tide84

Apparently GPS is the real deal given that they just won another state tournament in a walk!

Clearly the best two teams in our region, good luck to both tomorrow. Hope at least one of you makes it to Murfreesboro.

Yes they will, who in DII-AA can beat them 2 out of 3?

For several years I have shot over the fence using a small step ladder. At state I have actually shot over the ???media photographers??? and have gotten very good pictures. Hope this helps.

The money problem can be solved with a weekend pass and no day pass, not a very hard problem to solve. The bigger problem in comparing travel to high school is that the high school tournaments usually start early on Friday afternoon with a couple of pool play games and a single elimination tournament on Saturday (not all but most). Out of town teams and teams not wanting to play on Friday afternoon, or evening for that matter, is the biggest problem in using the same format. Another problem, and a close second one at that, is that teams like four game guarantees and that does not exist at the high school level. I agree with the overall premise but I thought that I would throw out a couple of the problems faced by travel tournament directors. Schools take teams to early Friday games and parents take kids to travel tournaments. But it is a good point!

Ok, I have been keeping my eye on this thread for a couple of weeks and for the first time since I stepped down as USFA State Director after the 2004 season I will post a few comments. I brought USFA to Tennessee and ran the first three state tournaments, 106 teams at the largest one I ran with over 90 Tennessee teams going to the world series, so I have seen it grow over the years. First, while Ken and I may have different viewpoints on some aspects of running a state organization no one can say that he does not run a quality and first rate tournament. Yes, everyone always points to ASA nationals as the best run tournaments but they are only one age group and classification per location so it is not a fair comparison. For a tournament the size of the USFA state tournament this year you will be hard pressed to find a tournament in the southeast that is better run in the same size and scope, period! Second, fields are gold and Drakes Creek is the only facility large enough to hold a tournament of this size in a single location in the mid state. Keep in mind that if you split it up there are parents with kids in different age groups that will have to split up creating a hardship. If everything runs perfect the number of field’s ratio to the number of games is still tight. As for restrooms and field prep this is the responsibility of the park and it is out of the control of the tournament director. I have attended tournaments in softball and soccer at the travel and TSSAA level at Drakes Creek for years and have found Dave Lemar’s crew and the involved parents of Hendersonville to be some of the best I have ever seen. Sometimes things go wrong and everyone does the best that they can to fix the problems on the fly. The alternative would be to hold a smaller tournament, I am sure there would be more complaints if your team was told they could not enter. Third, umpires like many things in life range from very good to below average. The problem is that the larger the tournament the larger the pool of umpires that is needed to cover the games. At a tournament as large as this year’s USFA state the regular group of umpires has to be augmented or you simply cannot cover the fields or the games. I spoke with some of the umpires that used to work my tournaments over the state tournament weekend and I thought that the set up Ken used was very good and set up to give every team a positive experience. A good state director knows to let the umpire’s control the field and you never get involved with calls on the field. So if your problem is with calls on the field that is another discussion. See the USFA UIC, he is a great guy and he will give you the time to voice your opinion. Just try to be open enough to listen to the explanation in reply. I have been to travel and high school tournaments for over 10 years, run a few myself and from my experience and perspective this year’s USFA should get an A+. Remember, it is easy to complain but much harder to put yourself on the line and if you look hard enough you can find something that you do not like every weekend! I graduated from Alabama so if I misspelled a few words I will send my diploma back!

I have been reading your posts and have a couple of questions. You do know that it is ???won??? and not ???one??? do you not? Did you consider starting a thread on Father Ryan??™s season rather than attacking Brentwood on this thread? Any season that ends with a victory at the state championship is something to be proud of especially if it is your school. If Ryan was ranked #1 in a national poll would you be saying they did not deserve it if they were undefeated and had not given up a goal through the district, region, sub state and state tournaments? Be proud of your school and stop running down the accomplishments of another. I very seriously doubt that the coach at Father Ryan shares your view.

http://www.nscaa.com/hsRes.php?it=1448 Here is the link it would seem that they should not drop out of #1 since their season is done, Way to go Brentwood, Great job P!

Sorry, been off the board until this morning to read the posts. The question on the thread was does Ravenwood have it? It is not a slight or insult to say that the coach has been mixing up the line up through the tournaments and early games. I responded to the comment that ???anyone can be beaten if a coach uses the players correctly???. The poster hit the nail on the head, who would argue that any team can be beaten on a given day? Let??™s move on to the next statement, ???If the coach starts putting her best 9 on the field including pitchers (I did not say pitcher) they have a chance???. At this point due to the lack of competition in the district Ravenwood has continued to mix up the lineup. Nothing wrong with that but we have probably yet to see the team??™s best games. And finally, they do have a senior pitcher who has pitched at the highest levels since she was 9 years old. The same thing could be said about 6-7 other top pitchers in the mid-state. The question was does Ravenwood have it? I, and everyone on the board is allowed an opinion, still believe that with a solid team and pitching led by a senior with big game experience I think on the right day with the right draw that Ravenwood could make an appearance at state. Every year a team that is suppose to make it to state is upset, I am just not sure that Ravenwood making it to state would be that big of an upset.

