Section 2 Tournament next up for Burbank Little League softball squads

In past seasons, the District 16 Little League would be near completion of its softball all-star tournament for each of its four divisions.

Teams from the 9-10, 10-11, Major and Junior divisions from Burbank to Crescenta Valley to Glendale to Tujunga would compete for the right to advance to the Section 2 Tournament and possibly beyond.

That’s no longer the case since all four Burbank-based teams moved on unopposed to the Section 2 Tournament after the district’s all-star tournament was canceled due to low numbers and Crescenta Valley Little League breaking away from the district after a lengthy stay to compete in the Amateur Softball Assn.

It’s left Burbank teams to scramble to take part in friendly games against other leagues from around the Los Angeles area and the San Fernando Valley in preparation for the Section 2 Tournament.

“We’re just low on numbers right now and we had to cancel the district Tournament of Champions earlier this month because of low turnout,” said Scott Moro, the district’s volunteer administrator. “Sure, you’d like to have an all-star tournament consisting of exciting games, but it just didn’t work out. Maybe next year.

“It’s not just an issue with our district. Other districts have gone or are going through the same thing our district is. A lot of it has to do with there not being a huge turn out.”

District 16 softball teams enjoyed a fabulous run in 2015. The Burbank Major All-Stars advanced to the Little League West Regional Tournament in San Bernardino after winning the Southern California title. Burbank’s 10-11 squad won the Division 3 State Championship in Desert Hot Springs. It was the pinnacle of recent success for Burbank softball, as it swept the District 16 All-Star tourneys on the field in 2015.

More championships might be in store for Burbank.

Burbank’s Junior team will be the first squad to begin the double-elimination Section 2 Tournament that will consist of three teams. Burbank will meet the District 51 or 40 champion in a first-round game at 1 p.m. Sunday at Tujunga Little League Fields.

The championship game will be played at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Tujunga. A winner-take-all game would be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the same venue.

“It’s strange not playing in the district all-star tournament, so we move on and get ready for the next stage,” said Burbank Junior Manager Peter Orozco, who managed the Major All-Star team last year. “We’ve been at it in practice, especially working on our hitting. There should be no excuse for not being able to hit.

“It’s also going to come down to pitching and we have several pitchers we believe can carry our team. It’s just a question of each of our players being able to go out there and take care of the job at hand.”

The Major, 9-10 and 10-11 Section 2 Tournaments will begin later.

The Major Division, which will include teams from Districts 40, 51 and 17, will start Friday in Tehachapi.Burbank will compete in a first-round contest against District 17 at 8 p.m. Friday. The title game will be held at 6 p.m. July 7 and a winner-take-all contest would be held immediately after the title game.

“We didn’t know what to expect if we’d have a district tournament,” Burbank Major Manager Rocco Buffolino said. “We had no idea when we’d be playing again so we played against teams from Burbank Parks and Recreation in between practicing a lot.

“We just came off taking a short break and are ready to get back to work. We feel like we have a very strong team.”

The 9-10 Section 2 Tournament will begin July 9 at Tujunga and will have three teams — Districts 16, 17 and 51. District 16 will have players from Burbank, as well as Foothill and Jewish War Veterans, and will be managed by Marc Dabbadie.

The tournament will commence at 11 a.m. July 9 with a game between districts 17 and 51. The winner will face Burbank at 1 p.m. July 10. The title game will start at 5:15 p.m. July 12 and a winner-take-all game would be held at 5:15 p.m. July 13.

Burbank’s 10-11 squad will be the final division to compete in Section 2.

Burbank, managed by Cesar Ascencio, will travel to Sherman Oaks with its first game set for 9 a.m. July 16 against District 40. Districts 17 and 51 will also be a part of the tournament, which will hold its championship game at 5 p.m. July 19. A winner-take-all tilt would be held at 5 p.m. July 20.

“We still have plenty of time to practice,” Ascencio said. “We’ve also had to play against teams from other areas just to stay fresh. It’s an unusual amount of time off.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have our district all-star tournament anymore. Hopefully, CV will come back some day and we can get back to playing each other. They have such a history with the district and it’s something that would be great again for the community.”

After years of being a staple in District 16, Crescenta Valley opted to leave the district last season to form Crescenta Valley/Glendale Softball Assn.

Luke Zoeller, president of Crescenta Valley/Glendale Softball Assn., said Crescenta Valley searched for other alternatives and ultimately decided to join ASA.

“CV was with District 16 for quite some time, but we just wanted to try something different,” Zoeller said. “The numbers are down right now in terms of the Little League format and there are things you can take away from being in ASA.

“First, there are no boundaries, so you can bring in players from other cities to be a part of a team. We’ve got about 140 players involved with our association, within the ages of 4-14. You get to see a lot of top players from around the area and that can help you get ready for competing at the high school level.”

Zoeller said participating in an unlimited amount of games has more of an upside than being in a district.

“You might have six to eight teams playing in district and it’s double elimination,” Zoeller said. “So, your season can be over just like that. You don’t really know when your season will end.

“In ASA, you just call up a team and have an umpire and field ready and you can play. You can participate in as many tournaments as you want, whether it’s two or 12.”

Dave Fox served as a District 16 softball coach for more than 15 years.

Fox’s last season with District 16 was last year, when he coached the Foothill Major team. He’s now a coach for an under-14 squad at Crescenta Valley/Glendale Softball Assn.

“I liked Little League Tri-Cities and then a few weeks getting them ready for all-stars and see how far you could make a run,” Fox said. “This year’s group of girls [in CVGSA] are mainly one step away from high school, so our plan was to get them tournament or travel-type experience.”