The European Softball Federation is working to put together a European Men's Slowpitch All-Star Team to compete against Team USA and Team Canada in a new tri-nation tournament.
The first step towards this goal will be taken this summer through the participation of a European expeditionary team in a round of exhibition and warm up games against the Canadian and American teams ahead of the Border Battle 2014 – a one-game showdown between the US and Canada that will take place at the Peter Hallman Ballyard in Kitchener, Ontario on Saturday, 26 July
The expeditionary team is being put together by GB Slowpitch Team Head Coach Steve Patterson, who was recently appointed by the ESF as Head Coach to the European All-Star Team project.
An email has gone out to all ESF Federations to start the process of identifying and selecting the best European talent to make up a European Men's Slowpitch All-Star Squad.
While the European team will not be part of the official Border Battle itself in 2014, the Europeans will take part in a series of games leading up to the main event.
These games will be played from 24-26 July, and will feature Team Canada, a second Canadian team, Team USA and the USA Futures Slowpitch Team as well as Team Europe. A Canada v USA home run derby will also take place.
The Head Coach for Team USA will be Steve Shortland, who toured the UK last year along with Cheryl Trapnell to present a series of coaching clinics under an arrangement between the BSF and the American Amateur Softball Association (ASA).
Border Battle history
The Border Battle, which has been running for five years, is an annual clash between men's slowpitch All-Star teams from the United States and Canada, often featuring the big boppers who serve as reps for major bat manufacturing companies. The result is that huge home run power is on display at the Border Battle (mitigated only by home run limit rules), and scores can be very high.
The United States has won the competition four out of five times, but the only Canadian victory, in 2010, was by a score of 30-29. Altogether, 228 runs have been scored in the five Border Battles to date, an average of just under 46 runs per game.
The first five editions of the Border Battle were played at the ASA Headquarters complex in Oklahoma City during the Women's Fastpitch World Cup of Softball, and this year will be the first time the tournament has been hosted in Canada.
Softball Canada President Kevin Quinn said, “Softball Canada is thrilled to be hosting the sixth edition of the Border Battle on Canadian soil.”
European hopes
So the search is now on across Europe to put together a team of players who can pit themselves against the best that North America has to offer, and also form the backbone of the European Team for 2015 and beyond, with the aim of eventually competing officially in an expanded version of the Border Battle.
Although the ESF has negotiated this opportunity for European slowpitch, it is not able to help with funds, so all costs will be the responsibility of individual players.
Any players who are interested in joining the European team should contact Steve Patterson (servpatt2004@hotmail.com), but should also copy ESF Vice-President John Austin (jaustin@europeansoftball.org) and ESF Secretary General Ami Baran (abaran@europeansoftball.org).
