2016 USSSA ‘AA’ World tournament preview!
USSSA 'AA' World Tournament
September 16-18
Tournament Preview
2016 USSSA 'AA' World Bracket Link
The 2016 USSSA 'AA' World Tournament will be played out this coming weekend at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex in Kissimmee, Florida. 14 of the best non-major teams in the nation will battle it out double elimination style to crown a deserving champion. The tournament starts on Friday at 5 PM eastern time with everyone playing at least a game on the first night. Games continue on Saturday with only the final 3 teams coming back on Sunday. In the future this AA tournament is slated to start on Saturday afternoon and finish Sunday night, hopefully saving players that stay for the Major World Series a vacation day in the process.
Looking at the teams #1 seeded TG/Red's Astros and #2 Newbreed with their outstanding in division records have a bye in the first round and are favored to be there at the end. These two teams are heavily favored but will be challenged by Team Racks who has had great success against the Major division but only a 6-7 record vs 'AA' teams this year. In fact there are only 3 'AA' teams that have a winning record in division and that is TG/Red's, Newbreed, and 3rd Street Financial and they should all be a threat for a Sunday finish. Some underlying stories are the banged up Precision team that won the Conference Qualifier just two weeks ago, OC Swats who has all but disappeared from this season but did win the 'B' Worlds at Fortune Road a year ago, Xtreme/Miken who has been steady with 6-7 record in class this season, and Line Drive who jumped 4 spots in the points standings at the Conference qualifier and appears to be peaking after a down season. Also Vivid, TM Sports, and Eurotech are the remaining 'AA' teams that will try to salvage their 2016 season with some upsets of the favorites. And finally there is the 'A' team BHR/Coppermine that recently won 'A' Worlds and has a lot of momentum for this 'AA'. They will be threat for sure. There is a history of unexpected Sunday finishers in this tournament which was formerly known as the 'A' Worlds and is now the 'AA' Worlds. Reds Astros, Precision, and Taylormade all slipped into the championship game unexpectedly in recent years and of course last season Fence Brokers shocked the world with their championship!
All games will be streamed live on USSSALive.com! And of course the chat room here at SoftballCenter.com will be up as well to discuss the games live.
Team List:
14 Teams Overall
14 Nationwide Conference USSSA Teams
11 'AA' Teams
3 'A' Teams
The USSSA 'AA' World Tournament is played with Conference rules (no floating rubber, foul on second strike is out), and an 12 home run limit. They will use the stadium "bad batch" ball so lower compression than a true stadium but a little more than the conference classic M. Usually makes for close games and walk off wins.
2016 'AA' World picks brought to you by ASPNation.com!
I don't have anyone to do the picks this week but I am going with Newbreed. Newbreed and TG Reds have had the chemistry and the best outlook of any teams this year. 3rd Street had a similar vibe early in the season and obviously TG/Red's has been so consistent all year long it wouldn't be worth it to bet against these three teams. As for darkhorses I still like Xtreme/Miken, the key obviously for them and any other team that wants to win this tournament is to be able to win 3 in a row against 'AA' teams, a near impossible task but someone will do it and that team will be your champion. And of course other the big story lines are whether Swats can "flip the switch", whether Racks can have the kind of success they have had against Major teams but against AA teams, and how good is BHR? And we have a 'AA' where Precision with their injuries is now the underdog instead of the favorite? How about Vivid, a team full of past 'AA' and 'A' Champions who know how to play in Florida. Lots of questions, lots of great games ahead this weekend in one of the most anticipated 'AA' level worlds in a decade.
2016 'AA' World Poll Results:
Fortune Road Field Dimensions
310-325-325-325-310
– Fortune Road Softball Complex features 4 fields with 310-325-325-325-310 foot homerun fences.
