Category: 1987

1987 ASA Men’s Major Fast Pitch Nationals

1987 held at Meador Park in Springfield, Missouri on September 12-19.

Champion – Pay’N Pak, Seattle, Washington (92-21)
Runner Up – Penn Corp, Sioux City, Iowa (89-21)

Pay’N Pak lost first game to Tele-Connect 3-1 and then reeled off an incredible run of 11 consecutive victories to come back and win the Championship. This was the greatest comeback in the history of ASA National play on record. They also became only the second team to win three consecutive National titles since the Zollner Pistons did it in 1945-1947. Penn Corp won the final two title games by the same 2-1 scores.

Bruce Beard’s bottom of the 7th walk off homer won the first final 2-1 to force the second game. Then he had a big 2-run double in the final to clinch the title.

Graeme Robertson pitched and won the loser’s bracket final and then both the championship games. He finished with an 8-1 record.

Doug Gillis pitched the other three victories for Pay n Pay as he finished 3-0 to cap a record 11-1 record for the tournament.

Steve Schultz of Penn Corp won 5 games in the winners’ bracket; hurling 4 no hitters, including a perfect game, before hurting his knee in winners’ bracket final and he was done for the tournament.

Guanella Brothers Steve Padilla and Chuck D’Arcy combined to go (5-2). Padilla pitched 36 consecutive innings of scoreless ball.

  • MVP – Bruce Beard, Pay ‘n Pak
  • Batting Leader – Cleon Young, Midland Explorers – .529
  • HR Leader – Brad Dodge, Penn Corp – 3
  • Herb Dudley Pitching Award – Graeme Robertson, Pay ‘N Pak
  • Herb Dudley Pitching Award – Steve Schultz, Penn Corp

FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

P – Peter Meredith, Trans-Aire (5-2) He was 48-7 on the season with 857 K in just 400 Innings pitched.
P – Dave Scott, Decatur Pride (5-1)
P – Graeme Robertson, Pay’N Pak (8-1)
C – Steve Zediker, Penn Corp
C – Steve DeFazio, Guanella Brothers
1B – Bruce Beard, Pay’N Pak (walk off HR in bottom of 7th to force “if” game, then 2-run double to won championship)
2B – Rick Minton, Decatur Pride
3B – Jeff Borror, Pay’N Pak
SS – Steve Kerian, Decatur Pride
OF – Brian Rothrock, Decatur Pride
OF – Mitch Munthe, Guanella Brothers
OF – Bobby Michaelson, Penn Corp
OF – Brian Lehrman, Trans-Aire
DP – Cleon Young, Midland Explorers (9-17)
UT – Jim Clark, Guanella Brothers

SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

P – Steve Padilla, Guanella Brothers
P – Darrel Bender, Nothdurft Tool
P – Al Rausch, Collins Radio
C – Steve Calvert, Collins Radio
C – Mark Burrup, Miller Toyota
1B – Jeff Bell, Bloomington Hearts
2B – Mickey Brusco, Pay’N Pak
3B – Eric Niepagan, Bloomington Hearts
SS – Chad Corcoran, Pay’N Pak
OF – Steve King, Bloomington Hearts
OF – Terry Lynch, Midland Explorers
OF – Brad Dodge, Penn Corp (9-17, .522)
OF – Bill Boyer, Pay’N Pak
DP – Dave Jackson, Decatur Pride
UT – Rod Towe, PFI

THIRD TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

P – Rick Plangger, Plangger’s Furniture
P – Bill Cooper, Teleconnect
P – Lonnie Marshall, PFI
C – Tim Wahl, Pay’N Pak
C – Tim Davis, Trans-Aire
1B – Frank Long, Sunners
2B – John McEldowney, Plangger’s Furniture
3B – Dave Bedford, Midland Explorers
SS – Tim Blasi, Osbern-Merit
OF – Boomer Brush, Clearwater Bombers
OF – Mark Rice, PFI
OF – Bob Blakley, Harold’s Supermarket
OF – Mike Glasser, Ashland ESS
DP – Dave Jackson, PFI
UT – Mike Hopkins, Osbern-Merit

