Of the more than 250 teams that played in The Whole Enchilada Softball Tournament, not one of them only wanted a piece of the enchilada, they wanted the whole thing.
The Whole Enchilada Softball Tournament has invaded Las Cruces, NM for more than 30 years and has been bringing in more than 2,000 attendees and tailgaters for at least 20 of those years if not more. The tournament started at 5 p.m. on Oct. 5, and ran continuously for 73 hours until 6 p.m. on Oct. 7 ending with the Men’s E class championship.
The tournament drew in a wide range of competitors and included divisions in the Men’s C, D and E class and Women’s C and D class.
The weather could not have been any better for one of the most competitive and anticipated softball tournaments in the region. Teams came from far and near including teams from Ohio, Calif., Colo., Texas and N.M.
“The tournament ran very smoothly and the weather was great,” USSSA director for New Mexico Bert Frederick said.
“This was probably the smoothest and most competitive tour¬nament we’ve had so far.”
The results
In the Men’s C class, Cheba Hut out of Albuquerque, N.M. took home the crown going undefeated and beating Patas Para Arriva Puta also from Albuquerque, N.M., in the champion¬ship game 20-15. Canes Softball 51210 from the San Antonio/Austin, Texas area took third place.
The defensive tournament MVP for the Men’s C class was Johnny Gresman from Patas Para Arriva Puta. The offensive tournament MVP was Alan Montano and the overall tournament MVP was Josh Mora, both from Cheba Hut.
“It was a great tournament and it was an honor winning the overall tourna¬ment MVP,” said Josh Mora, who only recorded one out during the whole tournament.
“This was the best tournament for us all year and having all our guys here playing hard really helped us win this tournament,” Mora said.
Cheba Hut’s coach Felix Chavez said they prepared for this tournament by playing in at least three tournaments a month this past year. He also said that having their team play together for the past 5 years has really helped them grow and become a better team.
In the Men’s D class, Weird from Phoenix, Ariz blew away Las Cruces’ own Team Bones 20-1 in the championship game. Disturbed/Miken from Albuquerque, N.M. took home the third place trophy.
The defensive tournament MVP for the Men’s D class went to Joel Rodriguez from Team Bones. The offensive tourna¬ment MVP went to Derek Oakley and the overall tournament MVP went to Rey Rodriguez both from Weird.
In the Men’s E class, Remax from Maricopa, Ariz. Took first place beating Synergy from Phoenix, Ariz. 14-2 in the championship game. NBD/LPC/ Middlesopen.net from Chandler, Ariz. took third place.
The defensive tournament MVP went to Robert Tolliver from Synergy. The offen¬sive and overall tournament MVP’s were determined at a later time.
In the Women’s C bracket, Affliction from Albuquerque, N.M. took home the The defensive tournament MVP for the Women’s C class was Shannon Galanek from Sumuzu/AZ border co./Worth. The offensive tournament MVP was Cathy Moreno and the overall tournament MVP was Samantha Hughes both from Affliction.
In the Women’s D class, Pitche’s be Trippin from Denver, Colo. Took first place beating Homewreckers from El Paso, Texas in a close championship game 12-10. Just Us from Anthony, N.M. took home third place.
The defensive tournament MVP for the Women’s D class was Jacki Edwards from Homewreckers. The offensive tournament MVP was Nadine Neurauter and the overall tournament MVP was Amanda Snyder both from Pitche’s be Trippin.
Going, Going, Gone: Homerun Derby
This year’s tournament included a homerun derby for both Men’s and Women’s divisions. This was the second year that the tournament had a homerun derby said Frederick.
There was a waiting list for the Men’s homerun derby which included 32 contestants and a good turn out for the Women’s with 16 contestants.
The Men’s winner was Art Ramos from 915-Sadistic out of El Paso, Texas. The Women’s winner was Jennifer Doolittle from Pitche’s Be Trippin out of Denver, Colo. The winners received a new Miken bat, $100 cash prize and a new glove for their pitcher.
How is the tournament funded?
The Whole Enchilada Softball Tournament is funded by entry fees and is also sponsored by Sports 55 out of Maryland who provided the first place prizes. In return, Sports 55 advertised their business and sold their products at the tournament.
After such a great tournament, it will be hard to top this year’s competition a turn out next year.
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!
