Breaking News: Snavely resigns at Unaka, Minton taking over boys team

Elizabethton Star Sports Editor Wes Holtsclaw is reporting that Unaka High School boy’s basketball coach Ronnie Snavely has announced his retirment from coaching with a letter of resignation submitted this morning to the Carter County Board of Education.

Staff sports writer Tim Chambers is also reporting that assistant Jon Minton has accepted the vacant head coaching position.

More on this story may be found in Friday’s Elizabethton Star.

U.S. National Team delivers 24-0 win over Milligan

By Ben Davis (bdavis@starhq.com)

JOHNSON CITY — Over 3,000 people — 3,476 to be exact — in Johnson City saw firsthand why the current Team USA softball squad is considered one of the greatest teams ever fielded in the sport.

The crowd, which was the second largest of Team USA’s current ‘Bound 4 Beijing Tour’, witnessed Alicia Hollowell throw five innings of no-hit softball and the Olympians offense pound out three homers and 21 hits in a 24-0 win over Milligan College on a cold and wet Sunday afternoon at Cardinal Park.

“One of the big perks of this tour is reaching out in the grass roots,” noted Team USA coach Mike Candrea, whose team will be shooting for it’s fourth straight Gold Medal in China this August. “A place I’ve never been before and many of the team members haven’t been before, but (it was) a great event. It’s always nice to see a good crowd and it was fun.”

Hollowell was amazing from the get-go in helping Team USA improve to 22-1 on the tour. The former University of Arizona standout struckout ten batters and the only hitter she allowed to reach base was Science Hill graduate Ellyn Sapp, who walked in the fifth.

“I just tried to stay warm and keeping the ball dry is one of the main things, but I’ve played in bad weather before,” said Hollowell, who is now 4-0 on the tour and has yet to yield a run in 23.0 innings of work. “It was nice to get some innings and get out here and play. The weather wasn’t the greatest, but it’s always fun to be on the field. It was also fun seeing all the fans that turned out down here and bared the weather with us.”

Team USA’s hitting was nearly as impressive as Hollowell’s pitching.

Kelly Kretschman, Crysl Bustos and Jenny Topping each went deep in the contest while eight of the team’s members had two or more hits.

Kretschman’s homer was a two-run shot in the bottom of the first that helped the Olympians build a 4-0 lead. Topping’s was a three-run bomb came during an eleven-run fifth and final inning.

But the biggest blast of all came off of Bustos’s bat in the second inning when she launched a grand slam over the temporary centerfield fence.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t notice there were people on,” Bustos said. “I just wanted to hit the ball hard, that’s all. Today, I was just looking at getting a good piece of the ball. During batting practice, I was taking more line drives trying to keep it down.”

The home run was the eleventh of the tour for Bustos, which is best on the squad.

“It wasn’t one of the better ones,” she said. “I kind of was off my front foot there, and a little unbalanced, but I got a piece of it.”

Kretschman, Topping and Caitlin Lowe each had three hits for Team USA while Natasha Watley, Andrea Duran, Lauren Leppin, Laura Berg and Jennie Finch each belted out two hits.

Kretschman had five RBI while Bustos had four and Topping three.

Finch, one of the most well-known female athletes in the world, played first base just three days after pitching a no-hitter against UNC-Greensboro.

“It’s a matter of ‘are those girls going (Team USA) to make a mistake?’, which they don’t,” said Milligan coach Wes Holly. “That was very evident. They are the best in the world. They are going to put the ball into play. If you notice on the scoreboard, most of the time they get runs per hit, and that was equivalent in that game.”

Gutsy freshman pitcher Sidney Burns took the loss for the Lady Buffs after throwing the first three innings. It was the seventh game in as many days Burns has started.

“It was great,” Burns said of the whole experience. “It was fun. We felt pampered. I know it was great because we learned so much about the game today. It just was unrealistic almost. It didn’t hit me until I was out there.”

Ryann Musick took over the duties in the circle to start the fourth and pitched the final 1.2 innings before the game was called.

“It was great for our kids and everything,” said Holly. “Overall, I am very, very proud of them.”
Coach Holly was also thrilled with the way so many fans attended despite the weather. He was also very pleased with the way the event as a whole turned out.

“It just shows what our region can do to support the Olympic tour and everything,” he said. “It’s just a tremendous opportunity for this region to get to see our Olympic team, because only 42 cities in the United States are going to get to do that. I am very proud of the fact that we got them in and got the event. The weather wasn’t too cooperative, but we just thank everyone for coming out in this kind of weather.”

Softball will continue to rise despite Olympic absence in 2012

By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)

JOHNSON CITY — Softball is alive and well in East Tennessee.

If you were one of the 3,476 that attended the Olympic exhibition between the United States National Women’s team and Milligan College, you have no doubts about that statement.

Sunday’s game at Cardinal Park was a testament to the growth of softball in the previous 20 years.

Who would’ve imagined 20 years ago that a softball game would deliver the biggest crowd in the minor league baseball park’s history?