OTHERS

Steve Schultz, Penn Corp (5-0, 4 no hitters including one perfect game)

FINAL STANDINGS

1. Pay ‘N Pak, Seattle, WA (11-1)
2. Penn Corp, Sioux City, IA (6-2)
3. Collins Radio, Cedar Rapids, IA (5-2)
4. Guanella Brothers, Santa Rosa, CA (5-2)
5t. Miller Toyota, Salt Lake City, UT (3-2)
5t. Trans-Aire, Elkhart, IN (5-2)
7t. Decatur Pride, Decatur., IL (5-2)
7t. Bloomington Hearts, Bloomington., IL (4-2)
9t. PFI, Springfield, MO (3-2)
9t. Midland Explorers, Midland, MI (4-2)
9t. Teleconnect, Cedar Rapids, IA (3-2)
9t. Sunners, Reading, PA (2-2)
13t. Plangger’s Furniture, Benton Harbor., MI (3-2)
13t. Ashland Ess, Ashland, OH (2-2)
13t. Nothdurft Tool, Detroit, MI (3-2)
13t. Robertson Homes, Stockton, CA (3-2)
17t. Broken Bow Travelers, Broken Bow, NE (1-2)
17t. Clancy’s, Paterson, NJ (1-2)
17t. Gary’s Auto Stereo, Palmdale, CA (1-2)
17t. Potter Enterprises, Nashville, TN (1-2)
17t. Sheraton Coors, Cambridge, MA (1-2)
17t. Stroh’s, St. Paul, MN (1-2)
17t. Clearwater Bombers, Clearwater, FL (2-2)
17t. Harold’s Supermarket, Lexington, MO (2-2)
25t. Osbern-Merit, Springfield, MO (2-2)
25t. Agri-Pro, Ames, IA (1-2)
25t. Annapolis Radiator, Annapolis, MD (1-2)
25t. Coors Silver Bullets, Aurora, IL (0-2)
25t. Boise Metros, Boise, ID (0-2)
25t. Lubbock, Lubbock, TX (0-2)
25t. Morgan Hill 9, Morgan Hill, CA (0-2)
25t. Piqua Fastballers, Piqua, OH (0-2)
33t. Faultless Rubber Company, Ashland, OH (1-2)
33t. Chick’s Tavern, Pleasant Valley, NY (1-2)
33t. Happy Chef, Mankato, MN (0-2)
33t. Har-Bell/JM Welding, Springfield, MO (0-2)
33t. Holliday Exterminating, Memphis, TN (0-2)
33t. Jefferson City Fastpitch, Jefferson, MO (0-2)
33t. Phoenix NSSI, Phoenix, AZ (0-2)
33t. Seeburg Muffler, Springfield, MO (0-2)
33t. Wellesley Trucking, Wellesley, MA (0-2)

New softball bat has 3 sides

Ted Williams, a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame and a life-time .344 hitter for 19 major league seasons, once said the hardest sports accomplishment of all was to hit a round ball squarely with a round bat.

With the use of geometry, Bill Merritt is attempting to make the art of hitting a ball easier.

Merritt, an architect and sometime softball player, has attempted to maximize the batter’s potential by designing a softball bat that, believe it or not, has three flat sides. In principle, this bat gives the batter, provided he has the correct mechanics, a much greater chance of hitting a line drive than with a standard bat.

The triangular bat, called “The Broadsider,” is currently being used in several softball leagues around the country and has received favorable comment from both the Amateur Softball Association and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

“I had the idea three summers ago. It was the beginning of the season and I went out to play for the first time and I had one of those days that nobody likes to talk about where I hit a lot of pop flies,” Merritt re-called. “I saw other people doing the same thing. I don’t know what got me to thinking about it later, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind — making contact with the ball and the concept of sweet spot.

“I thought there was a better way to increase the sweet spot by changing the geometry of the bat. I played around with shapes and what made sense and pretty quickly I came up with a triangular shape.”

Putting his idea to work, Merritt made three bats himself on a lathe in the shop where he worked as an architect. It was an extremely difficult task.

