. The third ranked Team MVP versus fifth ranked Miami Kings played for the championship and Team MVP showed its muscle by defeating the Miami Kings 14-0.

11U Miami Bulldogs

In the 11U division, 13 teams battled for the title and in those 13 teams, five teams are ranked in the state’s top 20. Two of those teams found themselves in the championship. It was top ranked Team MVP against #13 ranked Miami Bulldogs. Team MVP got there by beating the fifth ranked Miami Prospects 8-4, while the Miami Bulldogs defeated the Tamiami Wizards 6-3. This time the Miami Bulldogs would not be denied as they won a very hard fought championship game 5-4.

In the 12U division, there was 14 teams, four of which were ranked in the top 20. After having lost a seeding game to the top ranked team in the state, the Miami Sugar Kings would get a second chance after finding themselves in the championship game once again versus Team MVP. The Miami Sugerkings reached the championship after beating MPI by a score of 8-3 while Team MVP got there after knocking off eleventh ranked Mo Steel Baseball . Once again Team MVP showed why they are the top ranked team in the country, beating the Miami Sugarkings 13-0.

In the 13U Division , the top ranked Team MVP came into the tournament with a record of 38-0. When elimination play began, Team MVP found it hard to get going, as they were able to pull off two more wins by a total of three runs. Big wins against the Miami Pirates and Canes Academy really got the team rolling. In the finals, Team MVP proved to be to much for the Miami Hawks as they went on to win the championship by a score of 16-2.

The 14U Division had a total of 7 teams, and in the end the second ranked team in the state, Gamewear Nationals defeated #11 ranked SWFL Extreme 16-7 to capture the USSSA Spring Slam Title.

The Beast of the East- North Carolina Super NIT: This tournament has over 170 teams including in the 14U division, two time back to back Elite World Series Champion,Georgia Jackets (previously Georgia Bandits).

In the 10U division, a team to keep an eye on is the Strike Force Gold, who traveled all the way from Tampa, Florida. Strike Force Gold has played in three Super NIT’s already this year. Including the Atlanta Super NIT. Strike Force Gold played in the 9U Elite World Series last year and are still looking to punch their ticket back.

Dallas/Fort Worth Super NIT, Dallas, TX: This event has over 150 teams participating that come from seven different states. The 13U division has 38 teams alone, including five of the Top 25 Nationally Ranked Travelball Select teams.

The 11U division has 22 teams including the Texas Stix who are playing in their second Super NIT and coming off a 5-0 performance last week at the USSSA qualifier Showdown in Fallstown, NC.

Florida Super NIT, Vero Beach,FL: Year after year this tournament lives up to the hype, attracting USSSA top ranked teams year in and year out. In the 12U division, look for the nationally ranked South Florida Stealth and PTI Maniacs to try to upset Travelball Select first ranked Team MVP.

In the 9U division, once again there are several Travelball Select top teams including the top ranked Team MVP and fourth ranked South Florida Stealth. Look for the Central Florida Lugnuts from Orlando and Dynasty Baseball to try and spoil the party for MVP and the Stealth.
Follow up with usssatoday.com next week to find out how these teams did over the weekend!

The favorite is Buzini/BWW/Worth who finished 2nd to Resmondo a year ago. Other favorites will be Fence Brokers/Hubs Pub/GTS/Worth from Arkansas and Baugh Ford/MOJO/Louisville Slugger from Alabama. The tournament will be played at the beautiful Big League Dreams Park which features 6 MLB replica fields.

Teams will begin play on Friday, April 12th at 6 PM central time and will play late into the night both Friday and Saturday to keep the 127 games in on schedule. The live streams for games can be viewed at www.livestream.com/lonestarsoftball and softballcenter.com all throughout the weekend.

ABOUT USSSA SLOW PITCH:
USSSA Slow Pitch is where it all started. In 1968 USSSA was founded, originally called the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association. While USSSA has since changed their full name to the United States Specialty Sports Association in order to include all of its sports programs, USSSA Slow Pitch is still a huge portion of the USSSA brand, with more teams and participants in USSSA Adult Slow Pitch than any other youth or adult sport program in USSSA. USSSA Slow Pitch ranges from Major Teams to purely Recreational Teams and offers several specialty divisions based on the common interests, experiences, and backgrounds of players.

ABOUT USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Karate and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!

L-R: Dawson Tolar, Jonesboro, LA; Roberto Espinosa, Arnaudville; Peyton Canter, St. Amant, LA; Keith Landry, Youngsvile and Cameron Myers, Youngsville, LA.

Shreveport, Louisiana–The Louisiana USSSA Junior Golf tour has seen golfers in the 12-14 age group finish with the overall high score in tournaments. The golfers who earned that distinction did not accomplish this feat while competing directly against golfers in the 15-18 age division.

That changed last weekend during the Red River Clash at Shreveport Country Club.

Hayden White, a boys’ 12-14 competitor, emerged as the tournament champion, holding off several state championship and national championship contenders in the boys’ senior division. White, a resident of Benton, Louisiana, finished with a total score of 152 (81-71) in the 36-hole event–the largest Boys 15-18 event to date.

Corbin Cantrell, also of Benton, finished three strokes behind White to take second place. Skye Mejia of Lafayette and Ryan Desormeaux of Broussard tied for third place, shooting 158 each. They finished one stroke ahead of fifth-place finisher Joseph Kirkland of West Monroe.

Dawson Tolar of Jonesboro took home his first USSSA tour title by winning the nine-hole Boys’ 9-11 event. Tolar, who led the tournament from start to finish, completed the tournament with score of 88. Tour veteran Roberto Espinosa of Arnaudville finished in second place with a score of 112. Peyton Canter took third place by shooting 116.

For the first time in over a year, Lauren Aillet did not win a USSSA tournament in which she played. Aillet tied for fifth place in the girls’ senior division, giving way to Lana Hodge of Monroe. Hodge, a USSSA Tour rookie, shot 152 on the weekend. Angelica Harris of New Orleans, another newcomer on the tour, finished four shots behind Hodge to take second place. Taylor Kennedy of Baton Rouge finished third with a total score of 165–one stroke better than fourth-place finisher Taylor Thompson of Baton Rouge and two strokes better than Aillet and Danielle Perez, both of Lafayette.

Brooke Duzan of Sulphur won the championship in the girls’ junior division. Duzan finished with a total of 182, eight strokes better than runner-up Aoife O’Donovan of Monroe. Riely Heaslip of Baton Rouge finished third with a score of 201.

In all, 55 golfers took part in the Red River Clash. This is the second-largest field in Louisiana USSSA Junior Golf Tour history.

The USSSA Junior Golf Tour’s next event, the Swashbuckler II, takes place the weekend of May 11 at the National Golf Club of Louisiana in Westlake. The deadline to register is May 9. For more information, visit www.usssa.com or email rboudreaux@lausssa.com.

USSSA is a multi-sports organization and offers competition in Youth and Adult Baseball, Basketball, Fast Pitch Softball, Flag Football, Karate, Lacrosse, Slow Pitch Softball, Soccer, Tae Kwan Do, Volleyball, Wrestling, and Junior Golf.