Sunday March 24th, 2024
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A look back at the 2018 USSSA Hall of Fame Classic tournament report!

 

 

 

 

2018 Nationwide Conference USSSA

 

Hall of Fame Classic

 

Viera, FL 

 

April 19-22

1st Dual Championship – Resmondo's Steele Lewis singles to center field against Dan Smith

 

Dual #1 SoftballCenter picture album link

 

Dual #2 SoftballCenter picture album link

 

2018 Hall of Fame Classic bracket links

 

Dual #1 Stats   Dual #2 Stats

 

1st Dual winner's final – Resmondo's Jeremy Yates hits a grand slam against Dan Smith

 

Dan Smith Center Fielder Ben Dunn and Resmondo Left Fielder Jeremy Yates rob home runs!

The Hall of Fame Classic is a grueling 4 days of the best softball on the planet!  All of the newly formed teams and hard work put in by the team organizers and sponsors show up in Florida at the brand-new Space Coast fields and we all get to see 35 of the 40 Nationwide Conference USSSA teams on big fields for the first time.  It was like Christmas in April!  The tournament was great from beginning to end with walk off wins, huge upsets, and possibly a new team emerging at #1?

The 1st Dual tournament began at 8 AM Thursday morning on 9 fields (The Stadium and 4 baseball fields in the "Red" quad, and 5 softball fields in the "White" quad).  The baseball fields all have 325-365-385-365-325 dimensions and the softball fields are 325 all the way around.  The baseball fields used the stadium ball and the softball fields the Conference Classic M.  Wood Law (TX-B) beat Smash It Thunder (NY-B) 18-17 in a play in game in the stadium to open the tournament.  In the round of 32 Tradesmen's (UT-A) Scott Hartling hit a 3 run walk off homer to cap a 5 run comeback to beat Baugh Ford 13-12.  The wind all week played a huge factor in scores and where home runs were hit.  Teams that adjusted quickly to pitching, fielding, and using the wind to hit ended up winning.  Newbreed (WA-AA) squeaked by B&B/Worsham (NC-A) 17-15.  Bay Area Legends (CA-AA) and Racks Astros (IN-AA) knocked off Primetime (GA-A) and Rebel Sports (MI-A) respectively in long hard-fought wins by a few runs.  TDB (NC-AA) run ruled Vivid (TX-A) and Xtreme (MN-AA) fought past A&A/Miken (TX-A) 24-16.  Seminoles (OK-A) run ruled All Out (TX-A) in a battle of 'A' teams and it looked like All Out had a softball/soreness/tired hang over from their 2nd place finish in Houston just 3.5 days earlier.  Most of the teams that did well in Houston struggled out of the gate at the Hall of Fame Classic.  In the bottom half of the round of 32, Dan Smith (CA-M) had to use the gloves to hold off Wiley's (FL-B) with the wind gusting out on one of the baseball fields.  Dan Smith finally won 39-36.  Pauer Sports (OH-A) the old JBL Tailgaters group beat fellow 'A' team Classic Glass (CA-A) 21-12.  Premier (OH-A) used a walk off single by Brock Morrison to beat arch rival TG Brand (MI-A) 13-12 in extra innings!  Rapid Fire (VA-A) used some "karma" and a flurry of early home runs to upset Pure Sports (SC-AA) 23-21.  Chris Issenock with a big pinch-hit homer at the end of that game for Rapid Fire.  The two teams had to settle a dispute at the manager's meeting over a player they both wanted the day before.  Hence the "karma" comment.  And Precision (IL-AA) handled Nally's 12-4 with the wind gusting in on one of the baseball fields.  Riot Sports (FL-AA) shut out and one hit Chanticlear Pizza (MN-A) 23-0 and Nightmare (MO-AA) took it to Stars (CO-A) 33-11.  Dan Sanchez pitching for Riot in that near no hitter.  Meanwhile over on the stadium Resmondo (FL-M) shut out La Famiglia (PA-B) who had won their play in game.  And Smash It Sports (NY-M) beat their fellow Smash It Sports (NY-B) team 48-2.  Most of the games in this tournament that were not played at night or with the wind blowing out in some fashion were games where neither team hit their home run limits, which was usually 12 unless two major teams played and then it was 16.

The weather was actually very good and stayed between 65 and 82 degrees most of the week.  In the round of 16 and 8 in the winner's bracket most of the favorites began to emerge.  Newbreed pulled off a big comeback win over Tradesmen.  Bay Area who trailed the whole game against Racks Astros with the wind keeping the scores low on the softball field ended up scoring 9 runs in the bottom of the 7th to win after trailing by as much as 12-1.  Final score was 13-12.  Then Newbreed advanced to the final 4 with a 28-20 win over Bay Area Legends as outfielder Everett Williams hit a couple of moon shot homers and center fielder Donald Hollingsworth Jr made a spectacular diving catch to change the momentum.  The Smash It Thunder Major team run ruled Seminoles 29-9 in the stadium then run ruled 'AA' team TDB 29-13 after TDB had beaten Xtreme impressively 20-6 in a very windy game.  In the bottom of half of the bracket Riot Sports outlasted fellow 'AA' team Nightmare 14-10 to advance to play Dan Smith who had beaten Pauer Sports 26-12.  In that game Riot Sports shocked Dan Smith with a 23-22 win on a walk off walk after 2 clutch homers had tied the game.  And Resmondo advanced to the final 4 over in the stadium with run rule wins over Premier 36-17 and Precision 44-27 after Precision had sent Rapid Fire to the loser's bracket 42-14.  Precision did hang with Resmondo most of the game.

