TEAMS SET TO TAKE AIM AT CROWN JEWEL OF SENIOR SOFTBALL IN POLK COUNTY

Jan. 1, 2017

POLK COUNTY, FL – The Senior Softball USA Original Tournament of Champions, the Crown Jewel of Senior Softball, enters its 11th year in 2017, pitting the best of the best on the softball diamonds from the 2016 season.

There simply is no other tournament in the sport that comes close to the SSUSA Original TOC: Free rings for winners, special edition bats for MVPs, free polo shirt for every player, gift bags for every manager, a gala sit-down banquet for 1,500 players and their families – and that does not even include the hitting clinics, skills contests and the All Star Game!

Additionally, the winning team from the All-Star game will get the opportunity to play against the Louisville Slugger Warriors.

"It gives the Louisville Slugger Warriors, a competitive and highly decorated softball team made up of mostly Disabled US Military Veterans & Active Duty Personnel, great pride in being invited by SSUSA to play their All Star Team at the upcoming Tournament of Champions in Polk County, Florida," said David Van Sleet, General Manager of Louisville Slugger Warriors. "Many of the SSUSA players are Veterans themselves, so this game will possess not only great talent, but plenty of camaraderie as well. We would like to thank SSUSA and Polk County for this wonderful opportunity!"

This year’s tournament will be held Feb. 8 through Feb. 12 and only winners of qualifying tournaments from the 2016 season are invited. In short, it’s the tournament for champions, only. Second-place teams stay home. This is the original TOC and it’s only for those teams that have been previously crowned king of the hill at a SSUSA sanctioned tournament during the 2016 season.

For a complete list of teams that qualified for the TOC in 2016, please CLICK HERE.

“The TOC offers the most elite event in the sport to celebrate winners of the top tournaments in the country,” said Terry Hennessy, chief executive officer of SSUSA. “No one offers a tournament that even comes close.”

“It’s a battle of tournament champions taking on tournament champions to determine which team is truly the top team of the year,” he said. “There’s really nothing like it and that’s why teams go all out to come back each year.”

The TOC handsomely rewards its winners, who receive free, top-quality, championship rings. Each player also earns a TOC polo shirt and certificate. In addition, the most valuable players in each division win a bat.

The TOC special events begin on Feb. 8, with the hitting and fielding clinics, as well as the TOC All-Star game (each TOC competing team will select one player to compete in the game). The skills contests and mini-tournament continue the events on Feb. 9, while the TOC Banquet concludes the special events on  Feb. 10. Play begins Feb 10 and runs through Feb. 12.

These clinics (hitting and fielding) will give players a chance to warm up and to sharpen their skills before the tournament with some of the best hitters in the sport. The skills contests will be split into four divisions (40/50, 60, 70, Women) including: Precision Hitting (winners receive bats), Home Run Contest (winners receive bats), Speed (running contest/winners receive shoes) and Pitching Contest (winners receive gloves).  The mini-tournament will give teams a chance to play short three-inning practice games. Players from T.O.C. teams (only) that can't make the mini-tournament are welcome to play with short-handed teams.