(08/31/2003)
Game Ball for a Gamer (Manassas Journal Messenger - 08/16/2003 by Dave Utnik) - Next to her cleats and glove, it might be her most valuable possession from the two weeks she spent in Salem, Oregon. ''I got a game ball and I had everyone sign it,'' she said. ''That's probably the best thing I brought back.'' The Stonewall Jackson senior returned to Haymarket Friday night with several other keepsakes that won't find their way onto a bedroom shelf. There's fresh memories of a historic second-place finish at the ASA Gold National Championships, where she batted .421 in nine games for the Virginia Shamrocks, and the confidence she gained from playing softball against the country's best 17 and 18-year-old athletes... Read More

(08/20/2003)
18U Press Release: Shamrocks Runners-Up at ASA Gold Nationals (by Al Anch, 08/13/2003) - When Tommy Orndorff’s 18U Shamrocks were defeated 2-1 by the NJ Dreamers at PONY Nationals in Raleigh, NC there was a feeling of disappointment and disbelief. After all, the 18U squad had reached the championship game in three of the previous five PONY National Championships and had claimed the top prize in ’98 and ’02. But this loss in the early morning of the final day just may have been a blessing in disguise for the Shamrocks as they were able to return home early on Saturday and get some much needed rest before heading to Salem, OR for the granddaddy of them all - ASA 18U Gold Nationals... Read More

(08/20/2003)
Shamrocks, Fire and Ice Fortify National Reputations (Loudoun Times-Mirror - 08/19/2003 by Adam Modzelesky) - What do Loudoun County's Fire and Ice and the Shamrocks have in common with the country's top two college teams -- UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley? Answer: They are expected to place high, if not win, a softball title every year. Both the 16-and-under Fire and Ice and the 18-and-under Shamrocks are bringing home more hardware after respective first- and second-place finishes in national tournaments earlier this month, proving why area softball teams have become the teams to beat... Read More

(08/20/2003)
OC Batbusters Strike Gold in Salem, OR (Originally appeared on www.asasoftball.com - 08/11/2003) - Salem, OR – Led by another dominating pitching performance by Lisa Dodd, the Orange County Batbusters won the 2003 ASA Girls’ Gold 18-Under National Championship Finals by defeating the Virginia Shamrocks 5-1. It was the second consecutive ASA Gold National Championship for the Batbusters as they joined the Katy Cruisers (Katy, TX) as the only other team to repeat as champions in the Gold division. In addition to limiting the Shamrocks to only three hits and striking out five over seven complete innings, Dodd also drilled a two-run single in the top of the seventh to round out the scoring for the Batbusters. The second placed Shamrocks placed higher than any other previous team East of the Mississippi River since ASA created the Gold division in 1995. Visit the official tournament website www.asagold2003.org for a complete breakdown of the bracket or check out the final standings by logging on to the tournament results section at www.asasoftball.com.

(07/30/2003)
Fear the clover: Shamrocks win 12U PONY title -- again (Loudoun Times-Mirror - 07/29/2003 by Brendan McEvoy) - The Shamrocks' "dazzle" uniforms are green and lined with clovers -- a symbol of luck. Last week, the 12-and-under Shamrocks dazzled the competition en route to capturing the PONY girls' softball National Championship on Saturday, and luck didn't play much of a role. Read More

(07/30/2003)
Shamrocks emerge in last inning Thursday at the 14-and-under PONY Nationals (Loudoun Times-Mirror - 07/25/2003 by Adam Modzelesky) - The Northern Virginia Shamrocks were lucky. The Pittsburgh Spirit was disheartened. Up until the last half inning of their game Thursday at Potomack Lakes Sportsplex, neither 14-and-under team was hitting the ball particularly well. That changed, however, when the Shamrocks' Dorian Shaw stepped into the batters box in the bottom of the sixth inning. Read More

(07/12/2003)
16U Press Release: 16U Shamrocks Qualify for 2003 ASA 16U National Championships (by Jim Brackin) - The 16U Shamrocks will compete in the 2003 ASA National Championships in Midland, TX July 28-August 3. The ‘Rocks were undefeated in the Qualifier held over the 4th of July weekend in York, PA. Only the tournament winner received a berth to the Nationals, so it was a pressure packed tournament... Read More

(06/22/2003)
14U Press Release: 14U Shamrocks Win ASA Metros Championship (by Joan Haller) - The 14U Shamrocks defeated the Vienna Stars in the championship game of the DC ASA Metro Tournament to earn a berth to the ASA National tournament in Normal, Illinois July 28 through August 2... Read More

(05/06/2003)
Shamrocks 14U's Dominate Cherry Blossom Tournament (by Scott Heon) - The 14U Shamrocks won the 2003 Cherry Blossom tournament April 28 in convincing fashion, outscoring the opposition 54-1. Paced by Kelly Haller's 5 home runs and Dorian Shaw's 3 home runs, the Shamrocks improved their 2003 record to 8-0. The defense was outstanding, with shortstop Samantha Ingersoll and 2B Allie Heon anchoring the middle, while Cassie McGaha and Kelley Engman provided strong pitching performances. Every Shamrock had multiple hits and extra base knocks, including Caroline Jones (with a homerun), Tiffany Sanders, Lauren Mernin, Reba Tutt, and Katie Nutaitis.