The final 4 of the winner's bracket took place Thursday night after a long first day of softball.  At 7 PM Newbreed behind a pair of great diving catches by Hollingsworth again in center field kept it close against Smash It Sports and led 10-8 after 3 innings.  In the bottom of the 4th Andy Purcell hit a 2 run homer to tie the game at 11-11, and in the bottom of the 5th Brandon Dillon hit a 3 run homer for SIS that gave them the lead.  Smash It went on to win 18-14.  And at 9 PM Resmondo grabbed a 14-3 lead but Riot Sports came back with a 10 run 3rd inning to close the gap to 1 run.  At one point Riots Zane Trammell hit a 3 run homer to tie the game at 25-25 but Resmondo scored 11 runs in the 6th and although Riot Sports took Resmondo the distance, Resmondo won 36-29.  Jeremy Yates came up big for Resmondo with a bases loaded triple, a grand slam, and a home run robbing catch that could easily have made ESPN's top 10 plays of the day, and Resmondo won 36-29!

The winner's bracket final of the 1st Dual was played at 11 AM eastern time on Friday and was a well-played game with Resmondo's offense being just a little too much for Smash It Sports in a 32-17 victory.  In the game Smash It's Andy Purcell was hit in the left elbow by a line drive back at the pitcher and came out of the game.  The loser's bracket played out on the back fields, for the most part the baseball quad, where Premier won 2 games, Pure Sports won 3 games before losing to TDB, and Baugh Ford won 3 games before losing to Dan Smith.  Vivid won 4 games including a 29-21 win over Precision and a 33-32 win over Racks before also losing to Dan Smith 42-32.  A very good showing for Vivid.  But Dan Smith ran the loser's bracket beating Baugh Ford, Vivid, and Newbreed on Thursday and then as exhausted as they were beat Riot Sports 31-19 and Smash It Sports 32-17 in the stadium Friday morning to make it to the championship.  In the championship game they gave Resmondo all they could handle in a low scoring wind battle but lost 15-14.  Resmondo at that point was 12-0 on the season and had won their second tournament.

Dual #2 started at 7 PM Friday night on all 9 fields.  The second tournament is a bit of a blur, but had the biggest upset of the season as Premier knocked off Smash It Thunders major team in the stadium in the round of 16 by a score of 22-17.  A Cory Boothe homer late in the game helped secure the win.  This was the first time in the Smash It Sports Conference team history (2017/2018) that they lost to someone who wasn't a Major team.  And Premier is an 'A' team, so it truly was a big deal.  Premier advanced to the final 8 where they battled but lost to Nightmare 25-17 in the stadium.  Also, in the top half of the bracket Dan Smith took care of business by beating Rapid Fire by 20, Pauer Sports by 13, TDB by 7, and Nightmare by 8 to advance to the winner's final on Saturday night.  In the lower half of the bracket Riot Sports knocked off Bay Area Legends and Pure Sports to make it to the final 8.  And surprise La Famiglia/Easton a 'B' team out of Pennsylvania won their play in game and over Smash It Sports 'B' team and had a 26-21 upset of Newbreed on Friday to start the second dual.  On Saturday their run continued with a 9 AM win over All Out 37-16 and a huge upset of Riot Sports 36-31 to make it to the FINAL FOUR!  Meanwhile Resmondo rolled through Wood Law, TG Brand, and got passed Precision by 5 to make the final 4 then run ruled La Famiglia to make the winner's final.

The winner's bracket finals of the 2nd dual was the best game of the tournament as the momentum swung early to Dan Smith with a 17 run first inning.  And Resmondo came back mid game holding Dan Smith to just 5 runs in the two middle innings.  Then Dan Smith recaptured their momentum with a 12 run 5th and finished the 47-35 win by scoring 7 in the 6th and 3 more in the top of the 7th.  Ben Dunn was 5-6 with 3 HR and 10 RBI.  The wind all day Saturday and Sunday in the stadium was blowing straight to the right field foul pole at about 18 to 25 miles per hour.  So, players were doing a great job of hitting the ball to the right of the right center field light pole and letting the wind carry it for a home run.  I didn't see any right-hand batters hit the ball out of left field except for Steve Whaley who got one out just down the left field line.

In the loser's bracket Xtreme won 2 games before TDB ended their week.  Pauer Sports beat Nally's, Stars, and Precision before Smash It Major team finished them 29-16.  And Smash It ran the loser's bracket all Saturday afternoon past midnight with wins over Primetime, Racks, Riot Sports, Pauer Sports, and Nightmare before TDB beat them 13-10.  

