Just back from the Louisville Slugger Independence Day Tournament in Boulder, Colo., the under-18 Shamrocks of Vienna had every right to feel they belong among the nation's elite, as they finished tied for third place in the 81-team field, which featured the country's best Gold- and A-level squads.

      "This is the most prestigious tournament in the country, and for us to finish third is a tremendous accomplishment," said Coach Tommy Orndorff, who coaches at O'Connell during the high school season.

      "We have aspirations of being in the top 10 [rankings of American Softball Association Gold teams]. We haven't been in the top 10 since 1995." The rankings will be determined by the order of finish at next month's ASA Gold Nationals in Broken Arrow, Okla., where approximately 70 teams will square off.

      At the Independence Day tournament -- where they played a grueling 11 games in five days -- the Shamrocks went 6-0 in pool play to advance to the single-elimination round. There, they won four straight to advance to the semifinals before losing, 9-4, to Batbusters/Haning of Orange County, Calif. Pitcher Christy Anch (Broad Run) won six games and shortstop Courtney Bures (Stonewall Jackson) hit two home runs.

      The Shamrocks have a 34-2 record, with wins at the Pennsbury Tournament in suburban Philadelphia and the PONY, ASA Gold and National Softball Association (NSA) qualifying tournaments.