“When you’re one individual with an idea, you don’t have the same resources a big company does,” Merritt said. “When I made the first one I didn’t even have ash. I had to make it out of poplar, which you can’t play with. I got some ash and made two bats, so I was very careful. It took about 20 hours to do it.”

Satisfied that his bat worked, he then began the arduous task of getting the bat accepted. His first contact in organized softball was Donna Terry, head coach of the women’s softball team at the University of California. Terry, one of the top players and coaches in the country, took an immediate liking to the bat and had her team try it out in practice.

“She thought it was a tremendous concept and had a lot of validity,” said Merritt. “I then did a mailing to all the college teams and about 30 teams purchased the bats. The response from them was pretty favorable. I did a survey of those schools prior to the ASA convention last January. They were all in favor of seeing it approved for ASA and NCAA play.”

The ASA, softball’s governing body, has expressed an interest in the bat. It was voted down at last year’s convention but only because there were too many commissioners who had not seen the bat in play. It needed a two-thirds majority to be approved on the floor and got only 50 percent.

“It got enough support that they wanted to see the bat in play this year, so they could get some statistical feedback and get comments from umpires and players to see if there is anything detrimental to this,” said Merritt. “There have been about 50 to 60 city leagues around the country that have approved it.

“I’ve also talked to the NCAA and the coaches have recommended a rule change to allow for a three-sided bat.”

Without full ASA approval, however, Merritt’s ability to market the bat is limited because teams can’t take it into tournament play unless it is ASA sanctioned. He’s also run into another problem.

1987 ASA Women’s Major Slow Pitch Nationals

1987 held at Pensacola, Florida.

Champion: Key Ford Lady Mustangs, Pensacola, Florida
Runner Up: Spooks, Anoka, Minnesota

The Key Ford Mustangs reached the National Semi Finals for the fourth straight year, finishing third in 1984, 1st in 1985 and fourth last year. They went through this year’s tournament undefeated with a 7-0 record. They defeated The Ghostley Spooks from Minnesota in the championship 6-1. Tournament MVP Myra Williams and Trina Hartzog both singled and scored in the first inning to make it 2-0. After the Spooks scored and the Mustangs countered with a couple more runs, the score was at 4-1. In the sixth inning, Myra Williams singled again and scored on Tammi Terrell’s drive to left. Charlotte Cates singled and she scored Stephanie Sugg’s hit to make the score 6-1. The Mustangs defense was incredible with Charlotte Cates pitching, giving up only 10 runs in 7 games.

  • MVP – Myra Williams, Key Ford Lady Mustangs
  • Batting Leader – Joanne Zayac, WW Gay Rebels (16-25) – .640
  • Home Run Leader – Myra Williams, Mustangs – 1
  • Home Run Leader – Gina Green, Mustangs – 1
  • Home Run Leader – Tracey Kruger, Spooks – 1
  • Home Run Leader – Freda Miller, Lakerettes – 1

1987 FIRST TEAM ALL AMERICANS

P – Charlotte Cates, Key Ford Mustangs
C – Helen Kelchner, Key Ford Mustangs
1B – Debbie Bregler, WW Gay Rebels
2B – Judy Knight, Spooks
3B – Judy Krantz, UPI
SS – Kelly Henderson, WW Gay Rebels
OF – Carol Moeling, UPI
OF – Tammi Terrell, Key Ford Mustangs
OF – Myra Williams, Key Ford Mustangs
OF – Carol Bemis, Spooks
DP – Joanne Zayac, WW Gay Rebels
UT – Linda Polley, Spooks
UT – Lorraine Hudson, Key Ford Mustangs
UT – Teresa Held, Spooks
UT – Trina Hartzog, Key Ford Mustangs

1987 SECOND TEAM ALL AMERICANS

P – Nancy Garbett, Spooks
C – Patricia Nealing, WW Gay Rebels
1B – Brenda Pena, Key Ford Mustangs
2B – Sharon Mancil, Keen Carpet Tomboys
3B – Shelley Johnson, Spooks
SS – Judy Wrather, UPI
OF – Valerie Mercado, Bay Brats
OF – Anna Clements, Bay Brats
OF – Vivian Langley, WW Gay Rebels
OF – Lori Wright, WW Gay Rebels
DP – Libby Parrish, Keen Carpet Tomboys
UT – Melissa Tanner, Bay Brats
UT – Linda Nelson, Spooks
UT – Jody Trimmer, Mr. Dario’s Pacers
UT – Karen Baker, Atlanta Trumps

