3rd Record in a Row- World Masters Draws 506 Teams

Dec. 1, 2014 – Joe Ruggiero SSUSA staff

LAS VEGAS – For the third straight year, the World Masters Championships set the record for the largest senior softball tournament in the country. This year, 506 teams flocked to this gaming mecca to try to etch their mark in softball lore.

The numbers are astonishing. The record-setting tournament included teams from 42 states as well as four from Canada and four from Guam. Teams played more than 1,700 games in 37 divisions, across 13 softball complexes.

More than 90 umpires, 60 tournament officials and 150 field crew workers helped conduct the massive tournament. Over the 10-day period, approximately 16,000 players and spectators infused an estimated $23 million into the local economy.

The largest division of the tournament, and in Senior Softball history, was the 50 AAA division with 62 teams. The 55 AAA division, with 37 teams, was the second largest followed by the 32-team 40 Major division.

The titles in many divisions were decided by razor-thin margins. Forcing nine “If” games and a string of one-run games over 37 divisions, teams once again displayed a high level of competitiveness.

The tournament featured the first 85 division in WMC’s history as three teams competed from across the United States to capture the championship: Center 4 Sight (FL), Southwest Stars (TX), and Western Chiefs (CA). (See Story on Page 18.

In a major highlight of the tournament, nine players were inducted into the National Senior California, R&R Pumping Unit placed third in the 40 AAA division, while R&R Strokers grabbed the second spot in the 55 AAA divison. The Syracuse Cyclones Softball Club (NY), Jimmy’s Softball Club (MN), and Hamel Builders Softball Club also placed in two of their respective divisions.

Another major highlight of the WMC is the U.S. National Games, which pit the Eastern National Champions against the Western National Champions in their respective divisions. (List on Page 16).

Perhaps the largest attraction of the WMC is the possibility of teams completing their sweep of the Triple Grand Slam. Teams that won their division in the Eastern or Western Nationals earned their chance to do exactly just that by winning the U.S. National game and then their division at the WMC. When the dust settled, eight teams proved their dominance to claim the legendary title (Story on Page 16).

The 40 Major Plus division consisted of 10 teams, eight from California, one from Kansas and one from Virginia. No. 1 seed Unforgiven lost a tough battle to the fourth seeded Prestige/Premier in the third round, 26-25. Fattboyz then defeated Prestige, 23-20, to gain their way into the championship game. Prestige clawed out a victory, 24-21, once again against Unforgiven to face the Fattboyz in the championship. Prestige showed their perseverance through two tough games, defeating Fattboyz, 34-30 and 33-30, to double dip for the division title.

In the 32-team 40 Major division, Boombah Voodoo also double dipped their way to the championship. As the No. 13 seed, Boombah ran off four straight victories eventually falling to Houck Construction, 23-22. Boombah then defeated Reno Elite, 21-14, to find themselves up against the No. 31 seeded Houck once again in the championship. Boombah slugged their way to victory by defeating Houck, 26-18 and 27-24 to win the division.

The 40 AAA division featured 10 teams including three from Hawaii, one from Guam and one from Canada. No. 3 seeded Showtime/Titan faced their only real test of the bracket when they squared off with second-seeded Enviro-Vac. An extremely close game ended with Showtime defeating Enviro-Vac, 20-19. Showtime then ran through the rest of the bracket with little competition, winning the championships by an average of eight runs per game.

DLB won the championship in the 50 Major Plus division by the narrowest margins. In the 15-team division, No. 2 seed DLB ran off five consecutive victories on their way to the title. They defeated Texas Players 30-29, Nor Cal Warriors 25-10, AZ Elite 28-27, TSC 25-23 and TSC 21-19, for the championship.

In the 50 Major division, 31 teams competed, with the eight seeded 50 Caliber winning six consecutive games to claim the title. Their two closest games came against Family Stone, from Hawaii, 22-21 in the second round and So Cal Vandals, 20-18 in the semi-final.

Oklahoma Rhinos claimed their spot in Senior Softball history with a victory in the 50 AAA division. The victory was significant for the Rhinos as they not only proved themselves World Champions, but did so in a 62-team division, the largest in Senior Softball history. In the 138th game of the bracket, the Rhinos defeated Mixed Breed, 30-14, to win the division.

