2021 Nationwide Conference USSSA
Lonestar Shootout
Mansfield, TX
May 14-16
Seminoles Oliver Odle hit a single, double, and triple in the winner's final vs Envy
SoftballCenter Lonestar picture album link
More pictures at Erika Vargas Photography on Facebook
2021 Lonestar bracket and results link
2021 Lonestar Major stats link once available
2021 Lonestar archived games link
Video Highlights brought to you by:
2021 Lonestar Major Video Clips link
The 8 miniature Major League replica fields had approximately 270-280-300-280-270 dimensions.
But the main field Polo Grounds was 270-342-314-342-270
Team Breakdown: 36 Teams Overall 16 Nationwide Conference USSSA Teams 1 'AA' Teams 10 'A' Teams 17 'B' Teams 8 'C' Teams
Friday Night Upset Bids!
Levels (CO-A) (in the field) beat DB/3Xtreme (TX-B) 4-3 with the wind blowing in on Polo Grounds field early Friday night. Dustin Wager was 2-3 with a HR, 2 RBI, and 2 Runs scored. Each team hit just 1 home run.
Friday night in the Conference USSSA is made for upsets and the Lonestar Major held at the Big League Dreams in Mansfield, Texas had a few. The tournament began with 36 teams from 11 different states and 16 of them were from the Conference. The weather was great all weekend until Sunday morning when it rained and the wind blew in on Polo field, across on Fenway and Ranger fields, and out on Yankee field most of the 3 days. On Friday night MAJ/Knell/Dirty (WA-A), Seminoles/TPS/NACSF.INC (OK-A), Primetime Easton (GA-A), Cheap Suits (CA-B), Bay Area Legends (CA-A), Envy/Lifetime Diamonds (TX-A), J&R Logistics (AR-A), BNS-SIS (KS-B), and Classic Glass (CA-A) were all Conference teams that won big or won by the run rule over Texas/Regional non-Conference teams. Below are the "close calls".
Nightmare (MO-A) had a tough 1st round draw against Lazer Sportswear (UT-B) but came out on top 18-14 when they turned a double play to end the game.
Whut It Dew a Conference 'B' team from Texas lost to Smash/The Lodge (TX-B) 15-11 on Polo after being down 15-4 in the bottom of the 7th.
Thunder/Chosen (TX-B) scored 6 in the bottom of the 6th to beat a feisty Game Over 20-16.
MVP/Old School (TX-B) knocked off Conference 'B' team DirtyVegas/Steel 24-20 after Dirty Vegas rebounded from a 14-3 deficit in an entertaining Friday night game with a number of fans in attendance.
Dan Bean hit a walk off homer in the bottom of the 7th to put Precision (IL-AA) over All Day (TX-B) 29-27. Precision was down 5 going into the bottom of the 7th.
"Round of 16"
The "Round of 16" was played at 9:30 AM and 11 AM on Saturday morning. Here Precision battled Envy in a great matchup over on Ranger field where Envy pulled it out 11-10. The wind was blowing across the field and homer's were really only going out down the right field line.
Nightmare who used to be coached by Tim Barnes played Thunder/Chosen who Barnes currently helps coach. Zane Migues went 4-4 with 2 HR, 6 RBI, and 4 runs scored and Nightmare beat Thunder/Chosen 18-14 with the wind blowing in on the big Polo field. Both teams hit 4 HR in the game.
Cheap Suits jumped out to a 12-0 lead on Bay Area Legends but the Legends tied it at 23-23 in the bottom of the 4th with the wind blowing out on Yankee field. Then Zach Orr hit a pinch hit 3 run homer to put Cheap Suits up 29-23 and Bay Area's Joel Gonzalez hit a bases loaded triple to tie it again at 29. The battle continued for 3 more innings with Bay Area pulling it out 37-36 even though Cheap Suits had the hammer.
Levels with D-Lo on the mound in black here broke out of their year long offensive slump and run ruled My Auto Jack 27-12 on Fenway field with the wind blowing out to left.
#1 seed Classic Glass jumped out to a 10-3 lead on BNS-Easton on the show field (Polo) with the wind blowing in but BNS scored 8 of the last 10 runs to make it close. Classic ended up winning 12-9.
