TEXAS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: BUC'S BRING TROPHY BACK HOME; SPURS, LEGENDS, LONESTAR AMONG WINNERS

Sept. 1, 2012 – Ross McCulligan

DALLAS – Seven states were represented by 45 teams in the fifth annual Texas State Championships here in June. The tournament has continued a steady climb in attendance, up from 30 teams and five states in 2011.

The weather was less than cooperative as game cancellations occurred up and down the board in each division due to abundant rainfall.

The 50 Major Division as well as the 55 AAA Division were forced to play a true round-robin format. Likewise, seeding play had to be cancelled for both the 65 and 70 Divisions and bracket play was established through a blind draw for seeding positions.

Despite the weather, teams enjoyed the state-of-the-art facility at Kiest Park Sports Complex with seven pristine diamonds. Tournament Director Don Brooks praised field crews for their efforts in keeping the fields as well prepped as possible.

The 50/55 Gold Division was able to play all games despite weather issues. In the 50 AA Division, Romo’s Old School took two games in a row from El Paso Old School to win the division.

The 50/55 Gold Division bracket play consisted of 10 teams with the Buc’s eventually defeating Team Mayhem, last years winner, 19-15, in the championship game. With the win, the Buc’s were able to bring the trophy back home to Texas from Team Mayhem’s residence of Oklahoma.

The only other divisions not affected by the weather were the 60 Major and 60 AAA.

Texas Makule’s and Memphis Edge played a best-of-three series with the Makule’s edging out a victory in the third game, 16-14, to win the Major Division.

The AAA division was highly competitive consisting of nine teams with tight-knit games throughout. Things weren’t looking good for the Dallas Spurs as they earned the seventh seed and immediately lost their first bracket game to the second-seeded U.S. Patriots, 16-13. They would bounce back and ultimately defeat the Patriots, 16-14 to earn a spot in the finals.

However, the San Antonio Silverstreaks would run the table in the winner’s bracket by winning four in a row and defeating the Spurs, 23-18 in the championship.

The Men’s 50 Major Division was forced into a true round-robin format with each team playing four games. In the end, Lonestar Softball was awarded the championship with a record of 4-0. Second and third place went to San Antonio Softball and Monster Softball, respectively.

Seeding games were called due to the rain in the 65 Gold Division and brackets were determined by a blind draw. The San Antonio Legends would claim top spot in the AAA Division while Texas Legends took home the Championship for the Major’s.

Senior Softball would like to thank Barbara Barnette and the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department for their role in helping to make the tournament possible.

For complete results please visit our website at SeniorSoftball.com

TEXAS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 2012

Men’s 50 Major- Lonestar softball- Joey Gillaspy, Doug Wood, Steve Veronie, Tommy Clark,Ronnie Lang. San Antonio 50’s- Ramon Cervera, Micky Rodriguez, Tom Vera.

Men’s 50 AA-Romo’s Old School- Candido Perex, Juan Navarro, Steve Casarez, Art Ochoa, Rueben Rodriguez.

Men’s 50/55Gold- Team Mayhem- Bill Hancock, Frank Lyons, Willie Schooley.El Paso Spurs- Manny Gutierrez, Lorenzo Hinojos.

Men’s 50/55 AAA- Pace Electronics- Rich Bigler, John DeMagistris.

Men’s 55 AAA- Houston Fire- Mike Hirth, David Chauvin, Bailey Nance, Anthony Arnt, Ben Sparks.Electrifiers- John Ellsworth, Willie Tijerina, Carl Beyer.

Men’s 60Major- Texas Makuli-Randy Fithian, John Sutton, Rich Wilson, Howdy Melton, Scott Harmon.

Men’s 60 AAA- San Antonio Silver Streaks- Gibby Contreras, Chon Fernandez, Rudy Guzman, Jack Orbin, Richard Keilholz.

Men’s 65 AAA- San Antonio Legends- Rockey Crews, Eddie Arevalos, Joe Casey, Lonnie Springs, Ronnie Henderson.The Crackerbox- Jim Fulks, Mel Stinnett, David Moore.

Men’s 70 AA- Hill Contracting- Tom Foster, Daryl Shumaker, Leon Oebel, Billy Hill, Max Smith.Segura Farms- Terry Fox, Donnie Linebarger, Nuby Johnson.

Men’s 70Silver-Texas Greyhounds- Mike Braker, Jim Waite, Larry Letzner, Neal Dacus, Joe Housley.