2002 ISA A NIT, Winter Haven, FL

Team Mizuno has been playing since January when they captured their first Championship of the 2002 season in St. Augustine, Fla. The Mizuno boys went on to win two more Winter National Championships, the ISA and the NSA. By playing these winter tournaments it got them ready to play when the bell sounded to start the 2002 NIT’s. Team Mizuno started their season in Daytona Beach, Fla. finishing in the top four and then went on to Sanford and took second place. This ball club finally got to play a tournament without one of the big three, but had three more of the best A teams in the country, Twin States/Worth, Pov’s/TPS and WW Gay/Aubrey’s/TPS to contend with and came out on top. Rick Gosser has put together one of the best defensive teams ever, if not the best. He has built this team with ex-baseball players, some who have pro-baseball experience and ! is letting these players learn to play the game of softball. He has got some Latin layers who can flat out play the game and are getting better and better every time they play. Having veteran players like J.C. Battista, Roy Eppley, Scott Alley mixed in with future Big Time players like Danny Seguie, brother of Baltimore Oriole player David Segui and young Jesus Merejo and also good hitting and big time shortstop Wayne Busby. This has the makings of some World Championships. We will see in time!!! When Team Mizuno gets the services of Greg Harding I believe they will be very hard to beat. Finishing in second place this weekend was W.W. Gay/Aubrey’s/TPS who also has the talent to play with any of these very good A teams. They may need one more big homerun hitter, which would make them more competitive. The merger between W.W. Gay and Aubrey’s has made them a strong A team. They have some veteran players mixed in with some good young talent that will only get better as the season rolls on. This ball club will surprise some people that’s for sure. Getting the third place spot was another one of these very good A teams Twin States/Worth, who came together through a merger when two good A teams L&L Painting and Mississippi/Worth became one to form this very good team. Make no mistake this is a very good A team who will be there every weekend. They have some veterans and very good young players that can play, and their management has been here before. Look for this team to be in the hunt and win some World Tournaments. Fourth place went to the boys from the north country, Pov’s/TPS out of Minnesota. This bunch came out of the snow and brought their bats with them ready to hit and that is just what they did, but ran out of gas early. This being their first time out scoring a lot of runs early and not being in softball shape yet caught up with ! them. This will be a very, very good A team and will contend all season long. They have some very good players and can flat out hit it. Watch out down the road, they will have to catch it to be able to win. I have said that the A Division is the best it has ever been. Well believe me it’s just that. Take these four teams that played here this weekend, add Budweiser, Chase, Mountain Top, Creative, Doc’s, New, Mid South, K&G, and about ten others, put them all together in a tournament on a baseball field 320′ down the line, 350′ in the gaps, 375′ to center with 85-90′ bases and I’m not sure who would win. I guarantee there would be great defensive plays made, some great hitting and most of all great games worth watching. We will get it on soon I promise!!