15th Winter Nationals Ignites 2016 Season

Dec. 1, 2015

LEE COUNTY, FLA. – The 15^th annual Winter Nationals hosted 127 teams from all over the eastern United States and as far west as Texas in early November in what was a fitting start to the 2016 season. 

Hundreds of players lined up to play ball in some of Florida’s most scenic coastline cities including Ft. Myers, Cape Coral and Naples.

     Unlike previous years, players and fans were not welcomed to the usual temperate weather present here in the winter season. Instead the tournament saw high heat and high humidity scorch players throughout the six-day tournament. Persevering by staying hydrated and, in some cases keeping a bucket of ice water close at hand, players manned the fields and played some fiercely competitive softball.

     “Players handled the heat tremendously,” said National Director Jerry Jackson. “The teams were great and the competition was outstanding.”

     Despite some rain and thunder on Saturday during the second session that delayed games until Sunday, “the tournament proved to be a huge success,” said Jackson. 

     The Men’s 50/55 Platinum Division saw eight highly competitive teams go all out to determine the division champion. Team 1 Sports/Miken, hailing from Florida, proved to be the team to beat as bracket play saw them put away their first opponents, Genesee Rochester 21-17 and Good Times 14-12.    

     Team Ohio made a valiant effort to thwart Team 1 Sport/Miken’s momentum only to be bested 18-8. After overcoming a scrappy Good Times ball club 17-10 in the elimination bracket, Team Ohio earned an opportunity to avenge Team 1 in the championship bout. Losing 20-8, Team Ohio surrendered the championship to a solid Team 1 Sports/Miken squad. 

     With only seven teams vying for the championship in the 50 AAA Division, Vero Scorpions seemed poised to vanquish their opponents with ease after early success during bracket play defeating South Florida Hawks 21-7. Unglued by the offensive precision of GAP Sports 16-9, Vero Scorpions fell to the elimination bracket only to be decimated by 50 Caliber Florida 20-5 ending their run for the weekend. 

    Fifty Caliber Florida, on the other hand, overcame their first 15-12 loss to South Florida Hawks by winning four consecutive games in the elimination bracket to face off against GAP Sports in the championship. GAP Sports ended up the division champions by defeating 50 Caliber Florida 21-9.

     Going undefeated during seeding play, TNT Sports Club out of Pennsylvania easily swept the competition in the 55 AAA Division. With only four teams playing, TNT Sports Club picked off their opponents one by one on their way to the championship game defeating Oshkosh Ambassadors 55’s 25-11 and Ballbusters 23-14, respectively. 

     Determined to not go down without a fight, Ballbusters beat Hartford County LV 16-11 to earn a spot in the championship game, but could not muster enough runs to put out TNT Sport’s dynamite offense losing 22-9. Outscoring their opponents 104-55 and going undefeated throughout the tournament, TNT Sports handily earned the 55 AAA Division title. 

     The Men’s 60 AA Division saw No Stars go undefeated through the tournament to take the title. Easily dispatching Texoma MB Flying 18-4, No Stars faced a stronger opponent in Southern Tier Express but still managed a 15-11 win. Earning a spot in the championship bout, Southern Tier Express overcame Oshkosh Ambassadors 60’s 8-4 in the elimination bracket only to lose to No Stars yet again, 18-9. 

     Eleven teams competed in the Men’s 55/60 Platinum Division with first seed and undefeated Florida Automated Shade dominating the competition. Burying Action Auto Parts 27-8 during their first game of bracket play, Florida Automated Shade went on to put away CKM Wealth Management 21-13. Third seed Levin Financial 55’s put up a good fight but Automated Shade came away with a thin 14-13 victory to knock them into the elimination bracket. Black and blue but not down for the count, Levin Financial 55’s managed a one-run win against Six Pac 55’s 15-14 to climb their way back to the championship bout. In a well matched game, Florida Automated Shade delivered a close 12-8 victory to seize the title. 

