ASA “C” Nationals Set to Begin Frday, August 31 at Killeen, Texas
By Princess McDowell
Killeen will host the 2007 Men’s Fast Pitch ‘C’ National Tournament this week, with the first game scheduled for today at the Killeen Athletic Complex.
The double-elimination tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. immediately after the opening ceremonies. The championship game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Tournament passes are $15 and daily passes are $7 each.
Thirty-one teams are participating in the tournament – 10 from Texas – with the winner earning the title of Amateur Softball Association National Champions. Both teams based in Killeen, Team Killeen and Killeen Fastpitch, have a decent shot at winning the tournament.
Killeen Fastpitch, then Killeen Powerprint, placed second in the state tournament held at the same field in July, while Team Killeen had to play out of the loser’s bracket.
Killeen Fastpitch coach Brandon Smith said its great to be able to play the tournament at home.
“That’s a major advantage because our team runs off the energy of the crowd,” he said.
Smith said the team is filled with players that either have finished playing collegiate ball or are still playing. He decided along with assistant head coach Ryan Norman to start the team, but it didn’t have time to practice before the first game.
“We put the state team together two weeks before we had to play,” Smith said.
Despite July being the first time that the team stepped foot on the same field, Killeen Fastpitch placed second, and then won the Houston Sportmen Father’s Day Tournament on Aug. 11.
“None of us knew softball rules,” he said. “We had no gameplan going into it.”
Fastpitch will actually have a chance to practice and meet as a team before today’s first game. Smith named Norman, James Belliveau, Cody Davis and Mike Cruz as some of the team’s key guys.
“I think they are the biggest leaders, not necessarily vocally but their actions speak louder than their words,” he said.
Several squads that the Killeen teams faced in July are scheduled to play in the tournament, including the Austin Jokers, Geo-Per from Houston, Manor Fast Pitch and the San Antonio Titans, who won the state tournament.
Killeen Fastpitch will begin the tournament with a first-round bye. On Friday, they will face the winner of Marysville VFW and Cleon’s Auto Repair. Team Killeen plays in game four against Alpha Omega 2. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.
Flor de Cana (formerly Latin Heat), from Southern California will be competing in the tournament.