Press Release

 

Sports/Fastball

 

Men’s Senior Fastpitch Fastball Tournament

 

 

Larry Lynch, chairman of the Legends of Fastball Classic announced recently that this annual tournament will be returning to Kitchener’s Peter Hallman Ball Yard this year. After a successful 4 year run in Woodstock this ten team International Softball Congress Qualifying event will be held on the weekend of May 30^th to June 1^st.

 

“A strong volunteer base in Kitchener is what this tournament needed” says Lynch, the ISC Hall of Fame fastpitch coach of the Kitchener RiversharkTwins   “This tournament is the oldest major men’s fastpitch tournament in Canada and along with its host team, the RiversharkTwins, it will celebrate its 41^st year at the Hanson Avenue ball yard.”

 

The tournament will showcase the new Kitchener entry in the ISC Senior Men’s Travel League. The Hallman Twins of Kitchener merged with the Orillia Riversharks shortly after last years ISC World Tournament held in Kitchener. The Twins finished the ISC’s in the 12^th spot while Orillia ranked 6^th following the tournament won by The Farm of Madison Wisconsin.

 

For most of the teams, this will be their first big test of the season. The Jarvis Gamblers, 10^th last year in the ISC World Tournament will be in the same division as Kitchener. These two teams will also face a strong ISC II team, the local Bridgeport Braves who were 3 and 1 in ISC Tournament of Champions play last August. The Niagara-on-the-Lake Snappers have moved up to ISC play this year after their 3^rd place finish in the ISC II last year. The Ashland Ohio Mets 16^th in the World Tournament in 07 round out the “Hallman” pool.

 

The “Buck” division of the Legends Classic features three great Ontario teams. St.Thomas Evergreen Centennials were 1 and 3 in the World Tournament last year but have signed some great players for the ISC campaign this summer. Tane Richardson, a New Zealand National Team pitching candidate and a great hitter as well will move to St.Thomas this summer; Brian Roote .429 at last year’s World Tournament and former Jarvis Merchant ace Scott Wagar are new additions to a lineup that includes Tex Lessard, an   All World player and leading hitter at the world Tournament with a lofty .667 average.

 

Owen Sound, a perennial championship hotbed of fastball is entering the Legends for the first time this year, building a Junior team for the national championships that they host this August.

 

Scarborough Wolverines have been a strong team for many years in Ontario, building on their back-to-back Canadian junior championship teams of a few years ago.

 

The Midland Michigan Explorers. 3 and 2 in the World Tournament and a constant favourite in the K-W area, have added Dan Skillings, All World outfielder from Innerkip (.571 batting avg.) and Brian Urquart a power pitch who toiled with Jarvis last year, to a line up that includes Kyle Beane (.500) another All World team player, slick fielding Todd Schultz and former Twin and Canadian National Team veteran, Craig Crawford. Add in the Explorers great defense, .993 and you have a team that should do well here and at the ISC in Kimberly this August.

 

Out of Oswego New York, CPI, were 2 and 2 in their ISC II pool, batting .245, and posted a .976 team defense. They will need that defense against the Explorers and the Evergreen Centennials. Shaun Winship allowed a stingy 2.26 earned run average and may be able to keep CPI in the game.

 

Tickets will only be available at the gate at $5.00 Friday evening, $10.00 Saturday and $10.00 Sunday. A Weekend Pass is available for $20, which will allow you to take in all 25 games in the tournament. The Championship game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday June 1.

 

Proceeds from this tournament will go back to the local fastball community and the events long time partner The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. 

 

 

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

 

For more information contact Larry Lynch at llynch9@rogers.com or by telephone at 519 579 2903