Event | State | Date | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
1 | Louisiana | 6/20-6/22 | Ameron | Wall Street | W. Monroe Sports |
2 | Oregon | 6/20-6/22 | Outlaws | Bronx Bombers | Team Eruption |
3 | New Mexico | 6/20-6/22 | Rhinos | Desperados | Sun Devils |
4 | Virginia | 6/20-6/22 | Harlow Bros. Lumber | Spanky’s | Spirit Graphics |
5 | Massachusetts | 6/27-6/29 | Beloli/Five Star | Tony’s Muckers | Clubhouse |
6 | South Carolina | 6/27-6/29 | Citizen Bank | Bulls | Dawgs |
7 | Wisconsin | 6/27-6/29 | Newport | Hi-Liter | Knuckle Heads |
8 | Indiana | 6/28-6/29 | Sports Center | Captain’s Cabin | GoldStar |
9 | West Virginia | 6/28-6/29 | Charlestown Moose 948 | Westphal Ollies | Craig’s Paving 3D Lines |
10 | New Jersey | 7/4-7/6 | Bash | Everlast | Nicky D’s |
11 | Florida | 7/4-7/6 | Maximum Softball | Russell’s Paint & Body | Paradise Christian School |
12 | Texas | 7/12-7/13 | Austin Hustlers | Rosenberg Indians | Austin Angels |
13 | Wyoming | 7/18-7/20 | North Bar Star | Jenkins Music | Coors Light |
14 | Minnesota | 7/18-7/20 | Minnehaha Liquors | Pro Source | Innovative Graphics |
15 | Kentucky | 7/19-7/20 | R&R Roofing | R.I. Reds/Rodo | Hitachi |
16 | Arizona | 7/19-7/20 | Liners | Deer Valley Texaco | USA Plumbing |
17 | Alabama | 8/1-8/3 | Sound Effects | Satterfields | CPP Softball |
18 | Maine | 8/1-8/3 | Louis Chevy | Biddeford & Saco | Maxwells |
19 | Michigan | 8/1-8/3 | UFP Universal | Dawgs | BBL/Lockes’ |
20 | Hawaii | 8/8-8/10 | Go Nuts | Homeboys | Robo |
21 | Maryland | 8/9-8/10 | Angle Inn Heat | B&L Painting | Arden Contracting |
22 | California | 8/9-8/10 | Smog Stop | Young Guns | Global Bearing |
23 | Kansas | 8/9-8/10 | Long Homes | Barley’s Brewhaus | Jocks Nitch |
24 | Colorado | 8/15-8/17 | Buyers Edge | FRS | Master Collision |
25 | New York | 8/16-8/17 | KO’s | Vets Armored Car | Investor’s Associates |
26 | Pennsylvania | 8/22-8/24 | Enola Sportsman’s Assoc. | Pasco Tool | Legacy Killians |
27 | Nebraska | 8/23-8/24 | Mickey Finns/Godfathers | Farmers & Merchants | Ron’s Rebels |
28 | Illinois | 8/23-8/24 | Wombats | Thunder | Gypsies |
29 | Ohio | 8/23-8/24 | Steve’s Used Tires | Airport Toyota | Swanton Welding |
30 | North Carolina | 9/5-9/7 | H&H Express | Carpets by Thad | LeeRoy’s Frame |
Maximum Softball is a team accustomed to winning tournaments and enjoying the fruits of victory: trophies, titles, free beer and just the mere satisfaction of a job well done.
But nothing had prepared the South Florida athletes for winning the Coors Light USA Softball World Series Oct. 11, when they walked away with a hefty $60,000 winner’s purse.
“It raised some eyebrows, that’s for sure,” said Maximum left-center fielder Kevin Kline of Plantation. “And when the sponsor told players to keep a big piece for themselves, it raised eyebrows even more.”
Maximum sponsor Chip Hoffecker of Pompano Beach has paid expenses for the C-division tournament team since it was formed one year ago.
“He’s been so good to us all year, putting us on planes whenever we had to travel out of state, taking care of everything,” Kline said. “I was just happy _ we were all happy _ to win this one for Chip.”
Hoffecker contributes more than money to the team, however. He also catches and boasts a batting average that hovers near .400.
The lucrative Coors event capped a dream season for Hoffecker’s team, a year that saw Maximum win five national titles in only six weeks.
“It was a helluva year,” said Maximum manager Jim Velez of North Lauderdale. “I’ve been in softball for 20 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Winning the Coors Light event was no fluke, however.
“We worked all season for that,” said Maximum’s ace pitcher, Tom Herrmann of Boca Raton. “This has been the biggest year of my career, by far.”
Maximum surpassed expectations by compiling a 91-9 record and clinching five national championships.
Along the way, they picked up a team mascot _ a life-sized color cutout of actress Pamela Anderson. After Maximum finished a disappointing second in a tournament in Atlanta, shortstop Randy Vollmer of Weston brought the Anderson cutout to their next big event, the National Softball Association tournament in Kissimmee.
With the cutout standing in the dugout, Maximum won the Kissimmee tournament. Vollmer kept bringing Anderson to every game, and players credit her with helping them win 26 straight games, culminating in the big win in October.
That win at the Coors Light event was the team’s crowning achievement. Played Oct. 10 and 11 at the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers, 29 state champion teams fought for their share of the coveted $100,000 cash purse.
In April, according to Maximum second baseman Ryan Scott of Sunrise, 1,800 teams began competing nationally to represent their states in the national Coors money event. By October, Maximum was World Series-bound after earning the No. 1 spot in Florida, along with $5,000 in Coors state-championship prize money.
Maximum performed flawlessly in the big event, knocking off the creme de la creme from California, New York, Indiana, New Jersey and Massachusetts to advance into the finals, an ESPN-televised rematch with Beloli/5 Star of Massachusetts.
Fans nationally watched Maximum score six runs in the first inning, and five in the seventh and final inning, as South Florida’s dream team posted a decisive 14-8 win over Beloli.
First baseman Bob Love of West Palm Beach was 2 for 3 at the plate, with two RBIs, while both Dave Devane of Miami Springs and Kline went 3 for 4.
Love was named tournament MVP after going 18 for 21 at the plate to rack up an .850 average.