The 50 AA division consisted of eight teams competing for the division championship. As the No. 2 seed, the New Mexico Boomers dominated the bracket winning by an average of 11 runs per game. Their only test came in the championship against Northern Exposure, but they earned a close victory, 18-16, to win the division.

Summy’s Nighthawks battled their way through the 55 Major Plus division. The No. 5 seeded Nighthawks crushed California Energy, 47-8, in the first round of bracket play, then squeaked out a victory against MTC, 20-19, in the second round. In the championship game the Nighthawks won a competitive game, 25-24, over San Antonio Softball for the division title.

The 55 Major division included 28 teams. Grant’s Posse defeated Old Style/Windy City 18-7 in the “If” game to win the division. Grant’s Posse originally knocked Old Style into the loser’s bracket with a 15-14 win in the fifth round. Old Style fought back to force the “If” with a 19-18 victory in the championship, but their comeback fell just short with Grant’s Posse winning the division.

The second largest division of the WMC came in the 55 AAA division as 37 teams competed for top honors. Due to the size of the division, the bracket was split into National and American pods. R&R Strokers came through the National division while Team Pound made their way through the American division. Team Pound then defeated the Strokers 18-16 and 20-11 to win the division title.

Rocky Mountain Extreme was seeded tenth in the 15-team 55 AA division. They were able to cruise through the bracket with little resistance and faced Champion Pumper out of Washington in the finals. Rocky Mountain Extreme faced their first real test of the tournament but squeaked out a win, 16-15, to win the division.

Superior Senior Softball dominated the 60 Major Plus division in classic form. They were seeded No. 1 in the bracket and strung together four straight wins to take the division. They averaged a winning margin of 7 runs per game and scored no less than 25 runs in each of their victories on their way to the championship. Superior Senior Softball also claimed the Triple Grand Slam with their World Championships, 60 Major Plus division title

Another large division was the 60 Major’s with 23 teams. MBA Elite lived on the edge with a series of close wins including a pair of one-run ballgames. They turned it on when it counted and were able to slug their way to a 32-23 victory over Pope Transport in the championship game. MBA Elites victory secured their spot in Senior Softball history as it captured the coveted Triple Grand Slam.

Extremely close competition played out in the 33-team, 60 AAA division. One-run games littered the bracket with the ninth seeded Wisconsin Masters playing a part in many of them. The Masters faced the top seeded Hannington’s in the fifth round, eking out a 20-19 victory, forcing them into the elimination bracket. Hannington’s would not go away easily and were able to claw their way back to face Wisconsin Masters in the finals. Hannington’s was able to force an “If” with a 23-18 win over Wisconsin, but the Masters came back with another 20-19 win in the “If” for the division title.

No. 8 seed Team Texas was knocked into the elimination bracket by Relentless in the fourth round of the 21-team, 60 AA division. They strung together wins in a few closely fought ballgames, 15-14 and 21-20, over Fresh Poke and Syracuse Cyclones to gain their way into the championship. Team Texas then scored 18 runs in two consecutive games, one being the “If”, against Relentless to win the division championship.

Despite a strong performance by Hamel Builders, Full Circle dominated the competition in the 65 Major Plus division. Going into the championship bracket undefeated, Hamel Builders demolished Event Lab 38-19. Omen 65 did their best to knock Full Circle into the elimination bracket, but came up short 17-15. With Full Circle up next, Hamel Builders fell to the elimination bracket in a tough 12-8 loss. Undaunted by the loss, Hamel bulldozed Omen 24-7 to replay Full Circle for the title. Full Circle’s steadfast bats overpowered Hamel Builders 30-15 to take the division title.

Fielding 13 teams, the 65 Major division saw top seed 4:13 Rim Fire muscle out their competitors with ease. Enviro-Vac, the second seed, was able to reach the semifinals by coming out on top against R&R 65’s 20-15 and SW Florida 25-24, but lost their composure against a tough 4:13 Rim Fire squad in a close 14-11 loss. By that time, fifth seed SA Silver Streaks had clawed their way up the elimination bracket winning five games in a row to play Enviro-Vac for a chance to vie for the crown. Coming up with a solid 32-24 win, SA Silver Streaks attempted to dethrone 4:13 Rim Fire but they fell a dozen runs short, losing 27-15.

