Softball all-stars bypass District 16 tournament once again
For a second straight summer, the Tri-Cities District 16 Little League All-Star Softball Tournament will not occur.
The tournament, which once featured squads from 9-10, 10-11, Major and Junior divisions, brought in top talent from Glendale, La Crescenta, Burbank and Tujunga. The teams took part in the event with the champions advancing to the Section 2 Tournament.
There are reportedly several reasons why the tournament was scrapped May 1, ranging from Crescenta Valley Little League departing from Tri-Cities after the 2014 season to compete in the Crescenta Valley/Glendale Softball Assn., players going on family vacations and more.
So, unlike last season, when teams strictly consisting of Burbank players had lengthy postseasons runs that included winning multiple championships, this season will feature all-star teams from Burbank, Foothill and Jewel City/Jewish War Veterans playing together and moving on unopposed.
“We always like the District 16 All-Star Tournament,” said Scott Moro, the district’s volunteer administrator. “It always brought a lot of the best players to the fields and you’d get some great matchups and rivalries along the way. Now, you have some leagues moving on to amateur softball associations.
“Our numbers are up from about 75 last year to around 110 this year. We decided to instead combine the teams within the divisions. You have some families who are taking their summer vacations and you suffer a bit [trying to put together multiple teams]. As for down the road, we’re hoping [the District 16 All-Star Tournament] will come back.”
In the meantime, players and coaches from the 8-10, Major and Junior divisions have begun preparation for the double-elimination Section 2 Tournament.
The 8- to 10-year-old Division will feature players from Burbank, Jewel City/Jewish War Veterans and Foothill Little Leagues with Peter Orozco serving as coach. The Major (9-11) Division will have athletes from Burbank and Jewel City/Jewish War Veterans and will be coached by Eddie Aceves. A Junior squad, coached by Rocco Buffolino, will consist solely of Burbank players.
All three squads recently started practicing for Section 2, which will begin Friday, after competing in friendly games against teams from the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles area.
The 8-10 Division Tournament will take place at Quartz Hill Little League and will have four teams. District 16 will meet District 40 in an opening-round game at 8 p.m. Friday.
The championship contest will be played at 5:30 p.m. July 3 and a winner-take-all game would follow at 8.
“It hurts a little bit not being able to hold the District 16 Tournament,” Orozco said. “Sometimes you just don’t have the numbers in turn out, so you have to make other plans.
“You want to get in more game action, but now we’re just going through repetitions in practice.”
The 9-11 Division tournament will be held at Tujunga Little League Fields and hosted by District 16. District 16 will have a first-round bye in the three-team tournament and will meet District 17 or 51 in a winner’s-bracket game at 10 a.m. July 1.
The title tilt will occur at 5:15 p.m. July 3 and a winner-take-all contest would happen at 5:15 p.m. July 5.
“We had some kids who were just on vacation, so now we’re in the process of getting everybody back,” Aceves said. “We get about a week to practice, so it will give our players time to get to know each other on the field. It will be nice to finally be able to get in some games.”
The Junior Division will play its games at San Fernando National Little League in San Fernando. It will be a three-team event.
District 16 earned a first-round bye and will take on District 17 or 51 at 9 a.m. July 1. The championship contest will be at 5 p.m. July 3 and a winner-take-all game would begin at 5 p.m. July 5.
“We were busy playing some travel balls teams from different areas to help us getting ready for Section 2,” said Buffolino, who piloted the Major team to district, section and Southern California State Division III championships before advancing to the Western Regional Tournament in San Bernardino last season. “In not having the District 16 Tournament, it’s one less stop to advance, but there’s a long downtime in between tournaments.
“Now, well go over to San Fernando and give it our best shot.”
The area squads enjoyed a bevy of success in 2016.
The Junior team won district, section and Southern California State Division championships en route to advancing to the Western Region Tournament in Arizona. The 10-11 squad captured District and section crowns before repeating as Division 3 state champions for the second season in a row.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