The fact that Milligan College became the first NAIA school to play Team USA in 2008 tells you how deep and competitive the sport has become in this country on a collegiate basis.

From Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to the Santa Monica Pier in California, softball has risen as a top sport for male and female athletes across the United States.

It has also become a top sport internationally — particularly, the women’s fast-pitch version of the game.

Unfortunately, there are some who don’t feel that way. In particular, the International Olympic Committee.

In the summer of 2005, members of the IOC voted to eliminate softball and baseball from the 2012 Olympic games — two sports that worked very hard for many years to be included in the 1990’s.

Softball representatives worked to get the sport included for over 30 years before its debut in the 1996 Olympics. The idea of the sport’s removal has many of those same representatives already fighting to bring it back in 2016, as they should.

Since joining the Olympics, softball has increased exposure to women’s sports throughout the globe and provided some of the event’s biggest stars on an international basis, including Team USA’s Jenny Finch, Cat Osterman, Laura Berg and Lisa Fernandez, among others.

“I’ve been blessed to see the sport from the infant stages when we couldn’t get television and didn’t have facilities to play in,” said Team USA coach Mike Candrea, who has won eight NCAA titles as head coach at Arizona. “I’d always felt that softball was a great sport and if we could intrigue universities to build facilities that we could get people to fill the stands.

“We’ve done that and the sport’s grown tremendously I think foremost because of the ‘96 games in Atlanta. I think that gave it a boost in the arm and it’s continued to grow through the College World Series over the year and, obviously, the Olympic team. Many of these kids here have become the icons of the sport and have become really good ambassadors. They’ve done a good job reaching down to the grassroots and making kids excited about playing softball.”

When the announcement was made three years ago, Finch and others took the news hard. But they didn’t quit. They kept playing to make a statement.

“This is our game, our sport, our lives. This is what we do,” Finch said Sunday. “For us it was a blow. When you come so far, and it’s been exciting to see how far our sport has grown and where we’ve been, for that to happen is a shock. We’re not going to let that deter our sport. We’re going to keep fighting and pushing through.”

Television ratings for softball are much higher than over half of the sports at the games. Not only that, but the game has drastically grown internationally since 1996.

The number of nations playing softball now stands at over 130, ranking softball 14th on the list of the Olympics’ 28 sports.

And just because the United States has won gold in the event the previous three Olympics doesn’t mean that there isn’t stiff competition throughout the globe.

China, Australia and Japan are three countries that have grown into the sport and could provide the team that eventually could unseat the Americans.

“I’m sure (they’re as disappointed), if not even more so,” Finch said. “You have a talented college game here and our sport is huge here, but when you go to Japan and China, it’s their one chance for a medal and even more so heartbreaking for them.”

Come August in Beijing, Finch and company will be out to make the statement that softball belongs in 2012 or any other year.

“It’s a huge blow to the sport in general, but we’re not going to let that effect us,” Finch said. “We’re going to use these Beijing games to showcase our sport and prove we belong in the Olympics.”

As they should.

“I think you have great athletes here that love to compete,” said Candrea. “What motivates them is to play the game and play it at a high level. We really feel like we don’t have any control over what’s going to happen in the future. All we can do is go out there and do our job and let the politics take care of themselves.”

After the games, and hopefully a fourth consecutive gold medal, the United States coach said international softball supporters have to take the fight to Europe.

“After the Olympic games in August, possibly many of us will be called upon to do some stuff and maybe help get the sport the boost that we need,” Candrea added. “The trouble is the boost that we need is to get in front of the voters in Europe. I’m not so sure we can do anything unless we take our game and take Japan, Australia and China, and go to Europe and sit there and tour for a year and show them what the game is really like.

I.O.C. President Dr. Jacques Rogge and others may not believe in the sport, but their opposition towards softball’s reinstatement in 2012, 2016 or any other year won’t destroy the sport.

Coaches such as Candrea and players like Finch won’t let that happen. Neither will collegiate coaches like Wes Holly, high school coaches such as Ronnie Hicks or longtime players like Jarfly Dugger or Bud Whitehead on a local level.

Little girls will continue to grow into the game. Men will keep playing their version of slow and fast-pitch. Team USA will stay strong and keep fighting.

“We’ve grown accustomed to being an Olympic sport,” Candrea continued. “That’s the ultimate in our sport and I don’t think we’re going to give it up without a fight. I think we’re prepared for it.”

If anything, Sunday’s exhibition gave Team USA 3,476 reasons to do just that.

 

 

National squad delivering expected results

U.S. National Team pitcher Jennie FInch (photo contributed by USA Softball)

By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)

KNOXVILLE — With the exception of a shocking 1-0 upset loss to Virginia Tech, the United States Women’s National softball team has delivered expected results on their Bound 4 Beijing Tour this spring.