In other "Round of 16" action L&S Glass scored 12 runs in the 1st inning and shut down J&R Logistics winning 23-5. MVP/Old School upset Primetime 37-21 after both teams scored double digits in the 1st inning on Yankee. And Seminoles beat upset minded Smash the Lodge 34-14 putting up 15 runs in the top of the 3rd as Zane Trammell hit for the cycle.
"Round of 8"
All of the "Round of 8" games were played at 2:15 PM Central time. Nightmare got off to a slow start against Classic Glass as they failed to score with the bases loaded in the 1st. Later in the game Nightmare's Mike Brown hit a grand slam to put them up 17-12 in the top of the 5th. Classic fought back on a homer into the wind by Farrar with 2 outs to tie the game at 19 in the bottom of the 6th and Zach Ross hit one into the win to give them a one run lead. In the top of the 7th Zane Migues hit a 3 run homer to put Nightmare up 22-20 and Buckshot got Classic to ground into a DP to end the game.
Bay Area squeaked out another 23-17 win over MVP to advance to the "Final 4".
In other "Round of 8" action Seminoles 4 inning run ruled Levels 34-14 scoring 22 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Seminoles center fielder Spencer Selby was 4 for 4 with 4 HR and 9 RBI. And Envy pulled out another low scoring 9-7 win over L&S Glass that actually began and ended before I ever got over Polo to see what was going on…
"Final 4"
In the semifinals Seminoles scored 11 runs in the 4th inning and beat what appeared to be a tired Bay Area team 26-11. Conner Murray and Chris Hansen at the top of the Seminoles order combined for 7 hits, 2 HR, 8 RBI, and 6 runs scored. Seminoles out homered Bay Area 12-6. Murray had a grand slam and 10 different Seminoles homered in the game. And the Seminoles outfield as you can see in the pictures above robbed a couple of homers and made a few diving catches.
In the other semifinal over on Polo with the wind blowing in Envy found a way to win again 10-9 over Nightmare. Their 3rd straight low scoring win.
Envy right fielder Jordan Harrison makes a running catch by the wall to preserve their semifinal win.
Winner's Final
The winner's bracket final between Envy and Nightmare you can watch in CONDENSED form on the SW48 youtube channel on Tuesday. The wind died down some on Polo but there weren't many home runs on the big field. Envy who is usually one of the better fielding teams in the Conference gave a number of extra outs to a Seminoles team who's offense was by far the best in the Lonestar tournament this year. Seminoles took advantage scoring 9 runs in the bottom of the 3rd and that was pretty much the difference as they won 19-9. Oliver Odle was 3-4 with a single, double, triple, and 4 RBI. Zane Trammell was 4-4 with 3 RBI in a game that had a total of 3 HR.
Seminoles left fielder Jose Hernandez kept blowing up Envy infielders who are normally sure handed.
Loser's Bracket
In a loser's bracket battle between Northern California Glass companies Classic beat L&S 27-12.
Precision's Mike Umschied hits a game winning single to beat Thunder/Chosen.
In the loser's bracket Thunder/Chosen and Dirty Vegas made a run in the top half but Precisions run was bigger as they beat DB, J&R, MVP, and used a walk off single by Mike Umschied to beat Thunder/Chosen. Then Nightmare dropped down and scored 8 in the top of the 7th to beat Precision 33-23 to advance to Sunday. In the lower half of the bracket it was all Northern California teams as Classic Glass beat L&S Glass then lost to Bay Area 39-37 with the bats in their hands in extra innings.
Bay and Classic late Saturday night.
Championship Sunday!
On Sunday it rained so much I didn't get much video or take many pictures. Nightmare in the red white and blue jumped out to an 8-0 lead and got a DP on Bay Area to end the 3rd inning. Nightmare added a grand slam mid game from Myles McGhee and Bay Area failed to hit a single homer in the game as Nightmare won by the run rule 19-4.
In the loser's final Nightmare went up 11-8 after 3 innings against an Envy team that just couldn't find any offense in this tournament. Nightmare shut out Envy the last 4 innings of the game and won 18-8. Do you think Buckshot has made a difference on this Nightmare defense? I think so!
Nightmare's Nolan Fogle leads off the championship game with a base hit.
