A look back at the last Dudley —> 2019 USSSA Dudley/Budweiser/Xtreme Major tournament report!
2019 Nationwide Conference USSSA
37th Annual Dudley Budweiser
presented by Xtreme
Brooklyn Center, MN
June 14-16
TDB MVP Everett Williams hits a long homer in the winner's final vs Premier
SoftballCenter Dudley picture album link
2019 Dudley bracket and results link
2019 Dudley Major stats link once available
2019 Dudley archived games link
Jason Branch hits against Rocky Staton in TDB's 44-23 win
The 37th annual Dudley Classic began on Friday night at 5 PM Central on 4 fields. The two 310 foot fields at Centennial Park which was the main complex and the two 300 foot fields at the beautiful Evergreen Park about 1.7 miles away. There were 25 teams total from 13 states and in the first round there were 9 "play in" games. In those games which were played first on Friday 3 of the Conference teams that were in the play in games won big but Infamous (CO-B) lost to TC Legacy/Element Exterior (MN-C) 38-14. Of the non-Conference teams Comatose (WI-B) had a nice win over Ductech (MN-A) 41-21, Skol Marketing (MN-C) beat Greenspace from Kansas 16-15 in extra innings on a walk off seeing eye single in the bottom of the 8th. And TC8 Blasters and Iowa 'C' team beat Blueline (MN-C) in an entertaining game on the show field (CN) 25-21 ending the game on a double play where the shortstop scooped the grounder and pitched it out of his glove to the middle infielder who turned a double play.
Also on Friday in perfect weather (except for the mosquitos) the "round of 16" played as the sun went down and the scores went up. Premier (OH-AA), Rebel Sports (MI-AA), Dan Smith (CA-M), Chanticlear (MN-A), and Smashit/Precision (IL-AA) were all Conference teams that won by the mercy rule over non-conference opponents. Precision scoring 33 runs in the 1st inning against Evolution with Heath Barnes hitting 2 grand slams and knocking in 10 runs. Also Dan Smith scored 21 runs in the bottom of the first in their win. Over at Evergreen two Conference teams met as Cheap Suits (CA-B) beat Competitive Edge (FL-A) 28-13 on the strength of an 11 run top of the 6th inning after trailing 10-8. And local favorite Xtreme/Miken/Athlon (MN-AA) used some great defense by Steve Whaley fielding hot smashes at shortstop and a diving stop by Dylan Smith at 2nd base to hold a lead and get a win over TC8 Blasters 34-29.
The quarter finals were played at 11 AM and noon on the two main fields at Centennial Park as the rain threatened all day long but never really materialized. Premier trailed Xtreme by 18 runs going into the bottom of the 5th inning and the body language made them look down and out. But Premier mounted a huge (unlikely) comeback and tied the game going into the bottom of the 6th 32-32 where they got a clutch 3 run homer from Jimmy Carter and then in the top of the 7th a nice diving catch by right fielder Ryan Morrow to seal the comeback win 38-33! Over on the main field #1 TDB made quick work of Cheap Suits 35-5. And then at noon Rebel Sports pulled off a stunning win over Dan Smith 25-5 winning by the 20 run mercy rule when Dan Smith was unable to score in the 4th inning. And in one of the better games of the tournament Chanticlear and Precision were tied 24-24 after 4 innings and Smashit/Precision went up 33-32 in the 5th as both teams ran out of their allotted 12 home runs. From there it was a defensive battle that Precision won 1-0 in the last two innings and they advanced to the "Final 4" 34-32. Pitcher Andrew Vitcak and right fielder Brad Lunda were a combined 11-11 in the game with 4 HR and 10 RBI.
The Semi Finals and Winners bracket finals then played out 3 games in a row on the show field. Rebel grabbed a 17-13 lead on Premier in the 4th inning but Premier led by pitcher Rocky Statons defense on line drives up the middle came back and held on to win 34-31. In the other semifinal Smash It/Precision scored 15 runs in the top of the 1st and 12 more in the 3rd to take a 29-24 lead on TDB and it would have been worse if not for Kyle Pearsons diving stop at 2nd base. In this one there was also a bit of a middle war as Purcell was hit in the 1st inning and Vitcak hit 3 times throughout the game. These guys are as tough as they get. In the bottom of the 3rd TDB grabbed a 31-29 lead and added 15 more huge runs in the 4th to go up 46-32 and they outlasted Precision the rest of the way to a 50-44 win and out hitting Precision 46-42 as Everett Williams went 6-6 and Jason Martell 6-7. On the losing side Mike Umschied collected 8 RBI. This game can be watched in condensed form with just the swings at this link. The winner's bracket finals was a bit anti-climactic as TDB continued to roll scoring 21 runs against Premier in the 2nd inning and going up 25-9 on 9 HR early then they got a double play to start the top of the 3rd and cruised to a 44-23 win.
