2015 Nationwide Conference USSSA
3rd Annual Columbus B.A.T.S. Major
Columbus, OH
May 8-10
Smash It Sports leadoff man Bryson Baker hits one past Resmondo 3B Jimmy Salas to start the championship game!
Link to the Softballcenter.com picture album of the Columbus Major
USSSA Columbus tournament info and bracket link
The Columbus B.A.T.S major this year was one of the largest conference team attended events outside of Florida or the Smoky in the history of the Nationwide Conference USSSA series! 29 teams including all 6 Major teams and 11 top ‘A’ teams were fighting for 266 points. It was Smash It Sports/Compound Athletics/H.Auto/Laservision/ASP/Easton the #1 team in the nation who would go undefeated as they knocked off Resmondo Specialty Tank Worth 44-37 in extra innings of the championship game early Sunday afternoon! Resmondo who had lost in the semi-finals to Backman 33-29 on Saturday night won 3 straight in the loser’s bracket to get to the finals.
The tournament started on Friday night at 5 PM eastern time with all of the favorites winning except for 4 The Fallen who was short handed due to flight schedules but nevertheless was beaten by Precision Recovery a ‘C’ team 29-17. In the loaded 2nd round which was partially played on Friday night and partially played on Saturday morning, OI Livingston beat Precision Recovery and a sluggish Albicocco team 21-11 to advance to the final 4. Smash It Sports smoked Combat/Northwest Athletics and came from behind to beat Precision/Easton/DO 15-14 with the wind gusting in on field #15. Backman run ruled Xtreme and beat Team Combat 23-19 ending the game on a nice double play ball turned by shortstop Jonathan Lenz on a hot smash. And Resmondo was the last team to join the final 4 when they scored 20 runs on 9 homers with no outs in the 4th inning to run rule 3rd Street and then turned around and 20 run ruled Team Racks.
In the winner’s bracket semi-finals Smash It Sports beat an OI Livingston team that wouldn’t give up 20-17, and Backman got out to a double digit lead midway through the game against Resmondo and held them off 33-29 after Resmondo scored 10 runs in the 7th but came up 4 runs short. The winners bracket championship late Saturday night was anti climactic as Smash It Sports put on a line drive hitting clinic against Backman and jumped out to a 29-0 lead and won easily 34-2 in 3 innings by the 30 run rule prompting the question – has a major team ever beaten another major team by the 30 run rule after 3 innings?
In the loser’s bracket Albicocco left 4 The Fallen on the field with a 15 run inning, then got beat by Precision by 9, who turned around and got pasted by Resmondo 28-6 to end Saturday evenings games. On the other side of the loser’s bracket Team Combat beat a hot Semper Athletics team, Pure Romance, and OI Livingston all by the run rule to make it to Sunday.
On Sunday morning bright and early at 8 AM, Team Combat jumped out to a 12-6 lead on Resmondo but couldn’t take advantage of Resmondos slow start and lost 28-12 as the Resmondo offense woke up and obliterated Combat. In the loser’s bracket championship the Resmondo guns kept up their barrage with a 32-15 shalacking of Backman to make it to the championship against Smash It Sports.
In the final game Smash It Sports held a lead most of the way including a 31-23 advantage going into the bottom of the 6th but had just a 31-30 lead going into the 7th. In the bottom of the 7th Resmondo got a Yates solo, a Collins inside the park homer, a Connell 2 run homer, and a Purcell homer to tie the game and send it to extra innings. In overtime in the top of the 8th for Smash It – Reyna doubled, Helmer hit a pinch hit rbi single, Bryson Baker hit a 2 run homer, Wegman doubled, Filby walked, and Scott Kirby and Mike Umschied each hit huge 3 run homers to take a big lead and they held on to win the tournament 44-37.
Smash It Sports increased their points lead over Resmondo to 140 points. Resmondo salvaged their weekend by finishing 2nd because a 3rd place finish or worse could have been devasting for their Conference championship hopes. Backman picked up their 3rd 200+ point score of the season which bodes well for them finishing 3rd in the points at the end of the season. It was one of those weekends where eventhough there were a few upsets and some near upsets, the top 4 teams still wound up being the only teams playing on Sunday.
The stadium ball was used on the 4 main baseball fields but players and managers agreed they were the “bad batch” balls that we saw in Florida and flew more like mis-stamped classic M’s. There were quite a number of conference umpires in attendance, the weather was warm and humid but it never did rain and the large artificial turf infields and the high school baseball sized fence distances and “bad batch” stadium balls made for good competition. I did feel the bases were too short. 5 more feet at those fields would make for less ground ball doubles…
Smash It Sports Dale Brungardt mashes one against Backman in the winner’s final Saturday night!