     Only five teams participated in the highly competitive Men’s 60 Major Division that featured the only “If” game of the tournament. With no clear contender for the title after seeding play, Golden Vipers quickly emerged as the team to beat after defeating High Street Bucs 60’s 14-8 and Hannington’s 60’s 13-6. Knocked into the elimination bracket, High Street Bucs 60’s overcame Rochester/Smash It 11-3 to face off against Hannington’s 60’s only to fall short in a tough 11-7 loss. In an exciting rematch, Hannington’s 60’s pulled off a narrow 7-6 win against Golden Vipers to compel an “If” game to determine the champion. In another one-run game, Golden Vipers eked out a 12-11 victory to take the rubber match and the division title.
     The Men’s 60 AAA Division featured one of the largest divisions in the Winter Nationals with 19 teams vying for the crown. The No. 3 seeded RedHawks out of Florida ran through the division unblemished to take the top spot. The RedHawks eased their way through its first two games, 16-0 and 15-5, respectively, before upsetting No. 2 seed Northern Virginia Force 60’s, 17-10, and setting up a match against top seed and in-state foe Slug-A-Bug (FL). In a battle of unbeatens, the RedHawks outlasted Slug-A-Bug, 14-12, to earn their spot in the title game. Falling into the elimination bracket, Slug-A-Bug ousted Cardiac Kids (FL) in a high-scoring affair, 23-19, to set up a rematch with the  RedHawks who made made it two-for-two against the top seed, taking the final game 17-8.
     The 10-team Men’s 65 Platinum Division saw 10 teams compete, with two 65-Major Plus teams playing a best two-out-of-three series. After dropping a nail-biter in game one, 18-16, Hamel Builders/Superior (VA) came back with a vengeance in game two by punishing Team Florida, 20-3, to force the “If” game. In the rubber match, Hamel Builders/Superior prevailed 17-12.
     The eight-team bracket for the 65 Major Division saw numerous upsets with the No. 6 seed So. State Services (FL) posting a perfect record. So. State Services won their opening game, 16-5 over No. 3 seed High Street Bucs 65 (MD) before edging out the No. 7 seed Florida Hitmen 65, 11-10. The eventual champions then outslugged No. 4 seed DeClaire LaMacchia Orth. (MI), 19-16, en route to the championship game, where So. State Services again brought out the bats to edge out Syracuse Merchants (NY), 18-17.
     The second 19-team field of the championships came in the 65/70 Gold Division, as the second-seeded Red Heat (FL) lived up to its high seeding by playing flawlessly through the bracket. Red Heat opened up bracket play with a convincing 21-5 victory, before earning a hard-fought, 7-5, win in its next game to push through the bracket and into the semifinals. In a matchup of two of the top three teams, Red Heat got the better of No. 3 seed Florida Mustangs 17-11 to get one step closer to the championship. Red Heat faced a surprising team in their next game, as up-start Socrates/Vios (CT), the No. 8 seed, pulled off back-to-back upsets, taking down the No. 1 and No. 5 seeds. But Socrates/Vios was unable to make it three-in-a-row as Red Heat won with ease, 23-7.
     After suffering a loss to Socrates/Vios in the semifinals, Ohio Silverados defeated the KC Kids (KS) 14-13, Florida Mustangs 7-6 and a revenge win over Socrates/Vios 11-7 to make it to the championship game. Red Heat ended the Silverados run with a 17-2 win in the final.
     The Long Island Jags 65 White (NY) proved worthy of their No. 1 seed by going undefeated in the five-team Men’s 65 AA Division. The Jags 65 White eked out an 18-16 win in their opener, before taking a 24-15 victory in their second game. LI Jags then defeated Action Auto Parts 65’s (RI) 12-5 in the final.
     The Men’s 70 AAA Division saw another top seed take the title, as Florida Merchants 70’s powered through the 13-team field to win it all. Going a perfect 4-0, Florida Merchants won by scores of 17-10, 13-6 and 11-9, before defeating the No. 4 seed CC Medical Services (NY) 16-7 in the final. After being upset in their first game by the No. 13 seed Chicago Gray Sox (IL), CC Medical ran through the elimination bracket defeating Chadwell Supply (FL), Cozy Grill (RI), Senior Red Birds (MO), Cape Cod Whalers (MA) and Bostonian 70’s (MA), before coming up short in the final.
     The Men’s 70/75 Gold Division featured 11 teams, with three of those teams playing in the 75 Major Division. ProHealth Care 75 (WI) won the division with ease, by winning 13-7 and 36-15. The other eight teams played in the Men’s 70/75 Silver Division with Columbus Silver Sticks (IN) taking the top spot by posting a perfect 4-0 record. As the No. 2 seed, Columbus Silver Sticks opened bracket play with a pair of convincing victories, 15-3 and 22-7, setting up a showdown with top seed BackOffice Assoc. 75 (MA). The Silver Sticks continued their strong play by claiming a 15-2 win sending BackOffice into the elimination bracket. BackOffice staved off elimination with a 10-3 win over Indy Crowns/Jos. Auto (IN) to set up a re-match against the Silver Sticks. In the end, Columbus Silver Sticks prevailed 22-8.
     Three teams played in the Men’s 80 Major Division, with three other teams playing in the Men’s 80/85 Gold Division. Florida Investment Properties dominated the 80 Major division, by claiming a pair of victories, 12-8 and 22-10, both over Jimmy MN Legends 80’s. BackOffice Assoc. 80 (MA) took the 80/85 Gold Division by also going 2-0, with wins over Indiana Silver Foxes (IN), 17-8, and Center for Sight 85’s (FL).
      For complete game results of the 2015 SSUSA Winter National Championships, please visit www.seniorsoftball.com

Here are the All Tournament selections for the 2015 Winter Nationals:

Men’s 50/55 Platinum- Good Times:  Tim Grundmann, Dave Johnson, Jim Monroe

Men’s 50 Major- Florida Automated Shade:  Lazaro Morales, Larry Goehrig

Men’s 50 AAA- GAP Sports:  Keith Buss, Billy Cressman, Donnie Kesmock, Pete Leto, Mark Bamberger; 50 Caliber:  Steve Ward, Lou Serrano, Will Perez, Steve Brennon; Vero Scorpions:  Skip Ryan, Andy Packard, Gerry DuGuay; South Florida Hawks:  Joseph Candela, Bryan Douglas; Team Xtreme:  Will Morin, Mike Contino

Men’s 50/55 AA- Silver Foxes:  Danny Woodcom, Paul Grillot, Billy Oblaczynski, Dan Covey, Chris Okolichandy

Men’s 55 AAA- Ball Busters:  Les Millman, Scott Woods, Cef Barros, Dave Horton; Harford County LV:  Joe Nosler, Tim Mowery, Mike Furletti; OshKosh Ambassadors:  Randy Pribek

Men’s 55/60 Platinum- Florida Automated Shade:  Jimmy Nelson, Harry Seward, Jeff Farley, Brett Porche, Bob Kopperude; Levin 55:  John Miles, Leonard Simmons, Manny Quiepo, Greg Highfield

Men’s 60 Major- Golden Vipers:  Dave Erdmann, John Johnson, Mel Kendziorski, Chuck Maiorana, Paul Maiorana

Men’s 60 AAA- Redhawks:  Earl Robbins, Bob Putnam, John MacFarlane, Billy Hill, Randy Burford; Cardiac Kids:  Bob Vogt, Tom Olrmann, Ray Brown

Men’s 60 AA- No Stars:  Tom Gottlieb, David Bessent, Paul DiPerri, Phil Shaffer, Bruce Walsh; Southern Tier Express:  Bob Crandell, Gary Williamson, Dick Gunderman, Bruce Grenell; Texoma MB Flying:  Joe Ylda, Joe Denomy

Men’s 65 MajorPlus- Hamel Builders/Superior:  Ronnie Collins, Phil Biedronski, Don Clatterbough, Andy Zitnay, John Davide

Men’s 65 Major- Southern State:  Mike Walsh, Chuck Malton, Bill Magley, Jim Kahn, Terry O’Donnell; Syracuse Merchants:  Ron Mitchell, Paul O’Brien, Mike Muldoon, Mike Murphy; Jersey Masters:  Ray “Hap” Poyer, Don Montefusco

Men’s 65 AAA- Socrates/Vios:  Bobby Raucci, Stan Bocek, Rob Pentino

Men’s 65 AA- Long Island Jaguars:  Tim Shanley, Guy Losito, Butch Jensen, Ron Christian, Kevin Thompson; Action Auto Parts:  Ken Sheehan, Wayne Medeiros, Gerry Deschaies, Jim  Gemma, Bob Peirce; Kentuckiana:  Rick Heil, Terry Stallard, Damion Able; Dallas Spurs:  Jeff Ratkowski, Rich Kirk

Men’s 65/70 Gold- Red Heat:  Larry Ball, Rich Murrey, Tom Mackey, Steve Karman, Craig Bizner; Florida Mustangs:  Gary DeFalco, Donald Witmer

Men’s 70 AAA- Florida Merchants:  Bill Massey, Al Smith, Tom Alston, Jay Paldin, Dennis Tierney; CC Medical Services:  Joe Gibney, Pete McClelland, Jerry Salata, Phil Grimes; Bostonian: Stu Gray, Ed Finnegan, Ted Hess; Cape Cod Whalers:  Dave Clark, Ray Beaupre

Men’s 70 AA- Columbus Silver Sticks:  Roger Gildersleeve, Doug King, Ron Cochron, Bill Foist, Ron Callison

Men’s 75 Major- ProHealthcare:  Gary Maier, Gary Koehler, Jack Simons, Jack Seguin, Fred Kopp; Bucs & Bulls:  Ron Bugg, Dave Henley, John Ormsby, Bill Pichler, Doug McLellan; New York Statesmen:  Tom Ladd, John Toritoa, Vinnie Ramson

Men’s 75 AAA- Back Office Associates:  Bob Blakeslee, Bob Buck, Charles Crawford

Men’s 80 Major- Florida Investment Properties:  Joe Sykes, Ray Bosetti, Ferrell Sparks, Dewey McVicker, Norm Haltrick; ProHealth Care:  Norm Ellis, Jim O’Conner

Men’s 80/85 Gold- Back Office Associates:  Jim Parmelee, Tom Daronco, John Ferrie, Gary Blodgett, William Page; Center For Sight:  Leo Green, Ray Rogers, Hugh Brotherton, Ed Scholtz; Indiana Silver Foxes:  George Lane, Bob McGee, James Barnett