You don’t normally think of January as being a great month of play for travel ball softball—especially with the weather issues hitting the country including snow in Texas and Oklahoma–but there will be outstanding fastpitch competition in Arizona later this month.

That’s because the 5^th edition of the Arizona Last Blast will be held and will feature top teams competing in the 2 ½ day event culminating with the championship of each age group, 12U through 18U, taking place Jan. 24-26 at Arizona State’s Alberta B. Farrington Stadium.

Ramsey Harkness, the long-time successful travel ball coach and event director who owns 1Swing Events, is the mastermind behind the event and remembers how it got off the ground a half decade ago.

“We started towards the end of COVID,” he recalls, “and it was the first tournament I ever ran, but we had some great teams to start off with including the Beverly Bandits, Tennessee Mojo, Athletics – Mercado, Corona Angels, So Cal A’s, Arizona Storm and Hotshots, to name a few.”

Look closely at that list and you’ll notice elite teams attending from all areas of the country—from the West Coast and Southwest to the Midwest and South.

“This year,” Harkness continues, “we’ll have 170 teams after having 60 that first year.”

There’s another fun feature that we at Line Drive Softball are very much behind… and we’ll let Coach Ramsey reveal what it is.

“We’re really excited to feature the Line Drive All-Tournament team that will be announced Sunday at Farrington Stadium.”

That’s right… not only will me and my wonderful wife Shannon be in attendance, we’ll also be working with the club team coaches and the staff members of the event to  help select and honor deserving athletes.

The Last Blast, though, focuses primarily on team experiences and improvements heading into this summer and there’s one org that all will be watching closely: the Athletics Mercado/Smith program.

Ramsey explains why.

“At 18’s, the A’s have won the title three of the four years played so far,” he continues, “and they often have winners at multiple ages.”

As noted earlier, all the championship games will be played at Arizona State’s softball stadium; Click HERE to see where each age division will be playing their pre-finals contest.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball

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ATTENDING TEAMS (By Age Division)

18U

• Arizona Rising Appel
• Arizona Rising GNR
• AZ Rising Vela
• Arizona Storm – BW
• Arizona Storm Downes
• Arizona Storm Mathis
• Arizona Storm Sheehan
• Arizona Storm Walding
• Arizona Storm Westover
• Athletics Mercado Smith
• AZ Hotshots – Delsante/Carroll
• AZ Hotshots Georges/Honea
• AZ Hotshots Mavoides
• Breakers Labs 18U Gold Bobby
• BSC Bengals Gurule 18u
• California Grapettes Kapp Gold
• CO Altitude DePlante
• Desert Thunder Mazura
• Desert Thunder Rosty
• Explosion Indian
• Firecrackers Premier RTY
• Firecrackers Wallace
• GenuWIn Reign 18u KW National
• Impulse Nielson 18U
• Intensity 18U KOD/Haefeli
• Intensity 18U KOD/BOD
• Lady Dukes Lamar
• Lady Magic
• Lil Rebels Gordie/TC
• Lil Saints
• LTG Henderson
• LV Blast
• Mojo Rise
• New Mexico Zias
• Newtown Rock Gold-Garvey **
• NW Bullets Campos
• NW Bullets McGee
• NW Bullets Qualls
• Oregon Blaze Boynay
• Power Surge Walling
• Prodigy Steinhauser
• Rogue FC Kaye
• SoCal A’s Richardson
• SoCal Choppers VC
• Tennessee Mojo Ramsey/Corey
• Tennessee Mojo Ramsey/Fisher
• Tennessee Mojo Ramsey/Holland
• Top Gun Turner
• USA Athletics Embrey
• USA Athletics AZ – Kennelly
• USA Athletics 18u Gold Rogers
• USA Prime Zappa
• USA Premier 18U Zepeda/Bowles
• Utah Fastpitch Club – Korth
• Vanquish Fastpitch 18u Lichtner
• VOODOO Rhinehart
• Warrior Academy McDonald
• Washington Ladyhawks Gonzalez
• Washington Ladyhawks Seeley
• Washington Ladyhawks Miller/Simpson
• White Rock Renegades
• Wisconsin Lightning

