HAPPEN 98

Local and National Information

Updated: January 17, 2005

18U STL Heat Win National Qualifier in South Carolina to qualify for National Championship

"We are proud to report that St. Louis Heat won the 18u ASA National Qualifier in Florence, South Carolina today. (Sunday, June 14), and will represent St. Louis in Sacramento in August.
They are now 50-0-1 for the 1998 season.

1. Fri St. Louis Heat 7 Carolina Dynamites 0
2. Sat St. Louis Heat 9 Team Jax (Florida) 0
3. Sat.St. Louis Heat 2 Orange Co Batbusters 0
4. Sun. St. Louis Heat 7 Colorado Comets 2
5. Sun. St. Louis Heat 2 Colorado Stampede 1 ( 8innings)
Championship:Sun. St. Louis Heat 3 Colorado Stampede 0

The team had a fundraiser in April to raise $ to fly to Florence with coaches. They will return late tomorrow night with Coach Dr. Terry Moore.
St. Louis Heat Team Members:
Beth Blackburn, Kristi Bredbenner, Stephanie Card, Melissa Curley, Kristin Darnell,
Angie Dal Pozzo, Melanie Fisher, Lindsay Foster, Jessica Goggin,
Katie Kloess, Megan McNiff, Katie Mitchell, Kendra Moore, Debbie Stark.
The team will also participate in the Boulder, CO 4th of July Tournament and perhaps the Hall of Fame in Ok City if they qualify in Topeka. The kids were excited. They have worked hard and Terry has done a great jobof managing all these talented teens. (Forgive me for sounding like a proud mom).

ADULT SLOW PITCH: New Format for National Championships
(Class "B", "C" and "D" Women and Men Divisions)

An innovative new program promises to make the journey to the ASA National Championships a trip worth remembering.

The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) has announced a new direction in its national tournament structure focused on making the "Road to the ASA National Championships" more player friendly.

The new concept was initiated through action of the ASA National Council last November at its annual meeting in Nashville, TN and is directive exclusively at men's and women's B, C and D slow pitch.

As far back as 1992, the ASA began looking into the restructuring of its national championship program, largely to address issues that were being raised by the players. Among the concerns were spiraling travel costs, scheduling conflicts and eligibility issues.

The expense of traveling across the nation to compete in an ASA national has long been a prohibiting factor for many teams. As a remedy, the ASA has announced a new structure that will allow teams to compete in the first leg of their journey to the national championships through a series of eight national tournaments located regionally around the country. Those regional areas will include the Northeast, Eastern, Southeast, Midwest, North Central, South Central, Northwest and Southwest.

In 1998 and 1999, teams may compete in one of these eight national tournaments with the top three teams from each moving to a berth in the ASA National Championships. The champions from 100 state and metro associations the ASA's and representatives from the top seven state or metro associations will join them. The total field in 1998 and 1999 that will advance to the ASA National Championships will include 132 teams, but will narrow to 32 in 2000 when all teams will be required to earn their position in the National Championships by competing at the National Tournament Level.

The concept is similar to the Final Four in college basketball in that the competing teams earn their position in the finals (National Championship) by competing in various regions around the country.

"The eight national tournaments are simply the early rounds of a team's road to an ASA National championship. If you want to be an ASA national champion, at least in men's and women's B, C and D slow pitch, you will ultimately have to start the journey a these regionally placed national tournaments," said Guy DeMaio, at-large representative from Pennsylvania and one of the designers of the new tournament structure.

The top three teams at each of the eight national tournaments will also earn expense money to help defray costs of travel to compete in the National Championships (Finals) The entry fee for the national tournaments will be $250 per team with $120 of the fee going directly into a travel fund. The first place team at each tournament will receive 50% of the proceeds with the remainder being split between the second (25%) and third place (25%) finishers.

The eight national tournaments will also be scheduled on Labor Day weekend to allow the maximum number of interested teams the opportunity to compete. "Most teams want to play a nationals on Labor Day, it is culmination of a season for them. We want to make sure they have the opportunity to play in an ASA national," DeMaio said.

"Many teams find it difficult to travel to a tournament in September simply because of job or school obligations. By having the first leg on the road to the ASA National Championships played on Labor Day, many more teams will be eligible to compete," he said.

The 1998 St. Louis Softball Hall of Fame Inductees were honored at the Bi-Annual Dinner and Awards ceremonies that was held on Friday April 03, 1998 at Orlando Gardens Banquet Center. Jim Farrell ( former STL ASA Commissioner) was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. The following individuals were honored for their contributions to St. Louis Softball.

Mens Fast Pitch
John Dangos
Richard Mueth
Thomas Pryor
Tom Manor
Harry Lemakis

Mens Slow Pitch
Bob Marquitz
Dave Meyer
Carlo Lamarca

Women's Fast Pitch
Kathy Range

Sponsors
Beins Jewelers
(Connie Beins)

Manager/Coach
Sue Guenzler
Ameal Nassif

Umpires
Richard Willis
Charles Cox

For St. Louis Softball Hall of Fame Members:
The St. Louis Softball HOF now has an official HOF ring. For more information on how to purchase one, call 314/832-9599

The 1998 Fall League Applications are available for the ASA Summer Slow Pitch Leagues (Men, Men's Master 40-Over, Women, and Coed). Leagues will begin in St. Louis City Parks on September 8, 1998. For information Call 832-9599.

St. Louis ASA is proud to announce the names of the 38 local umpires that have been selected to umpire at an ASA National Championship in 1998. Congratulations to them all ! !

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