Today, the team many have called ‘the greatest softball team ever assembled,’ faces the smallest school on their national schedule when they meet NAIA’s Milligan College at Johnson City’s Cardinal Park Team USA comes to Johnson City with a 21-1 record following Saturday’s 4-2victory against the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Today’s game marks second stop of the Tennessee leg of their current tour against collegiate and all-star teams in preparation of this summer’s summer Olympics in Beijing.

“I always tell people the tour is foremost for us to help us prepare and get down the road in August,” said Team USA coach Mike Candrea. “I think it’s as important to reach down to the grassroots and continue to grow the sport. I think these young ladies are great ambassadors for our sport and we need to continue to keep growing the sport.

“College softball is very, very healthy. There’s a lot of opportunity out there. And for the first time, a lot of these girls can look up to and have a role model that’s a softball player. I think that’s another part of the tour for us.”

One quarter of the tour will be completed today following the team’s stop in Johnson City.

While the tour gives members of the national softball team an opportunity to better hone their skills, it gives the team a chance to visit parts of the country they’ve never seen.

“First of all getting to see the country, we represent the USA. You can’t really feel better about going across internationally until you go across all the states and travel all the miles and the people we meet, see and get to sign autographs and talk to afterwards,” said Team USA’s leading hitter and former Stanford standout Jessica Mendoza.

“When we go to Beijing it’s going to feel like we’ve had a little part of Tennessee, a little part of Alabama, there’s a little bit of Connecticut and Washington. It’s a great empowering feeling knowing you’ve got USA across your chest.”

Perhaps the biggest honor is playing for the future of softball with many youth teams and young girls in the audience at each stop.

“It means the world,” Mendoza said. “It wasn’t very long ago I was one of those girls. I remember in 2000 I was waiting in line and getting autographs of that Olympic team. I had those balls and I was so excited.

“I can relate. I know what that feels like. To be honest you never know when you’ll meet that next future star in the crowd. And I think more than anything, to have that role model, you can go on and play in college and just really follow your dreams.”

Team USA took a ten-day break following its loss to Virginia Tech in the Oklahoma City College Preview to regroup.

Since then the team has delivered wins of 21-0 over New Mexico State, 10-3 against Houston and 13-0 at UNC Greensboro, where leading pitcher Jennie Finch struck out 18 batters with a no-hit performance.

Saturday’s win in Knoxville sets the tone for today’s outing in Johnson City.

“We’ve kinda been ramping up,” said former University of Arizona standout outfielder Caitlin Lowe, who’s one of the team’s leading run producers batting leadoff this spring. “We hit a little block with Virginia Tech. We’re trying to come back off of that and make sure we’re scoring runs every inning, which basically is a key to this team. We kind of have to compete against ourselves every time we come out here.” The team’s pitchers are arguably the best in the softball world.

Led by the ever-popular Finch, former Texas standout Cat Osterman and former Tennessee record breaker Monica Abbott, Team USA has made it hard for opposing teams to score runs.

Also on the squad are pitching legend Lisa Fernandez and Alicia Hollowell, who led Arizona to the 2006 NCAA title and will make the start on the mound against Milligan today.

Offensively, including Saturday’s game, the American team has outscored opponents 222-9 on their current tour against the nation’s best collegiate programs.

“I don’t think there’s any better preparation,” Lowe said. “I think Division I is been the best its been, well-rounded, in years. I think that this is the best we can do to get ready. Hopefully we can get ready for Beijing.”

The team has been paced by outfielder Mendoza and third baseman Andrea Duran. Duran currently leads the team with 33 RBI on the season, while Mendoza holds a team-high 37 hits and 30 runs scored while hitting .429 on the year.

Finch (4-1) leads the pitching staff with 36 innings pitched and 77 total strikeouts.

Mendoza has 11 multi-hit games on the tour, while Lowe has 10. The 2004 Gold Medal winning squad’s leading power hitter Crystal Bustos has 11 multiple RBI games, followed by 10 from Duran.

The team’s lineup is deep also featuring additional former Olympic veterans including Laura Berg, a three-time Olympic champion, Tairia Flowers, Vicky Galindo, Lovienne Jung, Kelly Kretschman, Stacey Nuveman, Jenny Topping and Natasha Watley.

As hard as it may seem, the team still hasn’t peaked.

Coach Mike Candrea, an eight-time National Championship winning coach who is regarded by many as the world’s best softball skipper, said Saturday that he hopes the team gets to the point where they realize what it took to win gold medals in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

“I think everything is established when you get the games and get into the arena and compete,” Candrea said. “We have a team with many kids that have been there before and we have some new faces. But the bottom line is you have to go out and perform.I thought in 2004 we had a very dominant performance and I don’t think it could’ve been any better.

“There are two things that happen. Sometimes kids sit back on what they’ve done in the past and think they’re going to turn on a light bulb and it’s going to happen when they realize how tough it was. I think this group needs to get to that point.

“The tour is tough because you’re home Monday through Thursday and you play Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” he continued. “We’re here and we’re on the road the whole time sleeping in strange beds and it’s very difficult to get the practice time we need. So it’s a challenge. But that’s part of the process.