In a surprising turn of events, No. 12 seed S.I. Phiten and No. 11 seed SoCal Gusto survived a talented 65 AAA division to duke it out for the title. SoCal Gusto overcame a late-round loss to Suburban 22-21 to climb out of the elimination bracket. Eliminating top seed Islanders 20-16 and Sidewinders 17-12, SoCal exacted revenge against Suburban with a 20-16 victory to make it to the championship game. Meanwhile, S.I. Phiten blasted Sidewinders out of the water with a 15-7 win and squeezed by Suburban 18-15 to play SoCal Gusto for the ring. In a close game, Phiten triumphed over SoCal Gusto 21-19 to win the championship.

Outperforming 19 talented teams, fifth seed MN Lumberjacks captured the 65 AA division title. Top seed Damaged Goods, after two strong wins against Kauai 20-12 and Desert Heat 37-18, fell to the elimination bracket in a 19-18 loss to MN Lumberjacks. Third seed SoCal Crush punished the Rattlers 17-11 and Chicago Hitmen 18-15 only to be beaten by the Lumberjacks 23-21. Trying to stay alive after their loss to SoCal Crush, the Rattlers pulled off some impressive wins disposing of Damaged Goods, Chicago Hitmen and SoCal Crush. Earning a spot in the championship game, the steadfast Rattlers just couldn’t compete against a seemingly invincible MN Lumberjacks losing 17-10.

In several close offensive bouts, Omen 70 pushed through to gain the 70 Major division title. The win also secured the 70 Major division Triple Grand Slam. With a narrow 14-12 win over Stark St. Pizza, Omen showed great resolve defeating a skilled FL Legends team 24-21. Florida Legends rebounded with a 28-21 win over Stark St. Pizza. In an evenly matched championship game, Omen 70 defeated the Legends 16-15.

The 70 Major division saw Scrap Iron 70’s dig deep to defy Vacar Stars’s control of the bracket. After dropping to the elimination bracket in a tough loss to the Stars 20-12, Scrap Iron regained their footing by defeating Michael’s 19-10. With momentum on their side, Vacar seemed poised to seize the title without a loss, but Scrap Iron delivered a fatal 14 -13 win to deflate their confidence. In an exciting “If” game, Scrap Iron 70’s fell short 10-9 and Vacar earned the division title. Vacar Stars close battle with Scrap Iron also gained them the coveted Triple Grand Slam.

Featuring another “If” game to determine the champion, the 70 AAA division showcased the highly competitive play present here. Knocked into the elimination bracket 24-19 by a commanding Texas Legends squad, Hooters persevered disposing of MN Masters 13-9, Triple Play 17-15, Top Gun II 12-7 and Chicago Gray Sox 22-21 in that order. Given a chance to dethrone the Texas Legends in the finals, Hooters pulled off a 23-22 upset win. Seasoned and ready to win, Texas Legends answered only their second loss in the tournament with a thunderous 35-17 win over Hooters to take the division title.

Terrifying their competitors, the Syracuse Cyclones swept the 70 AA division to win the title. Defeating USA Patriots 24-12 and Git-R-Done 25-5, the Syracuse Cyclones easily sealed the division by overwhelming USA Patriots again 25-3 in the championship game. The Cyclones also grabbed the Triple Grand Slam in the 70 AA division, marking the third TGS winner in the 70 age bracket.

The 75 Major Plus Division saw Joseph Chevrolet and S.F. Seals battle it out for the title. S.F. Seals proved to be victorious swiftly putting away Joseph Chevrolet with two consecutive wins 14-12 and 27-12. With the win, the legendary team out of California claimed another Triple Grand Slam title.

Mesa Cardinals mowed down the competition in the 75 Major division. Knocking PDR Fastsigns into the elimination bracket with a resounding 13-0 shutout, Mesa went on to beat Hamel Builders 17-9. Hamel Builders then defeated Jimmy’s MN Gold 13-0 in the elimination bracket, producing the second division shutout, to earn a rematch against Mesa. Winning the championship game 16-11, Mesa Cardinals dashed the hopes of Hamel Builders and seized the division title.

