NORTH MANKATO, Minn. – Coming out on top of the 91st annual USA Softball Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship was the NY Gremlins after inclement weather in the area forced a cancellation of Sunday’s championship action. Clinching a spot in the final contest during Saturday night’s semi-final, the Gremlins of Clifton Park, NY remained as the only undefeated team in the tournament – earning them the 2023 National Championship title.
Scheduled to compete in the loser’s bracket semi-final on Sunday morning – also cancelled due to weather – Hill United Chiefs finished as the runner-up while AWP Lumberjacks took home third place honors.
Claiming back-to-back victories to open the tournament, AWP Lumberjacks’ hot streak ended after meeting Hill United Chiefs on Saturday afternoon – sending them to the loser’s bracket where they rebounded with two shutout wins over Omma Tigres and Bear Creek Express, setting them up for a rematch against the Chiefs on Sunday morning. Hill United Chiefs also started the tournament strong with three wins over Ohio Bombers, Wander Spring Chippers and AWP Lumberjacks before dropping to the loser’s bracket after falling to the NY Gremlins in a 7-4 battle on Saturday night. With the weather halting play, neither the Chiefs nor the Lumberjacks were able to redeem themselves against their opponents – earning second and third place titles, respectively.
Ending the tournament with a pristine 4-0 record, the NY Gremlins made history while bringing home the hardware – earning its third straight title and becoming the first team in the 21st century to three-peat twice at the Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship, also clinching three consecutive titles from 2016-2018. Since 2009, the NY Gremlins have improved to a 65-16 record, highlighted by a now eight National Championship titles and a spot in the record books.
The Gremlins outscored its opponents 35-8 during the 2023 event while picking up two shutout wins along the way. Combining for a .393 batting average with a .488 on-base percentage, the squad tallied 42 hits including nine doubles and eight home runs while reaching base a total of 20 times via walk or hit-by-pitch. Ben Enoka led the team at the plate with a .636 batting average, five singles, one double, one home run and 10 runs scored with Erick Ochoa also leading the pack racking up three singles, two doubles and a home run with seven RBI and a .462 batting average.
Holding down the defense for the Gremlins was Jack Besgrove and Andrew Kirkpatrick – splitting time in the circle with two wins apiece and a combined 2.04 ERA. Besgrove shut down his opponents through 15.1 innings, allowing a low of six runs to cross the plate while striking out 29 batters with Kirkpatrick posting 13 K’s of his own through 8.2 innings pitched.
Two longtime members of the U.S. Men’s National Team (MNT) hail from the National Champion NY Gremlins – Nick Mullins and Erick Ochoa – with Mullins leading the squad from behind the plate and Ochoa contributing with a dominate offensive performance throughout the weekend.
2023 Men’s Major Fast Pitch First Team All-Americans:
Jack Besgrove (NY Gremlins) – P
Marco Diaz (AWP Lumberjacks) – P
Brad Kilpatrick (LC Ostrander Norsemen) – P
Cory Timu (LC Ostrander Norsemen) – C
Tom Czech (LC Ostrander Norsemen) – OF
Ben Enoka (NY Gremlins) – OF
Blair Ezekiel (Circle Tap Dukes) – OF
Alan Peker (Hill United Chiefs) – OF
Cole Evans (NY Gremlins) – UT
Francisco Lombardo (AWP Lumberjacks) – UT
Codi Pannebecker (AWP Lumberjacks) – UT
Shane Boland (Hill United Chiefs) – IF
Braden Ducharme (LC Ostrander Norsemen) – IF
Erick Ochoa (NY Gremlins) – IF
Lenny Villalvazo (JB Painting) – IF
2023 Men’s Major Fast Pitch Second Team All-Americans:
Adam Folkard (Hill United Chiefs) – P
Roman Godoy (JB Painting) – P
Andrew Kirkpatrick (NY Gremlins) – P
Bruno Motroni (Hill United Chiefs) – C
Byan Abrey (NY Gremlins) – OF
Quinten Bruce (Bear Creek Express) – OF
Mathieu Roy (NY Gremlins) – OF
Colin Walsh (Bear Creek Express) – OF
Tony Gonzalez (Hill United Chiefs) – UT
Valdy Terkelson (AWP Lumberjacks) – UT
Zenon Winters (NY Gremlins) – UT
Blake Hunter (NY Gremlins) – IF
Brent Meschke (LC Ostrander Norsemen) – IF
Jerome Raemaki (NY Gremlins) – IF
Sisko Sabate (AWP Lumberjacks) – IF
Most Valuable Player: Erick Ochoa (NY Gremlins)
Batting Champion: Braden Ducharme (LC Ostrander Norsemen)
HR Champion: Braden Ducharme (LC Ostrander Norsemen)
Herb Dudley Pitching Award: Jack Besgrove (NY Gremlins)
A total of 20 teams gathered at Caswell Softball Complex in North Mankato, Minn. this weekend as the Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship entered its 91st year of continuing the tradition of elite Men’s Fast Pitch competition while growing the game all around the world. First taking place at the World’s Fair in Chicago, Ill. in 1933, the elite Men’s Fast Pitch National Championship has been held across 19 states throughout its near century of play. For more information on the 2023 Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship, visit USASoftball.com.
Photo by Maddy Flanagan (maddysphotos.com)