School has already started in many states and, for all intents and purposes, the summer is all but over, but for club ball it wrapped after the series of successful nationals that concluded a few weeks ago.

Here’s a rundown of my top club events of the 2014 summer season and why they merited making the Top 10.

The factors that were considered including caliber of talent, both team and player, competition, environment and scope of the event, how the final played out and any other themes of interest…

 

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1. PGF 18U Premier Nationals
July 26-August 2, 2014
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Why it was important: the top teams at the highest level were here, it’s the true test of who the best team in club softball is. Most thought that the two best teams in the country were the OC Batbusters-Haning and the Corona Angels and they were the two that played in the title game. I’d be shocked if there weren’t several future NCAA National Champions that came out of that title game alone.

 

2. Louisville Slugger Independence Day Tournament (Boulder)
July 2-6, 2014
Boulder, Longmont and Louisville, Col.
Why it was important: Almost all of the top teams were here and the Angels knocked the Batbusters out before going on to win it all with other big wins over two of the top pitchers in the country, Oklahoma-bound Paige Parker and her Originals Gold team and Kelly Barnhill and her EC Bullets.

 

3. TC/USA Nationals
July 14-17, 2014
Cummings, Alpharetta, Gainesville, Ga.
Why it was important: Speaking of the Angels and Bullets, they met 11 days later for a second time in the thrilling 5-4 Angels victory. What makes this Nationals special is it was aired live on the CBS Sports Network. Ironically, Marty Tyson’s So Cal team had to bail on the Champions Cup in Irvine, Calif. on the Sunday night before this event even though the Angels had reached the title game. They flew out to the East Coast and won this event—if they would have played the Champions Cup finale and won, it would have been three big tourney titles in a row.

 

4. So Cal A’s Invitational
June 20-22, 2014
Los Alamitos, Calif.
Why it was important: the earliest of the big tournaments was also the most talent-laden “pound for pound” when you factor in there were only 14 teams invited for this nationals tune-up, but there wasn’t a bad game because of the caliber of competition. The Texas teams—Texas Sudden Impact, Texas Glory and Impact Gold—looked strong and this was where Kevin Shelton’s Glory team took it up a notch before going on to win the Fireworks tourney.

 

5. PGF 16U Premium Nationals
July 19-25, 2014
Huntington Beach, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Calif.
Why it was important: Just like the older age PGF Nationals, this one had big-name teams and competition all week with two of the most highly successful programs in the national—the So Cal A’s and the Beverly Bandits—facing off in a well pitched championship game. Makayla Martin (Auburn commit) of the A’s-McNee/Myers team and Alexis Holloway (Notre Dame verbal) were fantastic as Makayla pitched out of a 1^st inning jam to settle down and win 2-1.

6. ASA/USA 16U GOLD Nationals
July 20-26, 2014
Broken Arrow, Okla.
Why it was important: Perhaps the most dramatic of all the events this summer as it literally came down to the last strike. Tennessee Fury 97 had to win two games coming out of the loser’s bracket and it looked over in the first game as it trailed against a great Tulsa Elite 98 team by one in the 7^th. However, the Fury was able to tie it and win in international tie breaker before Libby Sugg (BYU) slammed a three-run homer in the deciding game to give the Fury the crown after what looked very improbable just a few hours before.

7. Colorado Fireworks/Sparkler Tournaments
June 30-July 6, 2014
Aurora and Westminster, Col.
Why it was important: The biggest event of the summer—in fact, the whole year—with 800 teams playing 3,000 games, the Fireworks and Sparkler tournaments are held at great venues and draw huge numbers of college coaches. The Super 64 bracket included big name teams like the eventual winners, Texas Glory, who got revenge against the Firecrackers who had beaten them just days before in a nationally televised game in the same Colorado tourney.

 

8. ASA/USA 18U GOLD Nationals
July 21-26, 2014
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Why it was important: To me, the highlight of the 18U Gold Nationals was the triumph of Lele Ocasio, the standout pitcher/shortstop headed to Florida, who finally pulled down a championship trophy. In the 2013 ASA GOLD Nationals, she narrowly lost in the same title game, 3-2, and then lost two Class 7A state title games 1-0—both to St. Thomas Aquinas. However, this year it was her turn as her Wagners Gold-Dunn squad topped the Las Vegas Rebels 7-2 and Lele went 2-for-4 at the plate and also pitched very well.

 

9. PGF 14U Nationals
July 19-25, 2014
Huntington Beach, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Calif.
Why it was important: Like the other PGF Nationals, this one had outstanding talent but the big news was the breakthrough of Marty Tyson as the Corona Angels won it all after Tyson and his Angels’ teams had finished second 11 times. This week a star was born as Megan Faraimo was so brilliant her head coach gave her the team trophy and said it was because Megan had “carried the team on her back” all week.

 

10. Team NJ Classic
June 25-28, 2014
Edison, N.J.
Why it was important: Always one of the best run events of the year as Jim Barsalona brings in top teams from every region, this year’s version established early on that the Butbusters were the team to beat as they demolished some excellent teams, outscoring them 65-3 (including the Angels 11-2), before facing a strong-hitting Carolina Elite in the finals. The Elite made a game of it but fell 7-5 and this event kicked off on a national scale another very successful summer club season.

5 others of note:

• ASA/USA Class A 14U Nationals
• Atlanta Legacy Showcase
• Boulder Tournament 16U Nationals
• DeMarini Invitational Showcase
• Ohio Stingrays College Showcase