On Sunday morning Resmondo then beat TDB 28-19 in the loser's final, and then beat Dan Smith 38-32 in the rain marred first championship game behind a 12-run bottom of the 6th and a couple of nice catches by Neil Haglund to force the "if" necessary game.  Haglund was 5-6 with 3 HR and 6 RBI in the game and Jeremy Yates and Buddy Wolf hit grand slams.  But the "if" game would never materialize as Dan Smith asked Resmondo to split the points since they had flights to catch.  So, Dan Smith and Resmondo tied for 1st and each received 270 conference points.

Hall of Fame Classic Random Thoughts:
1) The new turf fields and Space Coast Complex are first rate!
2) There is some parity in the Major division or at least there will be when Smash It gets healthy.
3) AA teams have not challenged the Major teams like we thought they would this year so far.  Riot beat Dan Smith and TDB beat Smash It and Dan Smith lost a 1 pitch game to Precision.  
4) Resmondo is now who most wanted them to be the past few years.  A week in and week out contender.
5) Dan Smith is beating AA teams at a high rate and is better than most thought they were, just need more consistency.
6) The AA division is incredibly deep when Riot Sports and Newbreed have finished as the highest AA teams at events so far and they were ranked pre-season as the lowest AA teams.
7) The softball quad is perfect and having Worlds there will be incredible.
8) The baseball quad needs some shade and that is being approved by the city as we speak.
9) The wind takes extra skill for outfielders to deal with, but the pitchers didn't do too bad with throwing strikes, and the umpiring was very solid also with the high strike being called and some of the unsportsmanlike conduct being dealt with.
10) The livestream was great, but the mics need to deal with the wind better.  A fix is being talked about.
11) 12 of the top 24 tournaments are now on artificial turf or mostly on turf. Las Vegas, Houston, HOF1, HOF2, Chicago, Seattle, Louisiana, Columbus Ohio, Conference Championships, 'A' Worlds, 'AA' Worlds, Major World Series. This could benefit Resmondo.
12) I think it is time to revisit only having 1 championship game between the winner of the winner's bracket and the winner of the loser's bracket at regular season conference events.  Why?  Because almost none of the teams would be at full strength for an "if" game on any given weekend due to travel issues.  And whenever a lower level team makes the finals it is a huge cost increase to change flights and stay and play so they usually forfeit.  And we should probably start the Sunday games at 8 AM with subsequent games starting immediately afterwards.

2nd Dual Championship – Dan Smith taking on Resmondo

Sunday games had to deal with some rain

 

Team Breakdown:
 35 Teams Overall
35 Nationwide Conference USSSA Teams
3 Major Teams
8 'AA' Teams
18 'A' Teams
 6 'B' Teams

Smash It Sports Jason Branch in the winner's final against Resmondo

Resmondo ready to take the field

Dan Smith center fielder Ben Dunn and shortstop Ryan Stovall had a nasty collision but are ok

 

Vivid's John Brown was on fire early against Dan Smith in Dual #1 Thursday night

Matt Fox and Bay Area Legends upset Racks Astro's 12-11 in Dual #1

Frustrations boiled over for Smash It Sports

Winner's semi final of Dual #1 Smash It Sports vs TDB

Smash It Was buried in the loser's bracket after their loss to Premier

 

TDB knocked off Stars on this safe at the plate fielder's choice

 

A rare 5u-2 double play by John Williams and Pure Sports

  

Full Bucket Bat Testing

Stadium ZN's were used on the baseball fields and Classic M's on the softball quad

 


 

 

Oldscout pollers had mixed results 

 


 

Video Highlites brought to you by:

Dual #1 Video Clips

Dual #2 Video Clips

 


 

Long Bombers of the Week

Davis Bilardello almost cleared the left side of the batting cages in right field for about a 470 shot.

Bilardello was Offensive MVP hitting 17 HR total, onbase of .952 during 2nd dual and drawing 20 walks total.

Precision's Travis Houseman many said hit the longest ball to left field.

Also Cory Briggs from Resmondo hit one of the nastiest line drive homers of the year back on the baseball quad.

 


 

  Hall of Fame Classic Major Awards and Final Standings

Dual #1 All Tournament Awards

 

Dual #2 All Tournament Awards

 

Yates was Defensive MVP of Dual #1 and Travis Clark was MVP for Resmondo

SS Mike Umschied was Resmondo's Co-MVP of Dual #2

 

Resmondo's Greg Connell was Co-Offensive MVP of 2nd Dual and Steele Lewis was Co-Defensive MVP

Steven Lloyd from Dan Smith was Offensive MVP of Dual #1 and Co-MVP of Dual #2

 

Dual #1 Finishing Order

 

Dual #2 Finishing Order

 


 

Team by team notes brought to you by:

1st – Average Finish 1.0 – Resmondo/RDD/H.auto/All IN/Sprizzi/Easton
Major from FL – Winter Haven  
Dual #1: 1st  Dual #2: 1st Wins: 12 Losses: 1 Runs: 30.8 Runs Allowed: 20.9 Run Diff: 9.8

Resmondo is healthy except for Kevin Bazats back and now 18-1 on the season and have won all 3 tournaments they have played.  Travis Clark had an MVP weekend and is a work horse on the mound.  They had quality wins over Precision twice, Riot Sports, Smash It Major team, TDB, and Dan Smith Major twice.  Multiple Conference players asked me if Resmondo was going to lose a game?  The answer is they will lose quite a few games but this team came in prepared and ready to do whatever it takes to win.  Their offense though is definitely the highlight of this team and the depth of that lineup is second to none.  A great start to the season.  

