The Nationwide Insurance Conference USSSA is the top men’s slow-pitch league in the country. The league is comprised of 40 of the top teams in the nation and is in its 7th year of existence. This year the league has played over half of its regular season tournaments (15) and has had 8 different teams win at least 1 event. So the parity has been impressive and the quest to be the #1 team is still up for grabs.
All of the league teams play a minimum of 6 tournaments throughout the year and score points based upon their finishing position and how many other Conference teams are entered in each event. This year Resmondo-Specialty Tank/Worth out of Winter Haven, Florida has just taken over the points lead from Laservision/Annihilation/Supreme/D2E/Easton based out of Cicero, New York and Nordkap/Desert Falls/Easton out of Utah, as we enter the part of the season when some of the most prestigious tournaments like the 40th Annual Smoky Mountain Classic in Maryville, Tennessee are going to be played. Resmondo moved into the #1 spot in points when they went undefeated 6-0 to win The Dudley Budweiser Classic in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota over the June 15-17th weekend.
The Nationwide Conference USSSA has a group of select umpires that travel the country at great personal sacrifice to provide a consistent umpiring experience for the top teams. The prize at the end of the season is the Major World Series, which is the most prestigious tournament to win in all of slowpitch softball. The top 16 teams in the point standings after the “Last Chance” tournament in Detroit, Michigan, go to the Conference Championships over Labor Day weekend where there is a banquet honoring the top players. More importantly the top 16 teams are qualified for the USSSA Major World Series which is played on September 19th – 23rd at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Champions Stadium (the home of the Atlanta Braves spring training). The Series is a double elimination event that is played on the baseball field and features a home run derby, all of which is broadcast live on the internet at ConferenceUSSSA.com and SoftballCenter.com!
To this point in the season our tournament winners have been:
March – Las Vegas – Nordkap/Desert Falls/Easton (UT)
April – Hall of Fame Classic #1 – Resmondo-Specialty Tank/Worth (FL)
April – Hall of Fame Classic #2 – Nordkap/Desert Falls/Easton (UT)
April – Kansas City – Laser Vision/Annihilation/Supreme/D2E/Easton (NY)
April – Phoenix – West Coast Doerflinger/Easton (CA)
May – Dallas – Team 454/Emerald/Worth (VA)
May – Indiana – Demarini/Dirty/3N2/ATWLDesigns (FL)
May – Nashville – Resmondo-Specialty Tank/Worth (FL)
May – Atlanta – Demarini/Dirty/3N2/ATWLDesigns (FL)
June – Houston – Resmondo-Specialty Tank/Worth (FL)
June – Seattle #1 – Nordkap/Desert Falls/Easton (UT)
June – Seattle #2 – Team Combat/Pacific Headwear (WA)
June – Chicago – Team 454/Emerald/Worth (VA)
June – “The Dudley” – Resmondo-Specialty Tank/Worth (FL)
June – Connecticut – Magic/S&S/TYJA/Easton (MA)
The league’s leading hitter, which is determined by whomever has the highest on base percentage, is currently veteran Dennis Rulli who plays for TYJA – Suncoast Reebok at .823. Dennis has been playing at the “Major” level of slow-pitch softball for over 20 years!
The leading home run hitter is Shoppe/Team TPS/Elite slugger Tim Cocco who has 75 HR and he is just ahead of other big name players like Brian Wegman (62 HR) and Greg Connell (59 HR).
The league leader in RBI (runs batted in) is also Tim Cocco with 201.
Follow all of the action throughout the season with tournament reports, highlight videos, live broadcasts and more, at Conferenceusssa.com and softballcenter.com
About USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!