In the loser's bracket some of the local and regional teams held their own for a while as Evolution, Comatose, Stoop, and Ductech all won a couple of games eventually losing to conference teams. By 5 PM Saturday though it was all Conference teams left in the tournament. That's when Xtreme upset Dan Smith 33-23 only to be beaten by Smashit/Precision late Saturday night 37-32. And Chanticlear crushed Cheap Suits 42-8 and then beat Rebel Sports by 1 – 38-37 to advance to Sunday as pitcher Aaron Lewicki made a leaping stab of a high hopper to end the game! On Sunday morning Smash It Precision went up 19-10 after a 14 run bottom of the 2nd inning and Chanticlear came back to take a 32-27 lead in the top of the 6th after a 10 run inning. But in the bottom of the 6th Precision answered with 10 of their own and held Chanticlear scoreless in the 7th to advance. Jeff Flood was 5-6 in the victory. In the loser's bracket finals Premier forfeited to Precision and Precision advanced to play TDB. The same two teams that were in the finals of the Chicago Major just two weeks ago.
In the championship game TDB led Smashit/Precision 13-12 after 4 complete innings. In the top of the 5th inning TDB scored an incredible 24 runs and won by the run rule 37-21 even though Precision scored 9 runs in the bottom of the 5th. MVP Everett Williams was 4-5 with 3 HR and 8 RBI, Luis Reyna 5-5, 2 HR, 8 RBI, and Ryan Harvey ended the tournament with 10 HR and 30 RBI and almost the whole team had an on base percentage well over .700.
A special thank you to Scott Brown and Warren Bellm for their hospitality and to Doc for putting up the livestream cameras Sunday morning.
The middle was definitely "open" with a Dudley title on the line.
Check out all the middle shots in this weeks video clips.
Team Breakdown:
25 Teams Overall
11 Nationwide Conference USSSA Teams
2 Major Teams
4 'AA' Teams
4 'A' Teams
5 'B' Teams
10 'C/D' Teams
Key Winner's Bracket Games
Premiers Adam Kaminsky hitting against TDB's Andy Purcell in the winner's final. TDB won 44-23
Winner's Semi Finals
Link to the condensed version of the Precision vs TDB game
Premiers Rocky Staton pitched his team past Rebel Sports in the semifinals after stabbing 5 shots up the middle
Premier won 34-31
Xtreme hitter gets robbed by Precision 2B Jeff Flood late Saturday night
Premiers Jimmy Carter hits a 3 run homer in a big comeback against Xtreme in the quarter finals
Skol Marketing/Crystal Lions beats GreenSpace Consulting/Legit on a walk off seeing eye single 16-15
As a Browns fan I thought Premiers uniforms were the best.
The Brown shirts were made by Headlines Sportwear. The white ones by BAF.
The Dudley avoided the surrounding rain storms all 3 days.
Over at beautiful Evergreen park Cheap Suits beat Competitve Edge 28-13 on Friday.
Rebel Sports Brett Rettenmeier just missed on this leaping stab
Geno Buck hits against Jose Rivas Jr. who pitched this pitch out of his glove.
A knowledgeable beer drinking Minnesota crowd was there to watch the locals on Friday night.
Old Scout pollers were right on 1st place.
Video Highlites brought to you by:
Link to Dudley Major video clips
Remember while you're there, subscribe to the SW48 youtube page
Long Bombers of the Week
Xtreme's Curtis Stewart won the home run contest Thursday night in the finals over Shannon Smith and Dan Smith's new slugger Jon Nelson hit a creature Friday night that awed the crowd.
There were a lot of worthy Long Bombers of the week like Everett Williams and Brad Tabler and others.
Harvey may have hit the hardest line drive that stayed in the park to LC on Saturday night.
A message about the Thursday Night Dudley Kick Off Event
from Mike Beardsley
Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, or showed up last night for the Dudley Kick Off Night. It was a great show!
Congratulations to all the MVPs last night!