“I believe in this team and I think this team is a good team, but right now we’re kind of playing the game. We’re not playing the game with the emotion we need to when it comes to Olympic time.”

 

Note: Fans attending Sunday’s game at Cardinal Park are advised to arrive at the facility early to avoid parking rush.

Those who do make the early voyage will get a treat.

As Finch, Osterman and Abbott are not starting and may not see action Sunday, the trio and the remainder of the squad will still participate in workouts beginning at noon.

At noon, the team will take batting practice. Saturday, Team USA powerhitter Crystal Bustos smacked some balls out of Lee Stadium at Knoxville — once striking a train 100 feet beyond the 220-foot wall.

Those sitting in the outfield Sunday will get a chance to field practice home run balls should they arrive early.

At 1 p.m., the team will stretch and begin warmups. Of course, the game will begin at 2 p.m.

Live Blog & Additional Features

We will be providing a live blog of today’s game between Team USA and Milligan beginning at 12 p.m.

There are more features available in today’s edition of the Elizabethton Star, including stories on Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman and Laura Berg.

Returning Abbott leads U.S. past Lady Vols

By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)

KNOXVILLE — Monica Abbott never got to experience the University of Tennessee’s brand new softball facility as a Lady Volunteer.

When the former All-American threw her first pitches from the Lee Stadium mound against her former teammates Sunday, she experienced a world of different emotions.

After giving up a pair of home runs early, Abbott delivered a stellar performance to help guide the United States Women’s National team to a 4-2 decision before a sellout crowd of 1,622 in the first stop of the Tennessee leg of the ‘Bound 4 Beijing Tour.’

“It was definitely a little surreal,” Abbott said afterwards. “These people are my closest friends and my family. I’ve kind of grown up a lot with them over the last four years helped seeing this program grow from nothing to what it is today.

“It’s a little different being out there playing against people I love. And I want them to do good too, you know? The bottom line is you have to come out everyday and represent the United States.”

Once she settled down Abbott, the youngest member of Team USA, struck out 11 and held Tennessee to the two scoring hits.

“Obviously giving up the couple of home runs is something we need to eliminate,” said Team USA coach Mike Canrea. “You get in the Olympics and you let that happen that’s a big momentum swing for other teams. You’ve got to be smart.

“Other than that, I thought she settled down and did a very nice job to finish the game. I know she was excited to get back here and it’s tough on a young kid to go through this. She was overly excited and wanted to have a great performance. Sometimes you get too excited and try too hard. I thought she settled down nicely.”

Abbott helped built Tennessee’s softball program towards three consecutive Women’s College World Series appearances while setting many career and single season NCAA records her senior season with 189 victories, 2,440 strikeouts, 112 shutouts, 253 appearances and 1,448.0 innings pitched.

She finished her collegiate career with 23 no-hitters and six perfect games and was named the 2007 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

“Facing my former teammates was interesting because they know me the best and I played with them for four years,” Abbott said. “A lot of them are really good, dear friends of mine. But when you put that uniform on and cross that line, it’s still a competition.”

In the first inning, the southpaw was met by former teammate Tonya Callahan, who put the Lady Vols on top with a solo shot to center.

Then, in the second inning, first baseman Jennifer Lapicki took Abbott yard with a line shot to right center.

Abbott shook off the rough start by striking out four of the next five batters she faced.

She got help from her teammates on the offensive end in the third inning.

Caitlin Lowe led off with her second double of the game and scored on a sacrifice fly from Jessica Mendoza to make it a one-run game.

The United States offense came alive in the fifth against Tennessee reliever Danielle Pieroni.

With one out on the board, Natasha Watley delivered a hard ground single. Then, U.S. left fielder Mendoza then lifted a two-run shot to right field to put the Olympians on top.

“It was kind of funny because my first swing (Pieroni) threw a change-up and it was so out in front of me I had one of the ugliest swings ever. It kind of calmed me down a little bit,” Mendoza said. ” I started laughing and coach started laughing. We kind of had a moment wanting to have some fun and that was the best thing for me. She had to come back inside again, this time I was ready for it.”

Two batters later, right fielder Kelly Kretschman provided a solo home run of her own prompting the Lady Vols to make it a 4-2 game.

“I sat on a change-up and it went,” Kretschman said. “I tried to make up for the two at bats before that. Jess had a good shot before me and we wanted to keep it going.

“It’s kind of hard to keep our lineup down going through it twice. We try to see what we can do in the first at bat, and make adjustments in the second.”

While the American team finished with four runs on eight hits offensively, Abbott and her defense finished the game by retiring 17 of the final 18 batters they faced.

“I think for me the hardest part was that I feel so much of me has been invested in this program and to Tennessee softball,” Abbott said. “I’m so very proud of them. It excites me what they’re doing today.”

Megan Rhodes started in the circle for Tennessee, pitching two scoreless innings before the team made the move to Pieroni.