Yates was running the bases like a conference rookie.  Haglund and Wolf got the power stroke going when they needed to hit it out of right field.  And Connell and Wegman were setting the table for the lefty's all week.  Steele Lewis in center was the machine they need on both sides of the ball and the chemistry seems to be at an all time high although some pretty good hitters have to sit because there just are not enough spots in the lineup.  Resmondo plays next in Indiana.

Trending Up!

Resmondo Last Stadium Lineup:
1B/3B Bryson Baker
2B Greg Connell
LF/C Brian Wegman
LF Jeremy Yates
P Travis Clark
CF Steele Lewis
RF/C Buddy Wolf
RF Neil Haglund
3B/1B Bubba Mack
SS Mike Umschied
MI Brett Rettenmeier
PH Scott Kirby
Brad Reckart also played a lot in Dual #1

 

Baker, Umschied, Rettenmeier on the left side.  Helmer is much more vocal this year and demanding. 

I think the players are responding to that and the hustle and base running is noticeable.

 

Haglund and Kirby

 

Wegman and Wolf

 

Baker and Bubba Mack played the corners and hit some bombs

 


 

2nd – Average Finish 1.5 – Dan Smith/Menosse/Steven Smith 
Major from CA – San Jose
Dual #1: 2nd  Dual #2: 1st Wins: 12 Losses: 3 Runs: 28.9 Runs Allowed: 20.2 Run Diff: 8.7

Dan Smith is now 22-7 on the season.  They have now tied Resmondo for one tournament championship and finished runner up twice.  They had quality wins over Pauer twice, Newbreed, Smash It Major team, TDB, Nightmare, and Resmondo Major.  That is quite a resume and they did it playing tired and beat up from having played the Las Vegas and Houston majors and dropping to the loser's bracket in the first dual early on.  Bilardello, Collins, Stovall, Brungardt and others had monster weekends.  They took the next step up the Major ladder by playing and winning full games over Smash It and Resmondo.  And they are positioned #1 in the points standings going into their next tournament in Chattanooga.  A great start to the season for what is basically a brand new team.  Steven Lloyd made the most spectacular play on Championship Sunday.  I am trying to get a clip of it.

Trending Up!

Dan Smith Last Stadium Lineup:
2B Steven Lloyd
CF Ben Dunn
RF Andrew Collins
3B Dale Brungardt
LF Jordan Spaulding
C Argen Dodds
RF Davis Bilardello
1B Eric Kanaby
SS Ryan Stovall
MI Steve Whaley
P Lloyd Watson
P Mike Nino pitched a lot
Lee Powers played some

 

Watson and Nino did the pitching

Collins and Brungardt supplied a lot of the power

 

Collins and Kanaby celebrate a homer

 


 

3rd – Average Finish 3.5 – Smash It/Thunder/Backman/TDB/Miken  
Major from NY – Rochester  

Dual #1: 3rd  Dual #2: 4th Wins: 10 Losses: 4 Runs: 24.9 Runs Allowed: 15.4 Run Diff: 9.6

Smash It Sports failed to make a championship game and continue on a slight downward spiral for 2018.  But 2017 Nationwide Conference Offensive MVP Ryan Harvey didn't play due to a mysterious rib injury, and a less than 100% Andy Purcell was drilled in the left elbow in the winner's final of Dual #1 which didn't help.  If they get those two pieces back to 100% healthy and gain some momentum on the upcoming 300 foot fields, they should be ready to contend every week by Chicago in June.  When they do start losing they seem preoccupied with the umpires so the focus may not be where it needs to be and the offense has been lackluster?  Pearson though had 22 HR in the dual (15 in the 2nd dual) all on baseball fields.

Trending Down  

Smash It Lineup at Stadium vs Dan Smith:
1B Kyle Pearson
OF Jason Branch
C Josh Riley
3B Cory Briggs
MI Luis Reyna
CF Nic Santana
LF Brandon Dillon
2B Adam Ussery
OF Lee Payne / Brian McBryde
SS Don Dedonatis
P Andrew Vitcak / Andy Purcell (also batted 2nd)

 

Purcell was back and getting back into the groove after his offseason shoulder injury.

Briggs, Dedonatis, and Reyna on the left side.

