The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITHOUT any local tournaments to compete in, the newly formed Titans softball team got a chance to travel to Fort Myers, Florida, to participate in the USA 2022 Winter Men’s Fastpitch Classic over the weekend.

The team, managed by Mike Dillet and coached by Marcus Pratt, played in a total of four games, but they fell short. Angelo ‘Ali Baba’ Dillet, who formed the team out of a group of casual players from the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, said they just didn’t have the experience to compete against the rival teams because they only had about three players who played fastpitch softball in the past.

“We had originally planned to go to a tournament in Orlando the week before, but that was cancelled,” Dillet said. “So when (umpire) Martin Burrows, who was going to the tournament to officiate, told us about it we decided to pursue it. We just switched gear once we got confirmation and went over there. It was a solid tournament. We had some very good teams from around the world. We had a team from the Czech Republic and teams from throughout the country. It was good for us to get into the tournament.”

While Dillet came out of retirement from the New Providence Softball Association, he was joined by centre fielder Steffan ‘Dougie’ Mckenzie, shortstop Kristin Collie, catcher Ashton Forbes, first baseman Marcellus Hall, second baseman Tori Rolle, third baseman Mark ‘Ultra’ Pratt, extra hitter Jamal ‘Bruno’ Kemp, right fielder Felix Knowles, left fielder Jerome Wright and extra hitter Franklyn Deveaux.

About a year into the pandemic, Dillet said a number of players showed up at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex to get in some softball scrimmage games. They played among themselves and against any other team that showed up at the park.

“It was like the rebirth of softball, so we called it The Titans Softball Organisation,” Dillet said. “The group is made up of all-timers, new-timers, fastpitch players, baseball pitchers, and some ladies. We have about 40 people, who just love playing softball.

“Since there was no softball going on in the country, when we formed the group, I asked them about the possibility of travelling together to play in some tournaments. We put it out there to those who wanted to go. We wanted to take some more experienced players, but it was all about having fun.”

Considering the level of competition they faced, Dillet said he was extremely pleased with the way the players performed. He noted that he converted himself into a pitcher from his normal spot of catching and he used Kristin Collie as his catcher. “We didn’t give up that much more, but the teams took advantage of our errors,” Dillet said. “In each and every game, we had at least one bad inning that allowed the teams to pull away from us in the four games.”

With a little more experience on the team, Dillet said they could have been a force to reckon with.

“I think it was due to a lack of experience at playing fastpitch. We only had about three players, including Tori Rolle and Steffan McKenzie and myself who really played fastpitch. We had Marcellus Hall and Ashton Forbes, who came up in baseball,” he said.

“All of the others may have played slowpitch or modified softball, but we prepared for it as much as we could in the short time we had to work together. We didn’t get in too much fastpitch action, but considering everything we went through, I was still pleased with our performance.”

Dillet said they are now considering entering The Titans into the NPSA whenever the league resumes. If they do, Dillet said at age 47, he is contemplating a return to the league as a pitcher rather than playing his usual spot behind the plate as a catcher.

One of the things that impressed him at the tournament was the fact that they played through the health and safety protocols established by the organisers for COVID-19.

He noted that they had to take their test to travel and they wore their masks while off the field.

But he said the officials “let them play ball because it’s not a contact sport.” He said players didn’t congregate like they did in the past without their masks. So he doesn’t see why they can’t do the same thing here.

“The officiating was off the chain. That was probably the best officiating I’ve ever seen,” he noted. “They made it so comfortable for the players to participate. It was cold and they didn’t have a problem with the players wearing their jackets if they wanted to.

“I was glad that Martin Burrows was there officiating. He got to see how the officials worked with the players. It was a totally different environment than we experience here. Hopefully we can bring that type of atmosphere here where the players can truly enjoy playing the game.”