Women’s All-Star game:
Emma Adams – MN Frost
Katie Sexton – Shenanigans
Men’s All-Star Game
Jesse Welter – Chanticlear / Eurotech
Calvin Spencer – Skol Marketing
Futures All-Star Game
Riley Daun – Northwest Metro
Gavin Rosstedd – Champlin Park
The home run derby was a great show put on by all the hitters! Congratulations to Curt Stewart who beat Shannon Smith 15-14 in the final. Brice Dvorak finished 3rd and was the top local finisher!
Also, a very special thank you to Scott Brown, Mat Turbes, and of course Pat Oconnell for putting on another amazing Dudley Kick Off Night!!!
Dudley Major Final Standings and Awards
Precisions All tournament awards will be posted once available
TDB Left Fielder Everett Williams was tournament MVP!
TDB shortstop A.J. Montano and MI Luis Reyna were co-Defensive MVP's
Smashit/Precisions Brad Tabler was Offensive MVP
Team by team notes brought to you by:
1st Place – TDB/Racks/Athlon
Conf 'M' from NC 5-0 Record
TDB wins their 5th tournament of the year, 3rd in a row, and continue to lead the points and the computer rankings. The whole teams onbase percentage was off the charts as they dominated offensively. A week ago they lost SS Daniel Cayton, power hitter Jon Nelson, and sponsor Sonny Pilcher but they didn't seem to miss a beat playing shorthanded at the Dudley. Bryson Baker did leave the game on Saturday with what seemed to be a lower leg or foot injury so that is concerning.
Trending Up!
TDB Lineup:
P Andy Purcell
3B Bryson Baker / Bloom
EH Ryan Harvey
C Josh Riley
RF Jason Branch
MI Luis Reyna
LF Everett Williams
SS A.J. Montano
1B Jason Martell
2B Kyle Pearson
CF Brian Zirkle
Ryan Harvey and Josh Riley
Chicago MVP Kyle Pearson played 2B
2nd Place – Smashit/Precision/3rd Street/Bulldawg/Bpharm
Conf 'AA' from IL 5-2 Record
Precision has vaulted to the top of the 'AA' division where they were predicted to be in the preseason. After a slow start they have now finished 2nd two tournaments in a row to the winner TDB and all 4 of their losses are to that Major team. They played without Jason Magnum but managed to find ways to win good games over Chanticlear twice and Xtreme. They also did it with interim player/manager Frank Facek at the helm. Precision moved up to the 7th spot in conference points.
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Precision Lineup:
2B Jeffrey Flood
RF Brad Lunda
SS Mike Umscheid
LF Travis Houseman
P Andrew Vitcak / Roger Drake
1B David Kessler
MI Jeffrey Keske
EH Frank Fracek
3B Heath Barnes
CF Austin Andrews
C Brad Tabler
Andrew Vitcak returned to his home town and pitched his team to 2nd place while taking some brutal hits up the middle. On the right Travis Houseman looking good after that early season injury.
With both Bill Wax and Todd Ankney not making the trip, the managerial duties fell to Frank Fracek who was also the EH. Anyone who has ever managed and played knows this is not easy.
Heath Barnes started the tournament with 3 grand slams in his first 6 plate appearances
Premier/TG/HDLNS/4With.com/Easton
Conf 'AA' from OH 3-2 Record
Premier put up big offensive numbers in all of their games and pulled off come from behind victories against Xtreme and Rebel Sports worth watching on the livestream archives. The top of the lineup with Morrow, Corn, Kaminski etc is looking good. The defense capable, and they should heat up as the summer goes. The forfeit debacle on Sunday morning due to early flights could result in point penalties or more but the team when they play is entertaining.
Jackie Corn has been on fire of late
Ryan Morrow has one of the most effortless swings for a guy that gets so many extra base hits
Premier had 3 pitchers last week. They released Kyle Center and starter Tyler Kinkaid didn't make the trip so the pitching fell to middle infielder Rocky Staton who's wizardry with the glove helped them make it to Sunday. Also pictures shortstop Tony Payne and middle infielder Adam Kaminski who did a nice job filling in for Rocky.
4th Place – Chanticlear/Eurotech/J&H/Miken/Worth
Conf 'A' from MN 4-2 Record
Chanticlear with their entire roster from Minnesota knows the tradition of this great tournament and they get fired up for it. They played their best ball of the year losing by just 2 runs to Precision and then beating rival Ductech by 21, Cheap Suits by 34, and Rebel Sports by 1 in the loser's bracket to make it to Sunday where they came up just short against Precision again. O'Connell, Thorbrogger, and Lewicki who were all tournament selections and led the team. They have a few newer or unknown guys like center fielder Zach King, power hitter Judd O'Connor, lefty Kyle Bixler, and new pickup Jesse Welter contributing. Chanticlear moved to 13th in points.