 

Briggs and Uh-sir-ry

 

Dedonatis still showing great range on the slide stop and throwout

 


 

4th – Average Finish 4.0 – TDB/FAI/Klutch/Miken  
AA from NC – Charlotte  
Dual #1: 5th  Dual #2: 3rd Wins: 10 Losses: 4 Runs: 24.5 Runs Allowed: 18.1 Run Diff: 6.4

TDB is 19-6 on the season and had quality wins over Xtreme twice, Bay Area, and that huge win over Smash It Sports Major team.  They lost only to Major teams and to 'AA' Riot Sports.  The team has some big sticks in Hammonds, Matusik, and Martel.  Table setters in Zirkle and Montano, and Major experience in Pearson, Fulk, and Castillo.  This team is making a push for the top of the 'AA' division and may already be there.

Trending Up!

TDB Stadium Lineup:
CF Brian Zirkle
C Donnie Hammonds
RF Jason Matusik
1B Jason Martel
2B Kyle Pearson
SS Orlando Castillo
C BJ Fulk
LF Tyler Marshburn
3B Tyler Wilson
MI AJ Montano
P Faron Miller / Aaron Lewicki

 

Martel at 1st and Pearson at 2nd.  Hammonds gets a huge double to help beat Stars.

BJ Fulk heated up when he got to the stadium hitting the homers.

 

LF Marshburn and 3B Wilson are lesser known TDB players

 

"Moose" Matusik and Martel supplying power

 


 

5th – Average Finish 6.5 – Riot Sports/Broughton/Beckham/Worth  
AA from FL – Tampa  

Dual #1: 4th  Dual #2: 9th Wins: 6 Losses: 4 Runs: 22.6 Runs Allowed: 20.5 Run Diff: 2.1

Riot is now 10-6 on the season and picked up quality wins over Nightmare, Dan Smith, TDB, Bay Area, and Pure Sports.  Basically a who's who of the 'AA' division.  The team finds a way to win, their offense has been better than expected, and manager Dal Beggs has put together a nice team that has risen to the occasion.  They even had Resmondo tied 25-25 on the stadium field in one game.  Trammell has provided some nice power.  Scotty Langford has shown a great arm at 3rd base.  Mike Ortiz, Keith Martin, Keith Laski, and Dan Sanchez are veteran hitters.  And the newer talent of Bennett, Bolden, Roxby, and Donahue is evident.

Trending Up!

Riot Sports Stadium Lineup:
3B Scotty Langford
RF Mike Ortiz
C Keith Martin
P Dan Sanchez
2B Keith Laski
1B Zane Trammell
MI Jeff Roxby
LF Joe Joe Bennett
CF Eddie Bolden
SS Patrick Donahue

Langford, Donahue, and Roxby

Dan Sanchez

 


 

6th – Average Finish 8.0 – Pauer Sports/JBL/Tailgaters/B&E  
A from OH – Kent  

Dual #1: 9th  Dual #2: 7th Wins: 7 Losses: 4 Runs: 14.6 Runs Allowed: 14.3 Run Diff: 0.4

Pauer was 7-4 at the Dual and had in class wins over Classic Glass, Primetime, Nallys, and Stars, and upset wins over Pure Sports and Preision.  They also went 7 innings with Dan Smith both times they played them.  A solid week and a base of points to work off of to make a run at that Major World Series berth.

 

The bash brothers – Bowser and Mallory

Pauer Sports John Radich is one of the sponsors who used to play with TG Brand

 


 

6th – Average Finish 8.0 – Premier/Easton/HDLNS  
A from OH – Morrow  

Dual #1: 9th  Dual #2: 7th Wins: 6 Losses: 4 Runs: 18.9 Runs Allowed: 21.5 Run Diff: -2.6

6 wins for Premier at the dual is impressive and they scored huge points towards a run at the Major World Series which only a couple of 'A' teams will qualify for.  They had quality "in class" wins over TG Brand in extra innings, Classic Glass, Rapid Fire, and Nally's, and some of the biggest upsets of the year in beating Smash It's Major team and knocking Pure Sports out of the 2nd dual!  What a week for this new 'A' team and its sponsors and a great start to the season.

Premier Stadium Lineup:
LF Clay Norton
2B Brock Morrison
C Cory Boothe
CF Ryan Uckotter
RF Ryan Disbennett
Chuck Lack
3B Pat Foster
1B Brad Bruns
P Kyle Center
MI Rocky Staton
Joe Horsley

 

Walk off hit by Premier's Brock Morrison

 

Ryan Disbennett

Cory Boothe

 


 

7th – Average Finish 9.0 – Newbreed/Steel Sports/DeMarini  
AA from WA – Bothell  
Dual #1: 5th  Dual #2: 13th Wins: 5 Losses: 4 Runs: 15.3 Runs Allowed: 17.3 Run Diff: -2.0

Newbreed had a 5th place finish in dual #1 when the bracket fell their way and had a quality win over Bay Area but lost to La Famiglia? and fellow 'AA' team Xtreme during the week.  They played a couple of low scoring games against the wind in the second dual.  Their highlight is they played Smash It Thunder really well in the stadium.