1987 THIRD TEAM ALL AMERICANS

P – Gaye Wilson, WW Gay Rebels
C – Ann Peters, Mr. Dario’s Pacers
1B – Lee Delk, Atlanta Trumps
2B – Tracy Shellnut, Atlanta Trumps
3B – Marilyn Proher, WW Gay Rebels
SS – Denize Wentz, R&R Concrete
OF – Toni Robinetter, Bay Brats
OF – Lisa Robinson, Sheriff’s Stars
OF – Linda Garbett, Spooks
OF – Tracey Kruger, Spooks
DP – Karen Murphy, Bobby Gene’s Comets
UT – Peggy Begy, Tosti Raiders
UT – Jennifer Harp Oliver, UPI
UT – Darby Cottle Veazey, Keen Carpet Tomboys
UT – Anne Barlow, Sheriff’s Stars

FINAL STANDINGS

1. Key Ford Mustangs, Pensacola, FL (7-0)
2. Spooks, Anoka, MN (6-2)
3. WW Gay Rebels Jacksonville, FL (6-2)
4. UPI, Cookeville, TN (5-2)
5t. Bay Brats, Tampa, FL (5-2)
5t. Mr. Dario’s Pacers, York, PA (6-2)
7t. Tosti Raiders, Farmington Hills, MI (3-2)
7t. Atlanta Trumps, Atlanta, GA (4-2)
9t. R&R Concrete, Lexington, KY (4-2)
9t. Keen Carpet Tomboys, Tifton, GA (3-2)
9t. Sheriff’s Stars, Pensacola, FL (3-2)
9t. Bobby Gene’s Comets, Omaha, NE (4-2)
13t. Busch Whiz Kids, Belleville, IL (3-2)
13t. Star Precision, Mentor, OH (3-2)
13t. Olympic Sports, Seattle, WA (3-2)
13t. Holiday Hill, Mansfield, CT (2-2)
17t. Tuffies, Farmington Hills, MI (2-2)
17t. Illusion/Chance, Houston, TX (2-2)
17t. Tele Power Services, Muncie, IN (2-2)
17t. State Farm Insurance, Mansfield, LA (3-2)
17t. All Pro Line Inc., Brookpark, OH (1-2)
17t. Lakerettes, Conneaut Lake, PA (2-2)
17t. Macon Chargers, Macon, GA 1-2
17t. Zanderettes, Apopka, FL (2-2)
25t. Kwik-Way Roadrunners, Charlotte, NC (2-2)
25t. McBride’s, Champaign, IL (1-2)
25t. Ozark Express, Springfield, MS (1-2)
25t. Cobra Trucking, Pearl, MS (1-2)
25t. Three Brothers, Milford, CT (1-2)
25t. Brentwood Center, Springfield, MO (1-2)
25t. Turner Express, Youngtown, OH (1-2)
25t. Sports Page, Ames, IA (1-2)
33t. Little Falls Stingers, Little Falls, MN (0-2)
33t. Jack Daniel Chapter Debs, Pittsburgh, PA (0-2)
33t. Mid America, Detroit, MI (0-2)
33t. Arkansas Naturals, Little Rock, AR (0-2)
33t. Cannan’s Flames, San Antonio, TX (0-2)
33t. Spencer Water Filters, Shreveport, LA (0-2)
33t. Kruse Furniture, Elida, OH (1-2)
33t. Andre’s, Medford, MA (0-2)
33t. Cannan’s Blazers, Bryan, TX (0-2)
33t. Joe’s Pharmacy, Montgomery, AL (0-2)
33t. McGlaughlin Oil, Columbus, OH (0-2)
33t. B+1 Sports, Tacoma, WA (0-2)
33t. Bud Light Spirits, Hooksett, NH (0-2)
49t. Dahco’s Wichita A’s, Derby, KS (0-2)
49t. Pacers, Moline, IL (0-2)