Prior to the game, University of Tennessee coaching legend Pat Summitt, coming off her eighth national championship victory, gave members of the U.S. National Team a pep talk and threw out the first pitch of the game.

“I was more nervous then than I was at the Final Four,” Summitt joked atop the press box afterwards.

Milligan ready to face the best

By Ben Davis (bdavis@starhq.com)

With the much anticipated game against Team USA surely looming in the back of their minds, Milligan was able to pull off a split in a big Appalachian Athletic Conference double-header against UVA-Wise on Saturday in a pair of games that featured the league’s top two teams.

The Lady Buffs won the opener 3-2 before the Lady Cavaliers were able to salvage the nightcap by an identical score.

The split allows Milligan (8-2, 22-15) to retain sole possession of first place in the AAC while UVA-Wise (17-13, 9-3) remains in second, three games ahead of third place King College (17-20, 6-6).

The Lady Buffs can now finally turn their full concentration to the culmination of a strenuous week, which is today’s 2 p.m. showdown with the U.S. National Women’s team at Cardinal Park in Johnson City.

“It’s been a long week,” Milligan coach Wes Holly said after yesterday’s games at Anglin Field. “We can focus all are attention on tomorrow (the Team USA game) now.”

The Lady Buffs opened the week with three straight double-headers. They swept AAC foe Montreat on the road Monday then split another pair of league games with Union at home on Tuesday before heading to Maryville on Wednesday, where they took one of two . They then had two days off before yesterday’s tilt with UVA-Wise.

Going 5-3 in a span of six days is good, but it’s even more impressive when there is a game awaiting you on the seventh day against the best softball players in the world.

“We are glad it’s here,” Coach Holly noted of the Team USA game. “I am pleased the way the girls focused this week. These two big games (against UVA-Wise) are over. I told the girls to do your best because it’s been a long week for them. We will have played five out of seven days.”

While the Olympians, who beat the University of Tennessee 4-2 on Saturday in Knoxville, will obviously be the Lady Buffs the strongest competition of the tiring week, there is also a sense of relief that the long-awaited event is here.

“We have been working for this,” said Coach Holly. “We are going to get a good nights rest and get up and go over there in the morning and just try and have fun and do the best we can.”

That rest probably came easier last night after Milligan was able to get one game against the Lady Cavaliers giving the Lady Buffs the comfort of knowing they are still at the top of the AAC standings.

“Overall, we feel good about it,” said Coach Holly. “We would like to have won both games. Winning the first game was huge.”

Milligan fell behind 2-0 in the first inning of the opening contest, but Jessica Blevins later launched a two-run homer and Sarah Smith had an RBI single helping the Lady Buffs get the comeback victory.

Laken Stewart, Leah White, Mallory Tincher and Jessica Russell each added a hit in game one.

Freshman pitcher Sidney Burns, who will start in the circle against Team USA, got the win after going the distance and scattering five hits while fanning eight batters.

“Jessica Blevins came up with a big hit,” Coach Holly said of the first game. “Our defense was a little bit sloppy the first couple of innings. We let them get ahead and then had to play catch up ball. I am very proud of the girls. They fought back and made a great comeback and pulled the game out.”

Blevins went 2-4 in the second game while Heather Poindexter, Ryann Musick and Tincher each pounded out hits, but the Lady Cavaliers were able to take the win after again jumping out to an early lead.

Burns took the loss after going four innings allowing three runs on six hits while fanning three batters and walking one. Musick pitched the final three innings giving up no runs on one hit and striking out three.

“We would have liked to have won the second game,” Coach Holly said. “We left several runners stranded on base and didn’t really get a clutch hit until the last inning when we needed one and we still had a chance to pull the ball game out or tie it up, but there again we just didn’t get enough clutch hits.”

Much work going into Sunday’s Olympic exhibition

This article is the fourth part in a series on Milligan softball in preparation for Sunday’s game with the U.S. Olympic team.

By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)

JOHNSON CITY - By the time Sunday’s softball exhibition between the United States Olympic team and Milligan College concludes, hundreds of people will have worked towards delivering one of the largest sporting events to make its way through this region to perfection.

The planning phases of Johnson City’s stop on Team USA’s ‘Bound 4 Beijing Tour’ began last year.

Since then, folks have worked around the clock to deliver a great show to a sellout crowd of over 3,500 at Cardinal Park.

Not many people realize how much work goes into an event like this.

It takes plenty of dedication and teamwork in every sense of the word to make it a success.

GETTING THE EVENT

Last year at the ASA National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, Tennessee’s ASA Commissioner James Ellis, who doubles as Johnson City’s Parks and Recreation Athletic Director, learned of plans for a tour involving the United States Olympic softball team.

Ellis, who has been the state’s top softball official in the organization for five years, discovered that the University of Tennessee had jumped the gun on the event for their new softball stadium.

Ellis asked officials to give Johnson City consideration, assuring them that the event would be successful in this area.