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Chanticlear Lineup:
2B Ryan O'Connell
C Mike Thorbrogger
Scott Novak
Jesse Welter
SS Ryan Hassler
1B Corey Hines
CF Zach King
Shawn Casey
Judd O'Connor
P Aaron Lewicki
UT Travis Auld
Pitcher Aaron Lewicki and lead off hitter Ryan O'Connell were all tournament
Mike Thorbrogger was all tournament and Kyle Bixler has been a nice addition to the team this year.
Managers Pat O'Connell and Mike Beardsley. Yes Beardsley got injured coaching 3rd…lol
Chanticlear brought a large group of fans
Hines at 1st had one of the better diving stops of the tournament to help them beat Rebel. Ryan O'Connell at 2B, Eric O'Connell at MI, Ryan Hassler at SS.
Tied 5th Place – Xtreme/Miken/ASP/Athlon
Conf 'AA' from MN 3-2 Record
Xtreme tied for 5th. They blew a big lead against Premier in the 'final 8' but recovered in the loser's bracket to send Dan Smith home before Precision nipped them late Saturday night. A solid weekend overall. They did lose 3rd baseman Toby Letak to a broken bone in his hand on a ground ball. Pitcher Dirk Updike also took one off the helmet late Saturday night but did walk off the field.
Trending Even
Xtreme lineup:
CF Matt Schrage
1B Shannon Smith
C Curtis Stewart
SS Steve Whaley
RF Chris Anninos
3B Joe Skyles
LF Matt McGowan
MI Brandon Newman
2B Dylan Smith
P Austin Green / Dirk Updike
Shannon "The Beard" Smith finished 2nd at the HR Derby and SS Steve Whaley who may be the final piece to the Xtreme 'AA' puzzle.
Center fielder and lead off hitter Matt Schrage made some great running catches. Dylan Smith returned from injury and played 2B.
Tied 5th Place – RebelSports/TN/Troupe/M24/GameBrand
Conf 'AA' from MI 2-2 Record
Rebel crushed Dan Smith by 20 in 4 innings in the 'round of 8' then didn't play a complete game against Premier in a 34-31 loss. In the loser's bracket they lost to a hot Chanticlear team by a run with the bats in their hands in the bottom of the 7th. A solid weekend for Rebel who moves up to 16th in the points but still only has played 5 conference events. Pitcher Graus dominated Dan Smith hitters, the Formosa brothers are heating up, and there lineup has stabilized.
Trending Even
left fielder and lead off hitter Cory Large, 3rd baseman Demario Boyd, and MI Brett Rettenmeier
Joey and Sal Formosa are playing like they never left the conference
Tall pitcher Matt Chromy did some of the pitching for Rebel
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Some more pictures for you:
Dan Smith lost by the 20 run rule to Rebel Sports as they failed to score in the bottom of the 4th. Then after winning one game over at Evergreen park, they lost to Xtreme.
Brungardt was backup pitcher as Nino tends to an ill family member. Prayers to Mike and his family.
Shortstop Daniel Cayton came over with Sonny from TDB to Dan Smith this past week.
Cheap Suits tied for 7th beating 2 local teams and Competitve Edge but losing big to TDB and Chanticlear
Competitive Edge/C&R Equipment from Florida went 2-2 beating some locals but losing to Cheap Suits and Comatose
Arizona conference team Source1/Alpha Source/Easton went 1-2 playing in only their 2nd event of the year
Former Precision outfielder Brandon Reise was playing with Comatose
Ductech/Elite was a local upper level team put together for the Dudley. They had Kyle Decker and Geno Buck among some other ex conference players. And the biggest middle infielder in the game. Geno Buck "shows up and hits bombs" as someone in the video said…lol
My video clips are full of almost great catches…
Blue Line had some nice unis
Vitcak and Graus have some low release points
Miken fans everywhere
Shea Nation brought his ASP trailer all the way from Texas!
Local news station was on hand
Dudley tournament directors present (Scott Brown) and past (Warren Bellm).
Some heavy field equipment
Conference Umpires
One response to “A look back at the last Dudley —> 2019 USSSA Dudley/Budweiser/Xtreme Major tournament report!”
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Great job as always on the tournament report DW