SoCal ASA berths

[1prouddad]

For those that weren't lucky enough to attend the ASA meeting this weekend there will be 13, yes, 13 berths awarded to ASA Nationals via the SoCal State Tournament this year.

How many were awarded last year?

[sportzjunky]

WOW... Wont be long before ASA berths are equal to a TCS berth. After last year the talk was 6-8 berths MAX regardles of teams entered. Isnt 13 is a weird number? Wonder who that would be when the bracket would end? Maybe the losers of the semi final in the losers bracket get a berth. 13 BERTHS! Yikes!

Is this for all age groups but 10U?

[PDad]

WOW... Wont be long before ASA berths are equal to a TCS berth. After last year the talk was 6-8 berths MAX regardles of teams entered.

I recall the talk beforehand, but it seemed to work out okay in the 12u division last year:
- Top 6 from SoCal ASA State finished 1st, 25th, 7th, 13th, 9th and 25th out of 88 teams at USA/ASA National.
- 7th place teams finished 2nd and 7th.
- 9th place teams finished 13th, 25th and 33rd.
- 13th place team finished 25th.

How did the extra berths work out in the older divisions? What was the effect on Western Nats?

Isnt 13 is a weird number? Wonder who that would be when the bracket would end?

The 13th place team got a berth last year because one of the 9th place teams declined their berth - possibly because of all the doom and gloom predictions. The tiebreakers per ASA Code (Article 510-H.01.c) - Tied teams shall be determined by:
01. Head to head competition.
02. The team that advanced the farthest in the winner’s bracket.
03. Won-loss records.
04. The teams shall be ranked according to the fewest runs allowed per game played.
05. If a tie still exists, the teams shall be ranked according to the most runs scored per game played.
06. If a tie still exists, by a coin toss.

[usarevolution10u]

Does anyone know of any ASA tournament for 10u in california?

[SoCal10UDude]

Does anyone know of any ASA tournament for 10u in california?

If you're talking ASA Nationals berths, then for SoCal it is SoCal ASA 10U States tournament I think May 27 which gives berths for placing 1-4. There are more teams this year so not sure if they opened up more berths. CA wide however, there is the Pacific Regional Tournament after States and various smaller non-SoCal ASA divisions have their own berths, for example, San Joquin ASA has like 1 berth for their tournament(s) that I think are generally open or may require from that respective ASA to get permission to attend that ASA qualifier(s). I believe it was Valley Tribe 97 last year got into Nationals by signing up for Minnesota's ASA qualifier which I think no other teams signed up and got an automatic berth. I have heard of other teams in other divisions doing stuff like that for back east berths.

If there is a will there is a way.

I think a reasonable alternative especially for 10U is ASA Western Nationals which a team automatically qualifies for if attending SoCal ASA State tournament. This year I believe it is in Oregon.

[bring'nheat]

I have heard of a couple teams in the Central Valley area (Fresno) who signed up for a tournament which nobody else did and earned their automatic bearth. Funny thing is they ended not going due to disputes among parents and organization regarding cost.
Somewhere people forgot this is all for the kids.....

[SoftballG]

I believe it was Valley Tribe 97 last year got into Nationals by signing up for Minnesota's ASA qualifier which I think no other teams signed up and got an automatic berth. I have heard of other teams in other divisions doing stuff like that for back east berths.

If there is a will there is a way.

Thats some crazy stuff, if your not good enough to qualify out of your own state, why go to nationals?

[SnocatzDad]

I believe it was Valley Tribe 97 last year got into Nationals by signing up for Minnesota's ASA qualifier which I think no other teams signed up and got an automatic berth. I have heard of other teams in other divisions doing stuff like that for back east berths.

If there is a will there is a way.

Thats some crazy stuff, if your not good enough to qualify out of your own state, why go to nationals?

The better question is why would the ASA the NGB cheapen their National Tournament by allowing teams to qualify in such a way (i.e. buy their way in) IMO if you can't get 8 teams minimum at a qualifying event then you should retract those berths for lack of participation, not hand them over to the one team that signs up, That would probably eliminate some of the Gold field as well.

[PDad]

The better question is why would the ASA the NGB cheapen their National Tournament by allowing teams to qualify in such a way (i.e. buy their way in) IMO if you can't get 8 teams minimum at a qualifying event then you should retract those berths for lack of participation, not hand them over to the one team that signs up, That would probably eliminate some of the Gold field as well.

I doubt your minimum would have had little, if any, impact on recent 18G fields since there are only 64 berths and teams traveled all over to get one.

I don't have any problem with an association giving its berth to a member team as long as it is done fairly for all the teams that entered.

The only requirement I would to see is that an association can't give its berth to a team from outside its membership without games being contested. That berth should be awarded by ASA's fill-in procedures that are based on the order of finish where games were contested.

[SnocatzDad]

I doubt your minimum would have had little, if any, impact on recent 18G fields since there are only 64 berths and teams traveled all over to get one.

Au Contraire Mon Frair There is a team that has been playing 18G for several years now without ever playing a single opponent to qualify for that opportunity and I can't imagine they are the only one. They finished tied 17th a few years ago so they are a decent team, but assuming that all 18U Gold ASA berths are won rather than awarded to the only taker would be wrong.