Trending Even (got points)

Newbreed Stadium Lineup:
CF DJ Hollingsworth Jr
SS Reno Malay
OF Everett Williams
C Dustin Roberts
Vic Cordova
MI Nick Utley
Rolando Rodriguez
3B Matt Vasquez
Aaron Sammons
OF Rick Cornu
P Cole Patterson

Hollingsworth was making spectacular catches all over the place!!

 

Another moon shot homer by Williams

 


 

7th – Average Finish 9.0 – Precision/3rd Street/Bull Dawg  
AA from IL – Chicago  
Dual #1: 9th  Dual #2: 9th Wins: 4 Losses: 4 Runs: 23.5 Runs Allowed: 21.0 Run Diff: 2.5

Precision was 2-2 in both Duals as they ran into Resmondo twice and didn't play too bad in those games.  They had a quality win over Xtreme but lost to 'A' teams Vivid and Pauer Sports.  Precision seemed to have all their players but played inconsistently.  They did rise up against Resmondo a couple of times.

Trending Even

Bean and Keske

 


 

Average Finish 11.0 – NIGHTMARE / MIKEN  
AA from MO – BRANSON  
Dual #1: 17th  Dual #2: 5th Wins: 4 Losses: 4 Runs: 22.3 Runs Allowed: 19.3 Run Diff: 3.0

Nightmare is 9-8 on the season and showed some life in the 2nd dual  They had quality wins over Racks Astros, and beat a hot Premier team but lost to fellow 'AA' teams Riot Sports and Pure Sports.  Melton has been hot and Mike Brown looked good on the stadium.  Maggard is hitting homer's like he needs to and the team seems to be better than last year on paper.  Maybe they will heat up in the second half of the season like they did last year?

Trending Even

Nightmare Lineup:
2B Nolan Fogle
C Billy Maggard
MI Tommie Melton
RF Colby Hughes
Mike Brown
3B Charlie Hinojosa
1B Evan Gallmeier
SS Pat Burton
P Wes Newell
CF Brian Logan
LF Josh Collins

Hinojosa, Burton, and Melton

 

Brian Daniel broke a toe in Las Vegas

 


 

Average Finish 11.0 – Pure Sports/ Monsta  
AA from SC – CHARLESTON  

Dual #1: 13th  Dual #2: 9th Wins: 5 Losses: 4 Runs: 21.6 Runs Allowed: 16.0 Run Diff: 5.6

Pure Sports was upset in their first game against Rapid Fire 28-23.  They won a pair of games in each duals loser's bracket to salvage the week though but their only quality win was over Nightmare.  This has not been the start Pure was looking for but they have the talent to overcome and should be very high in the points after they play the North Carolina Major this coming weekend because that will be 5 tournaments in a row to start the season.

Trending Down

 


 

Average Finish 12.0 – Bay Area Legends/Miken  
TBD from CA – Castro valley  
Dual #1: 7th  Dual #2: 17th Wins: 4 Losses: 4 Runs: 18.3 Runs Allowed: 22.3 Run Diff: -4.0

Bay Area is 6-6 on the season, finished 7th and 17th at the dual, and had a quality win over Racks Astros.  They lost to AA teams Newbreed, TDB, Riot Sports, and Xtreme.  They just didn't have the magic they have had at past HOF's and only scored 5 runs against Riot Sports…

Trending down some

 


 

Average Finish 13.0 – RACK'S/WORTH ASTROS/KLUTCH/TROUPE  
AA from IN – Fishers  

Dual #1: 13th  Dual #2: 13th Wins: 4 Losses: 4 Runs: 23.0 Runs Allowed: 23.0 Run Diff: 0.0

Racks is 8-6 on the season and finished tied for 13th in both duals.  They played without pitcher Bill Pinkham (broken arm) and had an up and down weekend offensively.  Look for them to rebound in Chattanooga and Columbus, Indiana in the coming weeks.  

Trending down when you are the #1 AA pre-season

 


 

Average Finish 13.0 Xtreme/Miken/ASP/Athlon  
AA from MN – Medina  
Dual #1: 17th  Dual #2: 9th Wins: 4 Losses: 4 Runs: 18.9 Runs Allowed: 16.8 Run Diff: 2.1

8-6 on the year, 2-4 vs 'AA'.  A sluggish offense at times and a slow start for the defending 'AA' champs.

Trending Even

 


 

Average Finish 15.0 Classic Glass / Easton  
A from CA – San Jose  
Dual #1: 17th  Dual #2: 13th Wins: 5 Losses: 4 Runs: 19.0 Runs Allowed: 18.4 Run Diff: 0.6

8-6 on the year.  Played a lot of close games at the Dual but came up short most of the time against fellow 'A' teams.

Trending down some

 


 

Average Finish 15.0 La Famiglia/Easton/Elite Sports  
B from PA – Pittsburgh  

Dual #1: 25th  Dual #2: 5th Wins: 5 Losses: 4 Runs: 19.1 Runs Allowed: 20.7 Run Diff: -1.6

5-4 in their first conference tournament as a conference team was very impressive.  Team pulled some upsets and took advantage of other upsets to make their way to a 5th place finish in the 2nd dual.

Trending UP!

