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JBSA News
NEWS | Aug. 5, 2010

Softball ready for world's military

By Patrick Desmond 502nd Air Base Wing OL-A Public Affairs

The Lackland Warhawks are headed to the beach, Aug. 19-22, not to erect sand castles but make waves at the softball Military World Tournament.

For the women's varsity team, it's a chance to improve on a third-place showing at the United States Specialty Sports Association tournament in Panama City Beach, Fla., last year. For the men, it's a chance to prove they still got it.

After a string of wins in National Softball Association and USSSA tournaments, Lackland's men are returning to Florida to try and do something they haven't done in eight years, become Military World Tournament champions.

For many it could be there last hurrah, men's coach John Rady said.

"A lot of us are getting up in there in age," Rady said. "It would be kind of nice to end on a winning note and bring back a world title."

Considered the premiere tournament for military teams, Rady has been preparing his team for the end-of-year event.

He cut his roster down to a strong and dependable cast of 14 players, while shifting the defense into a five-man infield position that has enhanced the teams' ability to shut down opponents.

The success of which, veteran Warhawks player Steve Reichert has credited to the ability of three speedy outfielders to cover large areas of the field. The five infield players can focus on stopping grounders from becoming base hits.

"Defensively, we're just as good as anybody," Rady said. "As long as our bats come alive, I think we'll do well."

The men's team will be playing in a field of roughly 30 division B teams during the double-elimination tournament.

Playing in their own bracket, the Lady Warhawks are looking to top last year's semifinal-appearance.
To help them in their pursuit of a championship, women's coach Michael Richardson brings a military training instructor intensity to the game. As a player on the men's team, too, he is an influential presence.

For his squad, the trip to Florida is all business.

"We're not going down there for a good time," Richardson said. "We're going down there to win it."

Both teams?

"That's pretty much our focus and that's what we are preparing for," the coach-player confirmed.

Though his first time coaching women at the tournament, Richardson has confidence in his experienced team.

"We're a really deep team," he said. "We have a few individuals who have played on the Air Force softball team. We have a lot of good leadership."

One of the on-field leaders, Christy Hayes has seen it all before. As a tournament veteran and All-Air Force player, she knows what it takes to be a winner.

"We have a mixture of veteran and new players and that's always a good combination," the Warhawks co-captain and left center fielder said. "Our defense is definitely there. If we bring our sticks around, we should have no problem keeping up with the competition."

After taking a year away from the tournament due to a deployment, she's excited to get back in the game and competition.

For her, Florida means parity, when compared to city leagues.

"We are dealing with other teams just like us," the Warhawks left center fielder said. "They have the same struggles of filling a spot with a new player because the girl who's played there for the year is deployed. It's a more even competition."

The women's team hasn't played in as many games as it's used to - it's latest success coming with a second place finish in the Memorial Day tournament at Time Warner Field. But from a player's perspective, that only makes them hungrier.

"We have had many practices to keep our team chemistry together," Hayes said. "We are all very excited about this tournament. We just want to get over that third place hump."

Richardson said his squad has been taking on civilian teams to stay sharp, and fine-tuning their hitting and base running, "working on the little things to get us over the top."

For many servicemembers who've played the game around the world, Florida has come to mean camaraderie.

His first trip to Florida with the Warhawks, shortstop Derek Jones, like many others in the military, has played there before with teams from Bolling AFB, D.C., and Fort Myer, Va.

"It's good to play ball. You see people from all over the world, it's a small Air Force, small military," he said.

Reichert agreed, saying, softball represents something akin to life on a military installation, with its ability to bring people together - invoke the esprit de corps.