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2009 Big Ten Summer Softball Teams Crash onto Postseason Dance Scene
For the 3rd straight summer, there were at least 2 Big Ten Alumni Co-Ed softball teams in action - the Big Ten C-Division team and the Big Ten Sunday League team. The C-division squad finished with a record of 9-3, earning the 8th overall seed in the postseason tournament. The team won their first game 39-9, but then struggled to put up runs the rest of the way, eventually losing in the loser's bracket second round. In so doing, the squad finished tied for 5th place overall. The Sunday team finished with an equally impressive record of 8-4, but fell in their first round best of 3 matchup.
The 2 Big Ten teams will again take the field this Fall 2009 seeking to win it all.
Big Ten Alumni Co-Ed Indoor Softball Wins League Championship
For the first time since the Big Ten alumni rec sports program took flight a few years ago, a group of alums finally took home the hardware. Several Big Ten Alums from the Summer and Fall outdoor seasons took their game inside for BSSC's Winter Indoor Softball session. The Big Ten squad went 4-3-1 in pool play, narrowly qualifying for the playoffs. Team Big Ten took care of business in the semi-final game despite a late inning comeback by the opposition. The team moved on to the finals and eked out a close victory to win the league's championship.
It was the first championship for any Big Ten alumni team since Big Ten alumni sports became an option back in 2006. Having had a down season in the outdoor session, the Summer softball squads will be looking to get back into the playoffs in 2009.
Summer 2009 Big Ten Alumni Weeknight & Sunday Co-ed Team Rosters Nearly Full
The Sunday-only alumni team is still looking for female players. If you are interested, contact Matt Englander at mkenglander
gmail.com.
Few spots remaining for Big Ten Co-ed Fall Softball!
The Fall 2008 alumni softball rosters are nearly full. If you're interested in taking the field with fellow Michigan alums, as well as alums from many other Big Ten Conference schools, contact Matt Englander at mkenglandergmail.com. The season will run from late August to October, with 1 game per week (unless in the case of doubleheaders). Games are played in and around the Boston area, but are unfortunately not very accessible by public transportation (you'll need to have a car or find a carpool). The cost is $85 per player, and your check is the only true way to reserve a spot on the team.
2008 Summer Sunday League Softball team, Weeknight team, end season prematurely
Over the course of the 2008 summer season, the weeknight alumni team and the Sunday alumni team were largely headed in opposite directions. The weeknight team achieved a 6-6 record, aided by 2 forfeits. The Sunday league team, however, finished with a 9-3 record which beat the team's 2007 summer mark of 8-4. The weeknight team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in team history, but the Sunday squad grabbed the 7 seed in the Sunday bracket. The Sunday team played a best 2 out of 3 first round series against the Rick Rude Boys in what was the most closely played series in recent memory. The Big Ten squad won the first game by 1 run, lost the second game by 1 run, and lost the deciding game by 1 run. It was a tough ending to a great season, and both teams look to re-group for the Fall 2008 season.
Big Ten Sunday League Team falls short in final round
The Big Ten Sunday League team capitalized on its best season to date by making it all the way to the final round. The squad seized the #1 seed by finishing with a league best 8-2 record. The Sunday League playoffs were structured such that each round of the playoffs was a best 2 out of 3 series. Big Ten dispatched first round opponent With Ourselves in a 2-0 sweep. In round 2, Big Ten sent the F-Bombs packing with another 2-0 sweep. But in the final round, the Ballbusters ended the alumni team's season with a 2-0 sweep of their own. The final record for the Big Ten Alumni Sunday Team was 12-4.
C-Division Big Ten Alumni softball team takes early exit from tournament
Having finished the regular season with a record of 8-1-1, the C-Division Big Ten Alumni team grabbed the #2 seed and a first round bye in the league's postseason tournament. The team cruised to a win in their first game, a second round tilt with the Hardballers. The squad next squared off against the Whammies, the eventual league champions, and were defeated soundly. The loss knocked the team into the loser's bracket, where they lost to their first opponent, the Beer Burglars, effectively ending the squad's alumni softball season.
The C-team finished with an overall record of 9-3-1, running the franchise record to 28-17-1 (.609 win pct).
Regular season wrapping up for Fall Big Ten Alumni Softball Teams
With a doubleheader sweep on Sunday, the Sunday-only Big Ten Alumni softball team finished out the season with an 8-2 record. The team will be off on Sunday October 14, and the first round of the playoffs will begin on Sunday October 21.
