You have to give Triple Crown Sports credit: the Fort Collins-based company knows how to throw a party.

Wednesday night—the evening before the start of the Patriot Games in Colorado—club and college coaches signed in as part of the prestigious three-day event that is, in and of itself, a prelude to the huge club events that will follow next week in the state—Boulder IDT and the Colorado Sparkler.

The rain was intermittent throughout the evening but that didn’t dampen the fun and enthusiasm had by all as the Triple Crown Sports Super Deck & Field hosted Team Canada versus Triple Crown Colorado in a matchup of some of the top softball players in the world.

The visitors from the North (re: Canada) won the game 13-3 thanks to a dynamic offense that included some impressive home runs. Team Canada jumped out to a 6-1 lead before the Americans cut the lead in half at 6-3 but that was as close as it would get.

As the game took place, notable club coaches and even college coaches got to check in and, especially, have fun socializing with each other.

Club notables who attended included org heads such as Scott Smith of the Texas Bombers, Kevin Shelton of Texas Glory, Greg Schnute of EC Bullets, Suzy Willemssen of Virginia Glory, Marty Tyson of the Corona Angels, Stacy Tamborra (Athletics Gold) and dozens more.

From the college world, standing out in their Tennessee Orange colors were Karen Weekly and her husband Ralph Weekly, who recently retired but is involved in some fascinating projects that will be announced soon (and we look forward to promoting!).

Highlighting the night was the announcement that Triple Crown Sports through its P5 tournament along with the Patriot Games heads, Smith and Dave McCorkle, would work together to launch a combine tournament next June.

Here’s the text of the announcement read by the PA announcer (following after the video clip catching part of the ceremony and the dialog included here):

Attention, ladies and gentlemen! Please direct your attention to the field and join me in welcoming our distinguished guests: Scott Smith, Bo Vinton, Dave McCorkle, Keri King, Dave King, Kelly Salberg, Krista Crawford, and Stephanie Klaviter.

We are thrilled to share an exciting development in the world of fastpitch softball!

In 2025, two powerhouse tournaments, the P5 and Patriot Games, will join forces. Mark your calendars for June 26-28, 2025, right here in Fort Collins, Colorado, as this combined tournament is set to attract top club teams and college coaches from across the nation.

What makes this tournament truly unique is the integration of cutting-edge analytics.

Selected matchups will feature in-game data capture on hitting and pitching, courtesy of the new TCS Performance Lab. Teams will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and receive personalized evaluations based on live game performance. This collaboration aims to create an unparalleled experience for players and enhance college recruitment opportunities.

We extend a special thank you to the Patriot Games club coaches who have joined us tonight. We eagerly anticipate hosting you at the new P5 Patriot Games tournament in 2025.

That will be next year… the action promised through the rest of this week is expected to be as good as it gets for the Summer of 2024.

The Patriot Games will feature elite 18U, 16U and 14U teams (click HERE to follow the results on Tourney Machine) and include program workouts on Thursday morning from 8 am to 2 pm which includes data and metrics collection.

Games will begin at 3 pm on Thursday and run through the championships on Saturday.

Line Drive Softball will cover each day through the championships as well as tomorrow team and play workouts.

Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softballing