Softball and
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Fastpitch powerhouses showcase talent in
North St. Paul
By
Don Bowman
The state’s top AA girls’ fastpitch teams gathered at the prestigious North St. Paul
Polar Invitational a couple of weeks ago, only to get short changed by rain
after the tournament’s first day of action. Well, three weeks later, most of
the tournament’s games were made up, illustrating that
Eagan,
Hastings
and Burnsville
should be the teams to beat in the postseason!
In the tournament’s biggest game, No.
1 rated Eagan
knocked off then-No. 2
North St.
Paul in a battle of the titans, 8-4. After a round
robin format, Eagan,
Hastings
and Burnsville
each posted perfect 3-0 records to garner co-championship honors for these
varsity powerhouses!
This year’s postseason and state
tournament action should have the most parity in talent in the last several
years, with no clear cut favorite!
No WSL events slated
for Minnesota
It seems that the
World Softball League (WSL), and this state’s ASA, due to indifferences, will
not be hosting any WSL events any time soon in Minnesota. The WSL, meanwhile, is flourishing in other states, and
still will be hosting the annual WSL North American Nationals Championships in Panama City,
Fla., again this September. For more information, go to
worldsoftballleague.com. Hopefully these two forces can patch things up for the
sake of the game sometime soon, as they both need each other!
Gopher fastpitch finishes season
The University of Minnesota women’s fastpitch team held on for
a 10-9 win over Wisconsin, before succumbing to No. 18 Illinois 10-0, to finish the
last week of the season. Finishing the season 16-37 and in sole possession of
last place, has to have Gopher AD Joel Maturi
scratching his head for answers.
Kevitt/Combat wins title in Blaine
Kevitt Excavating steamrolled to a championship win last weekend by
double dipping Blue Line Softball in the finals of the USSSA World Class ‘C’
NIT held in Blaine. The ‘Diggers’ avenged a first round loss to Blue Line in
going the distance for the championship win. Another Class ‘C’ powerhouse,
C&A, coached by the legendary Bill Dehkes (just
ask him!), battled back from an early loss to grab third-place honors in this
outstanding tournament. Dan “Yo-Yo” Yochum, pitcher extrordinaire, was tabbed the tournament’s most valuable
player!
Mr.
D’s captures crown in Red Wing
Led by Chaun, don’t call me Sean, DeMars,
Mr. D’s Softball Club won the big payout at the Treasure Island
6’s Open Division tourney in Red Wing last weekend! After getting tooled by
arch rival BBS/Johnny’s in the opening round, Mr. D’s came back in style for
the championship win. BBS is a hard hitting squad featuring the likes of Matt
Kelsey, Jeff Thompson and Jimmy Thurman, some of the top players ever to play
in this state. Good luck to Seth Brown, another of this state’s best, who
separated his shoulder during the tournament, and is
expected to be out about a month.
Dehn Bros. earns World berth
In yet another World
NIT, this time in men’s Class ‘D’ USSSA play, Dehn
Bros. Painting continued their sizzling play to win the D World berth at BeBops and a ticket to ride to the Class D Worlds at Disneyworld
come September. Dehn Bros., fresh off their national
invitational berth win at the Dudley Earlybird on
April 25, has now laid claim to the No. 1 rated ‘D’ spot in the state! Good
luck at worlds!
Vitcak leads EWS Softball Club
One of Minnesota’s top slowpitch players, Andy Vitcak, has made a name for himself at the national level. Vitcak led his Illinois based EWS Softball Club to a
second-place finish at the USSSA Major NIT in Columbus, Ind., last weekend,
only to lose in the finals to nationally-ranked PIPAC in the finals. Vitzak’s outstanding play earned him a spot on the all
tourney team in Indiana, in an event that was bolstered by some of the top A and B
teams in the nation! Two other Minnesotans, Dustin Palm and Tim Nelson, also on
the EWS roster, did not make the trip.
Minnesota umps work in
Columbus
Speaking of the
Columbus NIT, several of this state’s top slowpitch
umpires were chosen to work the event. They included Mike Fluegge,
Mike Ellenz, Cathy Hoffman and more. Congrats to the
men and women in red who represented this state so well!
Nordkamp wins ASA tournament
Nordkamp topped the gritty Defiant/Imperial team to win the big ASA
tourney in Red Wing last weekend. One of top Class ‘C’ teams in the state,
Defiant/Imperial Room Softball finished second in the talent-laden Treasure Island
6’s Wild tourney in Red Wing, looking good. AARP card carrying pitcher Brooks
McLeod, at 50 something, carried the team on his back to earn runner-up honors!
LPS/LPB Bat Review
underway
The 2010 Lets Play
Softball/Baseball Bat Review/Contest is now underway! In late June LPS/LPB,
will announce the champions for this year’s 2010 bat(s) of the year! Categories
include: 1.20 bats (USSSA), 98 MPH
bats (ASA), Fastpitch bats, Senior
bats, and last but not least, Baseball bats! Bat reps may call Don at
651-208-3909 for more information. Just a reminder that June 15 is the deadline
to submit demos. Good luck to all manufacturers!