The Shamrocks’ Story
1972-Present
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It all began back in 1972, when Pat “Pops” Gleason had an idea and talked his friend, George McQuinn into sponsoring a girls fastpitch softball team. McQuinn, a former major league baseball player with the St. Louis Browns, owned a local
In the early days, it was slingshot pitching and uniforms consisted of blue jeans and T-shirts. It was unheard of for girls to travel to other regions to play. Locally, only a handful of teams played Fastpitch softball at the 18 and Under level. The Shamrocks, the fifth of such teams to form, quickly became a dominant force in the local Fairfax County league. Soon thereafter, they began to dominate the entire Washington, DC metropolitan area. The local softball scene changed drastically when in 1976, a little Bobby Sox player from California, Kristi Jacobson, moved to the area and became a Shamrock. She told Head Coach Tommy Orndorff all about her playing experiences in California and insisted that the Shamrocks were good enough to compete nationally. Through her encouragement she convinced Tommy that he ought to take the squad to the Amateur Softball Association’s (ASA) National Championship tournament. A year of preparation resulted in the first-ever Washington DC ASA Metropolitan Softball Championship
Forty-nine teams from all across the country gathered in Binghamton, New York, for the 1977 ASA National Championship. The “Shammies,” as they were known locally, made the most of their first-ever national trip, by finishing 12th with a 5-2 record. It was quite an accomplishment for the little team from Virginia, as they defeated two of the previous years “Final Five” (Tulsa, Oklahoma and Rockford, Illinois) before succumbing to the defending ASA National Champions, the California Raiders, 4-3 in extra innings. In 1991, the Shamrocks expanded to form two younger teams - the 14 and Under Shamrocks and the 16 and Under Shamrocks. That inaugural season had Joe Lackovic heading the 14’s and Warren Abel in charge of the 16’s. Since then Lackovic and Abel
In its third season, the 2003 12 and Under team will again be lead by John Clohan. The 2003 season marks the eleventh season for the 14 and Under Shamrocks. New to lead role of the 14 & Under team is Paul Engman. The 2003 season marks its thirteenth consecutive year for 16 and Under Shamrock team. ASA National Hall of Famer Jim Brackin returns to the head coaching job for the 16 and Under crew in his sixth consecutive year, as does Assistant Coach Richard Brown. The 16 & Under coaching staff has Jesse Duenas in his third year as an Assistant Coach. Coach Duenas was previously a head coach for the Jaguars. The 2003 season is the 30th year of Tommy Orndorff’s tenure as Head Coach of the 18 and Under Shamrocks. Orndorff has been with the squad since it’s initial campaign back in 1972, when he was Pat Gleason’s assistant. Because of health reasons, Gleason stepped down after the first year and handed over control of the Shamrocks to Orndorff. Since 1977, when the Shamrocks
made their first ever trip to the ASA Nationals, the 18 and Under contingent
has returned 19 more times, 16 consecutively -- an unprecedented accomplishment.
This year, all Shamrocks teams will be looking to ASA National Championship
Tournament play.
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