USA SOFTBALL REMEMBERS LONGTIME USA SOFTBALL MEMBERS CARLTON BENTON AND JACK MOWATT
USA SOFTBALL APPOINTS FOUR NEW COMMISSIONERS
TIM DOBY COMMISSIONER FOR USA SOFTBALL OF NORTH CAROLINA
"I am honored, humbled and excited to be appointed as the next Commissioner for North Carolina,” said Doby. “I have big shoes to fill following the retirement of Tony, but I have been lucky to have learned so much from him the last six years in my role as Junior Olympic Commissioner. My staff and I are eager to bring a fresh perspective to softball in North Carolina and expand the USA Softball brand while giving more teams and umpires the opportunity to play a part in it.” READ MORE
DWAYNE SEALY COMMISSIONER FOR USA SOFTBALL OF FLORIDA
“It’s an amazing and humbling opportunity to be selected to serve the players, parents, coaches and umpires as the Commissioner of USA Softball of Florida,” said Sealy. “We have a great state with a history of gifted people leading and representing USA Softball at every level. We also have an eager, dedicated and passionate staff that I am looking forward to working with as we continue to build a program that provides joy and excitement of the game, opportunities for all and the chance to develop friendships that last a lifetime.” READ MORE
ANDY WILLIAMS COMMISSIONER FOR USA SOFTBALL OF NEVADA
“I am honored to be selected as the next Commissioner for USA Softball of Nevada,” said Williams. “I'm excited to continue the outstanding work that Tony Pehle has done for the last 20 years, and I look forward to working with the incredible staff here in Nevada to grow the participation and competition in USA Softball.” READ MORE
COMMISSIONER FOR
USA SOFTBALL OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
VINCE DEFRIESE
“I am extremely honored to be selected as the USA Softball of Northern California Commissioner,” said DeFriese. “Being involved with softball and other sports for many years, I am excited to share my passion for the game with USA Softball specifically. I’m also looking forward to working with our passionate staff members to build and enhance the overall program throughout Northern California.” READ MORE
USA SOFTBALL OF MAINE HOLDS 2022 HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY
Jeanne started Umpiring in 1980 and increased her
involvement thru various roles as Secretary, Treasurer,
Vice President and then President for Andy Valley. For over
20 years, she served as Maine ASA Commissioner for District
8 & 9. Jeanne served as Deputy Junior Olympic (JO)
Commissioner for the State of Maine where you would often find her visiting area leagues to register teams and encourage them to play in State tournaments. She enjoyed working with teams to put on successful tournaments for the youth.
JEANNE STROUT
JEFF MARSHALL
Jeff devoted many years to the game of softball starting as a player at the age of 15 in 1973. After several years of playing, Jeff helped start the Men's League in Waterville and soon found himself supporting Maine ASA as an Umpire, Coach and Commissioner for District 6. Jeff spent many years organizing and running softball tournaments for all ages. Whether Jeff was the Tournament Director, Umpire or just at the field as a proud 'Pappy' watching his granddaughter's play, he found great joy in being around the game of softball in Maine.
SIOUX FALLS MEN’S FAST PITCH TEAM HONORS LONGTIME PLAYER/ MANAGER
Kerwyn Lykken has been a staple in the Sioux Falls Men’s Fast Pitch world for a number of years. For the majority of that time, he has been both a player and manager for the same sponsor – the Crow Bar & Casino Lounge. This year, the Crow Bar Fast Pitch team honored this local legend with a surprise tribute on Lykken’s 70th birthday this past July.
LOOKING
AHEAD TO
2023
GOLD NATIONALS
WHEN: July 16-23, 2023
WHERE: Oklahoma City, Okla.
WHO: Girls’ 16-Under and
18-Under Fast Pitch teams
USA Softball JO Cup and GOLD Nationals locations announced
JUNIOR OLYMPIC CUP
WHEN: July 6-12, 2023
WHERE: Polk County, Fla.