The C-Division Big Ten Alumni softball team sits at 5-1-1 with 3 games remaining. With a win in 1 of the 3 remaining games, the team should clinch a playoff spot.
Fall Big Ten Alumni teams come flying out of the gate in Fall 2007 season
Two Big Ten Alumni teams are in action this Fall: the weeknight C-Team and the Sunday-only Team. Through September 18, the Big Ten C-Team is 3-0-1 while the Sunday-only Big Ten Team is 5-1. Both squads will play a 10 game regular season followed by the playoffs. More updates to come as the season winds down!
Big Ten Alumni B-Team falls two rounds shy of finals
The Big Ten Alumni B-Team started the summer season very unsteadily. The team lost 4 out of their first 5 games, and their playoff chances looked grim at best. Then the team came together and reeled off 6 wins in 7 games to finish the regular season with a 7-5 record, good enough to qualify for the postseason. The B-team won their first two playoff games, upsetting the #2 seed in the second game. They next faced the tournament's highest seed and lost by a very respectable score. The loss bumped the alumni squad to the loser's bracket, where they would still have a shot of reaching the championship game. The B-team narrowly escaped with a 14-13 victory in their first loser's bracket game before dropping a rematch with the #2 seed by a score of 14-8. The alumni team ended the season with a record of 10-7 including playoffs. The squad will be back in action this fall.
Big Ten Sunday League Team eliminated in second round sweep
The Big Ten alumni Sunday League softball team eeked out a win in the first round of the tournament, a single elimination format. In the second round, the team faced long odds in a 2 out of 3 matchup against the tournament's top seed. The alumni squad lost the first game by a fairly wide margin, but made the second game much closer. The second game was so close, in fact, that the team stranded the tying run on second when the final out was recorded. It was a frustrating end to what had been a very solid season. The team's final record, including playoffs, was 9-6. The Sunday League alumni team will be back in action this fall, once again participating in the Sunday-only League.
Summer alumni softball regular season comes to an end
The four Big Ten alumni softball squads reached the end of the summer regular season. Of the four teams, two qualified for the playoffs in their respective divisions. Here's a recap of how they fared:
SUNDAY LEAGUE
Big Ten North (8-4)...will be the #9 seed in the Sunday League Playoffs.
Big Ten South (2-10)...did not qualify for the playoffs.
Big Ten East (1-11)...did not qualify for the playoffs.
B-DIVISION
Big Ten (7-5)...playoff seed pending.
Fall alumni softball set to begin in August
With the summer season in its final weeks, planning is well underway for the fall softball season. Many of the alums from the summer will again be playing this fall, though there will be some new faces on the team. The 2 alumni squads hope to build off of the successful summer campaign.
There are currently no open roster spots for the fall, however there is a waiting list. During the summer season, 4-5 alums were added from the waitlist to rosters after the season began. So if you're interested in being added to the waitlist please email Matt at mkenglandergmail.com.
Big Ten Alumni Team Breakdown
There are 4 Big Ten alumni teams playing in the Boston West Coed Softball League this Summer. The rosters feature the following alums:
BIG TEN NORTH (Sunday League)
Michigan (6), Illinois (3), Michigan State (1), Penn State (2), Other (3)
BIG TEN SOUTH (Sunday League)
Indiana (1), Iowa (3), Michigan (1), Michigan State (3), Wisconsin (4), Purdue (1), Ohio State (1)
BIG TEN EAST (Sunday League)
Northwestern (2), Penn State (1), Wisconsin (4), Michigan (2), Ohio State (3), Indiana (2)
BIG TEN (B-Division)
Michigan (6), Illinois (2), Michigan State (2), Purdue (2), Penn State (1), Other (2)
First game times announced for Big Ten Alumni Summer softball teams
This season there will be 4 Big Ten Alumni teams competiting in the Boston West Coed Softball League. There will be one weekday team that will compete in the B-Division, and 3 Sunday-only League teams (Big Ten North, Big Ten South, and Big Ten East). See the calendar for game dates and times.
Sign-up to be a sub or replacement player for the 2007 Summer Softball Season
The sign-up deadline has come and gone for Big Ten Alumni Summer softball. However, if you'd like to be added to the substitute or replacement player list then please email Matt Englander at mkenglandergmail.com.