Heavy rains came down during the championship game around 11 AM on Sunday. Seminoles scored 6 runs in the 2nd and 7 more in the 3rd to go up 13-1. But Nightmare held Seminoles scoreless in the last 4 innings and was down 13-8 going into the bottom of the 7th. With the dreaded "if" game within reach, Nightmare mustered just 3 runs and had the winning run at the plate when they made the last out. Seminoles won 13-11 and with it the Lonestar Championship and scored 214 Conference points! Seminoles pitcher JD Harris won the MVP going 2-3 with a homer and 4 RBI in the game. Leadoff hitter Conner Murray went 3-4 as well and Seminoles out homered Nightmare with the wind blowing in on the big Polo Grounds field 5-1.
The Conference heads to Shawnee, Kansas next weekend for the Crown Town Classic!
240 compression bat testing and the Dudley Pro-M ball again reduced scores and pitcher injuries.
Long Bombers of the Week
I am giving the long bomber of the week to Thunder/Chosen's Misael Tavarez who hit this bomb over the top of the stadium field backside. For some reason the big man's easy swing reminded me of Denny Crine!
Lonestar Major Final Standings and Awards
Seminoles pitcher JD Harris was the tournament MVP
Seminoles 3rd baseman Zane Trammell was Defensive MVP and had an .840 on base percentage!
Nightmare SS Randy Frederick with a bad wheel was still Offensive MVP
Team by team notes brought to you by:
1st Place – Seminoles/TPS/NACSF.INC
Conf 'A' from OK 6-0 Record
The offense was spectacular as they put up 30 runs in all of the games they played away from the Polo Grounds. And they were in the high teens in two games at Polo. Conner Murray was .750 with 7 HR and 26 RBI. Ramirez, pitcher Harris, Hernandez, and Odle were all .700+ and Zane Trammell was .840 with 6 HR and 18 RBI. Spencer Selby led the team with 8 HR. They averaged almost 8 homers per game and JD Harris the pitcher was getting it done on both offense and defense. An outstanding team victory. They really had a Resmondo type dominating weekend with a tournament leading .674 team on base percentage.
Chris Hansen lays out for one
Justin Beal and Brian Therkildsen had some big hits for Seminoles
Jose Hernandez hustles to third
Matt Cochran
Hunter Ramirez and Kennemer
2nd Place – Nightmare/Benefit the Badge/Miken
Conf 'A' from MO 6-2 Record
Nightmare got some big outs when needed late in games and credit Buckshot's pitching with giving the team those chances. The offense did enough in games against Classic Glass and then Envy on Sunday morning. This team has come a long ways since the Hall of Fame Classic!
Buckshot on the mound was a difference maker in the late innings for Nightmare
Mike Brown hits a key grand slam vs Classic Glass.
Roberts gives the pre-game pep talk
3rd Place – Envy/Lifetime Diamonds/Legendary
Conf 'A' from TX 4-2 Record
If Envy had played the defense like they did in Oklahoma they probably finish 2nd in this tournament because I don't think anyone was beating Seminoles who had the only offense that could step on the gas when needed. Envy goes into Kansas next weekend with a very high seed.
Bullock makes a diving play at MI
The Envy outfield is not short on range
Ryan "The Cyborg" Tomasi made all tournament at pitcher again.
4th Place – Bay Area Legends/Easton
Conf 'A' from CA 4-2 Record
Bay Area thinks they should be winning tournaments like the Lonestar and they did have as good a shot as anyone there. The offense was there for them until Sunday morning but the defense has been erratic at best.
1B Gonzalez, MI Eaton, SS Raines, LF Day
Boyd and Miller both made some nice picks at third base.
Tied 5th Place – Precision/3rd Street/Red Athlete/Pure
Conf 'AA' from IL 5-2 Record
Precision wore the Donnie Munford tribute shirts. I miss Donnie already. "Yep, Yep"
Precision was missing 4 or more players and dropped into the loser's bracket when they couldn't score against Envy in what bracket watchers knew was going to be a tough game. They ran for awhile in the loser's bracket which was good because they need games but they didn't get the points they were hunting and are now in jeopardy of missing the Major World Series. But it is only May…
Mooch with a trick pitch. Barnes at SS. Kessler in LF.
Umschied almost messed up my ESPN highlight of Austin Andrews who just missed robbing this homer.