“I told them if they could give us any consideration whatsoever we would love to have them,” Ellis recalled earlier this week. “Even though we’re only 90 minutes driving time apart from Knoxville, I was sure we would sell out in areas they probably wouldn’t and vice versa. After much discussion, they basically asked if we were definitely interested. I told them yes.”

Ellis partnered with Johnson City’s Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Once some details were in place, he made the pitch to Milligan softball coach Wes Holly during their annual fall softball tournament at Winged Deer Park last September.

“Mr. Ellis asked me out there if the opportunity arose, would Milligan be interested in facing the USA Olympic team,” Holly said. “I didn’t even hesitate. I said absolutely. I think it shocked him. He asked if I was sure. I said yes.

“We’re a young team, but I felt like it would be a great opportunity for them and for the program, which we’re just thankful we got the opportunity, but more importantly for the whole area.”

Like Ellis, who has spent over 20 years serving the sport of softball in this region and the state, Holly played fast-pitch ball for 23 years and has coached for 24 years, including the last 20 at Milligan.

He knew a game of this magnitude would be great for his program and the area.

“As far as keeping fast-pitch alive, transferring from men to women, I’ve done a lot in the area and I’m just thankful the area is going to be able to see what has happened in women’s fast-pitch softball,” Holly said.

Once Milligan agreed to join the event, Holly met with Ellis and members of the Johnson City Chamber and CVB to iron out a deal.

“James contacted ASA, we got together in October with the Chamber, had a meeting and had a contract sent from ASA,” Holly continued. “The question then became: Can you fulfill the obligations? I said ‘absolutely, Milligan can do their part.’ We all decided we could pull it off.”

The rest is history.

PREPARATION

With a team and event in place, many people went to work.

Brenda Whitson and Karen Hubbs with the CVB and the Johnson City Chamber teamed with Ellis to organize everything down to the smallest detail.

First, they had to have park to hold a large crowd. They turned to East Tennessee State, who leases the city’s Cardinal Park each spring for its baseball games. ETSU immediately obliged.

“You couldn’t ask for a better field,” said Gary Mabrey, President of the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce. “The university has been very kind to allow the use of that field. (ETSU Director of Athletics) Coach (Dave ) Mullins and (ETSU baseball coach Tony) Skole have been phenomenal in making that happen. It has been great collaboration between the ETSU, Milligan, and the City and the Chamber to make this happen.”

Once the game was in place, the group announced information for ticket sales. They got an impressive amount of feedback.

“We work with the ASA through James Ellis and have hosted a number of national events for them,” said Hubbs, who serves as the CVB’s Sports Development Manager. “Through the ASA and different tournaments they run, they have an established mailing list. We sent out 150 flyers to softball teams in this area and into Southwest Virginia.

“We could tell they got the mail because we stared getting phone calls. All these teams across the area were calling in for this game. We’ve had people call in for 120 tickets.”

The event became a sellout with 3,500 tickets sold, marking the largest crowd to attend a game at Cardinal Park.

Not only with folks from this area, but states as far away as Ohio, West Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and even New York.

“I’ve been with the Parks department for 30 years in a full-time capacity and never at Cardinal Park have we had this many folks,” Ellis said. “In baseball, you can’t put seats in the outfield. In softball, we have that advantage. Obviously, we can sell more tickets. To sell out at 3,500 when I heard that UT sold out at 3,000, it makes us feel pretty good.”

Turning Cardinal Park into a softball facility after an ETSU baseball game in less than 24 hours will be a hard task. But the city’s up for it.

“We’re basically modifying a minor league baseball field to accommodate the Olympic softball team,” said Ellis. “They can play on grass, but we have to take down the mound and we’ve got to cut an area in the infield for second game.

“Naturally, immediately following the game on Sunday, our work crew will go in and put the sod back down, pamper that and make sure it’s ready for the following Wednesday because ETSU’s baseball team will be back in the facility. We will build the mound back that night.”

When people arrive at Cardinal Park, they will notice the softball configuration, but they will also notice several improvements made to the facility.

“We’ve really done some touch up work on the stadium this week,” Ellis continued. “Yes you’re doing it for the Olympic team, but it’s going to benefit the Cardinals, Science Hill and the East Tennessee State Bucs because they’re going to see some of those improvements too. Hopefully everyone that uses the facility will benefit from it.”

Hubbs noted that up to 100 volunteers will be helping work at the facility during the game. Chiropractic and massage services will be there for the team, as well as the Washington County EMS, Johnson City Police and others, including Aramark, which will be in charge of concessions.

Elizabethton’s Parks and Recreation Department have worked with the city in case there is some inclement weather.

“It really does take a village to run one of these events,” Hubbs said. “It’s taken a whole team to put this thing on.”

Mabrey said all of the hard work from the various outlets puts the event into perspective.

“You have ETSU, Milligan College, the city, the chamber and a wonderful team of young women at Milligan who see just what this means for them and their memories forever and what it means to us as a nation because we’re just a few months away from the Olympics,” he said.

