HYDE — Little League softball for girls residing in the Clearfield Area School District officially became a reality Saturday when all four teams played their season-opening games following a ceremony at the Bison Sports Complex varsity field Saturday morning.
“It’s an historical day for the entire Clearfield community,” Clearfield Little League Softball Association president Bob Lewis told the large turnout of parents and friends of the players who were standing along both foul lines. “It’s the coming together of community members who have been waiting a very, very long time for Little League softball to come to our area.
“Our dream of having a Little League softball program finally has come true. Through countless hours and meetings and numerous phone conversations, we as league officials have applied for and obtained a Little League Softball Charter from Williamsport. And we are now recognized as a chartered league.
“With the hard work, commitment and tremendous dedication of numerous coaches, business sponsors and volunteers, our league is on the verge of taking a gigantic step into our first-ever season.
“I believe I speak for many people here when I say we all are very thrilled to be able to offer a developmental league which will start and continue to provide many young female athletes an opportunity to learn and play a sport like fast-pitch softball.
“Furthermore, the main focus of establishing this league is to not only introduce and develop basic hitting, fielding and pitching skills to each and every young softball player here today, but also ultimately create a solid middle school and high school team for our future.”
Lewis, who is the Clearfield Area High School head coach, then introduced the individuals who join him on the CLLSA Board of Directors: Fred Redden, Todd Vanderburgh, Ken Kovalick, Jeff Kavelak, Lauren Crisafulli and Brandon Coleman.
All except Kovalick were coaches for the Lady Bison varsity, junior varsity and middle school teams during the spring.
Redden, varsity assistant and pitching coach, joins Lewis on the CLLSA’s first slate of officers as the vice-president, with Jill Redden the secretary and Missy Bishop the treasurer.
Almost four dozen players on the rosters of the Allstate Insurance, Clearfield Bank & Trust, Holiday Inn Express and Primitive Me teams were introduced before Clearfield Area High School junior Rayanna Kavelak sang the National Anthem.
Ceremonial first pitches were thrown by Clearfield County President Judge Fredric Ammerman, Clearfield County Judge Paul Cherry, Clearfield Area School Board director Larry Putt and individuals representing three of the team sponsors, Mary Ann Gisewhite of Primitive Me, Missy Bishop of Clearfield Bank & Trust and Nick Patel of Holiday Inn Express.
Lewis noted Patel and his wife donated several thousand dollars to the league’s start-up and cited Paul Dietzel for his help in getting the program off the ground.
Dietzel has a link to Clearfield Little League softball with complete rosters and the Clearfield-Curwensville Softball Little League schedule and rules modifications on his LadyBisonSports.org website and plans to list all scores if they are provided by the coaches as well as posting live-action pictures and videos.
The four Clearfield teams will combine with Drayer Physical Therapy and McDonald Landscaping teams in Curwensville to play games with a 1½-hour time limit on Tuesday and Thursday evenings through the end of June at the Clearfield Area High School varsity and junior varsity fields and the Curwensville Area High School varsity field.
The season will end with a single-elimination tournament on June 28-29.
The vision of what has evolved into Clearfield Little League softball actually was first discussed last year by, among others, Lewis, Fred Redden and Jeff Kavelak, coaches of the Clearfield Junior Olympic team that competed against Frenchville, Philipsburg, West Branch and Moshannon Valley opponents.
Lewis was named Clearfield Area High School head coach in January and that trio plus Vanderburgh, Crisafulli and Coleman really got the ball rolling in January.
Redden came aboard as varsity assistant coach in February, Crisafulli was named junior varsity coach, Vanderburgh joined the staff as a volunteer coach and Kavelak and Coleman later became the Clearfield Middle School team coaches.
Original plans were to switch from Junior Olympics to Little League because of the opportunity of playing teams from Curwensville, DuBois, Punxsutawney, Brookville, Ridgway, St. Marys, Bald Eagle Area and State College and to operate under the Clearfield Little League charter, but upon learning that would exclude many of the eligible players in the school district because of the baseball league’s boundaries, the group decided in early March to create the softball charter.
Redden distributed an interest survey to students in the middle school and the Clearfield, Centre and Bradford elementary schools.
Approximately 30 youths responded.
“We tossed around the idea of trying to make up three teams,” Redden said. “We had our first set of sign-ups the last week of March and another the first week of April that coincided with the spaghetti dinner fund-raiser for the varsity program.
“I called all of the parents, plus ran an add in The Progress and on GantDaily and asked the elementary schools to send out another flyer. Ultimately, we ended up with about 40 kids who had signed up.
“That’s when we discussed having four teams. We were a little nervous about that, but we picked up four more players when we had tryouts April 20 and 21. We held our draft that Sunday.”
On April 14, Redden made a PowerPoint presentation during a meeting of all interested parents and indicated he would help out with pitching instruction as much as possible but hoped individuals would step forward to coach and/or work with the players.