Team Breakdown – 44 Teams Total (29 Conference)
6 Major
11 ‘A’
7 ‘B’
14 ‘C’
6 ‘D’
Smash It Sports has been losing a lot of coin tosses against Resmondo.
The players were laughing because Billy Messina knew he was going to lose another toss. lol
Smash It Sports left side Mike Umschied, Luis Reyna, and Kevin Bazat
Backmans Neil Haglund hits against Resmondos Andy Purcell in he loser’s final Sunday morning
Resmondos Jimmy Salas hits against Backman in the winner’s bracket semi-finalsY
The outfields in Columbus are much bigger than they first appear
My panoramic pic of Sunday mornings Resmondo vs Backman game. Rainwater batting
Field #17 at night. Xtreme playing.
The outfields have plenty of quirky fences and nooks and crannies
The stadium ZN balls were again a source of controversy.
My opinion is that Dudley mis stamped the regular Classic M
Crowds were fairly big Friday night and Saturday afternoon
There were a lot of long bombs but we’ll go with the players that were talked about by the fans at the game
Resmondos Bubba Mack who I think was 5-5 on homers to start the tournament with some absolute bombs.
And Andrew Collins who hit one on Friday that seemed to gain speed as it rocketed into the night sky.
Backmans Kevin Kennington and Combats Chris Greinert who I was told hit a pair of 450 shots with the Dudley Heat ball over on the back fields
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!
Columbus Major Awards and Final Standings
Note: Awards will be posted here when they are entered into the USSSA website
| Place | State | Team | Team Class |
Wins | Losses | Ties | Runs Scored |
Runs Allow |
Avg Runs |
Avg Allow |
Avg Diff |
Max Runs |
USSSA Points |
| 1 | NYU – Cicero, NY | smash it sports/compound athletics/ | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 6 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 92 | 29.1 | 15.3 | 13.8 | 44 | 300 |
| 2 | FL – Winter Haven | resmondo specialty tank worth | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 6 | 2 | 0 | 247 | 134 | 30.8 | 16.7 | 14.1 | 37 | 225 |
| 3 | IN – LAWRENCEBURG | backman/shoppe/louisville slugger | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 4 | 2 | 0 | 139 | 134 | 23.1 | 22.3 | 0.83 | 35 | 200 |
| 4 | WA – KENT | team combat/baugh ford/softball.com | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 5 | 2 | 0 | 150 | 89 | 21.4 | 12.7 | 8.71 | 32 | 175 |
| 5 | IL – Chicago | Precision/Easton/DO | USSSA-Mens-A | 4 | 2 | 0 | 126 | 104 | 21 | 17.3 | 3.66 | 31 | 155 |
| 5 | GA – Peachtree City | oi livingston/tnt hauling/brother’s | USSSA-Mens-A | 3 | 2 | 0 | 84 | 70 | 16.8 | 14 | 2.8 | 22 | 155 |
| 7 | OH – Cincinnati | pure romance/foulks adjusting/headl | USSSA-Mens-A | 4 | 2 | 0 | 113 | 116 | 18.8 | 19.3 | -0.5 | 24 | 130 |
| 7 | NYU – Commack | albicocco/the scene/easton | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 3 | 2 | 0 | 113 | 93 | 22.6 | 18.6 | 4 | 39 | 130 |
| 9 | DC – Washington | Semper Athletics/Demarini | USSSA-Mens-B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 144 | 98 | 20.5 | 14 | 6.57 | 34 | 110 |
| 9 | AZ – Anthem | 4 the fallen/miken/ca gear | USSSA-SPMensMajor | 4 | 2 | 0 | 136 | 146 | 22.6 | 24.3 | -1.6 | 30 | 110 |
| 9 | MN – Dayton | Xtreme/Miken | USSSA-Mens-A | 3 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 111 | 21.2 | 22.2 | -1 | 31 | 110 |
| 9 | WY – Casper | TEAM RACKS EASTON | USSSA-Mens-A | 2 | 2 | 0 | 80 | 73 | 20 | 18.2 | 1.75 | 32 | 110 |
| 13 | GA – Macon | Primetime/Easton | USSSA-Mens-B | 3 | 2 | 0 | 139 | 122 | 27.8 | 24.4 | 3.4 | 39 | 70 |
| 13 | MO – St. Louis | precision recovery/hooters | USSSA-Mens-C | 3 | 2 | 0 | 71 | 69 | 14.2 | 13.8 | 0.39 | 29 | 70 |
| 13 | WA – Kent | combat/northwest athletics | USSSA-Mens-A | 2 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 61 | 14.5 | 15.2 | -0.7 | 30 | 70 |
| 13 | TXN – Dallas | VCH Worth | USSSA-Mens-A | 2 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 72 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 22 | 70 |