“And to think some of the finest athletes in the world are coming to our region. I think the most important thing is it reminds us of the importance of teamwork. We’ve had a lot of folks work with us on this event. Coach Holly has been phenomenal, the business community has been phenomenal, the city has been phenomenal. We have a cast of thousands making this possible. And it’s sold out. We have spectators coming from several states. It’s good for everybody.”

WHAT TO EXPECT

Spectators attending Sunday’s game can expect to see the largest and most important softball game in the history of the region.

“This is probably the largest softball event that’s ever happened here, and by far the largest crowd at Cardinal Park,” Hubbs said. “We’re excited to see the crowd there. ASA has been so good to us throughout the years. We’ve hosted a number of national events for them. We’ve been going to their convention the last nine years to get events into Johnson City. We’ve been able to land three of their events.

“They trust us. They trust the city and our hospitality. This is another pat on the back from them, allowing us to host this event.”

Players from the age of four through adulthood will be able to see some of their role models take the field, while Milligan’s team will get to play against them.

“It’s a dream come true for many, many youngsters,” Ellis added. “And speaking with Coach Holly, it’s the pinnacle of his career. He was quoted as saying that. Milligan getting to face this group of elite athletes, that’s a positive too.

“I’ve heard many, many quotes from all across the nation. This team is probably one of the best fast-pitch teams ever assembled. You take the likes of Cat Osterman, Jennie Finch, Monica Abbott and the list goes on and on and on.”

It will be a once-in-a-lifetime event for many. But for Milligan’s team, it’ll be something they’ll take with them the rest of their lives.

“For all age groups, from our college girls to the youth groups and the high schools, it’s the greatest thing in the world,” Holly said. “Those are our role models. For everyone to have the opportunity, regardless of age group, but particularly for the small girls and our players of tomorrow (to see them). Hopefully that will inspire them to work for that level.

“We told our girls at the first of the year, we will use every game we play to improve our skills so we can go over there and compete. Of course, the Olympic team is expected by all odds to win that game. They have been beating the Division I schools from anywhere to 15 to 23 to nothing. I’m well aware of that team.

“I honestly think we’ll have a good effort out of this little old Milligan school because we love to play the game. It’s the same bases, the same distance. They’re a little older and mature and better than we are.

“We’re not going to put pressure on ourselves. By far it will be the biggest game I have ever coached at Milligan College. I want them to go over there and have fun, but I want them to compete at the best of their ability. It will be the biggest crowd we’ve ever played in. Hopefully that will motivate us and we will play ahead of our skills.”

Should weather become a factor Sunday, the Olympic team will sign autographs for fans at the Doubletree Hotel in Johnson City.

If the weather holds up, spectators attending the game can still expect autographs.

Team USA will spend approximately thirty minutes cooling off and speaking with members of the media before returning to the field for an autograph session.

Not only will folks get to watch the best softball team in the world, they’ll get an opportunity to meet members of the squad.

“After the game, after they’ve cooled down and had media interviews, they’re going to come back out on the field for 45 minutes for an autograph session,” Ellis said. “They’re really dedicated to that. They want to give everyone at least one autograph, time allowing. They’re really big in that. They promote the ASA brand at just an unbelievable level and realize the importance of it.”

So does this area, particularly those who have worked tirelessly towards a successful event on Sunday.

A look at the U.S. softball team

This article is the fourth part in a series on Milligan softball in preparation for Sunday’s game with the U.S. Olympic team.

By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)

Some have called the current United States Olympic softball team the greatest women’s fast-pitch team ever assembled.

It would be hard to find an argument proving otherwise.

This Sunday, the Mike Candrea-coached squad, which features many of the sport’s icons and brightest stars, makes its first appearance in this area as part of its ‘Bound 4 Beijing Tour.’

The Olympic team will face Milligan College in front of a sellout crowd at Johnson City’s Cardinal Park in what is certain to be the biggest softball game in the history of the region.

Johnson City is the 26th of 64 stops the U.S. team will make throughout the country to prepare themselves for the upcoming Olympic games in China.

Here is a look at the United States team and the ‘Bound 4 Beijing Tour’ through Tuesday:

U.S. ROSTER

The names of three pitchers stand out when looking at this year’s team. Osterman, Finch and Abbott.

They’re the best in the world, and they lead a team of experienced veterans into this summer’s games looking for the United States’ fourth gold medal.

Osterman, a former Texas standout, will be making her second Olympic appearance. She has made the start in the team’s previous three World Championship games.

Finch, one of the most popular female athletes on the planet, has won two world titles and will be looking for her second Olympic gold in her seventh consecutive year on the team. She made two appearances in the 2004 games, striking out 13 in eight innings of work.

Abbott, of course, is the youngest member of the squad coming out of the University of Tennessee making her first appearance on the Olympic team.

She led the team’s pitching staff in 2007 with a 6-0 record for a 0.00 ERA. She issued no walks and no runs a year ago. Abbott stood at 4-0 on the tour through Tuesday’s game.