“I sent around a paper on a clipboard, and 12 people signed up to be coaches,” he said. “I thought, ‘Wow, everything is coming together.'”
Just as encouraging was the response from the sponsors and Champions Choice Sports Center of Curwensville to produce the uniforms.
Looking ahead, Redden is hopeful the league can split into two divisions, one for players eight through 10 years of age and one for those 10 through 12.
“That will be our Little League bracket,” he explained. “Then, we’ll have a 13-14 age group and a 15-16 a group.
“Hopefully, this is the start of all that,” as he watched the first game get under way at the BSC varsity field.
See some photos of the opening day festivities here: http://www.ladybisonsports.org/lbsSBallLLPix051813.html
The Clearfield rosters:
Allstate Insurance – Lauren Coleman, Hailey Colby, Kylee Hertlein, Emma Hipps, Stacey Houchins, Myra Kavelak, Carrie McCracken, Courtney Priester, Mikayla Ross, Kimberly Wilsoncroft, Samantha Wisor, Summer Wynn.
Coaches – Brandon Coleman, Tom Hertlein, Beth Hipps.
Clearfield Bank & Trust – Aspen Bishop, Chloe Brower, Kendra Carfley, Emmalynne Groth, Ryanne Henschel, Kate Lansberry, Lilley O’Conner, Shianne Patterson, Makeeli Redden, Paige Rhine, Alyssa Twigg.
Coaches – Bill Bishop, Greg Brickley, Ervin Henschel, Jr.
Holiday Inn Express – McLain Alt, Nicolette Brossard, Abby Fedder, Alaina Fedder, Abby Flanagan, Madison Gillen, Tanis Gillen, Kendyhl Luzier, Kyra Mollura, Emily Owens, Kunjal Patel, Alexis Witherow.
Coaches – Shawn Fedder, Tracey Fedder, Arintha Gillen.
Primitive Me Crafts – Karli Beitz, Riley Biancuzzo, Alycia Edwards, Abigail Goodrow, Faith Irwin, Jamie Irwin, Brittany Keith, Megan Kumm, Christina McGinnis, Lindsey Shaw, Angel Swanson.
Coaches – Duane Shaw, Brian Faulkner, Rob Beitz.
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The Clearfield-Curwensville Little League softball schedule at the Clearfield Area High School varsity field (1) and junior varsity field (2) and the Curwensville Area High School varsity field (3):
May
18 – Allstate Insurance vs. Clearfield Bank & Trust (1); Primitive Me Crafts vs. Holiday Inn Express (2); Drayer Physical Therapy vs. McDonald Landscaping (3)
20 – Allstate Insurance vs. Primitive Me Crafts (1)
21 – McDonald Landscaping vs. Holiday Inn Express (2); Clearfield Bank & Trust vs. Drayer Physical Therapy (3)
23 – McDonald Landscaping vs. Clearfield Bank & Trust (1); Holiday Inn vs. Allstate Insurance (2); Primitive Me Crafts vs. Drayer Physical Therapy (3)
28 – McDonald Landscaping vs. Primitive Me Crafts (1); Clearfield Bank & Trust vs. Holiday Inn Express (2); Allstate Insurance vs. Drayer Physical Therapy (3)
30 – McDonald Landscaping vs. Allstate Insurance (1); Primitive Me Crafts vs. Clearfield Bank & Trust (2); Holiday Inn Express vs. Drayer Physical Therapy (3)
June
4 – Holiday Inn Express vs. Primitive Me Crafts (1); Clearfield Bank & Trust vs. Allstate Insurance (2); McDonald Landscaping vs. Drayer Physical Therapy (3)
6 – Primitive Me Crafts vs. Allstate Insurance (1); Drayer Physical Therapy vs. Clearfield Bank & Trust (2); Holiday Inn Express vs. McDonald Landscaping (3)
11 – Allstate Insurance vs. Holiday Inn Express (1); Drayer Physical Therapy vs. Primitive Me Crafts (2); Clearfield Bank & Trust vs. McDonald Landscaping (3)
13 – Holiday Inn Express vs. Clearfield Bank & Trust (1); Drayer Physical Therapy vs. Allstate Insurance (2); Primitive Me Express vs. McDonald Landscaping (3)
18 – Drayer Physical Therapy vs. Holiday Inn Express (1); Clearfield Bank & Trust vs. Primitive Me Crafts (2); Allstate Insurance vs. McDonald Landscaping (3)
20 – Primitive Me Crafts vs. Holiday Inn Express (1); Allstate Insurance vs. Clearfield Bank & Trust (2); Drayer Physical Therapy vs. McDonald Landscaping (3)
25 – Allstate Insurance vs. Primitive Me Crafts (1); Clearfield Bank & Trust vs. Drayer Physical Therapy (2); Holiday Inn Express vs. McDonald Landscaping (3)
28 – League Tournament First Round (No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed; No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed)
29 – League Tournament Semifinals, Consolation and Championship