WHO: Girls’ 14-Under, 16-Under
& 18-Under Fast Pitch teams
The Pipeline to the USA Softball Women’s National Team
The High Performance Program (HPP) identifies a pool of athletes to train, compete and represent USA Softball through domestic and international competition. The program focuses on providing an equal opportunity for players to show their talent while growing the game of softball in the United States. Serving as a pipeline to the National Team, the program is inclusive to all that wish to participate and develop their skills. For more information on the HPP, click here.
The Region 6 HPP Identifier in Wixom, Mich. took place on Sunday, August 21. With a great turnout on the field, Olympians Michelle Moultrie and Janie Reed served as evaluators for the successful event with top athletes gathering from all across Region 6.
NATIONAL SELECTION EVENT
WHEN: November 3-6
WHERE: Mequite, TX
WHO: Athletes who have been invited from a Regional Identifier
THE BIGGEST EVENTS OF THE SUMMER
Take a look at the top USA Softball grassroots events from 2022
JUNIOR OLYMPIC CUP
16-UNDER & 18-UNDER
Oklahoma City, Okla.
JULY
11-16
GOLD NATIONALS
16-UNDER & 18-UNDER
Oklahoma City, Okla.
JULY
17-23
16-Under Champions:
Turnin2 Pezz
18-Under Champions:
Stars National Coleman/Belfield
16-Under Champions: Oklahoma Pure Fastpitch Melson 05 Premier
18-Under Champions:
Wichita Mustangs
KRISTINA BATES, KAYLA CARPENTER AND BERNADETTE AARON TOOK THE FIELD AS AN ALL-FEMALE UMPIRE CREW AT THE 2022 GOLD NATIONALS
“To have the mutual respect of a woman is really nice. It's a female sport so I feel having more female umpires is good for the girls to see and hopefully will inspire them to get into softball umpiring after playing."
Kristina Bates
MEN'S MAJOR FAST PITCH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
South Bend, Ind.
AUG
4-7
Men’s Major FP Champions:
NY Gremlins
ALL AMERICAN GAMES
Oklahoma City, Okla.
AUG
12-14
All-American Games Champions: Region 5 Stars
CANCELLATIONS, CARPOOLING & CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIPS –
CHECK OUT THESE ALL-AMERICAN TRAVEL STORIES
A cancelled flight in Washington, D.C. led to three athletes from Region 1 and Region 2 renting a 15-passenger van with their families to drive 20-hours straight. They left as strangers and arrived in Oklahoma City as friends!
From Region 7 to Region 5 – Nothin’ better than traveling across the country to enter the Softball Capital of the World®!
A Wisconsin-Oklahoma road trip! The view from the backseat isn’t too bad when you’re headed to the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.
Finding a little piece of home along the way from Alaska to Oklahoma.
MEN'S CLASS B SLOW PITCH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
SEP
2-3
MEN'S CLASS A SLOW PITCH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
SEP
4-5
Men’s Class B SP Champions: Rock Run Cabinetry/All Hustle/Silverbacks/Koval/Beloli
Men’s Class A SP Champions: The Herd
A SUMMER OF CHAMPIONS
Over 40 USA Softball National Championships in all age divisions took place this summer from coast-to-coast – take a look at some of the Champions who were crowned!
ALL HANDS ON-DECK IN VIRGINIA!
The 2022 Girls’ Class A Fast Pitch National Championship umpire crew helped make the tournament a huge success!
PLAYER
SPOTLIGHT
Paige Vickery, 17
Commerce, GA
Mojo-Vickery 18U
Middle Infield/Utility
Her start: I started playing when I was six years old. I have older sisters who played so I grew up in the dugout – and my dad has always been my coach.
Favorite thing about playing softball: My favorite things about playing softball include competing, doing what I’m most passionate about, making friends, being alongside my dad, being a leader and helping other teammates.
Her goals: I want to go to college and compete at the next level. Maybe one day I will coach.
Best experience: My best experience in softball includes getting to travel, seeing and meeting all the college coaches, and doing what I love and what I am good at.
Proudest accomplishment: One of my proudest accomplishments came during school ball this year. I hit three home runs – one of which was a walk off to help my team win. Also, at the 2021 Nationals in Colorado, I was an All American and hit five home runs during the tournament.
