We all know how great the softball is in the Western states of California and Arizona where National Champions have been crowned at every level (including an amazing 20 collectively between UCLA and Arizona!).
Now, it’s going to be even more fun and competitive.
The CAAZ (California-Arizona) Fastpitch Tournament League has been created to allow the opportunity for California and Arizona fastpitch programs to play teams outside their area throughout the fastpitch season.
The league was also created out of the success from the annual AZ/CA Border Madness Fastpitch Tournament (over 15 years) which has been coined “The Best Fastpitch Tournament in the Southwest” and is presented by the Yuma Fastpitch tournament company.
The AZ/CA Border Madness tournament is played every year on the first weekend of November matching California and Arizona teams against each other for state bragging rights.
The newly-established league would open the competition for a season which will crown division champions at the end of the year.
“Our league has been in the works for over a year and has generated positive reviews with interested organizations thus far,” event organizer J.J. Jimenez told Extra Inning Softball.
The format was also created to offer fastpitch organizations the opportunity to merge players from their existing organization into one team to play in the CAAZ Fastpitch League throughout the season.
“This will allow for organizations to prepare for other end of season championships offered in other associations. In addition, the league will allow for other teams who are not in an organization to participate in a tournament league format and against quality competition,” Jimenez explains.
The CAAZ Fastpitch Tournament League is scheduled to begin on November 7, 2020 in Yuma, Arizona.
Here a list of CAAZ Fastpitch Tournament League features, benefits & other details:
- Approved organizations will receives discounted entry fee into tournament(s)
- Multiple divisions including 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U
- Team points and rankings after every tournament
- Organizational teams who participate in CAAZ events must have 50% (from start of season) of their submitted roster throughout the season (from their first attending CAAZ event)
- Teams points will only be earn playing in approved CAAZ (California-Arizona) events
- End of Season Championships will be based on final rankings from CAAZ season (attending team has to have a minimum of 12 pool games to qualify for end of season championships)
- 75% of scheduled CAAZ tournament events will be take place in Yuma, Arizona, which is centrally located between California and Arizona (about four hours drive from Orange County; two hours from San Diego).
- Games will be held at the Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex (and surrounding areas), which was recently awarded the NJCAA Division I Softball Championships.
- Yuma, Arizona is also recognized as the sunniest place on Earth, so the chances of winter events being rained out are reduced compared to other areas
Other CAAZ qualifying events will be in Southern California and Phoenix area(s).
“We are in negotiations with a California university to host our end-of-the-year championships at their location,” Jimenez adds.
“This will also serve as an introduction of the collegiate setting for student-athletes and parents. Our league has not been created as a result of the pandemic, rather from an experience from our annual Border Madness tournament which hundreds of teams have attended over the years. We are attempting to capture the yearly excitement in attending our Border Madness tournament into a league that concludes with division champions.”
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For more information as it’s released, Click HERE or visit: www.caazfastpitch.com
Anyone interested in joining and/or learning more about the “Fastpitch Tournament League” model can email: caazfastpitch@gmail.com
