OKLAHOMA CITY – The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) and USA Softball announced today the return of the Super Slow Pitch division with the first-ever Men’s Super Slow Pitch Invitational Championship.
Slated for August 23-25 in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., this special event is a resurgence of the ASA Men’s Super Slow Pitch program, which held its last National Championship in 2003. The Men’s Super Slow Pitch division is an open-roster event which differs from the Men’s Class A, currently the highest level of Championship Play where each team can have no more than five players on the ASA restricted slow pitch players list.
“It is appropriate as we celebrate our 80th Anniversary that we return to our roots and offer an open championship where teams are allowed to assemble and bring their best players to compete in a National Championship,” said ASA/USA Softball Executive Director Ron Radigonda. “ASA Softball was built on this concept. Our founding fathers established the ASA to conduct National Events to crown a National Champion without classification restrictions. The Men’s Super Slow Pitch Invitational will crown the best Men’s Slow Pitch Team in the United States at this event in Minneapolis/St. Pau, MN.”
Bracket play for the Men’s Super Slow Pitch Invitational Championship will be played in Minneapolis/St. Paul area while the Semi-finals and Championship Game will take place at the historic Midway Stadium in St. Paul, Minn., home of the St. Paul Saints professional baseball team. Fans who are unable to attend will get the opportunity to catch the Semi-finals and Championship games on the CBS Sports Network via tape delay on Tuesday, August 27 and Wednesday, August 28.
The invitational will feature 12 of the top teams in men’s slow pitch, who will compete in a double-elimination bracket with no “if-game”, which will determine the champion. Bracket play will begin on Thursday and will continue through Friday evening. Each team is allowed 16 home runs per game, with each home run hit after that recorded as an out.
This marks the first time since 2003 that the Men’s Super Slow Pitch program has had a tournament. The first Men’s Super Slow Pitch National Championship took place in 1981 in Burlington, N.C., where Howard’s/Western Steer (Denver, North Carolina) claimed the inaugural Championship and Hall of Fame member Rick “The Crusher” Scherr took home the MVP title. Throughout the 22-year existence of the Super division, 12 teams were crowned champions, with Ritch’s Superior (Windsor Locks, Conn.) and Steele’s Silver Bullets (Grafton, Ohio) leading the pack with four championships apiece.
The Long Haul Bombers Stadium Power Tour Finals will also be held here on August 24th.