2015 ASA-USA National Championship

Each year since 1934, over 30,000 players and thousands of teams try to qualify for the ASA National Tournament.  Teams earning a berth to the United States most notorious event held for softball will have an opportunity to compete to be called the nation’s best softball team in the country.  Since each competitor must earn their berth into an ASA national through a network of qualifying tournaments conducted throughout the season, the champion goes home as the unchallenged best team in the nation for their respected division each year.

There are many tournaments each year, but only one tournament that is synonymous with Team USA and is the National Governing Body of Softball.  Without competing in the ASA/USA National Championship, a team will not see the most elite softball teams in the nation and have the opportunity to call themselves a true National Champion.

The 04 Texas Travelers set a goal at the end of the 2014 season to play in the most prestigious tournament in the country.  The Travelers stuck to their plan, and were awarded the right to represent the State of Texas to play in Normal, Illinois.

This tournament will feature some of the strongest teams across the country such as Tennessee Diamond Gems, St. Louis Chaos, East Peoria Black Express, EC Bullets, Worth Cobras, NWI Sox, Lasers 04 Gold, Naperville Diamonds, Wabash Valley Warriors, North Georgia Connection, Chattanooga Force, AASA, Windy City Ice, Birmingham Vipers, Oly Fire, Ohio Stingrays, Atlanta Vipers, Mudd Dawgs, BNGSA Angels, Tennessee Elite, Carolina Crush, Heartland Havoc, East Cobb Bullets and of course, your Texas Travelers.

Pool Play will begin for the Travelers at 2 PM July 27th against East Cobb Bullets.  The winner and loser of this game will play either the winner or loser between the Carolina Crush and Heartland Havoc.  Pool Play will determine bracket play with the championship game scheduled for Friday, July 31st at 1 PM.  This will be a double elimination tournament.

The 04 Texas Travelers have worked hard all season as all of these teams who have qualified for the tournament.  They have had hundreds of individual lessons and practices.  The girls have traveled all over the country playing top teams.  Based out of Mesquite, Texas; the Travelers have faced nationally ranked teams just about every weekend.  At the beginning of the year, nobody gave the Texas Travelers a shot at qualifying for the National Tournament, and today they are one of the most talked about teams on all of the softball forums.  Recently, the Travelers finished 3rd in the Junior National Championship as they utilized the local tournament as a warmup for the upcoming week of competition.  No matter where the Texas Travelers finish, they have stayed true to themselves and their game plan giving them every opportunity to be known at the 2015 ASA/USA National Champions.

Good Luck and safe travels to all of the teams.  The Texas Travelers look forward to healthy competition and building great memories for these young softball players.

For more information about the 04 Texas Travelers contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702 or follow The Texas Travelers on Facebook.  To follow particular players, games, practices or see any other information about the North Texas Select Softball team visit: 04 Texas Travelers News Site.

Select Softball Tryouts for North Texas Softball Teams

Tournaments are starting to come to an end, and select softball teams are starting to hold tryouts for the upcoming tournament seasons for fall.  The Fall Softball Season will be a time that teams are building and seeing what they have for the Spring Season.

There are several things you will want to look at when it comes to finding the right select softball team for your daughter.  There are many North Texas Select Softball teams, and finding the right team for your daughter can be instrumental in her development as she gets older.

• What is the goal of the team when it comes to the development of your daughter for her future?
• Who are the coaches, and what is their coaching philosophy?
• What are the team goals and competition level?
• How are the parents and the attitude of the girls?
• What is the cost and all of the fees associated with playing select softball?

The 04 Texas Travelers are a very competitive select softball team and part of a rich tradition of success.  Each team at each age group is hand selected.  The organization as a whole is small in nature, but has the success and great reputation as the larger organization giving its girls the highest advantage when it comes to their future having sent over 175 girls to play college softball.  

The 04 Texas Travelers were chosen by ASA, which is the governing body of softball to represent Texas in the 2015 ASA/USA National Championship held in Normal, Illinois.  However, the winning record of the 04 Texas Travelers is not what defines the team.  This team was built from the ground up having taken girls out of recreational softball to be able to compete and win at the highest level.

The coaches, led by Coach Kyle Bennett prepare the girls to be strong independent young women.  They are getting their players ready to be able to start as a freshman on their high school varsity teams, and with the organizations connection and strong alumni support; the Texas Travelers girls will be able to attract the attention of some of the top softball programs in the country.  As a matter of fact, Jordan Strickland, Baylor Bears history making shortstop, is on the coaching staff of the 04 Texas Travelers.

Jordan Strickland is one of those rare individuals who is looking to give back to others.  In fact, the Baylor Bear softball legend is giving her time and softball knowledge to a group of young, up-and-coming softball players by helping the 04 Texas Travelers.  Strickland’s softball accomplishments at Baylor include the 2014 Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team, 2014 Second Team All-Big 12, 2014 First Team Academic All-Big 12, 2013 First Team Academic All-Big 12, Seven-Time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll Selection, and Two-time Baylor Dean’s List Selection.  “I could not be more pleased to have Jordan join our coaching staff.  She is a remarkable young woman with a great career, and an excellent role model for all of our girls to imitate” states, Head Coach of the Texas Travelers, Kyle Bennett.  Jordan will be working with the infielders primarily, but more importantly sharing her experiences on and off the field with the impressionable young softball players.

The 04 Texas Travelers is also a fully funded team.  This is a plus in today’s select softball world where playing for teams require you to pay for their uniforms, coaches, team lessons on top of the travel expense to play at a high level.  The softball players that play for the Texas Travelers save thousands of dollars for their parents because of the support they receive from the continued donations.

