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| Kristi Jacobson |
It all began back in 1972, when
Pat Pops Gleason had an idea and talked his friend, George
McQuinn into sponsoring a girls fastpitch softball team. McQuinn, a
former major league baseball player with the St. Louis Browns, owned
a local sporting goods store. In tribute to their Irish heritage, Gleason and
McQuinn decided to name the team, the Shamrocks.
In the early days, it was
slingshot pitching and uniforms consisted of blue jeans and T-shirts.
It was unheard of for girls to travel to other regions to play. Locally,
only a handful of teams played Fastpitch softball at the 18 and Under
level. The Shamrocks, the fifth of such teams to form, quickly became
a dominant force in the local Fairfax County league. Soon thereafter,
they began to dominate the entire Washington, DC metropolitan area.
The local softball scene
changed drastically when in 1976, a little Bobby Sox player from California,
Kristi Jacobson, moved to the area and became a Shamrock. She told Head
Coach Tommy Orndorff all about
her playing experiences in California and insisted that the Shamrocks
were good enough to compete nationally. Through her encouragement she
convinced Tommy that he ought to take the squad to the Amateur Softball
Associations (ASA) National Championship tournament.
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| Tommy the Head Rock Orndorff |
A year of preparation resulted
in the first-ever Washington DC ASA Metropolitan Softball Championship
tournament. By winning two out of three games against the Annandale/Springfield
Turkeys, the Shamrocks earned their first-ever national berth. The team
received an extra boost of support from the local business community,
when Bill Buhl, president of Buhl Electric donated $1,000 to buy the girls
a full set of uniforms. The team colors of forest green, gold and white
(the colors of Orndorff 's favorite baseball team, the Oakland As)
now became synonymous with the Shamrocks.
Forty-nine teams from all
across the country gathered in Binghamton, New York, for the 1977 ASA
National Championship. The Shammies, as they were known
locally, made the most of their first-ever national trip, by finishing
12th with a 5-2 record. It was quite an accomplishment for the little
team from Virginia, as they defeated two of the previous years Final
Five (Tulsa, Oklahoma and Rockford, Illinois) before succumbing
to the defending ASA National Champions, the California Raiders, 4-3
in extra innings.
In 1991, the Shamrocks
expanded to form two younger teams - the 14 and Under Shamrocks and
the 16 and Under Shamrocks. That inaugural season had Joe Lackovic heading
the 14s and Warren Abel in charge of the 16s. Since then
Lackovic and Abel
have moved on, but because of their efforts in laying down a solid foundation,
the junior Shamrocks have continued to enjoy success of their
own. In 2001, ten years after the Shamrocks started the 14 and 16 and
Under teams, a 12 and Under team has formed to expand a winning tradition
to a total of 4 different age groups.
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2005 ASA Gold National Champions
(click photo above for larger version) |
The 2007 season marks its eighteenth
consecutive year for 16 and Under Shamrock team. ASA National Hall of
Famer Jim Brackin returns to the head coaching job for
the 16 and Under crew in his tenth consecutive year, as does Assistant
Coach Richard Brown.
The 2007 season is the 35th year
of Tommy Orndorffs tenure as Head Coach of the 18 and Under Shamrocks.
Orndorff has been with the squad since its initial campaign back
in 1972, when he was Pat Gleasons assistant. Because of health
reasons, Gleason stepped down after the first year and handed over control
of the Shamrocks to Orndorff.
Since 1977, when the Shamrocks
made their first ever trip to the ASA Nationals, the 18 and Under contingent
has returned 24 more times, 21 consecutively -- an unprecedented accomplishment.
In 2005, the 18U Shamrocks won the ASA GOLD National Championship, the first team East of the Mississippi River to accomplish the feat, and last year, had another strong showing, finishing 5th. Other high place finishes in the prestigious tournament came in 2003 (2nd Place) and in 1995 (Class "A", 4th Place). This year, all Shamrocks teams will be looking to ASA National Championship
Tournament play.
| 2007 ASA National Tournaments |
| 18U "Gold" |
August 5-12 |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
Website |
| 16U Class A |
July 29 - August 5 |
Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
Website |
| 14U Class A |
July 29 - August 5 |
Normal, Illinois |
Website |
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