ASA Gold Nationals Brackets now posted

[jmo]

Losers Bracket games
Team North Florida handles the Firecrackers with ease, 10-0 as Alabama bound Kaila Hunt goes 1-2 with 4 RBI's. Next up is Texas Blaze.
Georgia Elite Sampson gets to play Georgia Elite Caldwell.
Aces Express, Texas Peppers and Georgia Elite Caldwell have all won four straight games after being sent to the losers bracket on Day one.
Vipers have a nice win today against OK Force. Trailing 7-0, they comeback and win 9-7.

As for west coast representation, the So Cal Firecrackers finished 17th place with only Cal Breeze still in the tourney. Premier has definitely affected the competition at ASA Gold Nationals. Still I wish all the teams the best of luck and hope they have a great experience

[jmo]

Team North Florida is now rolling outscoring their two opponents this morning by a combined score of 22-0. They have not given up a hit today as they have throw two no-hitters. North Florida bound Courtney Radke has throw 7 innings of no-hit ball in their two run rule games.

Birmingham Vipers end the Texas Peppers run. and will now face the loser of Gold Coast Hurricanes/Tennessee Explosion game.

So far, pretty much as expected for the final 12 teams. Gold Coast Hurricanes, Team North Florida, Birmingham Vipers, Georgia Elite, East Cobb Bullets, Impact Gold, Houston Power were all expected to do well. Tennesse Explosion has done well behind one of the top pitchers in Ellen Renfroe. Miami Stingrays and Team Florida have also played well but are not big surprises. Big surprises in Cal Breeze and Newtown Rock.

Think I will have to root for Explosion. Just like that name for some reason

[Gone in 2.6]

Team North Florida is now rolling outscoring their two opponents this morning by a combined score of 22-0. They have not given up a hit today as they have throw two no-hitters. North Florida bound Courtney Radke has throw 7 innings of no-hit ball in their two run rule games.

Birmingham Vipers end the Texas Peppers run. and will now face the loser of Gold Coast Hurricanes/Tennessee Explosion game.

So far, pretty much as expected for the final 12 teams. Gold Coast Hurricanes, Team North Florida, Birmingham Vipers, Georgia Elite, East Cobb Bullets, Impact Gold, Houston Power were all expected to do well. Tennesse Explosion has done well behind one of the top pitchers in Ellen Renfroe. Miami Stingrays and Team Florida have also played well but are not big surprises. Big surprises in Cal Breeze and Newtown Rock.

Think I will have to root for Explosion. Just like that name for some reason

Think I will too. Just like the name Ellen Renfroe for some reason.

[jmo]

Team North Florida is now rolling outscoring their two opponents this morning by a combined score of 22-0. They have not given up a hit today as they have throw two no-hitters. North Florida bound Courtney Radke has throw 7 innings of no-hit ball in their two run rule games.

Birmingham Vipers end the Texas Peppers run. and will now face the loser of Gold Coast Hurricanes/Tennessee Explosion game.

So far, pretty much as expected for the final 12 teams. Gold Coast Hurricanes, Team North Florida, Birmingham Vipers, Georgia Elite, East Cobb Bullets, Impact Gold, Houston Power were all expected to do well. Tennesse Explosion has done well behind one of the top pitchers in Ellen Renfroe. Miami Stingrays and Team Florida have also played well but are not big surprises. Big surprises in Cal Breeze and Newtown Rock.

Think I will have to root for Explosion. Just like that name for some reason

Think I will too. Just like the name Ellen Renfroe for some reason.

Tennessee Explosion beats Gold Coast 4-2.
East Cobb Bullets score 2 runs in the top of the 7th to win 2-0 over the Stingrays. Spingola throws a 3 hitter.
Team Florida wins 1-0 over Breeze. Good game.
Impact up 1-0 over Power in 5th.

TN Explosion plays East Cobb next what should be a great pitchers duel.
Team Florida waiting for Power/Impact winner.

In Losers bracket, Birmingham Vipers now set to play Gold Coast Hurricanes.
Georgia Elite to play Miami Stingrays.
Newtown Rock and Cal Breeze to go at it .
TNF waiting on loser of Impact/Power.

[The Big Dog]

Wow. Check out the current video. Good old Georgia toad-strangler! Don't know about the drainage at those fields but it looks like they won't be resuming play for a good long while...

[TReck]

To talk about the teams that aren't there is to assume they would have made it. And we all know what you do when you ASSume. Seems to me those teams were concerned that they would be left out of the selection (oops sorry that is the Premier term), I mean qualification process. At least with the Gold Nationals you know that every team earned their way there by what they did on the field and not by who they know or the money they got. The team that wins Gold Nationals will have the title the old fashion way, THEY EARNED IT! Nobody at Premier will be able to say that.