La Famiglia Stadium Lineup:
RF Dave Durso
P Mike Evans
SS Josh Fyffe
2B Clayton Farrar
3B John Robinson
1B Don McDuffee
C Marvin Parsons
CF Eric Challberg
LF Justin Lutheran
MI Matt Westwood

 

Mike Evans knuckle was working in the wind bigtime.

John Robinson and the left side.

Tom Wingard who runs La Famiglia

 


 

Average Finish 15.0 Primetime/Easton/Evolution  
A from GA – Forsyth  
Dual #1: 13th  Dual #2: 17th Wins: 3 Losses: 4 Runs: 13.7 Runs Allowed: 16.3 Run Diff: -2.6

Primetime beat Rebel twice and knocked off Seminoles 9-1.  The team is 6-6 on the season but 4-1 in class.  They seemed to have most of their regulars and should heat up in May at the Atlanta Major.  Too many zero innings offensively.

Trending down some

Roderick Armour

 


 

Average Finish 15.0 Rapid Fire Athletics/Sports Lounge  
A from VA – GAINESVILLE  

Dual #1: 13th  Dual #2: 17th Wins: 3 Losses: 4 Runs: 21.1 Runs Allowed: 24.9 Run Diff: -3.7

Rapid Fire went 3-4 in their Conference opener and beat rival Pure Sports 23-21 in their first game and used the long ball on the baseball fields to win it.  They also beat fellow 'A' teams Stars and Baugh Ford and only lost to Premier by 1.  Overall a good weekend and they played a lot of quality ball.

Trending Up

Cam Byars

 


 

Average Finish 15.0 STARS/ VSP/ Miken/ Thunder  
A from CO – Denver  

Dual #1: 17th  Dual #2: 13th Wins: 3 Losses: 4 Runs: 21.4 Runs Allowed: 18.4 Run Diff: 3.0

3-1 vs 'A' teams at the dual and competed well against TDB and Pauer.  Could have won that TDB game…  A solid start to the season, a very outside shot at making the major with a couple of break through wins which they are on the verge of.

Trending Even

 


 

Average Finish 16.0 Vivid/Killbombers/OA/Easton 
A from TX – Frisco  
Dual #1: 7th  Dual #2: 25th Wins: 4 Losses: 4 Runs: 21.0 Runs Allowed: 25.5 Run Diff: -4.5

A great run in the first duals loser's bracket as they won 4 straight including big wins over Racks and Precision.  Then they battled Dan Smith for a couple hours late Thursday.  It was all downhill after that as they went 0-2 at the 2nd Dual but did finish tied for 7th in the first one.

Trending Even

 


 

Average Finish 17.0 ALL OUT/STEEL SPORTS/ASP/MIKEN  
TBD from TX – Gladewater  

Dual #1: 17th  Dual #2: 17th Wins: 3 Losses: 4 Runs: 19.0 Runs Allowed: 22.1 Run Diff: -3.1

1-2 vs 'A' teams.  An unimpressive weekend overall.  Hangover from their 2nd place in Houston?

Trending Down

 


 

Average Finish 17.0 Baugh Ford/Pure Sports/ Kincaid  
TBD from AL – Clanton  
Dual #1: 9th  Dual #2: 25th Wins: 3 Losses: 4 Runs: 14.3 Runs Allowed: 15.9 Run Diff: -1.6

Baugh Ford is 10-4 on the season with a winning record vs 'AA' and a 2-2 record vs 'A'.  They had a quality win at the dual over Xtreme.

Trending Even

Tommie Baugh

 


 

Average Finish 17.0 SEMINOLES/TPS/NACSF.INC/EASTON  
A from OK – Tulsa  
Dual #1: 17th  Dual #2: 17th Wins: 2 Losses: 4 Runs: 12.3 Runs Allowed: 20.5 Run Diff: -8.2

Seminoles is off to a rough start in 2018.  They did beat All Out to start the dual but it was all downhill from there

Trending Down

Seminoles Stadium Lineup:
Trey Gothard
Chris Hansen
Matt Cochran
Oliver Odle
Derrick Roland
Josh Moore
Raines
Justn Beal
JD Harris
Guess
Danny Lopez

 


 

Average Finish 21.0 A&A/Miken/Ti Sports/ASP/Hovas  
A from TX – Conroe  

Dual #1: 25th  Dual #2: 17th Wins: 1 Losses: 4 Runs: 16.4 Runs Allowed: 24.0 Run Diff: -7.6

A&A was 1-4 but did play 7 innings in most games

Chris Terry

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 B&B/WorshamAthletics/BadDraw/BAF/Easton  
A from NC – hendersonville  

Dual #1: 25th  Dual #2: 25th Wins: 0 Losses: 4 Runs: 17.5 Runs Allowed: 26.8 Run Diff: -9.3

B&B 0-4

 

Maloney and Jones

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 Chanticlear/J&H/P5/JEC/Miken-Worth  
A from MN – Coon Rapids  
Dual #1: 25th  Dual #2: 25th Wins: 0 Losses: 4 Runs: 8.3 Runs Allowed: 24.8 Run Diff: -16.5

0-6 on the season, didn't score

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 Nallys/D&D/Berserk  
A from MO – Oronogo  
Dual #1: 33rd  Dual #2: 17th Wins: 2 Losses: 3 Runs: 20.2 Runs Allowed: 21.6 Run Diff: -1.4

Won some slugfests with 'B' teams

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 Rebel Sports/ Dirty Sports/ MIKEN  
A from MI – Dearborn  
Dual #1: 25th  Dual #2: 25th Wins: 0 Losses: 4 Runs: 12.8 Runs Allowed: 24.5 Run Diff: -11.8

 

Aldora and Dorton

A sluggish start for Rebel.  Low offensive output.

