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2012 USSSA 'B' World Tournament preview!

2012 USSSA 'B' World Tournament

Preview – brought to you by

    2012 USSSA 'B' World Bracket Link 

The USSSA 'B' World Tournament will be played this coming weekend in sunny Florida at the Fortune Road Softball Complex. The tournament features the #1 seed via Conference points Down2EarthSports.com/SBC/Worth out of Georgia. They are the top seed for the 2nd consecutive year.  The tournament also features LinedriveSportz.com/SSS Softball out of Michigan who finished 3rd at the 'A' Worlds and first in the Conference Championships "lower" bracket.  And finally it features Reds Astros/TPS/Sports Den out of Indiana who has the highest computer ranking score (1.84) of any 'B' team in Conference history.  Reds has an impressive 11-3 record against the 'B' division and an 11-8 record against the 'A' division this year!

2011: 27 Teams, 24 'B', 3 'C'

2010: 26 Teams, 22 'B', 4 'C'

2009: 30 Teams, 21 'B', 7 'C', 2 'D'

– Fortune Road Softball Complex features 4 beautiful fields with 325 foot homerun fences.
– Directly down the lines the fences are 310.
– Infields are slightly small in size forcing infielders that play deep to have to contend with the lip of the grass/dirt on grounders.
– The outfields are excellent.
– The dugouts on the other hand need bulldozed or a few holes cut in them to allow air flow.
– The Dudley Classic M ZN ball doesn't normally carry well during the heat of the day at Fortune Road.
– The USSSA 'B' division plays with a 4 HR limit.


Note: I will have the chat room running here on SoftballCenter.com from 5 PM eastern time Friday through the championship game on Sunday!

Broadcast schedule is as follows:

Friday, September 14th:
USSSALive.com  Field #1 at 5:00 PM, 6:30 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:30 PM
Softballcenter.com will have two other fields from 5 PM to the 9:30 PM games.  Most likely field #2 and #3

Saturday, September 15th:
Softballcenter.com will have two other fields (probably #1 and #2 until USSSALive takes #1) from 8 AM til the final game on Saturday.
USSSALive.com  Field #1 at 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM (Semis and winners finals)

Sunday, September 16th:
Softballcenter.com will have the 8 AM losers semi and 9:30 AM losers championship games
USSSALive.com  Field #1 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM (Championship games)


Typical Florida weather expected. Bring sunblock, gatorade, and a large supply of dry batting gloves for the sweat.

Link to the 2011 'B' World Participants
http://www.usssa.com/sports/TournamentSeedingReport.asp?TournID=833751

My picks for the 'B' World:

This years field of teams has some top dogs in Linedrive, Reds, and D2E.  It also has some teams that were built to win and compete at any level like SBS, Buzini, and The Scene.  And finally it has some teams that got hot in the second half of the season like Headhunters, Magic, and P&P 333 (who won last weeks NSA 'B').  Then you have the darkhorses who haven't had the season they expected but have enough firepower to get to Sunday like Westshore Pizza, Primetime, Fence Brokers, and Xtreme Combat.

Top quarter of the bracket:  For the first time I can remember this tournament really has no weak games.  Usually there are multiple "host" or filler teams.  Even the three 'C' teams have some nice resumes.  I am going to go with Checking over BaughFord.  Baugh has some good talent but hasn't had much of a second half of the season.  Checking has a veteran team that did well in last years 'B' World.  TG United and AZM is an even game on all accounts.  I will take AZM as defense rules at Fortune Road and the middle of the AZM defense is tough.  In the second round I'll take the favorites Primetime to beat Checking, although this is an even game in my opinion, and Buzini to roll over AZM.  To go to the final 4 I like Buzini who I think has the easiest route.  Buzini when they have all of their players and pull the right strings is very similar to Linedrive.

In the second quarter of the bracket:  I'll take P&P 333 to beat Combat Rockstar out of Seattle and The Scene.  The Scene is a whole different team when they have their veteran pitcher Justin Atwood, who I hear they have, so this game with P&P should be a good one.  The Scene is another team with a great middle defense with 2009 'B' World defensive MVP middle infielder Ryan Goodman, and 2011 'A' World defensive MVP center fielder Evan Gallmeier to go with Atwood.  I like Fence Brokers if they have all of their guys to beat 4 The Fallen who just hasn't found their chemistry since the Toys 4 Tots back in December of 2011.  Then I see D2E the number one seed knocking off both FBI and P&P 333 to make the final 4.  Not an easy task for D2E.

In the 3rd quarter of the bracket:  I look for Reds Astros to beat Westshore Pizza in a 1 run game on Saturday morning and B&B Sears to beat Suncoast/Lozanos (mainly because I know nothing about Lozanos team).  The other play in game is Magic (the 'B' Conference champ) and Xtreme/Combat (the best non-conference 'B' team).  This is the best game of the first round.  I will take…man…I can't even pick this game.  It has been a long time since I've seen Xtreme play.  I think the winner of the Magic vs Xtreme game will go on to lose to Reds in the quarter finals.  I guess I'll take Xtreme, as at least one non-conference team usually finishes well and Magic got a bad draw here.

In the bottom quarter of the bracket:  I will take SBS/Combat over 3rd Street and Headhunters.  Headhunters has to get by the unpredictable Jolt in the first round of course.  And I will take Linedrive (although due for a bad weekend) over OC Swats, but SBS to beat Linedrive to make the final 4.  OC Swats played Conference 'C' but picked up a bunch of experienced western 'B' players and decided to play 'B' Worlds instead of 'C' Worlds.  Could be an interesting mix.

My final picks:
1) SBS/Combat – started looking at this roster again and realized if the players accept their rolls they can do some damage
2) Reds Astros/TPS/Sports Den – A lot of weeks playing could take its toll
3) Linedrive Sportz/SSS Softball – due for a let down so a tough pick here
4) Buzinisports.com/BWW/Worth – finally put a run together
Tied for 5th) Down2EarthSports.com/SBC/Worth – still no bench
Tied for 5th) XTreme/Combat – veteran team that could make it to Sunday

I am rooting this year for D2E/SBC/Worth to win but for the most part I just want to see close 7 inning games!


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Past 'B' Champs

2011 USSSA 'B' World Tournament Champions – Blitz/Weller/Watanabe/MAB/Easton out of Cincinnati, Ohio

 

 

AJS/Easton/Supreme/Mike Foulks/Mojo, the 2010 'B' World Champs

Northwest Combat, the 2009 'B' World Champs, from Seattle, Washington

     


One response to “2012 USSSA 'B' World Tournament preview!”

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