Burbank Junior softball knows what to expect in regional tournament
Stacked with players who have a wealth of tournament experience, the Burbank Little League Junior All-Stars softball team is poised for its next test.
Seven members of this year’s squad were on a Burbank Major team that advanced to the West Region Tournament semifinals in San Bernardino in 2016.
In addition, three players were members of the Burbank Junior contingent that captured Section 2 and Southern California State Division Championship titles and advanced to the Western Region Tournament last season.
“We do have some girls who have played quite a few games in tournaments over the years and they got some experience from that,” Burbank coach Rocco Buffolino said. “But you have to remember we are also young in some ways. We have six players who are still young enough to play on the Major level.”
Buffolino is hoping that experience will pay dividends as the Junior team has earned a return engagement to the Western Region Tournament. The double-elimination tournament in Tucson, Ariz. begins Thursday and runs through July 26.
Burbank, representing Southern California, will kick off the tournament Thursday with a 5 p.m. game against Utah. Also in its bracket are Arizona and Alaska. Representatives in the other half of the bracket are Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Montana.
With a win, Burbank will advance to the second round Friday at 7:30 p.m. A loss will put it into a second-chance bracket game at 5 p.m. on Friday. A four-team championship playoff will begin on July 24 with the championship on July 26.
“Our experience, especially on the big stage that we’re going to be on, is only going to help us,” Buffolino said. “The whole process for is is going to have to work if we are going to be successful out there. We know with every tournament that we go through the teams are going to get better and we are going to have to fire on all cylinders in this one.”
The District 16 representative, Burbank captured the Section 2 championship and is fresh off winning the State Division Junior Championship on Thursday. Over two postseason tournaments, Burbank has a 5-0 record and has outscored opponents by a 47-12 combined score.
“I think we have a good team,” Buffolino said. “We put the ball in play, we play good defense and we get good pitching.
“But in a tournament like this, we’re going to have to decide what we want to do as a team. Do we want to enjoy it and just have fun and just roll the dice? Or do we want to just go in there and just be overwhelmed with the whole atmosphere?”
Like Burbank, other teams in the Western Region Tournament will likely feature players who have also moved up from the Major level last season.
“The teams that are coming in, a lot of those girls we know from last year,” said Buffolino, who coached last year’s Major squad. “With that, we kind of have an idea what we’re looking at and what to expect. In turn, they also know what to expect from us, so it’s kind of like a pre-scouted tournament.
“But I think if we play the way we’re capable of playing, we should be fine.”
A win in the tournament would put Burbank into the Junior World Series in Kirkland, Wash. on Aug. 30 to Sept. 5.
“Last year in San Bernardino, we had some good competition and I know it’s going to be even tougher in Arizona,” Burbank pitcher Annie Buffolino said. “We’re really going to have to step up our game.
“We are just hoping to go out there and give it our best and hopefully we can be successful.”
The last time a team from the Burbank Little League advanced to the World Series was in 2010 when a Major squad accomplished the feat.
Twitter: @jefftsports