Tied 5th Place – Classic Glass/Easton
Conf 'A' from CA 4-2 Record
Classic beat L&S Glass, BNS, and a pair of local teams but lost close games to Nightmare and Bay Area with the bats in their hands and the winning runs on base.
Reid Ramirez brother of Ryan has been a nice addition to Classic Glass.
SS was Wik this week as they moved Larson to LF. Brown made a bunch of great plays at middle infield.
Tied 7th Place – Thunder/Chosen/Competitive Edge/SOG
Conf 'B' from TX 4-2 Record
Thunder/Chosen played 6 very close games and a tough loss to Precision which are all growing pains for a very good young team. Cheatwood, the Schumaker's, and Perez provide the power. Roberts has huge upside. And Barnes has this team competing with the big boys!
I don't know these guys but they play good softball!
Tied 7th Place – L & S Glass
Conf 'A' from CA 3-2 Record
L&S Glass beat a local team, then run ruled J&R Logistics, lost to Envy 9-7, run ruled Lazer Sports, then lost the grudge match to Classic Glass 27-12. So as you can see a bit of a roller coaster weekend. This is a solid team that if they can get all the vets and young players playing good at the same time can make an impact come 'A' Worlds.
3B Cano, SS Acosta, MI Faria for L&S
Fong tries to make up for that "olay" at 1st the previous inning. 🙂
Some more pictures for you:
It is always fun seeing Mike Aviles play for Lazer Sports. Mike, as I have reported before played MLB for 10 years and hit an amazing .325 in his rookie season.
Tied for 9th – Lazer Sports (UT-B) 3-2 – Lazer Sports hasn't had the upset magic they have the past few years at conference events but they did beat Primetime.
Tied for 9th – Smash/The Lodge Card Club (TX-B) 3-2 – Smash/The Lodge tied with MVP for highest finishing non-conference team after beating What it Dew and MAJ. I didn't make it over there for the team pic. 🙁
Tied for 9th – Levels (CO-A) 2-2 – Levels survived that 4-3 win with the wind blowing in on Polo field and then surprisingly run ruled My Auto Jack on Saturday before dropping to Seminoles and Thunder/Chosen.
Tied for 9th – MVP/Old School (TX-B) 2-2 – MVP beat Dirty Vegas then jumped on Primetime in a high scoring win before losing a 6 run decision to Bay Area and a run rule loss to Precision. They should be a force in Texas 'B' tournaments all year.
J&R Logistics lost big to L&S Glass and Precision the two Conference teams they played and won big against two non-conference teams.
Dirty Vegas/Steel lost their first game to MVP then went on a little run in the loser's bracket scoring 20 or more runs in 3 straight wins before Thunder/Chosen beat them 14-10.
Shawn Huseman led them in on base percentage .857 and Blake Nelson and Landon Wilkinson each hit 4 HR.
MAJ lost 27-12 to Levels in a game they were favored in, then beat All Day by 2 in the loser's bracket, then Smash the Lodge upset them 21-17.
Rough weekend for MAJ who was a favorite to make the top 5 in this tournament. Bo Cuthbertson and Kade Christensen were both over .700 for the weekend and Waltrip, Erickson, and Christensen all hit 4 HR.
Cheap Suits had a tough 1 run loss to Bay Area Legends then Lazer run ruled them 33-8. Mejia, Swinford, and Harville had .700 or higher onbase.
Whut it Dew's only win was a forfeit. They lost to Smash the Lodge and FRS.
BNS-SIS-Easton went 1-2 losing to Classic Glass and Dirty Vegas in games where they just didn't score. Packard led the team in on base .727 and Marsh hit 4 HR.
HR Rob
Primetime went 2-2 losing big to good non-conference teams MVP and Lazer Sports.
Another home run rob!
Tim Bowser about to go big fly out of Texas Rangers stadium
National UIC Dave Maury re-testing bats on Sunday morning. About 5% failed.
Lone Star Softball is Greg Huchingson who is fighting health issues.
The view on the livestream was great on all 8 fields
Rain spotted up the livestream camera lenses on Sunday
The rain hit hard on Sunday morning delaying some flights and causing dangerous conditions on field.
Polo Grounds
This fan was still smiling and holding her daughter when she was nearly hit by a home run ball!
The foul poles were actually on the field?