[jmo]

To talk about the teams that aren't there is to assume they would have made it. And we all know what you do when you ASSume. Seems to me those teams were concerned that they would be left out of the selection (oops sorry that is the Premier term), I mean qualification process. At least with the Gold Nationals you know that every team earned their way there by what they did on the field and not by who they know or the money they got. The team that wins Gold Nationals will have the title the old fashion way, THEY EARNED IT! Nobody at Premier will be able to say that.

Wow. Did your team not get invited?? No one ever said that teams at Gold Nationals didn't earn their way. Teams have the ability to choose where they want to play Nationals this year - either ASA Gold or ESPNRISE/Premier - either Marrietta or Huntington Beach.

Yes, many teams were invited to Premier and some had to qualify. It was open to all. Most of those teams that were invited to Premier have earned their invitations by their play ON THE FIELD by being a competitive team year in and year out. These are teams that have regularly qualified for ASA Gold Nationals over the past so many years, and who place their players at top D1 colleges on a yearly basis. I would venture to say that there were at least 25 teams that qualified for the first time ever for ASA Gold Nationals this year. Congratulations to all of them. Most of the Region 14/Western Territory teams that attended Gold Nationals tried to qualify for Premier but did not make it. A couple did qualify and a couple were added as fill-ins.

Sounds like you feel that the Batbusters and the Firecrackers and the Cruisers and the So Cal Athletics and the Corona Angels and the Choppers and the Pumas and Valley Breeze and Sorcerers and Explosion and AZ Hot Shots and NW Bullets and etc.. would not have qualified for ASA Gold if they tried - well I guess we will have to disagree and you can call me an ASS. Never in the history of ASA has the west coast performed this poorly at Gold Nationals. No disrespect to those teams as I hope they all enjoyed the experience but without the normal west coast representation at Gold Nationals, it is just not the same.

Is ASA Gold Nationals still a good tournament with some of the best teams in the country? Of course it is. When you have teams like the EC Bullets, TNF, Birmingham Vipers and GCH, they can and do compete with the best and would have done well at Premier as well.

When you look at Gold Nationals this year, it was pretty easy to pick at least 8 out of the top 10 teams just from looking at the programs in the tournament, past history and all.

The team that wins ASA Gold Nationals will have earned the ASA Gold Championship but to say that the team that wins Premier did not earn it is absolutely ridiculous and makes it look like you are just bitter that ASA Gold is not what it used to be.

All I know is the winner of the ESPNRISE/Premier National Championship will EARN it. Any team that plays in a Championship tournament, whether ASA, Triple Crown, AFA, USSSA or Premier, EARN the title of National Champion on the field, no matter what TReck thinks. Quit trying to belittle another tourney, it makes you look foolish

Congratulations to all those teams at ASA Gold Nationals and best of luck to all those teams attending Premier next week.

[Gone in 2.6]

To talk about the teams that aren't there is to assume they would have made it. And we all know what you do when you ASSume. Seems to me those teams were concerned that they would be left out of the selection (oops sorry that is the Premier term), I mean qualification process. At least with the Gold Nationals you know that every team earned their way there by what they did on the field and not by who they know or the money they got. The team that wins Gold Nationals will have the title the old fashion way, THEY EARNED IT! Nobody at Premier will be able to say that.

Exactly. So Cal is mostly out of the tournament because the rest of the country has caught up. The fact that a bunch of So Cal teams happen to be going to Premier the same year has had no bearing on this and is nothing more than a total COINKY DINK.



P.S.
Go Tennessee Explosion!

[AlwaysImprove]

To talk about the teams that aren't there is to assume they would have made it. And we all know what you do when you ASSume. Seems to me those teams were concerned that they would be left out of the selection (oops sorry that is the Premier term), I mean qualification process. At least with the Gold Nationals you know that every team earned their way there by what they did on the field and not by who they know or the money they got. The team that wins Gold Nationals will have the title the old fashion way, THEY EARNED IT! Nobody at Premier will be able to say that.

Yeah, sure. I have never seen any shenanigans with ASA berths.

The ASA process was clearly off track. The reasons have been pointed out here a number of times. Now Premier is offering a new approach and it seems to be very popular.

[Daddylawman]

4 teams left. Texas Impact Gold playing Team North Florida in losers bracket now. Team Florida plays East Cobb Bullets in winners bracket final. No disrespect to California but it is pretty impressive to see 3 southeast teams left.