Toughest obstacle: I had a knee injury which at first I didn’t have to have surgery – just physical therapy. About a year later I injured it again and had MPFL surgery. Coming back from that injury two times is tough. But I learned that if you want something bad enough, you just have to put in the work and come out stronger and better because of it.
Role model in the game: My biggest role model is my dad for sure. As far as player, it would be Sis Bates.
PLAYER
SPOTLIGHT
Braylen Saenz, 13
Moore, OK
Oklahoma Legacy
Third Base/Shortstop
Her start: I started playing when I was five years old and fell in love with the game.
Favorite thing about playing softball: My favorite things about playing softball is just getting on the dirt and playing all out.
Her goals: I want to play in college and professionally.
Best experience: My best experience in softball was the USA Softball All-American Games. It was so fun and such an honor.
Proudest accomplishment: One of my proudest accomplishments was making the USA Softball All-American Games team.
Toughest obstacle: My toughest obstacle is not getting down when things don't go my way. I have put in a lot of work on that, to just brush it off and get to the next play or at-bat.
Role model in the game: My role models in the game include Sydney Romero, Jayda Coleman and Grace Lyons.
More from Braylyn: I think that I can be a great inspiration for other girls to play the game and to help them not let anything take you off course from what you love. I think that I can show how to overcome things when the game doesn't go your way and to keep going – to keep giving all the effort you can in everything you do. I just want to share that no matter how big your talent is, you have to work hard every day – even on days you don't feel like it.
PLAYER
SPOTLIGHT
MyKenzie Weaver, 13
Franklin County, VA
Scrappers National - Weaver
Third Base/Catcher
Her start: I started playing t-ball when I was four years old.
Favorite thing about playing softball: My favorite thing about playing softball is the many friends I have been able to make from the sport.
Her goals: I want to go to a D1 school and be the best athlete I can be.
Best experience: My best experience in softball has been the growth I’ve been able to accomplish.
Proudest accomplishment: One of my proudest accomplishments is that I have hit seven home runs in my career.
Toughest obstacle: One of the toughest obstacles I’ve had to overcome is coming out of a hitting slump.
Role model in the game: My biggest role models are my dad, Chase, and Coach Lonnie.
More from MyKenzie: I have love and dedication for the game and I practice every day to become the best player I can be.
UMPIRE
SPOTLIGHT
Otis T. Jackson, 62
Saint George, UT
USA Softball of Utah
His start: I started umpiring for USA Softball in 1986 in San Diego, Calif.
His favorite thing about umpiring softball: My love for the game is unquestionably the reason I continue to umpire and it allows me the opportunity to train others about the sport.
His goals: I have a few goals yet to achieve. 1) To become an Elite Umpire and 2) become a member of the National Indicator Fraternity.
Best experience: One of the best experiences that I ever encountered was this year. During one of the games that I had the pleasure of umpiring, there was an athlete playing in this game knowing that her mom was passing away while on hospice with only moments to live. She and her coaches were on the phone with her mother communicating as the game was being played. This was her mother's only dying wish and it was to have her daughter play the game she loved. As the time got closer to her mother's expiration, the coach made me aware of how much time was remaining, so I made an announcement to both teams about the situation that was taking place. I decided to stop the game and conduct a moment of silence and had both teams and fans in attendance meet at the pitching circle to take a group photo to send to her mom and for the player to have a photo to commemorate her mom's wish. This was without a doubt my best experience ever.
Proudest accomplishment: After moving to a new state and completing my second year, my proudest accomplishment was being nominated as the #4 umpire within the state of Utah and #1 umpire in Southern Utah within my second year. I was asked to join the Utah State Training Association Board while also becoming the Umpire Training Coordinator for Red Rock Officials Association within my first year.
Are you a member of any USA Softball umpire awards program? I am a member of the USA Medals Program as a Gold Medal Award recipient.
Favorite thing about umpiring for USA Softball: My favorite part about umpiring for USA Softball is having the pleasure of meeting and learning from other umpires from around the country. I also like having the opportunity to train other umpires.
More from Otis: This job is about building each other up to become a better umpire.