Club softballers: where will you be playing this Fall?

This is Brentt Eads of Line Drive Softball… I’m hoping to see you at several top events in the upcoming months so let me and our staff know where you’ll be playing! We hope to see you on the fields!

One of my favorite events every Fall for close to a decade now has been the PGF Ultimate Challenge held in Salinas, Calif., which is less than 10 miles from the Monterrey Bay Area of the Pacific Ocean.

Event Director Bill Sparrey has lined up another great field of teams in the 18U, 16U and 14U age divisions for the ninth year of the event which runs Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, through Sunday, Nov. 3 at the Salinas Sports Complex.

Each participating team will play three pool games and then be seeded based on the pool standings with single elimination games to begin Saturday night.

“It’s a good lineup and I’m excited,” Sparrey says. “The big advantage of the event is that we’re at a six-field complex and everything is close, so the (college) coaches don’t have to walk far.”

College coaches from across the country will be in attendance for the weekend which starts at 5 pm PST Friday, Nov. 1 and concludes with title games at 2 pm on Sunday, Nov. 3 in each of the three age divisions. Not only do the club and college coaches get to see great individual and team play, they will also get fed on both weekend days!

The Ultimate Challenge will be held for the eighth time – in 2020 it was cancelled because of COVID and in ’21 due to weather issues – and has become so popular that there’s a waiting list of teams who hope to be invited.

Why?

Because the competition is excellent, the representation of college scouts is high from DI and other levels and age division winners will get $5,500 per team with runners-up collecting $2,500.

Schedules will be posted on Thursday, October 24th.

Here is the list of participating teams for 2024:

18U

• CA Storm
• Lady Magic – Walling
• Cal Nuggets – Woods
• LTG Lions – Henderson
• CA Grapettes – Merrida
• Sorcerer – Paulie/Rodriguez
• NW Bullets – Campos
• So Cal A’s – Richardson
• Warrior Academy – McDonald
• Suncats – Jimenez
• Firecrackers – Wallace
• Firecrackers Select – RTY

16U

• CA Storm
• Lady Magic – Muñoz
• Cal Nuggets – Woods
• LTG Lions – Carda
• CA Grapettes
• Sorcerer – TK
• NW Bullets – Hornback/Muir
• So Cal A’s – Colon
• Warrior Academy – McDonald
• Extreme – Rios
• Suncats – Jimenez/Gutierrez
• Firecrackers Select – RTY

14U

• CA Storm
• Lady Magic – Asia
• Cal Nuggets – Woods
• LTG Lions – Buck
• CA Grapettes – Cook
• Sorcerer – Hamilton
• NW Bullets – Campos/ Jackson
• Firecrackers Select – RTY
• Warrior Academy – McDonald
• So Cal Choppers – Ibarra
• Suncats – Jimenez
• Extreme – Woofter

Last year’s event had a particularly emotionally poignant aspect as the 16U age division was won by Marco Vasquez’s Dirtdogs and in the team photo after winning the title, the team held up a photo of Marissa Cardona, a player who was killed in a car accident the previous year.

“The poster is of Marissa and she is at every tournament with our team,” Coach Vazqueztold me last Fall after winning the championship. “This group will always keep her memory with us.”

Here’s the list of previous champs…

2023 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

• 14U – Lady Magic – Munoz
• 16U – Dirtdogs – Vazquez
• 18U – NW Bullets – Campos

2022 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

• 14U – Lady Magic – Munoz
• 16U – Lady Magic – Walling
• 18U – LTG Lions – Henderson

2021 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

• Event cancelled due to weather

2020 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

• Event cancelled due to COVID pandemic

2019 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

• 14U – Universal Fastpitch – Faulstich
• 16U – CA Breeze – Birch
• 18U – NW Bullets – Campos

2018 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

• 14U – CA Breeze – Fernald
• 16U – Athletics – Mercado/Greg
• 18U – CA Suncats & NW Bullets

2017 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

• 14U – Corona Angels – Tyson
• 16U – CA Breeze – Warren
• 18U – Corona Angels – Tyson

2016 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

• 14U – OC Batbusters – Campbell
• 16U – Explosion – Greg
• 18U – All American Sports Academy

2015 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS

• 14U – So Cal Choppers – Fausett
• 16U – So Cal A’s – McNee
• 18U – So Cal Choppers – Fausett