SHAKOPEE, Minn. – A champion was crowned today at Tahpah Park in Shakopee, Minn. as Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S (Winter Haven, FL) defeated The Herd (Cedar Rapids, IA), 27-14, in the final contest of the USA Softball Men’s Super Slow Pitch National Championship. With a perfect 4-0 record through the tournament, Resmondo outscored its opponents 98-32 en route to the prestigious National Championship title.
Kicking things off with a win in the first matchup of the tournament, Resmondo took Game 1 against NE/Pure (Bloomer, WI) by a score of 29-7 before defeating Tharaldson (Fargo, ND) on Saturday morning, 18-2. Continuing its streak in the semi-final contest, Resmondo took down The Herd, 24-9, to clinch its spot in the title game at 4:30 p.m CT on Friday evening.
Also proving a dominate presence on the field, The Herd started the event strong with an explosive 33-12 win over Comatose/S2N/Monsta (Beloit, WI) followed by a 10-5 victory against T’s 13 (Omaha, NE). Dropping to the loser’s bracket after a loss to Resmondo in the semi-finals, the group from small towns across the state of Iowa bounced back with a 20-13 battle against T’s 13 to advance to the Championship game.
Resmondo pulled ahead early in the title matchup against The Herd thanks to a pair of singles and a home run to score three – but the Herd answered back with two singles of its own followed by a sac fly in the bottom of the frame to scratch a run and close the 3-1 gap after one inning. Consistently chipping away, Resmondo plated one in the top of the second before breaking the game open in the third with three home runs to extend the lead, 10-1. The Herd – known for its fight at the plate – refused to back down and strung together seven singles, two walks and a triple to steal the momentum and bring the squad within one run. With a score of 10-9 heading into the fourth inning, Resmondo was unfazed – leading off with a double followed by three more home runs to take back the momentum in the 14-9 game.
Threatening the lead once again in the bottom of the fourth, back-to-back singles and a home run from The Herd brought the score to 14-12 – but it wouldn’t last long as the Resmondo bats exploded in the fifth inning with three singles, three doubles and two home runs to score eight more runs. Continuing to add-on in the final two innings, Resmondo’s tally grew to 27 runs while The Herd added two with a home run in the seventh, but would prove not enough as Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S claimed the 27-14 victory and the 2023 Men’s Super Slow Pitch National Championship title.
Resmondo dominated through all four games with a .620 on-base percentage along with a .590 team batting average. A slugging percentage of 1.308 saw Resmondo hammer out 92 hits – including 41 singles, 20 doubles, one triple and 30 home runs. Two members of the U.S. Men’s Futures Slow Pitch National Team took the field with the Championship squad (Jeremy Fry, Jason Matusik) while the U.S. Men’s Slow Pitch National Team was represented by nine athletes on Resmondo’s roster (Kevin Bazat, Travis Clark, Greg Connell, Bradley Jones, Tyler Marshburn, Phil Matte, Kyle Pearson, Josh Riley, Everett Williams) and two members of the coaching staff (Brett Helmer, Tim Barnes).
Remaining a tough competitor until the very end, The Herd finished the tournament with a team batting average of .554 with a .990 slugging percentage. The squad racked up 112 hits over the course of five games with 15 doubles and 23 home runs while scoring a total of 86 runs. A lone ranger in the Runner-Up lineup, Quinn Cannoy represented the Men’s Futures on the opposite side of the diamond while helping lead The Herd to the second-place finish with a solid performance throughout the tournament. The Iowa-based team returned to the big stage this year as the reigning Men’s Class A Slow Pitch National Champion and Men’s Class B Slow Pitch Runner-Up.
2023 Men’s Super Slow Pitch First Team All-Americans:
Jake Hohensee (T’s 13) – IF
Blaine Horsager (Tharaldson) – IF
Tyler Marshburn (Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S) – IF
Phil Matte (Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S) – IF
Brett Rettenmeier (The Herd) – IF
Bradley Jones (Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S) – OF
Jason Matusik (Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S) – OF
Zack Woodside (The Herd) – OF
Brent Zomer (The Herd) – OF
Chris Bauer (The Herd) – UT
Bryan Dezern (T’s 13) – UT
Alex Hovey (The Herd) – UT
Josh Riley (Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S) – UT
Matt Schrage (The Herd) – UT
Travis Clark (Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S) – P
Most Valuable Player: Tyler Marshburn (Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S)
Batting Champion: Bradley Jones (Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S)
HR Champion: Jason Matusik (Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S)
Six of the nation’s top Men’s Slow Pitch teams took part in the action over the past two days in Shaopkee, Minn. and now look ahead to the USA Softball Men’s Class AA Slow Pitch National Championship scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20. Split across the two fields at Tahpah Park, the first round of games kick off tomorrow at 9 a.m. CT as the competition will narrow throughout the day with three teams emerging from the double-elimination bracket to compete on Sunday. The loser’s bracket semi-final is set to open Sunday’s play followed by the Championship matchup at 9:30 a.m. CT and an “if-necessary” game slated for 11 a.m. CT. A total of eight teams will duke it out in the Men’s Class AA Slow Pitch National Championship including Comatose/S2N/Monsta, Daddy Rocks/Ductech/Hoffman, JEC/Kevitt/P5, NE/Pure, Resmondo/SIS/All American/Menosse/RDD/Stub Terminal/S&S/H Auto, T’s 13, Tharaldson and The Herd. Fans can tune-in all weekend long with free live stats and streaming on USASoftball.com.
Continuing to serve as an identification opportunity for individuals wishing to be a member of the USA Softball Slow Pitch National Team program, these top Men’s Slow Pitch grassroots events give exposure to athletes looking to earn a spot on either the Men’s Slow Pitch National Team or the Men’s Futures Slow Pitch National Team.