Wednesday March 27th, 2024
TEXT_SIZE

Andrew Vitcak

 

Andrew Vitcak

USSSA Playing History

2013 interview:

Why do you like the game of softball?
It allows me to feed my competitive nature.  Plus it has allowed me to travel this great country and make friendships that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.

Who is the best softball player you have ever seen play?
There are far too many good to great players to name.  Every team out there has players that are extremely talented but what makes a great team is how those players play the game together.  Team chemistry is a big thing that often gets overlooked when putting together a roster.

What is your nickname in softball?
Vitz

What is your height and weight?
6’0” and I weigh 200 pounds.

Where do you call home?
Oakdale, Minnesota.

What's your favorite way to spend an off weekend?
Usually on my off weekends you can find me either playing in a local tournament with friends or I like to go just kick back and enjoy the weekend off from traveling.

What do you do for a living?
I’m a Revenue Tax Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Revenue.  That’s just a fancy way of saying that I’m a sales tax auditor.

Did you play sports in High School / College / Pro?
I played varsity baseball in High School for three years and then I played for one year at the College of St. Thomas.

How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
After my freshman year of college I quit baseball and decided to start my own D softball team.  I had watched the Dudley tournament since I was 16 years old and for some reason I never forgot how much fun it looked like it would be to eventually play on a team that played in that tournament.  I ran teams for two years in D and then two years in C.  After winning the USSSA C Worlds in 2008, I was lucky enough to have a sponsor in Minnesota that wanted to try his hand in the conference.  In 2009 I got my 1st taste of Conference ball with Showcase.  After experiencing Conference ball I knew there was no other level of softball that I wanted to play and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to play on some great teams over the past few years – EWS, Laservision, Team 454 and this year with Shoppe.

What was the best advice you were ever given?
If you want to climb up the softball ladder become a Pitcher, Shortstop or Centerfielder and make sure that you put in the work that is necessary to get to the level that you want to achieve.  Set goals for yourself and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve them.

What advice can you give a young player trying to break into the upper level?
Play in as many big tournaments that you can.  Playing in big tournaments is how you get noticed.    Work as hard as you possibly can to achieve your goals and if you’re given the opportunity to reach the goal that you set for yourself take it and don’t look back.

What position do you play?
Pitcher

What batting grip do you use?
I overlap my pinky and ring finger.

What ounce bat do you use?
27oz full load.

What do you do in the offseason to prepare for the next softball season?
I lift weights roughly four times a week and beginning in December I will hit twice a week at a local batting cage and then once a week at an indoor facility that allows for live pitching.

What is your favorite sports team?
Football – New England Patriots

Baseball – Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves

Basketball – Don’t have one but I enjoy watching the good hoops teams play against each other.  I love the NBA playoffs.

What is your favorite sport other than softball?
Football and Basketball.  Does watching woman’s volleyball count?

Do you have any superstitions and if so, what are they?
Far too many to name – but pretty much the biggest is doing the same routine prior to every at bat and every hitting session.  As far as the pitching aspect of softball is concerned I have way too many superstitions to even begin to list on here.

What is your most memorable softball moment?
Winning the 2011 USSSA A Worlds tournament is definitely at the top of my list.  It was my first tournament with 454 and to be able to pitch the “if” game was a memory that I will never forget.  That was a great group of guys to play with.  Winning my 1st World Title back in 2008 with J&H is also a memory that I will never forget.  There are plenty of other memorable moments but those two moments stand out the most.

What would be your "at bat" music selection?
Pretty much any song by Jason Aldean would suffice for me.

What is the best improvement upper level softball could make?
As far as the game itself – I think it’s pretty much in great shape.  I mean look at this past year – it was a crazy year with some crazy results.  They’re now doing bat testing at all tournaments (at least all tournaments I played in last year had bat testing).  I wish that there would be some way to eliminate shaved bats but some people are always going to find a way to cheat or bend the rules.  I think the biggest improvement that could be made would be to implement something that would give more back to the sponsor’s that allow us players to play this game.  I mean let’s face it without sponsors willing to spend the money the Conference wouldn’t exist.

What is your favorite non-World tournament?
Smoky's and the Dudley.

What is the best softball field you have played at and why?
Playing at the Major World Series is always a thrill but some of the best complexes that I’ve played at are Seattle, Fortune Road, South Carolina, Las Vegas and the two main Dudley fields.

Where is the best place to eat on the road after a game?
Anywhere that is open.

 


 



  

 

2 responses to “Andrew Vitcak”

  1. DEEMO says:

    I thought you were with Demarini?

  2. Hacker says:

    I’m surprised nothing was put up about Starfish……lol. Good Luck this year with Todd and the boys.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.