The Fort Zumwalt Tournament This Weekend

The upcoming Ft. Zumwalt West Tournament this weekend will be a challenge, three games, the first at 8 a.m., the second at 10 a.m., and the third at noon. 

Here’s the way I’ve always worked tournaments. Every player is guaranteed at least one full game (she might be the DP one game and the Flex in another game, but it will still be one full game on offense and defense). We’ve managed a fair amount of success with this approach in the past, but, win or lose, parents and fans will get to see their player in action.

The brackets and times are below. We will have water, sports drinks and snacks for the players. The bus leaves at 6:30 a.m. in front of Roberts Gym. I’d say 6:30 a.m. sharp, but the busses are not always sharp themselves. Nevertheless, players shouldn’t count on that. “Leave no (late) player behind” has never been my slogan and a player who misses the bus (or boat) will not be the first. I’m hoping, however, that I’ve already left without my last.

See you at the field(s)!

Ready or Not -- 2018

After two weeks of practice, we have had to make all sorts of difficult decisions. Thankfully, one we did NOT have to make was whom to tell she won’t be playing softball. Oh, and apologies for not having updated the Blog Header. That is coming when I am permitted to sit without an elevated leg for more than 15-20 minutes!

But due to the efforts of Bryan Gibson, Don Sanders, and many others from the Feeder League, as well as the commitment from the girls themselves, we will be adding a third team so that all 40 girls who said they wanted to play softball for Webster High School will have the opportunity to do so. We welcome Ashley Pickett (a former player) as the coach of that team and Mike Sulve (a former Webster and collegiate baseball player) to the mix of coaches who will be working with the girls this season.

We haven’t had a third team in over a decade, when I returned to the program as the freshman coach. It is both exciting and a challenge as we juggle players, playing time, facilities, etc. Nevertheless, it is a challenge to which we are looking forward.

We will be adding softball-only shed in right field and moving our home dugout to the first base line. There are plans for more facility improvements, as well, and we’ll be doing some more  season-prep field work this Sunday morning (8/19), for those who would like to contribute their time and energy. 

While the varsity traveled to Fox for their annual preseason jamboree, We had our own intrasquad scrimmage today, and except for a coach forgetting how old he is and suffering an injury, it went well. Fortunately Coach Pickett, just out of sick bay herself, picked up the slack, so we were able to learn more about our players and their various  skill sets.

We have a few pictures of our day, thanks to Mrs. Sammon. But first, we will add the schedules for JV Black and JV Orange. Speaking of the latter, if you should see Jerry Collins, thank him for his hard work in securing a 15-game schedule (9 regular season, 2 3-game tournaments) in August. We are looking forward to seeing you at your daughter’s games.