Look for game recaps from Alumni summer softball games here through the season. Read below for a recap of a successful Fall 2006 campaign.
SUNDAY LEAGUE SOFTBALL TEAM FALLS IN FIRST ROUND SERIES, 2 GAMES TO 1.
The Big Ten Alumni Sunday team played a first round 2 out of 3 series against the tournament's 2nd seed, the Jeffersons. The Big Ten squad won the first game behind timely hitting and crisp defense. Luck was not on their side in the second and third games, as the Jeffersons were able to come up with some big hits while the Big Ten bats went cold. On a beautiful November Saturday, the Sunday team was unceremoniously eliminated from play. The series loss marked the end of the Big Ten softball season. See you in the Spring!
SUNDAY LEAGUE SOFTBALL TEAM EARNS PLAYOFF BERTH, WILL COMPETE AS 7TH SEED
The Big Ten Sunday League team will be in action this Sunday, November 12, for an 8-team single elimination tournament. The Sunday squad ended the season with a 5-5 record, and will look to duplicate the effort shown in the C-Division tournament. Time and field location to follow.
BIG TEN ALUMNI SOFTBALL TEAM FALLS ONE ROUND SHORT OF THE FINALS, 11-10.
Needing one win to reach the C-Division finals in the team's first year playing together, the squad lost a heartbreaker 11-10 in extra innings. The game went back and forth with each team taking a turn in the lead, until the Angry Pandas pushed across the winning run with a ground rule triple to right-centerfield. The loss brought the Big Ten team back to earth after what had been something of a magical playoff run, which included wins over 3 higher seeded teams including the tournament's #1 seeded team.
Before the team packs up the softball equipment for the season there is still the matter of the Sunday League team. Out of action since October 22, the Sunday team plays its final regular season game this Sunday, 1:30 at Daly. The playoffs will be held in Mid-November.
STAVING OFF ELIMINATION, BIG TEN ALUMNI SOFTBALL TEAM STAYS ALIVE WITH 2 BIG WINS.
The Big Ten Alumni softball team faced a win-or-go-home situation twice last night. In the first game, as part of the second round of the losers bracket, the team played the Free Agents. In a fairly low-scoring affair, the Big Ten-ers prevailed 14-6. The other second round losers bracket matchup was played on the diamond across from the Big Ten game. The third round game was played immediately afterward, with the Big Ten team taking on Thunder Lips. The lead changed hands many times, but the Big Ten squad finally surged ahead near the end to win the game, 17-14. The Big Ten Alumni team must win again to reach the tournament's final round. The team is in action tonight, on Halloween, 8:30pm at Daly Field in Brighton.
BIG TEN TEAM STUMBLES IN QUARTER-FINALS AGAINST BOSTON ASIAN DRAGONS, 15-12.
The Big Ten softball squad was brought back down to earth after two tremendous victories in the early going, losing in the playoff quarter-final 15-12 to the Boston Asian Dragons. The Big Ten team is down but not out. Since the tournament has a double elimination format, the squad will have the chance to get back to its winning ways on Monday October 30, 6pm at Smith #2 (Brighton) against the Free Agents.
BIG TEN ALUMNI SOFTBALL TEAM TOPPLES #1 SEEDED HUMDINGERS, 37-20.
In a startling showing of offense, the Big Ten C-Squad took out the #1 seed with a powerful offensive attack. The final score looked more like that of a Big Ten football matchup, with several players knocking extra base hits all over the yard. This team is hitting on all cylinders at precisely the right time. In order to keep it going they'll have to beat the tournament's #4 seeded team, the Boston Asian Dragons. Next game is Thursday October 26, 8:30pm at Connell #2 (Hyde Park).
BIG TEN ALUMNI SOFTBALL TEAM SPANK LIGERS IN OPENING ROUND OF PLAYOFFS, 23-8.
The Big Ten Alumni C-Division softball team played their opening round playoff game against the Ligers on Tuesday night (Oct 23) at Smith Field in Brighton. The game was part of the single elimination round, where the winner would continue on to the double elimination round and the loser would go home for the season. The Big Ten squad came out thumping, stringing hits together and beating the Ligers into submission. The team, which features alumni of Michigan, Illinois, and Michigan State, got a contribution from each and every player (even the Spartans, which was somewhat surprising).
It's on to the second round for the Big Ten team. Next game is Tuesday October 24, 7pm at Daly in Brighton.