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16U

• Absolute Blast Rafferty
• Absolute Blast Pettitt/Jeske
• ai Bandits Breer
• ai Bandits Breer JRB
• Arizona Rising Kobasew
• Arizona Rising Appel/Thies
• Arizona Rising Hamel
• Arizona Rising Mabrey 27s
• Arizona Slammers/BOSS
• Arizona Storm Captain
• Arizona Storm Mendez
• Arizona Storm Hill Royer
• Athletics Mercado East Valley
• Athletics Mercado Hovermale
• Athletics Mercado Mack
• Athletics Mercado – Mangini/Okayama 09
• Athletics Mercado RC 08
• Athletics Mercado Tidd 09
• AZ Hotshots Murphy
• AZ Hotshots 16U Gold – Petersen
• Beverly Bandits Kam
• Breakers Labs Cullivan
• Breakers Labs Keusch/Guzman
• Breakers Labs Vega
• Desert Thunder MGM
• Explosion Indian
• Explosion Pacho
• Firecrackers AZ-Adsuara/Roth
• Firecrackers Select RTY
• Genuwin Reign TM 16U
• Intensity 16U BOD/KOD
• Intensity KOD/KP
• Jersey Intensity 16U KOD/Kelliher
• Lady Dukes Lamar/Mayfield
• Lady Magic-EM
• Level Up
• Lil Saints Gold
• LTG Henderson
• LTG Carda
• Mound Time
• NW Bullets Hornback
• NW Vandals Terry
• Power Surge Berndes/Mujica
• Power Surge Walling/Pearlstein
• Power Surge Walling/SOS
• Rogue FC Camacho
• Rogue FC Fraley
• Rogue FC JDecker
• Select Fastpitch Wieligman/Dragon
• So Cal Athletics 16U Colon/Richardson
• Team Hustle Ladrigue
• Team Hustle Roman
• Team Hustle Williams
• Tennessee Mojo Ramsey/Morales
• Tucson Rebels Wild/Sztan
• Unity Johnson/Ricks
• Universal Coleman
• Valley Waves Lindvall/Platt
• WA Acer’s Trippy 
• Warrior Academy McDonald
• Washington Ladyhawks Miller/Fairbairn 
• Wildcats Premier 16U
• Windmills 09
• Wisconsin Lightning 16u 26/27 

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14U

• 520 Ballerz Corona
• ai Bandits Breer
• Arizona Cats Boone 28/29
• Arizona Rising Lopez
• Arizona Rising Mabrey 11s
• Arizona Storm Carroll/Campbell
• Arizona Storm Ellis
• Arizona Storm Lavine
• AZ Storm Pomeroy
• Arizona Storm Schoeneweis
• Athletics Mercado AZ 2K10
• Athletics Mercado Mack
• Athletics Mercado/Shelton
• Athletics Mercado Tidd
• Athletics Mercado Walker
• AZ Hotshots – Keezer
• Breakers Labs Avalos/Garcia
• Chicago Prospects 14u Premier
• Explosion Indian
• FC RTY Rich
• IMG Langlois/Depalma
• Intensity Florida Pascual
• Lady Magic-Asia
• Lil Saints
• LTG Buck
• LTG Pettis
• LV Blast 2011 14U
• Newtown Rock 14U Kiskurno/Garvey
• NW Bullets Campos/Johnson
• NW Bullets 14U Keith
• Power Surge Walling
• RogueFc Choate
• Rogue FC Ketchum
• Rogue FC Martinez
• Strykers National Esparza
• Team Hustle Matuz/LaDrigue
• Tennessee Mojo Ramsey/Holland
• Wildcats Holcomb/Knight
• Washington Lady A’s
• WA Ladyhawks Campbell
• Washington Ladyhawks KCZ
• Washington Shock 

*****

12U

• Arizona Rising – Hatch 2013
• Arizona Rising Weber 2012
• Arizona Storm Beach
• Arizona Storm Moloney
• Arizona Storm Rodriguez
• AZ Blaze Flores
• AZ Bolts D’Alessandro
• AZ Impact Pollock 2012s
• Breakers Labs 12u – Mejia
• Firecrackers Leles/Garrett
• Tennessee Mojo Ramsey/Holland
• Washington Ladyhawks