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News
- Next Tournament - Best of the West, July 30-31, 2005 at Winchester, CA.
Team Rainey is the three-time defending champion at Best of the West, having won the event back-to-back-to-back in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The squad is in the "A Pool", and will play the three other teams in its pool on Saturday, at 9am, 12:30pm and 4pm, heading into a single elimination bracket on Sunday.
This year marks the 15th year for the Best of the West tournament, the longest running tournament in California.
Pool A
Team Rainey,
Casa Trejo Bombers,
Team CR / DeMarini,
SATURDAY JULY 30 SCHEDULE
Game 1 – 9:00 AM
Field 1
Team Rainey Vs Team CR / De Marini
Game 5 – 12:30 PM
Field 1
Team Rainey Vs Casa Trejo Bombers
Game 9 – 4:00 PM
Field 1
Team Rainey Vs
- Team Rainey Qualifies for Third Straight ISC World Tournament
Team Rainey has qualified for the ISC World Tournament for the third straight year, and will be in Eau Claire, WI August 12-21, 2005 to compete with the forty (40) best teams in the world of men's fastball. Team Rainey enters the tournament this year as the # 20 ranked team in the world, earning it a # 2 seed within its pool of five teams. The top two teams in each pool advance to the single elimination championship round. The team's schedule of games for the ISC World Tournament are as follows:
- Saturday, August 13, 10pm (7pm PST) vs. North Americans, OK
- Monday, August 15, 10pm (7pm PST) vs. Hallman Twins, Ontario, Canada (the Twins are the #1 seed in the pool)
- Tuesday, August 16, 12pm (9am PST) vs. Brandts, Springfield, IL
- Wednesday, August 17, 8am (5am PST) vs. Czech Republic
[WHITTIER, CA - 2/2//05] - (From the
"Morning Brief" at
www.fastpitchwest.com) To borrow a phrase from Mark Twain "the
reports of the demise of Team Rainey have been greatly exaggerated. "
Make no mistake, it was big news to hear that longtime Team Rainey ace
Travis Price was moving over to cross-town rivals, the Bombers. Along
with their other ace, Tony Peeples. And starters Jason Porto, Mike
Butler and Nate Devine. Not surprising then, that rumors would start to
circulate that Team Rainey was folding. But the rumors were just that --
Team Rainey is alive and well, having reloaded their roster for the
upcoming 2005 campaign.
For their pitching staff, they've signed British Columbian, Bricklen
Anderson, Tony Hunoff and Sonny Perkins. Anderson, who hails from
Vancouver, actually pitched in a tournament with Team Rainey last year,
no doubt getting notice from sponsor Rod Rainey for the way he pitched
in last year's Portland Rose Cup tournament, a 1-0 shutout of Team
Rainey, and the 3-hit performance against two-time world champion ISC
World Champions Broken Bow, in a 3-1 loss. We first saw "Brick" in
Salem, Oregon, in 2002, when he tossed a perfect game in the NAFA World
Series. He can pitch with the best of them, and will provide Team Rainey
with a front line ace. Hunoff is no stranger to ISC caliber competition,
having pitched for such teams as the Long Beach Painters in the 90's.
And Sonny Perkins is as dangerous at the plate as he is on the mound.
Perkins notched a win over Team Rainey in last year's ISC qualifying
tournament, nearly costing them a trip to the ISC World. Perkins is one
of the more talented players out west, and will get an opportunity to
display his talents on a larger stage.
Team Rainey will also add a trio of players from longtime local rival,
Captain Dan's, which shuttered its operation after many years of play,
adding Dwayne Fowler, Chad Hardesty and Neil Sauerheber. Hardesty is
more than capable as a pitcher, should the need arise, but was signed as
an outfielder. It was Hardesty that had fans talking at last year's Red
Rock tournament in St. George Utah with a monstrous home run against
eventual champion (and ISC World Champion) Broken Bow. Don Didion,
Captain Dan's player/manager will get the reigns from Rod Rainey to
manage the club in 2005.
Returning players will include unofficial captain Tony Acedo behind the
plate, Jesse Duncan, Roy Guinaldo, Chris Hunt, Dee Nieblas, Ralph
Salcido, and of course, the team's namesake, Rod Rainey. Stan Grebeck
will re-join the club after a one-year hiatus. A talented fastpitch
veteran, Stan was named to the "All Decade" team for NAFA for his
accomplishments from 1993-2003.
Youth will be served as well, with young Josh Hunoff joining his uncle
on the team, as well as Jason Obregon ("J-Rod" to his former teammates
on Raymar Fastpitch). Obregon is an outstanding infielder, with great
hands, good speed and quick hands at the plate. Though only 22, Jason is
almost a veteran in local fastpitch circles. More talented than his
years, he will enjoy a chance to take his game to the next level.
There have been plenty of roster changes on both Team Rainey and the So
Cal Bombers to be sure, which should make for a budding local rivalry
the likes of which we have not seen since the days of the Nitehawks and
the Jets, starting in just two weeks, at So Cal's first Tournament, the
Panteras Valentine's tournament, in Norwalk, California. Wouldn't that
be a great Friday night matchup ?
-Jim Flanagan,
