The International Softball Congress continues its outreach to university, college and high school baseball coaches across the United States with a second recruiting video to attract new players into men’s fastpitch softball.
The new video is now available on the ISC website at http://www.iscfastpitch.com/ as well as on the ISC Facebook page www.facebook.com/isc.fastpitch.
“As stated in the video, it’s a great tool, but it needs to be shared with as many baseball coaches and players as possible so that we can get new players into the game,” says Larry Fisher, ISC Executive Director. “We encourage all men’s teams to reach out to their local colleges and high schools and spread the word – there’s a significant pool of talent there and we need to tap into it to bring young players into our game.”
“By our unofficial count, there’s nearly 1,300 men’s fastpitch softball teams across North America, so there’s an opportunity out there for those that want to play,” says Fisher.
Tapping into the baseball past of several players on the highly-ranked New York Gremlins team, the video features several top players as well as USA Softball President Warren Jones, who speaks about the opportunities for younger players to be identified for the U.S.A. U19 junior men’s national team.
“We want to let these young kids know that there’s another game out there that they can play,” says Jones.
Among the Gremlins, Matt Palazzo talks about the quick pace of play, the ability for one hit to be a big difference in the game and the success he’s had in recruiting athletes in the Des Moines, Iowa area to take up the game.
“Once they try it, just like myself, they fall in love with the game and its pace,” says Palazzo, who played baseball at Iowa State University and, in addition to the Gremlins, stars on the U.S.A. men’s national team and has twice been named the U.S. Male Fastpitch Player of the Year.
Aimed at high school and college seniors, the video commentary notes that men’s fastpitch softball offers baseball players the opportunity to utilize all of the skills they’ve developed over a lifetime of playing, and will give them the chance to create 20+ years of new memories.
“I’ve been able to travel around the world and see the best in the world … and it’s been a great challenge and a good experience,” says Nick Mullins, who played baseball at the University of Pittsburgh, and plays for the Gremlins as well as Team U.S.A. “For all of the young kids out there who are playing baseball or just finished playing baseball, [fastpitch softball] is definitely a good game, so get out here and let’s see what you’ve got!”
International stars Zenon Winters and Bryan Abrey also talk about the opportunities and experiences they’ve enjoyed.
Abrey, who is a member of the defending World Champion Canadian men’s national team, played junior college baseball in California before transferring to an NAIA school in Idaho. Abrey talks about the speed of the game and the adjustments that baseball players will need to make.
Winters notes that he’s been playing fastpitch softball for 27 years, starting as a six-year-old in his native Australia, and has been able to travel the world because of the game and highlights the opportunity for American players to do the same thing.
“We think that if baseball players give fastpitch softball a chance, we’re confident that they’re going to fall in love with the game just like Matt Palazzo talks about,” said Larry Fisher, ISC Executive Director.
For more information on the ISC and men’s fastpitch softball, see the ISC website at http://www.iscfastpitch.com/.
Larry Fisher
ISC Executive Director