(05/04/2003)
16U's Jenny Clohan Named Player of the Week in the Washington Post (April 28; Page D07 by Alan Goldenbach) - Broad Run, Sophomore. Clohan threw all 230 pitches and scored the only run for the Spartans in Monday's 1-0, 19-inning, 3-hour 50-minute home victory over previously undefeated Loudoun Valley. She led off the 19th with a single (her second of the night) and, after a bunt and a single, scored on a single by sophomore Sami Sink. Clohan struck out 12 and walked two to earn her seventh shutout. She also has tossed four no-hitters for Broad Run (7-2). "We just all kept each other pumped up in the dugout," said Clohan, "because we all knew we were going to win."
Info from the Washington Post

(03/02/2003)
14U Press Release: 14U Shamrocks Rained Out in Houston - The Shamrocks flew to Houston over President's Day Weekend to play in the Starz Valentine Spring Tournament. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate as the tournament was rained out. The Shamrocks managed to find a fabulous indoor facility to get in a little practice on Saturday... Read More

(02/08/2003)
14U Press Release: The Shamrock 14s go Texas for the 2003 Valentine Classic 4 - On February 13 the Shamrocks will fly to Houston, Texas to play in their first tournament of the 2003 season. The Host Team, the 14U Texas Starz proudly present the 4th annual Valentine Classic with an added bonus...this years event is a USFA World Series Qualifier, to be held in Panama City, Florida in late July... Read More

(01/10/2003)
12U Shamrocks 2002 Fall Season Wrapup - The Shamrocks 12U continued their winning ways by capturing the 2002 Halloween Championship with a 4-1 win over the Washington Senators in the Championship game Sunday evening. The Shamrocks played flawlessly all weekend, only allowing two runs to cross the plate from their opponents... Read More

(08/18/2002)
18U Press Release: Injuries and Bad Luck Ruin Shamrocks� Gold Nationals - Two sayings come to mind when summarizing the last week of the 2002 season for the 18U Shamrocks. One is “It is better to be lucky than good.” The other – “If it weren’t for bad luck, we wouldn’t have any luck at all.” “Snake-bit” also comes to mind – something that did in fact happen at the beginning of the summer... Read More

(08/18/2002)
18U Press Release: Shamrocks Win PONY National Championship! - The 18U Shamrocks continued their winning ways over the past 10 days in Raleigh, NC. Heading down for the PONY National Tournament, the Shamrocks arrived 3 days early to play in the Carolina Cardinals Invitational – a pool play only tournament in which teams are placed according to their respective levels of competition. Playing in the most competitive pool, the Rocks defeated the Georgia Elite 2-1, the Tampa Mustangs 9-1, the Richmond Diamonds 2-0 and the South Carolina Bandits 5-0. Their only setback was an eight inning 1-0 loss to the host Carolina Cardinals with the winning run scoring on a wild pitch... Read More

(08/18/2002)
18U Press Release: Shamrocks Win Again! - The 18U Shamrocks continued their winning ways as they dominated the 25-team field at the Pegasus Invitational in Lionville, PA this past weekend. The “Rocks” were a perfect 8-0 in the tournament outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 33-4 and raising their overall record to 45 wins versus only 2 losses on the season... Read More

(07/12/2002)
Shamrocks Are Aiming For Top 10 - The Washington Post featured the 18 & Under Shamrocks (Monday, July 8, 2002; Page D02):

(07/05/2002)
18U Press Release: Shamrocks Gain National Respect in Colorado - Since January Head Coach Tommy Orndorff has been telling his 18 and Under Shamrocks team they have Top 10 potential at this year’s ASA Gold National Tournament in Broken Arrow, OK from August 5 through August 11th. A bold statement, to say the least, since teams from California, Texas and Florida have dominated the National Tournament in recent years... Read More

(06/28/2002)
18U Press Release: Shamrocks Qualify for Gold Nationals - The 18U Shamrocks, now 22-1-1 this summer, outscored their opponents 38-4 while going a perfect 5-0 and capturing the ASA Gold National Qualifier Championship last weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana... Read More

(06/21/2002)
18U Press Release: Shamrocks Win Pennsbury Invitational - The Pennsbury Invitational softball tournament is one of the biggest annual invitational tournaments on the East Coast. This year's field included teams from virtually every state on the east coast as well as others from Ohio, Oregon, California and Canada to name a few - 80 teams in all... Read More

(06/17/2002)
18U Press Release: Shamrocks Off to Good Start - Defend Pennsbury Title Next - The 18U Shamrocks are off to an impressive 10-1-1 start this season but if you asked head coach Tommy Orndorff, now in his 30th anniversary season with the organization, about his best starting lineup – chances are he would be lost for words... Read More

(03/25/2002)
2002 Shamrocks Softball Summer Camp Information is Posted Online - The annual Softball Summer Camp hosted by the Shamrocks will have 2 sessions this year and again be held at Barcroft Park. Session I: July 8 - July 11. Session II: July 15 - July 18. For more information, please see Camp Information.
UPDATED: Camp information was taken off the website after the camp took place.