Question: Is this list in ranking order from 1-20? If so I think the rankings should be looked at again based on actual performance at state. Also, you left off the coaches from JPII (who took a team from start up to 2nd in state in 2007 in the first 5 years of the programs existence as well as three state appearances) and the coach from Brentwood Academy who has also taken a couple of teams to state.

You hit the nail on the head, if the Ravenwood coach starts putting her best 9 (including her best pitchers) on the field every game they have a chance. A pitcher like Brittany Pruitt has the experience to keep them in big games and the fielding and hitting just might be enough to win the sub state in a close game. Pruitt and Riley Mashburn pitched their travel team to the ASA U16 A National championship last summer, the only team outside of California to ever win that age group, so pitching big games is nothing new for the Ravenwood senior pitcher.

I looked at all of the teams in my daughters Region and using a simple calculation of 15 players per team and doubling all of the players that I know who are capable, looking to or wanting to play college level softball and the number represents less than 5% of the players in the Region. With that said where has the obsession with making the high school game the same as the college game? Why can the game not be for the enjoyment and a more well rounded high school experience for the players? The VAST majority of the players in any state will end their careers at the high school level and will enjoy the memories! Stop the pandering to try to get signed by showing the college coaches what the players can do at the next level. Leave that to summer ball.

Apparently you did not read the topic of the thread! It was a congratulation thread to a team and their accomplishment. Winning the U16 ASA with a U16 team will hardly set the state of Tennessee back in softball. You seem fixated on playing the sport purely for the money it can provide to pay for college, which really is sad. I have to give you credit in one respect though; this is the first time I have ever seen Mike Pruitt called a trophy hunter. His team wins a lot of tournaments (playing up) and the little sisters of the Cruiser team members almost always walk home with the championship trophy. I doubt that there are many travel teams in the area that would not like to trade places with the Cruisers after this victory. You do seem an expert on U18 Gold…. How did your daughters team do at the tournament?

I suppose all of the exposure tournaments, state tournaments, and high school ball have no influence on recruiting! I was completely unaware that all recruiting was done at the ASA Nationals (quite a bit of work to be done in a single week) I appreciate you setting me straight on that point. Now, let’s discuss the myth that there is all of this athletic money out there for softball players. When I sponsored my team I brought in an NAIA college coach to speak to my girls during there sophomore and junior years to dispel the myths surrounding the “free rides” that girls can get through softball. Most “free rides” are done with a majority of academic dollars and a minimal amount of athletic dollars; that is a fact. There are a very select few players who earn a “free ride” in school through softball, it is an urban legend. If a parent is spending the time and dollars on softball in the hopes of getting a “ride” they would be better off saving the money on equipment, lessons, travel and commitment fees and putting the money into a 529 plan. The second thing that they should do is make sure that their kids excel in the class room, as that seems to be where the real money comes from in softball!

I have been following this thread for several days and think it has gone away from the great accomplishment of team and gone too much into college recruiting. Mike and I have been friends since his team was a young U10 so I will admit I am biased. The Cruisers just gave the state of Tennessee an ASA national championship for the first time in 15 (or so) years and only the second in state history. Everyone should focus on that fact and not who might be getting recruited! Anyone who follows travel ball knows that the Cruisers have played up since they were a U12 team. At several tournaments that I ran they played up as many as two age groups to find better competition. The Cruisers have always looked to play the best teams available so that they could get better for the future; well the future was this past Sunday! Most people probably do not realize that they won with only 10 players at the tournament. Saying that you were a national champion sounds better than saying that you finished near the top and the Cruisers are the only active players in this area that can make that statement . The Cruisers have always “done it the right way” by developing their own talent. Many teams in the mid state enjoy the services of players who Mike helped to develop. If you take a look at the All Mid State and All State teams you will find no shortage of current and former Cruisers. As for recruiting and what might or might not have been the best route for a team to take I would offer two examples: 1. The first call of congratulations that Mike received after winning the game on Sunday was from Ralph Weekly so I am pretty sure SEC coaches are aware of the team and its players! 2. I asked if I could recommend a player to the University of Alabama as an alumnus and below is the response I received from their head coach Pat Murphy, it seems they skipped ASA U18 and focused on ASA U16. Thanks, Mark. We will be in Sioux Falls, SD this week watching 16-under nationals. None of us will attend the College Station nationals. Coach Murphy Bringing home a national championship is a big deal, give the cruisers the credit they deserve and leave the recruiting discussions for another time!