Most of the planet's top fastball players will report to St. Clements this weekend — from Aussie ace Adam Folkard to Kiwi slugger Wayne Laulu and Waterloo's own world and Pan Am Games champ Brandon Horn.

The official first pitch of the international major men's fastball season will be thrown on Friday evening at the three-day, 10-team Peter Hallman Memorial Tournament.

The world's top-three ranked squads will take their swings in St. Clements including No. 1 Hill United Chiefs from Six Nations, the second-ranked Toronto Gators along with the No. 3-ranked team, the Clifton Park, N.Y. Gremlins.

"For us, this is our first chance to defend our championship," said Hill United coach and Kitchener resident Larry Lynch whose Chiefs aim for an unprecedented four-peat of the International Softball Congress world club team title this season.

"And for other teams, they want to prove they will be a contender come August."

The tourney also welcomes the Kitchener Hallman Cubs, the Elmira Expos, the Scarborough Force, the NorthEast Drillers from Pottstown, Pa., the Shakespeare Falcons, the Wiarton Nationals and the Toronto Batmen.

Of course, the recently refurbished St. Clements ballpark is familiar to local fastball fans, although it is a new venue for the Hallman Memorial, which took a one-year sabbatical last season.

Also last year, one of the oldest elite men's fastball teams on the continent, the two-time ISC world champion Kitchener Hallman Twins, were disbanded at the end of the season.

But major men's fastball returns to Waterloo Region this year in the form of the Hallman Memorial.

This event has been held at the Kitchener ballpark named in Hallman's honour previously but scheduling conflicts necessitated the move out of town this year, organizers said.

This season, the Chiefs will have to contend with a wave of player retirements. Kitchener resident and utility player Craig Crawford, pitcher Don Scott, of Sebringville, another former Kitchener Twin, Dale Levy, of St. Marys, and outfielder Jeff Ellsworth have all called it a day.

But with Folkard, a five-time ISC world tournament outstanding pitcher, spinning his magic, along with Kitchener thrower Ryan French, the Chiefs still field a world-class lineup.

Hill United's batting order — featuring Newfoundlanders Steve Mullaley, Jason Hill and Brad Ezekiel along with Australian wall banger Nick Shailes — still causes sleepless nights for opposing managers.

The Gators counter with a flock of Kiwis. Laulu, Brad Rona, Ben and Thomas Enoka, Thomas Makea and Dante Matakatea make the trek to St. Clements from New Zealand while Team Canada's reigning International Softball Federation world champs, pitcher Sean Cleary from Harbour Main, N.L., and Waterloo's Horn will also be in uniform.

The Gremlins hope to make their mark in St. Clements too.

The New Yorkers feature a couple big Canadian bats in Mathieu Roy and Blair Ezekiel and from the pitcher's circle, Australian fireballer, the baby-faced assassin, Andrew Kirkpatrick, is still considered one of the world's finest.

The tourney will also include an under-21 division contested by the New Hamburg Mustangs, the Tavistock Athletics, the Owen Sound Selects and the Stratford Cubs.

Action gets underway on Friday at 5 p.m. as Scarborough tussles with Wiarton and Elmira meets Shakespeare. Games are to follow at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Games resume on Saturday at 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Sunday's championship is at 1 p.m.

For the complete schedule, visit iscfastpitch.com.