The team isn’t just centered around its pitching. Team USA features several additional prominent Olympic standouts.

Laura Berg is the lone three-time Olympic gold medalist on the team and one of the world’s top outfielders. Crystl Bustos, who broke Olympic records in 2004 with five homers and 10 RBI, will be searching for her third gold.

There’s also players such as Caitlin Lowe, a former Arizona standout whose been prominently featured as the team’s leadoff batter the past three seasons, and outfielder Jessica Mendoza, who has been one of the team’s top run producers since 2001.

Stacey Nuveman returns as catcher after missing the 2007 season due to the birth of her son. She had the only hit in the 2000 Olympic gold medal game and smacked a homer in the 2004 finale.

The team is coached by Candrea, perhaps the nation’s premier head coach from the University of Arizona.

The Americans have a record of 24-4 over its previous three Olympic Games, including an unblemished 9-0 mark in Athens while outscoring opponents 51-1.

B4B TOUR

The team’s current tour has featured many expected results. But one major surprise has had the softball world talking.

U.S. won its first 17 games in the event, including a 16-0 rout of defending national champion Arizona, before suffering it’s first pre-Olympic tour loss since 1996 to Virginia Tech on March 26th.

Earlier in the day, the squad hammered DePaul 23-0 before suffering the no-hit, 1-0 loss to the Lady Hokies in Oklahoma City.

Since, the team rebounded with a 21-0 win over New Mexico State and a 10-3 win over Houston.

Tonight, the squad faces North Carolina-Greensboro before making the trek to Knoxville for a tilt at Tennessee Saturday.

Abbott is expected to make the start in Knoxville against her former teammates with Osterman or Finch slated for Sunday’s game in Johnson City.

Following their game with Milligan, Team USA has games lined up against Alabama, Mississippi State, UCLA and Michigan, to name a few, before winding its tour down.

Milligan pitchers ready to face Olympians

This article is the third part in a series on Milligan softball in preparation for Sunday’s game with the U.S. Olympic team.

By Ben Davis (bdavis@starhq.com)

As a fan in the stands, Milligan pitcher Sidney Burns got to watch the United States Olympic softball team play in Canada not too long ago.

On Sunday, the freshman right-hander from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, will see the same squad from a different perspective.

Burns is the projected starter in the circle for the Lady Buffs when they take on Team USA at Cardinal Park in Johnson City.

“I think excited is an understatement,” Burns said of getting to pitch against the Olympians in a game that is a part of Team USA’s ‘Bound 4 Beijing Tour’. “I think I’ve gone to bed dreaming about this every night for the past two months. I am just ready to give them a good game.”

Milligan coach Wes Holly has no reservations about having the talented Burns pitch in a game of this magnitude, despite her freshman status.

“It’s a team effort, but anybody that knows anything about this game, it starts in the circle. You’ve got to have somebody in the circle that can control the action,” Coach Holly noted, adding that Burns has already shown the ability to do just that. “She is a freshman, but she is very mature. She is not a freshman in the circle.”

Former Unaka standout Ryann Musick may also pitch in Sunday’s contest, and she too welcomes the challenge.

“I am definitely excited,” said Musick, who transferred to Milligan after redshirting at Austin Peay State University one year ago. “I know as a pitcher I have always wanted to face best competition in high school and travel ball and now in college, and it’s just exciting to be able to pitch against the best team in the world.”

Both Burns and Musick have done an outstanding job stepping up after an injury to fellow pitcher Kayla Walker, a sophomore from Tracy, California who is expected to be back in a couple of weeks after injuring her leg at a spring break tournament in Savannah last month.

Burns is 15-7 on the season after shutting out Maryville in a 4-0 Lady Buffs win during the second game of a double-header on Wednesday. She has fanned over 150 batters and holds an ERA of under 1.50. Musick is 3-4 with three saves and has an ERA right at 1.50.

“I worked really hard before I got here to make sure I was in shape,” said Burns. “I think if I hadn’t come out here and done the best that I could, I would have been completely disappointed in myself.

“I don’t want to let down my team. I think the support of my teammates behind me and the girls together knowing that we are all working hard for each other is really what helps.”

Musick agrees her success is due in large part to her fellow Lady Buffs, who are now 21-14 overall and first place in the Appalachian Athletic Conference with a 7-1 mark.

“I love my teammates,” she said. “They do an awesome job behind me. I couldn’t do it without a good defense and a good catcher. (Catcher) Leah White is awesome.”

Sunday, Burns and Musick will get the chance of a lifetime when they throw against pitchers they’ve looked up too for so long such as Jennie Finch, Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman.

It’s an opportunity that thrills both Milligan pitchers; and one they feel confident about knowing the type of teammates they have backing them up.

“It’s really the girls behind you hitting you on the back and telling you ‘We’re going to get this for you’, and knowing that they are behind you and things that really just keeps us (pitchers) going,” said Burns. “I hope that will carry over to Sunday.”