We’ve come to end of another invitational tournament season. Our Invitational Hosts have done a tremendous job hosting their events and we’ve raised a lot of money to help those programs. It’s an important part of keeping our leagues fiscally sound and providing opportunities for their players to experience competition from across the coast. This is where USA Softball is different than other Sanctioning Bodies. We’re not a tournament organization… we conduct Championship events. We help others host invitational events. As we enter into Championship Play, everything will become a more formal with lineups, rosters and playing rules.
The Gulf Coast Championships will be held this weekend at the Woolmarket Sports Complex. The dates are June 17-19, 2022. The address is16520 Switzer Park Rd, Biloxi, MS. Be sure to put “Switzer Park” into your GPS and not just Switzer. We will host all age groups: Tee Ball, Coach Pitch, 10u, 10u, 12u, & 16u. The Gulf Coast Championships reflects a more regional significance. It’s a title which signifies the importance of the Gulf Coast to USA Softball of Mississippi and the strength of fast pitch softball in the region. Deadline to enter or withdraw is Wednesday, June 15th at 10:00 PM. We need the extra time to plan the event. There are three different softball tournaments on the coast next weekend. So locking down umpires early is keenly important.
As far as the schedule, it all depends on how many teams want to play. We have 26 teams registered already. I wouldn’t be surprised if that doubles. So we might be Friday/Saturday, Saturday/Sunday or even Friday/Saturday/Sunday. We certainly don’t want to leave any teams out. But we also only have so much time to play. I do expect a long, hot weekend.
PLEASE REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOU WANT TO PLAY. DEADLINE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15TH 10:00PM
I’ve also had a lot of people ask if they “have” to play in the Gulf Coast Championships to play in the State Tournament. The short answer is no. But we’re trying to create a really special tournament. This is where we crown the Gulf Coast Champion. We are doing rings this weekend. I’m not big on rings because it promotes trophy hunting. But this is a special tournament and they are really popular with the girls. So we’re doing them. for first, second and third place.
So a few adjustments for this weekend:
1) In fast pitch, only one coach will be allowed to sit at the edge of the dugout on defense to call pitches. Otherwise coaches will only be permitted on the fields at the District Tournament Rules allow. This is standard practice for Championship Play.
2) Any discussions about a call will go through the umpire that made the call.. the other reason that should happen is to question a rule or request an appeal. Coaches should “walk” to the umpire and speak in a normal tone of voice. Running or yelling at umpire will get you a short walk to the parking lot.
3) Coaches should refrain from talking or yelling at another coach about a controversial call. In my experience over 30+ years, there is nothing you can say to another coach to make it all better. So just don’t do it. All it’s going to do is make the situation worst.
4) Fans should be fans. They should cheer their team on. They should refrain from derogatory comments about the other team or an official… Sure, the normal Oooh and Ahhh is expected when we don’t agree with a call. But name calling and berating will not be tolerated. Fans should refrain from engaging in shouting at the other team’s fans from across the backstop. We love your passion and emotion; but let’s be the adults we are and show these young players how we conduct ourselves.
Communications will be via email. Registration will close Wednesday night at 10:00 PM. We have a lot of planning and activities to get ready. The brackets will be posted before Thursday at 5:00pm. I’ll email them out to first. Then I’ll post the brackets on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/USASoftballSouthMS/ and at https://usasoftballsouthms.com/.
Please REGISTER ONLINE & EARLY.
Online registration is available using the link below:
Gulf Coast Championships Entry Form
Here’s a link to the Teams Registered page:
Gulf Coast Championships Teams Registered
ROSTERS ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS WEEKEND:
You will be required to submit a roster. For this tournament, I just need a listing of players and birthdays….. it does not have to be signed by the parents for this weekend. Please complete the roster using the link below and turn it in at the GCC check-in:
USA Softball Roster Form
I’ll send out information on the State Tournaments this week. State Tournament Registration is available online at the USA Softball of Mississippi website. I’ll put everything you need to do in one email.
Good Luck! Get out there and play!
Thanks for Playing USA Softball!