AFW Early Bird Tournament in Napanee, ON
Blair Setford • December 27, 2022
Napanee AFW Tournament is Canada East Qualifier
The AFW Men’s Open Tournament is taking place May 19-21 in Napanee at the Fairgrounds Sports Complex. Registration is now open for Men's, U23 and U20 teams. Winner of the Men's division will get a berth in the 2023 ISC World Tournament. Entry fee is $600 CAD. For more info, click here or contact Ryan Reynolds or Cory Brooks.
The ISC is excited to announce the 2027 World Tournament is awarded to Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment! Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment’s new two-diamond complex, the JDT First Energy Veterans Memorial Fields on Chippewa-of-the-Thames First Nation, in southwest Ontario will be the main facility with additional games being played in Glencoe at Southwest Middlesex Recreation Complex. “We are really looking forward to visiting Bear Creek’s new venue to play our 2027 ISC World Tournament,” says ISC President Chris Santos. “We’ve always enjoyed going to new locations to showcase our great game of men’s fastpitch softball.” “Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment has a brand new ball park that they’ve built and they’re excited to show off this great facility to the softball world and to welcome all of the teams and the fans,” said Gregg Leather, manager of the Bear Creek Gremlins, on behalf of Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment. “We’re looking forward to building on the success that the Bear Creek organization is developing and everyone is really committed to making this a huge success,” continued Leather. “With the players who will be living and staying in the area for the summer, we’ll have the opportunity to do clinics and play in leagues and help the game to grow. There’s already a lot of great ideas.” It’s expected that there will be 36 teams competing for the ISC World Championship and the ISC II Championship with another 12-16 teams playing in the ISC 50+ Legends division. Teams and fans will be able to book accommodations in London, St. Thomas or Strathroy. For fans in the fastpitch hotbed of Ontario, it will be back-to-back ISC World Tournaments in their backyard. The 2026 ISC World Tournament will be played from August 8-15 in Kitchener. For more information on the ISC, please visit www.iscfastpitch.com. You can follow Bear Creek Sports & Entertainment on Facebook and other social media platforms.
The International Softball Congress is pleased to announce the three players, one administrator, one manager and one sponsor that have been nominated for induction into the ISC Hall of Fame at the 2026 ISC World Tournament in Kitchener, ON. Congratulations to Canadian players Jeff Ellsworth and Ian Fehrman, Argentine pitcher Lucas Mata, manager Jeff Borror, former ISC President Dean Oscar and long-time Gremlins sponsor Bruce Tanski in the Bob Welby Memorial Award category. Jeff Ellsworth, Albany, PEI, combined the gifts of speed, power, batting average and elite fielding over a 17-year career. He was selected to six All-World teams, twice to the first All-World team and four times to the second All-World team. Jeff was the Cleo Goyette MVP of the 2014 ISC World Tournament, winning one of his five ISC championships. Ian Fehrman, Townsend, ON, made every team that he played on better. In a game blessed with premier athletes at shortstop, Ian was a rock in the middle of the infield. Every one of his six All-World selections was to the first team – a huge accomplishment considering the quality of shortstops in the game. Lucas Mata, La Pampa, Argentina, was a trailblazer, among the first of the Argentine players to play in the ISC, paving the way for the multitudes to follow. Lucas was named to six ISC All-World teams, four to the first team and twice to the second team. He pitched his teams to five straight ISC championship games between 2003 and 2007 and was the Leroy Zimmerman Most Outstanding Pitcher in 2012. Dean Oscar, Reedsburg, WI, was the longest-tenured ISC President in the history of the organization, serving from 2007 and 2022. His clear thinking and calm demeanor helped him to lead the organization toward being leaner and more efficient. Dean always led the ISC to ensure that the organization was focused on meeting the best interests of players, sponsors and administrators. He can always be found at the ballpark on summer weekends enjoying the best game in the world. Jeff Borror, Shoreline, WA, had a storied softball career as player and coach, and was an outstanding leader on the diamond his whole career. He took over the managerial duties of the powerful Seattle franchise in 1989 when sponsorship changed to Seafirst Bank. In just two years under Jeff’s leadership, Seafirst won the 1990 ISC World Championship. Jeff managed the team until 1996 and the team was a perennial top contender in the powerful Norwest ISC Travel League and at the World Tournament during his tenure. Bruce Tanski, Clifton Park, NY, was the long-time sponsor of the Gremlins organization from 2007 – 2024, resulting in a tremendous run of success with three ISC World Championships in 2018, 2019 and 2023, five second-place finishes and a record-breaking 14 consecutive Final-Four finishes. A softball sponsor since 1970, Bruce also co-sponsored the Heflin Gremlins, Broken Bow Gremlins and Chicago-NY Gremlins. The 2025 ISC Hall of Fame Breakfast and Induction Ceremony will be held August 9, 2026 on the opening Sunday of the 2026 ISC World Tournament in Kitchener, ON.