OKLAHOMA CITY — The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America/USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the U.S., is proud to announce it is teaming up with the Long Haul Bombers Stadium Power tour for the 2014 season. An effort to increase visibility of the ASA/USA Slow Pitch program, the recently titled ASA Long Haul Bombers Stadium tour kicks off its 11th year in early April and travels to approximately eight Major League Baseball (MLB) Stadiums throughout the country showcasing some of the best hitters in the game in a competitive series seeking the Manufacturers Cup title.
“We have long witnessed the success and popularity of the Long Haul Bombers tour and are excited to be involved in 2014,” said ASA/USA Softball Executive Director Craig Cress. “This tour highlights our highest level athletes in the sport of slow pitch softball and demonstrates to a different fan base the athleticism, talent, technique and power of the slow pitch swing.”
The ASA Long Haul Bombers Power tour highlights a collection of the world’s greatest softball home run hitters. Four teams, representing Combat, DeMarini, Easton, Miken, of softball super stars stage one-of-a-kind home run derbies at MLB Stadiums across North America. Each slugger gets 15 swings and a home run is worth one point, except the last pitch, known as the money ball, worth two points and can be the tie-breaker. Six of the eight participants will qualify for the finals of the Stadium Power Tour, scheduled to take place at the 2014 ASA/USA Men’s Super National Championship, August 22-24 in Fort Worth, Texas.
“We are excited as are the MLB clubs we perform at to have ASA/USA Softball as the Official Partner of Long Haul Bombers stadium power tour,” said John Daniels, CEO of Long Haul Trucking. “For the tour to be aligned with the National Governing Body of Softball adds a lot of credibility and exposure to our already popular hitting displays. We are looking forward to 2014 to be our best season yet.”
In 2013, Team Miken’s Denny Crine won the “Hit Off” Challenge while Team Easton’s Brett Helmer, Brian Wegman and Scott Kirby claimed the Manufacturers Cup with 33 total points.
“The Stadium Power Tour is the ultimate test of a softball home run hitter and their equipment,” said former champion Brett Helmer of Team Easton. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent the sport of softball in MLB parks and to show the world how far a softball can be hit.”
2014 ASA Long Haul Bombers Stadium Tour (as of March 12, 2014)
April 12 – San Diego, Calif. (Petco Park) + Youth Softball Night at the Park- (Exhibition ONLY, no points)
May 16 – Houston, Texas (Minute Maid Park)
May 23 – Cincinnati, Ohio (Great American Ballpark)
June 5 – St. Petersburg, Fla. (Tropicana Field)
June 6 – Arlington, Texas (Global Life Park)
June 18 – Detroit, Mich. (Comerica Park)
July 23 – St. Louis, Mo. (Busch Stadium)
July 30 – San Diego, Calif. (Petco Park)
August 22-23 – Fort Worth, Texas – Bombers Tour Finals
Additional locations projected to be added include are Atlanta, Ga.(Turner Field), Seattle, Wash. (Safeco, Field), Miami, Fla. (Marlins Park), and Minneapolis, Minn. (Target Field), and New York, N.Y. (Citi Field).
“The Bombers tour is one of the most exciting events for slow pitch softball in this country,” said Don Cooper, Senior Vice President of Sales for Combat Sports. “To showcase the upper level athletes in the MLB arenas definitely puts our sport and athletes on a huge platform and shows fans the strength, power and entertainment value of upper level slow pitch.”
Follow along all season long at www.softball360.tv for point standings, features and stories during the Power Tour.
About Long Haul Trucking
Safety and Service award winning LONG HAUL TRUCKING, is based in Albertville, Minn and is America’s Premier Conestoga Flatbed Fleet operating in 48 states and Canada. In 1986, John Daniels started LHT as a small three truck fleet that has grown in to an employee owned company in 2014 with 280+ Trucks on the road today. LHT and has enjoyed growth with great employees and an excellent client base with sales in excess of 60 million annually. http://www.longhaultrucking.com
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed six World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com.