| 17 | MI – Dearborn | rebel sports/linedrive sportz | USSSA-Mens-C | 3 | 2 | 0 | 79 | 59 | 15.8 | 11.8 | 4 | 25 | 40 |
| 17 | OH – Dayton | Yuengling/Headlines/Miken | USSSA-Mens-C | 2 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 75 | 9.25 | 18.7 | -9.5 | 20 | 65 |
| 17 | OH – Kent | jbl/tailgaters/b&e | USSSA-Mens-B | 2 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 38 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 1 | 16 | 65 |
| 17 | IN – Lanesville | kg/slayer/wilson/louisvilleslugger | USSSA-Mens-B | 2 | 2 | 0 | 107 | 80 | 26.7 | 20 | 6.75 | 42 | 40 |
| 17 | OH – Columbus | clubhouse/sandy’s/ion fire protecti | USSSA-Mens-C | 2 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 52 | 12 | 13 | -1 | 18 | 65 |
| 17 | MI – Flint | TG Brand | USSSA-Mens-A | 1 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 53 | 11.6 | 17.6 | -6 | 17 | 40 |
| 17 | OH – West Chester | 3rd street/hubs pub/louisville slug | USSSA-Mens-A | 1 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 73 | 15 | 24.3 | -9.3 | 20 | 40 |
| 17 | IN – Indianapolis | red’s astros/louisville slugger | USSSA-Mens-A | 1 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 56 | 22 | 18.6 | 3.33 | 24 | 40 |
| 25 | OH – Middletown | rsc/tom wood honda/ combat | USSSA-Mens-C | 2 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 73 | 9.5 | 18.2 | -8.7 | 15 | 40 |
| 25 | MD – Baltimore | CGR/House Money | USSSA-Mens-B | 2 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 72 | 14.2 | 18 | -3.7 | 24 | 40 |
| 25 | MI – Lansing | p&p333/suburban/larry’s tire/cmt/va | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 55 | 13.3 | 18.3 | -5 | 23 | 65 |
| 25 | NJ – Jackson | above all landscaping/evo9x | USSSA-Mens-B | 1 | 2 | 0 | 59 | 52 | 19.6 | 17.3 | 2.33 | 27 | 40 |
| 25 | OH – Urbana | rabz boyz | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 60 | 9.33 | 20 | -10. | 20 | 65 |
| 25 | OH – Cincinnati | premier services/louisville slugger | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 44 | 13.6 | 14.6 | -1 | 21 | 40 |
| 25 | PA – Pittsburgh | All In/PSB/Elite Sports | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 55 | 12 | 18.3 | -6.3 | 21 | 65 |
| 25 | OH – Columbus | old bag/global/clubhouse/easton | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 79 | 14 | 26.3 | -12. | 20 | 65 |
| 33 | IL – CHICAGO | COMPOUND ATHLETICS/EASTON | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 55 | 12 | 18.3 | -6.3 | 20 | 40 |
| 33 | KY – Etown | Berties/Hubcity | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 45 | 12.3 | 15 | -2.6 | 15 | 65 |
| 33 | WI – Eau Claire | The Sportsmanshop | USSSA-Mens-C | 1 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 49 | 9.66 | 16.3 | -6.6 | 17 | 40 |
| 33 | PA – North Versailles | marodi transfer and storage | USSSA-Mens-D | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 53 | 11 | 26.5 | -15. | 12 | 40 |
| 33 | IN – Bloomington | bloomington moose #1081 / classic t | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 43 | 12 | 21.5 | -9.5 | 15 | 65 |
| 33 | WI – Janesville | Venom/SNL | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 47 | 15.5 | 23.5 | -8 | 19 | 65 |
| 33 | NC – Fletcher | worshamathletics/klutchbrand/worth/ | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 31 | 11.5 | 15.5 | -4 | 16 | 40 |
| 33 | OH – Springfield | kimball midwest/mader electric | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 53 | 20.5 | 26.5 | -6 | 27 | 0 |
| 33 | OH – Grove City | mj lowe/mojo | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 26 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 9 | 65 |
| 33 | MO – Branson | Nightmare/Miken | USSSA-Mens-B | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 35 | 12 | 17.5 | -5.5 | 15 | 40 |
| 33 | OH – Cincinnati | EAP/TigerFitness/HDLNS | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 22 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 11 | 40 |
| 33 | KY – Louisville | cornerstone / dizzy roosters | USSSA-Mens-C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 54 | 16.5 | 27 | -10. | 24 |
65 |
