2021 held at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on September 3-4.
Champion – Thunder/Chosen, Gladewater, Texas
Runner Up – Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval, Topeka, Indiana
- MVP – Justin Gregory – Chosen/Thunder
- HR Champion – Erik Lehman – Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval
- Batting Champion – Mike Wieland – Apex
CHOSEN/THUNDER CLAIM 2021 MEN’S CLASS B SLOW PITCH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WITH BOUNCE-BACK WIN OVER SILVERBACKS/REVOLUTION ATH/KOVAL
The 2021 USA Softball Men’s Class B Slow Pitch National Championship came to an exciting close today as Chosen/Thunder claimed the Championship title with a bounce-back win over Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval in the Championship “if-necessary” game. After posting an undefeated 5-0 record through bracket play, the Thunder suffered their first loss of the weekend in the Championship contest as the Silverbacks pulled out the 19-17 win to force the “if-necessary” game. The Thunder offense proved superior though with a dominating performance to cap the tournament with a 25-5 (five-innings) Championship victory.
Silverbacks jumped out to an early lead in the Championship contest, driving in four runs in the top of the first before allowing Chosen to cut the lead in half with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. The back-and-forth scoring would continue through the remainder of the game, with Chosen evening the score at seven in the bottom of the third before Silverbacks responded with a six-run fourth inning to regain the lead. Chosen would plate five in the bottom of the sixth to give them their first lead of the game, but Silverbacks would once again answer back in the top of the seventh to put them on top, 19-17, with three outs remaining in the game. Kendall Welborn and Josh Kirsten would send base hits through the infield to put runners on for Chosen with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but an infield ground out would seal the win for Silverbacks to force the “if-necessary” game.
After suffering their first loss of the tournament, Thunder bounced back even stronger with the help of a 12-run second inning to propel them to the 25-5 run-rule win to secure the Championship trophy. Thunder wasted no time in getting on the board, scoring two in the top of the first with a two-run home run from Brian Renner. That lead did not hold long though as the Silverbacks answered back in the bottom of the frame with two runs of their own to even the score, 2-2. Refusing to stay down long, the Thunder offense lit a spark in the top of the second with 10 base hits, two home runs and a grand slam putting them on top, 14-2. The Thunder continued dominating through the third and fourth innings, tacking on eight more runs to their lead before rain at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium forced a weather delay in the bottom of the fourth. The delay showed no affect though as the Thunder returned to the field to limit the Silverback offense to just three runs through the fourth and fifth innings while adding three runs of their own to seal the 25-5 Championship victory.
How the teams made it to the finals:
Chosen/Thunder landed in the Championship Game after outscoring their opponents 107-62 in route to a 5-0 undefeated record through bracket play. With the help of a 11-run fourth inning in their first game of the day, the Thunder pushed past Tharaldson to advance to the winner’s bracket finale against Drip City/Midwest Monsta. Another explosive fourth inning, this time scoring eight runs, helped the squad to a narrow 20-16 victory over Drip City to place them in the Men’s Class B Slow Pitch National Championship trophy game.
Thunder offense combined for 134 hits and 30 home runs in their quest to the Championship contest with Kirsten leading the way with 17 hits and three home runs followed by Justin Gregory with 16 hits and four home runs.
Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval cruised through bracket play with three-straight victories before dropping the 19-15 decision to Drip City in their first game of the day to send them to the loser’s bracket. Wasting no time staying down, the Silverbacks quickly bounced back with a 34-17 win over the Dirt Dogs/FHC before posting a 21-1 (four-innings) run-rule victory over The Nation to advance to the semi-finals. With a trip to the Championship contest on the line and a rematch set against Drip City, the Silverbacks offense proved superior with a 30-10 (four-innings) run-rule win to send Drip City home with the third-place trophy.
Battling through seven games to land in the Championship game, Silverbacks totaled 172 hits and 38 home runs while outscoring their opponents 162-72. Galen Miller led the Silverbacks offense with 22 hits and nine home runs while Dennis Yoder and Jeremy Stabach tallied 21 hits. The Silverbacks were one of three teams to score a tournament-high of 30 or more runs in a game.
2021 FIRST TEAM ALL AMERICANS
Dennis Yoder – Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval
Faron Fry – Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval
Robbie Hinkle – Drip City/Midwest Monsta
Brian Renner – Chosen/Thunder
Gregg Downing – Chosen/Thunder
Josh Kirsten – Chosen/Thunder
Tanner Unkle – Drip City/Midwest Monsta
Jeremy Stabach – Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval
Galen Miller – Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval
James Patterson – The Nation
Taylor Albrecht – The Nation
Alex Hovey – Drip City/Midwest Monsta
Justin Gregory – Chosen/Thunder
Aaron Yoder – Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval
Erik Lehman – Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval
Matthew Brady – Chosen/Thunder
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Thunder/Chosen, Gladewater, TX (6-1)
2. Silverbacks/Revolution Ath/Koval (7-2)
3. Drip City/Midwest Monsta, Urbandale, IA (3-2)
4. The Nation, Rhome, TX (4-2)
5t. Tharaldson, Fargo, TX (3-2)
5t. Dirt Dogs/FHC, Wallingford, CT (4-2)
7t. Ductech/Monsta Athletics/Budweiser, South St. Paul, MN (3-2)
7t. D&R Miller Concrete, Topeka, IN (3-2)
9t. JEC/P5 Sports/Kevitt, Brooklyn Park, MN (2-2)
9t. Lifetime Diamonds/Legendary Sports, Conroe, TX (1-2)
9t. Reno Cycles & Gear/Lithia Chrysler Jeep of Reno, Sparks, NV (1-2)
9t. L&S Glass, San Jose, CA (1-2)
13t. Apex, Ankeny, IA (1-2)
13t. Vivid/Kilbombers, Frisco, TX (1-2)
13t. Wahl Optical/NZone, Lincoln, NE (1-2)
13t. All American/Dugout 47, Rochester, MN (0-2)
17t. T’s 13, Omaha, NE (0-2)
17t. All Star Plumbing, Oklahoma City, OK (0-2)
17t. Kut4 Sports/OI Livingston/D2E Trailers, Clanton, AL (0-2)
17t. Blackies Softball, Defiance, OH (0-2)
17t. Competitive Edge/Olmito Heat/Adiktiv, League City, TX (0-2)
