District 16 softball’s Tournament of Champions takes hiatus
District 16 Tournament of Champions softball play was canceled for 2016 due to low numbers.
There’s been an unusual break in the action on local diamonds throughout the area.
In past summers, a large group of Little League District 16 softball squads would have taken to the fields to participate in the Tournament of Champions, a series pitting the best teams from District 16 leagues against each other.
That’s now not the case — at least for this summer.
In May, District 16 officials chose to scrap the Tournament of Champions for several reasons, leading to mixed reactions within the player and coaching ranks. District 16 encompasses areas of Burbank, Glendale, La Crescenta, Tujunga and Sunland.
“Little League numbers for softball are low in our district right now and it’s by far one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my six years running the district,” said Scott Moro, the district’s volunteer administrator. “We just would have had a couple of teams in each division had we gone through playing. We would have had just one Junior team.
“Plus, a lot of families are taking family vacations earlier now and you have some players involved with travel ball. It’s an unusual situation, but we hope to bring the tournament back next summer. It’s a definite goal.”
Moro, a Hoover High graduate and Burbank resident, estimated there are about 80-90 softball players affiliated within District 16, down from the normal 150-200 players accustomed to roaming the field in past seasons.
All three District 16 baseball divisions — Minor, Major and Junior — are either currently participating in the Tournament of Champions or have concluded it as in the case of the Juniors.
“We’re very strong with baseball,” Moro said. “We want to get back to that in softball, so we’ll look to regroup and get back the numbers of players we’ve been used to.”
Despite the low numbers and subsequent cancellation of the Tournament of Champions for softball, all is expected to proceed as usual for the upcoming all-star tournaments. The all-star tournament will begin the week of June 25.
District 16 softball teams produced a number of memorable story lines in 2015, ranging from the Burbank Major All-Stars advancing to the Little League West Regional Tournament in San Bernardino after winning the Southern California championship to the Burbank 10-11 squad winning the Division 3 State Championship in dominant fashion in Desert Hot Springs.
The decision to scrap the Tournament of Champions surprised some to a degree, while others weren’t too shocked.
“It’s a little strange not having the Tournament of Champions and I was initially a little bit upset at first,” said Burbank Ruthless Junior Coach Peter Orozco, who managed the Burbank Major All-Stars last season. “We’re so used to competing within the district, so now it feels a lot like having a long bye.
“On the other hand, there’s more time to practice fundamentals. We have practices Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so we are keeping our players sharp and avoiding rust. It’s about having everybody ready for the all-star tournament and hopefully moving beyond.”
Jewel City/Jewish War Veterans Arnol’s Angels Manager Cesar Ascencio said he wasn’t too disappointed with the Tournament of Champions’ cancellation.
“We’re so used to playing games right now, but at least we have about a month to prepare for all-stars,” Ascencio said. “Our team mission hasn’t changed one bit, even though you get a fair amount of playing experience within the Tournament of Champions.
“In the end, we’ll be ready to work and face any challenges.”
Players were also caught off-guard with the news.
Mia Garcia, a pitcher on Ruthless, wanted the tournament to take place.
“Being a pitcher, I have to stay conditioned,” Garcia said. “I’d much rather keep playing instead of having a big break in between playing organized games.
“You like to have the games so you are always playing at your fullest potential. So, now we just look to have good practices and try to stay sharp.”
Rachel Little, a player for Arnol’s Angels, said she’s staying in shape by playing for her travel squad.
Like Garcia, Little wanted the Tournament of Champions to occur.
“I’m a little disappointed because I think you can always learn something new each game you play,” Little said. “We all love playing softball.
“You just have to continue practicing. It will be good to get to all-stars and playing against other great teams.”