With 12 teams competing in the 75 AAA division, Harris Auction stole the show going undefeated in bracket play to gain the title. Both NY Statesman and Hill Contracting did their best to cut Harris Auction down a peg to no avail. With NY Statesmen losing 30-21 and Hill Contracting losing 22-12, Harris Auction reached the finals with a significant edge. Harris Auction the walloped Hill Contracting 28-15 in the championship game.

The 80 Major Division saw some inspiring play by Fairway Ford overshadowed by the success of Florida Investment Properties. Starting off strong, Fairway Ford beat EG Renegades 25-17 only to be decimated by Florida Investment Properties 24-8. Falling to the elimination bracket, Fairway defeated EG Renegades again 17-6 to earn another shot at Florida Investment Properties in the championship game. But Florida Investment Properties won 17-15 to win the division title.

With eight teams competing for the 80 AAA title, Jimmy’s Minnesota Legends faced little resistance from the competition to earn the division title. One by one, Jimmy’s Legends bested the cream of the crop beating ProHealth Care 16-8 and SI Grey Beret 13-10. Salvaging their team’s hopes for the title, ProHealth Care turned around to defeat Redwood City 22-11 and Oregon RR’s 22-10. Riding their winning momentum, ProHealth Care went on to silence SI Grey Beret 20-14 to face off against Jimmy’s Legends in the championship game. The Legends powered in 22 runs to ProHealth Care’s 8 to clinched it.

The Women’s 40 Masters Major division fielded eight highly competitive teams. C.P.B. started out strong triumphing over Team Works 21-20 and top seed Old School 20-6. TKP/Hunters also managed a commanding start overcoming All In 10-8 and a solid Hafta Play squad 18-15. Then TKP/Hunters narrowly beat C.P.B. 20-19 to advance to the finals. Dropping to the elimination bracket, Hafta Play eked out a nice victory against Angry Birds 15-14, but was unable to keep up with C.P.B. losing 22-11. Facing off in the championship game, TKP Hunters and C.P.B. both put up a good fight, but TKP Hunters came away with the win and the division title 22-16.

Tharaldson Softball and Twisted Fossils dominated the Women’s 40 AAA division, despite a notable performance by the Saints. Losing to Team Alaska 14-11 in their first bracket game, the Saints were able to climb their way up the elimination bracket disposing of DFW Classic, Old Nasty and Law & Order. Tharaldson Softball managed several significant wins against Kiss Our Stix 17-5 and Team Alaska 15-1 to face off against Twisted Fossils. Unable to muster enough runs, Tharaldson Softball lost 15-11 to Twisted Fossils and dropped to the elimination bracket. In a defining game, Tharaldson Softball flexed their muscles and overcame a scrappy Saints Squad 17-9 to earn a spot in the finals. Twisted Fossils experienced their first loss of the tournament to Tharaldson 17-13 compelling an “If” game to determine the champion. In a suspenseful match-up, Twisted Fossils captured the Championship with a 15-14 win over Tharaldson.

The Women’s 40 Masters AA division saw six teams battle it out for the title. Above the Law laid down the law one by overcoming Guam Forty 19-4, Lew’s Crew 19-14 and B.O.O.B.’s 13-11, to make it to the finals. After losing to Utah Relics 18-17 in a nail biter, No. Const. Fireballs managed four consecutive wins to climb out of the elimination bracket, including a bittersweet 22-21 victory over the Utah Relics. Facing a determined Above the Law squad, the Fireballs managed a 15-8 win to force an “If” game. Undeterred, Above the Law outgunned the Fireballs 21-8 to seize the division title.

In the Women’s 50 division, Dreamgirlz crushed the competition and captured the title. Ladiez Steel Smackin did their best to take control of the bracket after solid wins against HC Swingers 16-4 and Dream Team 8-7, but were decimated by the Dreamgirlz 30-12. Karphone picked up the reins after being relegated to the elimination bracket by Dream Team in a 4-3 loss. Managing four consecutive wins, including an important 19-8 victory over Ladiez Steel Smackin, Karphone failed to overcome the Dreamgirlz 14-11. By winning the World Championships, Dreamgirlz captured the Triple Grand Slam in the Women’s 50 division.