18-U SHAMROCKS STILL CHALLENGING (AND BEATING) NATION'S SOFTBALL ELITE

The Shamrocks American Softball Association team had just lost their second straight game and Coach Tommy Orndorff, who also presides over O’Connell’s softball program, was letting his players hear it.

Yes, this is summer softball, but for the Shamrocks, it’s quite serious business.

Since 1972, when the team was founded by Pat “Pops” Gleason, Orndorff’s Shamrocks have become one of the best softball teams in the nation. The team plays in the gold division of ASA and has qualified for the national tournament for 21 straight years, a streak unrivaled in the country.

“Every time I teach, I’m preparing to beat the Batbusters,” Orndorff said, referring to the premier team in talent-laden California. “The only difference is that I’m probably more intense. I’ve got more talent on this team so I’m harder on them. I expect more.”

“We want to compete and we want to get ready to beat the best in the world,” he continued.

The Shamrocks did not win the 14th Annual Braddock Road Youth Club Classic II for the 18U division. Instead, Virginia Legend Gold took first, followed by Ashburn Shooting Stars Gold, the Loudoun-based team that beat the Shamrocks 2-1 on Saturday.

The Shamrocks 14U won the 16U division while playing up, followed by Fire & Ice. Western Howard Fever took the 14U crown and Ashburn Shooting Stars Black took second. Manassas Blaze won the 12U division and Vienna Stars won 10U.

The 18U Shamrocks were playing without several of their best players. Broad Run pitcher Caitlyn Delahaba and her teammates, Reagan Doiron, Karla Powell and Michelle Clohan were playing in the state championship game on Saturday.

Still, Orndorff was upset that the team wasn’t winning. It certainly has enough talent.

There are four players who are already playing in college. They are Ashlyn Williams (Troy), Allie Heon (Villanova), Reba Tutt (Pittsburgh) and Dorian Shaw (Michigan). Shaw hit a grand slam during an ESPN Super Regional game and still came back to play against high schoolers.

“The Shamrocks got me where I am,” Shaw said. “Playing for the Shamrocks, I became such a better player. Tommy always talks about giving back to softball, giving back to the game. Whatever I can do to help this team the way it helped me, that’s all I’m looking to do this summer.”

Only five of the players on the Shamrocks roster are not playing or committed to a college to play softball. Since 2002, the Shamrocks have had 57 players sign with a college, many of which are big-time Division I schools such as Arizona State, Tennessee and numerous ACC schools.

While none of Orndorff’s O’Connell players made the team (Devin Metcalf could have but chose to work on her singing), most of the players are from Northern and Northwestern Virginia. Pitcher Haley Stueckler comes all the way from Southern Maryland’s Huntingtown, Lauren Vinson comes from Prince George in Richmond, Va., and Kristyn Sandberg travels from New York to play for Orndorff.

“I don’t know if we recruit people as much as they recruit us,” Orndorff said. “Every player on this team will get a scholarship. Colleges, they want our bench players.”

The Shamrocks’ Summer of 2008 calendar takes the team from Glen Burnie, Md. all the way as far as Irvine, Calif. The team plays in tournaments in Salem, Va., York, Pa., Boulder, Colo. and Oklahoma City – the spot of the ASA Gold Nationals. Saturday’s tournament, which was held at Wakefield Park in Annandale, was the only time the Shamrocks play locally.

“The fact that they keep coming back, they have created a draw for other gold-level teams,” said tournament commissioner John Dooley.

The Shamrocks won the ASA National title in 2005, the first team east of the Mississippi River to accomplish the feat. They came in second in 2003 and tied for fifth last year.

The high finishes are especially outstanding because the Shamrocks, unlike teams from California, cannot practice all year long because of the changing seasons. They play about 70 games over the summer and make a trip to Florida during the fall for what is essentially spring training.

“I don’t think other teams realize the magnitude of what’s being done here,” Orndorff said. “You only get better playing the best teams. We play hard and we just get after it.”

2008 Shamrocks Roster

1 Marcy Bowdren, C/3B, Robinson Secondary
2 Michelle Clohan, 2B, Broad Run/James Madison Univ.
3 Ashlyn Williams, P, Troy University
4 Haley Stueckler, SS/P, Huntingtown High
5 Allie Heon, SS/3B, Westfield/Villanova Univ
7 Hayley Grabner, OF, Loudoun Valley High
10 Brianna Hanafin, OF, Yorktown/Baylor Univ.
12 Courtney Liddle, C, Battlefield/Virginia Tech
13 Lauren Vinson, P, Prince George High
14 Jessica Thomas, 1B/OF/3B, West Springfield/Emory Univ.
18 Kelsey Green, SS/2B/OF, Langley/Univ. of North Carolina
21 Reagan Doiron, 2B/3B, Broad Run High
22 Reba Tutt, OF, Highland/Univ. of Pittsburgh
23 Kristyn Sandberg, C/SS, Univ. of Georgia
32 Karla Powell, 1B/OF, Broad Run/Univ. of Wisconsin
33 Caitlyn de la Haba, P, Broad Run/Villanova Univ.
44 Dorian Shaw, 1B/C, Robinson Secondary/Univ. of Michigan
55 Diondra Fryer, OF, Dominion/Univ. of Tennessee