A shot at nationals: Clovis Bullets to compete in fastpitch B-team championships
Three Clovis Bullets softball teams are contenders for the American Softball Association Girls’ Fastpitch B Western Nationals.
The Clovis Bullets 14U team coached by Robert Russell is in La Habra this week, and the 12U team coached by John Hartsburg is in Kingman, Arizona for their respective tournaments.
Coach Dick Brown’s 16U team is fundraising for its tournament next week in Salinas. The 13 girls hail from seven high schools, including Clovis West, Clovis North, Clovis East, Clovis High, Buchanan, Roosevelt and Liberty high schools, Brown said.
The girls have improved tremendously since the beginning of the season; out of eight losses, six of them were lost by only one run, Brown said.
“This is the first out-of-town, overnight tournament this year,” he said. “We’ve always played tournaments where you come home every night. Now they get to stay in the motel. It sounds strange, but some of these kids have never even been out of town. They come from all walks of life.”
The 16U national tournament begins Wednesday, Aug. 3 and the finals will be played Sunday, Aug. 7.
How to help
The Clovis Bullets 16U team will hold a fundraiser take-out tri-tip dinner from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 31.
Meals, catered by Outback Steakhouse, can be picked up at Les Schwab Tire Center, 1635 Herndon Ave. in Clovis.
Meals are $15 each; more than half the cost will go directly to the team.
This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 1:49 PM with the headline "A shot at nationals: Clovis Bullets to compete in fastpitch B-team championships."