6/22/2012 - JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
The Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Warhawks men's varsity softball team is looking to make a statement at the Commander's Cup tournament Saturday and Sunday.
Michael Richardson, Warhawks men's softball coach, believes the team will bounce back from fourth-place finishes at the Miken Chopper Challenge in San Antonio, and the Military Band-Aid tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The fourth-place finishes were a notch below the Warhawks' second-place finish in the Memorial Day Shootout at Time Warner Cable Park, where they won four straight games before losing twice to local team Bad Decisions in the double-elimination tournament.
"They beat us twice in a row, and they hit better than us," Richardson said about their loss to Bad Decisions.
The Warhawks are currently ranked 20th in Texas in the men's varsity "D" division of the United States Specialty Sports Association.
The Commander's Cup will give the Warhawks an opportunity to get a feel for some of its military competition at the upcoming USSSA Slow-Pitch Military World Tournament in Panama City, Fla., in August.
Competition will include teams from nearby JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Fort Hood, and Fort Bliss.
"The Commander's Cup is going to allow us to scout some military teams who we hope are going to Florida. Hopefully, we can see who we're going up against and where we are (competitively), so we know where we can get better," center fielder Brian Goelz said.
With the tournament taking place on JBSA-Lackland, Richardson said it's important for the Warhawks, which brought back four players from last year, to defend its home turf during the eight-team competitive tourney.
He expects the team to be successful in its quest for a Commander's Cup first-place tournament trophy.
"We expect to do well and win this tournament," Richardson said. "The Commander's Cup tournament will be stiff, and it's about time we are finally getting a military softball tournament here in Texas.
"We want to defend our home field. We are no longer the team that just blows folks out with home runs. We are more athletic. We still have the pop in our bats needed to hit home runs, but we are also better defensively."
The confidence Richardson exudes trickles down through his players.
"I'm pretty confident in our team, and I believe we will win this tournament. All we have to do is hit and play good defense," said second-year Warhawks outfielder Chris Brinkhaus, who will be participating in his first Commander's Cup tournament. "I'm very excited about the Commander's Cup. There are not a lot of softball tournaments you can get excited about, but the Commander's Cup is one of them."