ASA Super Qualifier Sanford, FL
US Vinyl/Community Access/Z-wear/Anaconda Sports/Wooster’s/Miken achieved two berths this weekend. One to the ASA Worlds and one to the WSL Worlds. What a way to do it, both in one weekend. US Vinyl beat Hague/Resmondo/Taylor Bros/Worth in the “if” game to win this one. The Miken boys won the Winner’s Bracket Finals by beating Hague/Resmondo 19-16 in the championship game. Hague made it back to the championship game after beating Doc’s/Easton 29-2. The first game of the championship saw Hague jump out to a 11-0 lead in the top of the first which extended their lead to 19-2 and that was the end, as they won that one 29-4. The “if” game started out slow for both teams. Hague/Resmondo/Worth took a 6-2 lead early, but US Vinyl/Miken came back to take a 7-6 lead and never looked back on route to a 16-13 win and the Championship. US Vinyl/Miken hit very good all weekend long. Kelly Hartman was named the tournament’s MVP. This was a total team effort. This bunch played solid defense and when the wind started blowing out to right field their right handed hitters adjusted. Big Brandon Murray hit two huge bombs to the opposite field, so did young outfielder Jamial Herrin This Miken team has some very good hitters and I will tell you they will be a very solid team all season long. I will say this, that yes the Miken bat is very good and it will help this team, but remember you still have to hit it and catch it to win and do the little things too, and that’s exactly what this team did. There’s no doubt that US Vinyl earned this win. The Hague team had a chance, but didn’t get it done. Hague/Resmondo/Taylor Bros/Worth played some very good ball, but did not get enough hitting to win in this one. Bryson Baker had an outstanding tournament as he clobbered 11 homeruns to lead the tournament and he also hit for a great average. Hague’s new right fielder, Brian Rainwater hit the daylights out of it, as he hit over 840 and contributed some power also hitting 4 homeruns. Brian showed why he was a big-time outfielder in college baseball, as he made some great plays in right field. This young man can to flat out hit and play this game. Hague will have to get some more offense from it’s veteran players or this will be a long season. I think it will take a little time for this team to come together with the new players over there and it will take some adjustments, but I’m sure it will all come together. The camaraderie looked good. I want to tell you JC Phelps and Howie Krause have worked very hard this off season taking off lots of pounds and are looking great, also Rusty Bumgardner has dropped 25 pounds and is much smaller in his upper body. Doc’s/Easton took third place in this one. They will be a very good team down the road. This is the best defensive team in big time softball. Doc’s will have to hit it much better to compete against the big boys, but I believe they have the talent to hit. They may need some more pop and I guarantee you they will be very strong at their level believe me. Aubrey’s/Powerhouse/TPS will be as good as any A team out there. They played this weekend without two of their better players, who will make this bunch even better. The TPS boys played very good this weekend and got fourth place. I look for them to be competitive each week they play. Vernon’s/Miken is another one of those very good A teams who can play with anybody. They were missing two of their better hitters too this weekend. They hit it well and played good defense. Look for this bunch to be there every weekend they play. Bell Corp/Easton is the new Woody Bell team, and I can tell you they will be a very good B team and can play at the A level. They can hit and they have a very good pitcher in Shaggy. The Bell boys played some good ball this weekend and will be competitive on the big fields. I look for them to win a National title at their level. Welcome back Woody and Pat to the game. It’s great to have sponsors like you back in the game. National Synergy/Easton is another good B team who have a very good defensive team and some guys who can hit it. They will be good at the B level and are another team who can play at the A level on the big fields. They could win a National at their level. T&R Stucco/Easton struggled this weekend, but are a much better team than they showed. This bunch may need to pick up a couple of more good players and needs somebody to run the team, so that Troy and Lee can play and not be worrying about running the ball club. I think this team has a chance to be very competitive if they make the right moves. Look for this team to get better. I was asked why there were not more teams in this tournament. All I can say is it might of been too early for some of the northern teams to come down. Believe me, they should of taken the opportunity to come down and get some early play. This ball park in Sanford, Fla. is without a doubt the most perfect stadium to play big time softball in the country. This field is absolutely beautiful with dimensions being just right with 330′ down the lines, 370′ in the alleys and 385′ to center with a grass infield and dirt around the bases. It doesn’t get any better than this. I commend Tom Farnsworth and the ASA and WSL for putting the bases at 90′. Believe me it lets the A & AA teams compete. I will tell you the ball used was the right one for the size of the 375′ field, a 44 core Trump. The games ran no more than 1 1/2 hrs, with plenty of homeruns hit, but more importantly there were great defensive plays made both in the infield and outfield, with runners being thrown out trying to stretch singles into doubles or trying to score on a base hit from second base. That my friends is what this game is all about. There were comments made from all the teams to me all weekend about how fun and great it was to be able to hit some homeruns, catch the ball in the infield, turn double plays instead of playing on 70′ bases and watching balls fly through the infield not being able to catch it. It sure makes for a much better game. It’s only going to get better boys in the WSL events. All I can say is “Catch the Action”.