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 SNI/EASTON/SDA/DYNASTY  
TBD from FL – Orlando  
Dual #1: 25th  Dual #2: 25th Wins: 1 Losses: 4 Runs: 10.2 Runs Allowed: 13.8 Run Diff: -3.6

SNI struggled on the big fields.

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 Sports Reach  
B from KY – Campbellsville  
Dual #1: 17th  Dual #2: 33rd Wins: 2 Losses: 4 Runs: 20.3 Runs Allowed: 22.5 Run Diff: -2.2

Sports Reach had wins over TG Brand and La Famiglia in their Conference debut.  We hope Robby Speer and his son get better soon and we see Robby at the fields.

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 TG Brand  
A from MI – Flint  
Dual #1: 33rd  Dual #2: 17th Wins: 1 Losses: 4 Runs: 13.4 Runs Allowed: 20.0 Run Diff: -6.6

TG Brand had a couple extra innings games but never got in their upset mode like they did at 'A' Worlds last year.

 

Kirsten hits walk off to beat Classic Glass

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 Tradesmen/louisville Slugger/SavOn  
A from UT – SALT LAKE  
Dual #1: 17th  Dual #2: 33rd Wins: 1 Losses: 4 Runs: 9.8 Runs Allowed: 15.2 Run Diff: -5.4

Tradesmen beat Baugh Ford 13-12 then lost 3 straight scoring 4, 9, and 8…

Tradesmen picked up Kevin Johnson

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 Wiley’s Supreme Alpha Prime Sports  
B from FL – Haines City  
Dual #1: 25th  Dual #2: 25th Wins: 2 Losses: 5 Runs: 18.3 Runs Allowed: 22.7 Run Diff: -4.4

Wileys nearly upset Dan Smith but came up short by 3 runs in their opener.  They did beat SNI 15-5 but and competed agains the higher level teams but lost.

 


 

Average Finish 25.0 Wood Law  
B from TX – Dallas  
Dual #1: 25th  Dual #2: 25th Wins: 2 Losses: 4 Runs: 16.3 Runs Allowed: 25.8 Run Diff: -9.5

Wood Law beat fellow 'B' teams Smash It and Sports Reach and are now 7-1 vs 'B' this year.

 


 

Average Finish 33.0 Smashitsports-Thunder-DominosEaston  
B from NY – Rochester  

Dual #1: 33rd  Dual #2: 33rd Wins: 0 Losses: 4 Runs: 14.3 Runs Allowed: 19.0 Run Diff: -4.8


Smash It 'B' team has some nice uniforms.  Them, Seminoles (orange), and Riots (blue) are the best IMO

 


 

 


 

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Link to the SoftballCenter.com Youtube channel

Link to all 2009 to 2018 Tournament Reports and Previews

Nationwide Conference USSSA Points and information link

 


 

Some more pictures for you:

View of where slowpitch worlds will be with the shade and great fields

 


 

Red Easton

Red Marucci

Red Rawlings

Red Wilson

Vitcak is about 20 feet tall!


 

Softball Celebrities

Dal Beggs manager of Riot Sports and Brett Helmer manager of Resmondo

Todd Ankney and Dan Bean helped out in the booth

Gun Show – Jason WIlkins of OA Apparel helped out in the booth.  THANK YOU!

Long time friends Dan Smith and Tom Formosa

The 3 Amigos – Pilar Amaya, Carlos Vasquez, and Eli Aguilar

The 4 Horsemen – Jon Kilburn, Nick Shay, Brian Bohanon, and Tom Crump

GSL and USSSA Regional Director Cliff Manji

Cheeze with Doug Reed

Smash It kids – Green and Sunderland

Orlando Castillo with his futuer baller


This wasn't as bad for Santana as it looks…   ðŸ™‚

The view from the livestream

Conference Umpires

Slim with tournament director Stro Kennison

Players were returning balls, it is a beautiful thing

Levi won the umpire HR derby.

Some of the scoreboards were starting to be used

I have bats for sale.  These Sluggers and Demarinis

Anyone know what kind of bird is atop the RC light pole?  It stayed perched like that through the storms.

 

 

 

4 responses to “A look back at the 2018 USSSA Hall of Fame Classic tournament report!”

  1. EJ says:

    Great job as usual DW!

  2. Bird Nerd says:

    That’s an osprey on top of that nest

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