– 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 Stadium ZN balls with the lower compression readings will be used. This ball has less compression than a Stadium but more than the Conference Classic M
– The USSSA 'AA' division plays with a 12 HR limit
Weekend Weather
Past USSSA 'AA' World Champs
(Note: this tournament changed from 'A' Worlds to 'AA' in 2016)
2015 Winner – Fence Brokers Inc/Buzini/Worth
2015 USSSA 'A' World tournament report link
2014 Winner – Line Drive Sportz/R&M Metals/Easton
2014 USSSA 'A' World tournament report link
2013 Winner – Nordkap/Suncoast Reebok
2013 USSSA 'A' World tournament report link
2012 Winner – R&M Metals/Troupe/Pipac/S&R/Easton
2012 USSSA 'A' World tournament report link
2011 USSSA 'A' World tournament report link
2010 USSSA 'A' World tournament report link
Past tournament results
2015 Results
1 AR-A Fence Brokers Inc/Buzini/Worth
2 IL-A Precision/Easton/DO
3 NY-A Albicocco/The Scene/Easton
4 WA-A Combat/Northwest Athletics
2014 Results
1 MI-A Line Drive Sportz/R&M Metals/Easton
2 IL-B Precision/Easton
3 IN-A Red's Astros/Louisville Slugger
4 AL-A Baugh Doerflinger National-Pawn/Easton
2013 Results
1 MN-A Nordkap/Suncoast Reebok
2 IN-A Red's Astros/Slugger/Stucco/Dirty
3 NY-A Albicocco/The Scene/Easton
4 MI-A Line Drive Sportz/SSS/Miken
2012 Results
1 IA-A R&M Metals/troupe/pipac/s&r/easton
2 VA-A Taylormade/tm sports/mizuno
3 MI-B Line Drive sportz/sss softball
4 NY-A TYJA – Suncoast Reebok
2011 Results
1 VA-A Team 454 Emerald/Worth
2 IA-A R&M Metals/troupe/tcp/easton
3 TX-A Wood law/mizuno/famous/easton
4 IL-A EWS/shirtsandlogos/drgraphx/easton
2010 Results
1 WA-A GTL CARTEL/WORTH
2 WA-A Team Combat / laser vision
3 VA-A Aubrey's/taylormade/mizuno
4 FL-A Suncoast / Reebok
2009 Results
1 WA-A GTL Cartel/stucco/worth/elite
2 TN-A JeanShoppe/chaneys/easton/sports55
3 FL-A T&R Stucco/Worth
4 WA-A Combat USA/Elite
2008 Results
1 TN-A Jean Shoppe/Easton
2 WA-A GTL/Creative Stucco/Worth
3 FL-A Suncoast/RBK
4 WI-A Combat USA/elite/pytch blakk
2007 Results
1 TN-A JEAN SHOPPE / WORTH
2 CA-A KME/CHANEY'S/EASTON
3 AR-A Wood Law/quick roofing/worth
4 GA-A Aubrey's/elite sports/phone masters
2006 Results
1 MI-A Northwest Pipe/bud light/3n2/easton
2 TN-A Jean Shoppe/team mayhem/worth
3 OH-A Watanabe/katt/ttp/b&a/sup/tps
4 GA-A Aubrey's/MIT/Worth
2005 Results
1 OH-A Team Stucco/TPS
2 VA-A AMLasVegas/benfield/reece/belcher
3 AR-A Barnes Logging/Worth
4 KY-A BERARDI'S/TEAM LTP/TPS
2004 Results
1 OH-A Creative Stucco/TPS
2 GA-A AUBREY'S/TPS
3 MN-A O & S /Matheson/ Mizuno
4 MI-A MOUNTAIN TOP/WORTH
2003 Results
1 MI-A MOUNTAIN TOP/USA CASH/TPS
2 MI-A Northwest Pipe/bud light/3n2/easton
3 GA-A Aubreys/TPS
4 AL-A C&M Sporting Goods/TPS
2002 Results
1 FL-A FL Heat/nave plbg/joe blach/worth
2 MI-A Mountain Top/Advanced/TPS
3 OH-A Creative Stucco/Easton
4 MI-A NW Pipe/ldj/varsity/bud/easton
2001 Results
1 MI-A MOUNTAIN TOP/TPS
2 MI-A Wartrom / Worth
3 FL-A Team Mizuno
4 KS-A Hooters/B&B/Rew/Easton
2000 Results
1 PA-A Maroadi/frank-n-stein/nike
2 MI-A MOUNTAIN TOP
3 MN-A Kevitt/J&H/Easton
4 KS-A HOOTERS/B&B/EASTON
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