Heavy Metal Softball

Round Robin Tournament Format Seems To Suit Our Style More...

First -- as always -- I wish to thank all of the players who represented Heavy Metal Softball this weekend for their effort, help, and cooperation in competing in our fifth, and final, CCASA Rec. Series tournament of the year. All the conditions seemed right, even the weather contributed nicely...but it just wasn't in the cards for us this time around -- or the whole series, for that matter. But the important part is that we stuck together for the entire five-tournament series -- something few other teams can claim. In other words, we committed ourselves. Here are some final tournament statistics for those who are interested:

CCASA Rec. Series #5 Tournament Summary --

Tournament Record: 0-2 (but a strong 0-2!)
                               1st game: Lost 6-7 vs. Thunder
                               2nd game: Lost 10-11 vs. Good Friends

Team Statistics (alphabetically):

Donny Aguiar -- 3 for 6; .500 BA; 6 points.
Vern Amaro -- 2 for 6; .333 BA; 2 points.
Rich Avery -- 2 for 5; .400 BA; 2 points.
Wes Avery -- 3 for 6; .500 BA; 13 points.
Frank Fletcher -- 2 for 6; .333 BA; 10 points.
Lee Garcia -- 2 for 6; .333 BA; 6 points.
Gene Hitt -- 4 for 6; .667 BA; 26 points.
Paul Lawrence -- 2 for 6; .333 BA; 8 points.
Mike Lujan -- 2 for 5; .400 BA; 7 points.
Randy Pilgrim -- 1 for 5; .200 BA; 5 points.
Steve Stafford -- 3 for 6; .500 BA; 13 points.

Team Batting Average: .419 (26 for 62; we averaged 8 runs/game for the tournament. Obviously, we need a much higher team average -- and score a lot more runs -- to give ourselves a chance, but this tournament was probably our best effort in the whole series.)

Tournament MVP: Gene Hitt (26 points)

Manager's Award: Rich Avery (Always there for the team and brings a steady stream of good vibes into the dugout. Also, nice stretch for the out at first!)


2006 Season Statistics (alphabetically; all players):

Donny Aguiar -- 34 for 66; .515 BA; 101 points (6 tournaments)
Vern Amaro -- 32 for 71; .451 BA; 77 points (8 tournaments)
Rich Avery -- 14 for 36; .389 BA; 32 points (5 tournaments)
Wes Avery -- 43 for 76; .566 BA; 187 points (8 tournaments)
Tony DeLanda -- 5 for 15; .333 BA; 22 points (1 tournament)
Frank Fletcher -- 39 for 77; .506 BA; 176 points (8 tournaments)
Lee Garcia -- 18 for 54; .333 BA; 57 points (7 tournaments)
Richard Hart -- 12 for 34; .353 BA; 41 points (4 tournaments)
Gene Hitt -- 19 for 47; .404 BA; 79 points (5 tournaments)
Paul Lawrence -- 34 for 84; .405 BA; 150 points (8 tournaments)
Mike Lujan -- 27 for 67; .403 BA; 101 points (8 tournaments)
Randy Pilgrim -- 10 for 37; .270 BA; 42 points (4 tournaments)
Matt Soares -- 16 for 31; .516 BA; 46 points (4 tournaments)
Devin Stafford -- 5 for 15; .333 BA; 23 points (1 tournament)
Steve Stafford -- 11 for 42; .262 BA; 70 points (5 tournaments)
Art Tabacco -- 9 for 11; .818 BA; 44 points (1 tournament)
Manny Vasquez -- 5 for 16; .313 BA; 5 points (1 tournament)
Nelson Vieira -- 5 for 12; .417 BA; 18 points (1 tournament)

As manager and spokesperson for this team, I'd like to express how appreciative I am for having such a great bunch of guys to play with. Our collective heart was really into the two games we played. The control of both games was in our hands in the final inning each time, but I guess fate had something else planned. And so ends our last experience with the double-elimination format. In two weeks, I'd like to play another tournament -- the 15th Annual Summer Slam, at Plaza Park in Visalia -- with the more familiar round robin format. The last time we played round robin, if all of you can remember, we went to the championship game -- a full day of play! Let's see if our fortunes change with this slight turn in the situation. Anyone up for it? Just let me know....