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 Association’s (ASA) National Championship tournament.

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 A’s) 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 14’s and Warren Abel in charge of the 16’s. 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.

2005 ASA Gold National Champions (click photo above for larger version)

      The 2010 season is the 38th year of Tommy Orndorff’s tenure as Head Coach of the 18 and Under Shamrocks. Orndorff has been with the squad since it’s initial campaign back in 1972, when he was Pat Gleason’s 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 26 more times, before last year 23 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 finishing 5th Place each of the three years after. 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.