(08/04/2001)
Shamrocks Tournament Results Update for the Weekend of July 21-22 -
12U - The 12U Shamrocks captured second place at the NSA Mid-Summer Challenge in Savage, MD.

(07/14/2001)
Shamrocks Tournament Results Update for the Weekend of July 7-9 -
12U - The 12U Shamrocks captured second place at the NSA Queen of the Hill National Qualifier in Richmond, VA (July 7-9). The Shamrocks lost to Fire and Ice, 7-6, in an international tie breaker.

(06/23/2001)
Shamrocks Tournament Results Update for the Weekend of June 15-17 -
12U - The 12U Shamrocks qualified for ASA Nationals at the 12U Hall of Fame Fastpitch Tournament, June 15-17 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The 12U Shamrocks placed 6th out of 16 teams.

(06/07/2001)
Mr. Caffi Presented an Award - On June 2, 2001, Mr. Caffi was presented an award for his efforts to build girls' fastpitch softball in Vienna. Mr. Caffi threw the first pitch to Morgan Marr who was the catcher at home plate... Read More

(06/07/2001)
Shamrocks Tournament Results Update for the Weekend of June 2-3 -
12U - The 12U Shamrocks eliminated the Loudoun Shooting Stars to win the 24th Vienna Pony Invitational tournament (June 2, 3). The Shamrocks eliminated the NVGSA Fairfax Firebirds and the Vienna Stars in the quarterfinal and semi-final rounds.
16U - The 16U team had 5 wins and one loss, losing to our little sisters, the 14U Shamrocks, in the semi-finals. The team was 4-0 in bracket play, emerging as the #1 seed into single elimination.
    The team offensive production was lead by Mary Ann Kearney who had 9 hits and a Sac bunt in 15 trips to the plate (.643), and Kari Hollenbeck who was 7 for 12 plus 2 BB and 2 Sacs. Brooke Sorber hit .462 including 3 for 5 and 6 RBI with runners in scoring position (RSP). Andi Alexander was 3 for 4 with RSP, 2 RBI and hit .429 overall.
    Megan Baney, our guest player from the 14U Shamrocks, was 2-0 with an ERA of 1.56, with a 9 inning total of 2 Ks, 2 BB and 4 hits. In 9 innings, the opposition batting average was .148 -- thanks for helping us out Megan!
    Megan Wolfrey led our pitchers, going 2-0 with an ERA of 1.91, and an 11 inning total of 5 Ks, 2 BB, 2 WP, and 8 hits. In 11 innings the opposition batting average was .296.

(05/10/2001)
12 & Under Tournament Results Update -
12U Shamrocks win first place at the USSA National Qualifier in Westminster, Maryland, held on April 27-28, 2001
12U Shamrocks win first place at the ASA Hunt Country Classic in Purcelville, VA, held on May 5-6, 2001

(03/30/2001)
Two former Shamrocks named Player and Hitter of the Week in their respective College Conferences
Softball’s Bolton Named MAC East Player of the Week
Athens, Ohio (March 26) - Junior second baseman Tiffany Bolton (Fairfax, Va.) was named MAC East Player of the Week announced today from Cleveland. Bolton hit .353 (6-17) with five runs, four RBIs, and three doubles to lead the Bobcats (18-11, 3-1) to a 5-1 record last week. She slugged .529 and had a .476 on base percentage. Her three doubles this weekend gave her a career and team high eight this season, surpassing her total of six in 1999.
Info from Total Sports and Ohio University
Oursler Named Conference Hitter of the Week
(Mar. 20, 2001) -- Renee Oursler shares the Conference USA hitter of the week award with Louisville’s Candi Padilla for the week ending on March 18th. Oursler was 11 for 24 on the week with the second grand slam of her career. Oursler had ten singles and one homerun, a game winning grand slam against conference foe UAB.
With last week’s success, Oursler raised her average to .330, second on the team. She has a team high 36 hits, tied with batting leader Shelly Riker. Oursler also has a .380 slugging percentage, has scored 16 runs for the Bulls, and driven in another 16.
Info from Total Sports and the University of South Florida

(03/25/2001)
12-U Trip to California - The 12 and Under team went to sunny San Diego, California, in January 2001. They played at the United States Olympic Training Facility in Chula Vista, where the Olympic Softball Team trains. Learn more about their games plus rolling blackouts and monsoon-like rain ... Read More