FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2007

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR WEEKS AWAY
16 Division 1 Teams Will Come to Plant City

Four weeks from today in Plant City Stadium, the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division 1 women’s (fast pitch) softball national championship will get started. For the second year in a row the world headquarters of the International Softball Federation (ISF) will be the site of this event, which last year saw Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ) hoist the trophy.

The 2007 national championship will run May 17, 18, & 19 and will return to Hillsborough County next year as well.

Through tournaments to be held early next month, 16 teams from around the country will qualify to come to Plant City for the three days of games, which will also take place on the Randy L. Larson Softball Fourplex adjacent to the ISF’s administration building. In all, 30 games will be played.

“We’re pleased to again be hosting the NJCAA’s top softball event,” said ISF President Don Porter. “It is our hope that the businesses and residents from throughout not only Plant City but the greater Tampa Bay area and beyond will support this event. The teams played extremely competitive softball last year and there’s no reason to think that this year’s games will show anything different.”

Pima won last year’s national title game, 3-2, over Gulf Coast Community College (Panama City, Florida).

Mr. Porter noted that NJCAA softball has produced quality talent over the years. Two-time Olympic Softball gold medalist Crystl Bustos (USA) played NJCAA softball, as did Ani Nyhus, who pitched for Canada at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. In addition, Leah English, the catcher for Great Britain at last year’s ISF XI Women’s World Championship in Beijing, played for North Florida Community College (Madison, FL) of the NJCAA.

Tickets will be sold on gamedays at Plant City Stadium for $15.00 for a tournament pass (all three days) for seniors (65-and-over) and children under 12. Those fans could also purchase a one-day pass for seven dollars. Kids under age four are free. All other spectators can buy the three-day tournament pass for $20.00 or the one-day pass for ten dollars.

 

The ISF is the world governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). Softball (women's fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 128 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.

For more information, please contact ISF Director of Communications Bruce Wawrzyniak at brucew@internationalsoftball.com or (813) 864-0100, ext. 229.