In addition to being a fully funded team, the 04 Texas Travelers have a marketing program second to none.  DeliveryMaxx has donated its patent-pending services to help market the 04 Texas Travelers as well as each of their players which will help when the girls become old enough to start the recruiting process.

The 04 Texas Travelers are one of the top 10U teams in the country.  They will be a first year 12U team, but they have already found success playing in several 12U tournaments recently winning the 2015 Summer Swinging 12U Championship.  Even though they have some of the top rated players at their position, the players are always looking to add to the roster giving them a heighten level of competition even in their own club.  The players and coaches both agree that their performance at practice, off the field, and tournament play determines their time of play in competition.  The coaches look at each player as an individual and identifies how the player can best help the team reach its goals.

If you are interested in playing for the 04 Texas Travelers, you should have the following attributes and contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702.:

• Don’t be afraid of competition.  Yes, the Texas Travelers have great players at several positions.  However, the Travelers give everyone an opportunity to win the right to play that position.  When the girls take the field, they know they have earned the right to play their position because they are the right player that helps the team reach its goals.

• Have a desire to play at a high level.  The Texas Travelers compete in the most prestigious tournaments in the country, and some of those tournaments are around the Dallas and Fort Worth area.  However, it’s not just about chasing trophies or rings.  The Texas Travelers players’ goal is to be ready to start as a freshman on their high school varsity team and then ultimately be recruited to play softball in college.

• Be coachable.  The Texas Travelers coaching staff has a lot of experience, and connections to college experts in softball.  The organization treats every girl like they are their own daughter and wants nothing but the best for them.  This team is not looking for individuals, but they always have a spot for someone who wants to continue the pursuit of excellence.

• Love to overcome obstacles.  Many girls are pushed away from softball because of cost or their current organization doesn’t see their value.  The 04 Texas Travelers are known for finding girls that love to prove they belong and can play at a high level.  In addition, the 04 Texas Travelers players are all on scholarships as the team is fully funded.

• Have parental support.  The Travelers coaching staff makes the decisions on the field, but the organization is only as strong as its parents.  Parents are required to understand the philosophy of the Texas Travelers organization, and positively reinforce the goals of the players and team.  When playing for a select softball team, you will spend a lot of time with the families of the players.  Therefore, it is important to make sure team chemistry on and off the field provides lasting positive memories for your daughter.

The Texas Travelers will begin holding practice August 8, 2015 at 10 AM.  All are welcome to come out.  The 04 Texas Travelers will be completing their roster for the Fall season as they prepare to become 2016 National Champions.  For more information about the 04 Texas Travelers visit the team on Facebook or contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702.

Select Softball 2015 Junior National Championship features Texas Travelers

The 2015 tournament season is coming to an end, and select softball teams are starting to make plans to move up in age divisions for the fall season.  However, a few major tournaments are still scheduled over the next 30 days and top teams in the country are hoping to finish out their season with National Championship hardware.

The 04 Texas Travelers have been the story all season in the select softball world.  They started their second year of 10U softball as the underdogs in a David vs. Goliath world and competed admirably in the top qualifying tournaments across the state.  They took their bats, gloves and heart to Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and other states in their quest of elite status.  In the end, the 04 Texas Travelers became the State of Texas representative in the 2015 ASA/USA National Championship held in Normal, Illinois.

Each year since 1934, over 30,000 players and thousands of teams try to qualify for the ASA National Tournament.  Teams earning a berth to the United States most notorious event held for softball will have an opportunity to compete to be called the nation’s best softball team in the country.  Since each competitor must earn their berth into an ASA national through a network of qualifying tournaments conducted throughout the season, the champion goes home as the unchallenged best team in the nation for their respected division each year.

There are many tournaments each year, but only one tournament that is synonymous with Team USA and is the National Governing Body of Softball.  Without competing in the ASA/USA National Championship, a team will not see the most elite softball teams in the nation and have the opportunity to call themselves a true National Champion.

However, the Texas Travelers have one more hurdle to overcome before they make the 12 hour trip to play in the coveted tournament.  This weekend the Texas Travelers will find themselves competing against the likes of Texas Chaos, Texas Glory, Firecrackers, Impact Gold, Louisiana Titans, Batbusters, and other softball teams in the 2015 Junior National Championships.

The Travelers will start bracket play in the double elimination tournament against the STX Venom at 9:35 on field one Friday, July 17th.  If they win, they will play Burleson Blast at 1 PM.  The winner of that game will then play at 6 PM.  If all goes as plan, the Travelers will play at 6 PM on Saturday.  If they continue to win, the championship game is scheduled to take place on Sunday the 19th at 4:15 PM.

Good luck and safe travels to all of the teams competing this weekend in Waxahachie, Texas.

For more information about the 04 Texas Travelers contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702 or follow The Texas Travelers on Facebook.  To follow particular players, games, practices or see any other information about the North Texas Select Softball team visit: 04 Texas Travelers News Site.

04 Texas Travelers play the 12U ASA Champions Cup

The 04 Texas Travelers never shy away from tough challenges, and this weekend in softball won’t be any different.  The elite softball team has been chosen to represent the State of Texas in the 2015 ASA/USA National Championship held in Normal, Illinois.  ASA is the governing body of softball and the National Championship tournament will be the deciding factor for the top select softball team in the United States.

This weekend, the 10U Texas Travelers will be playing the 12U tournament where many of the teams are about to move to 14U in September.  They are utilizing the tournament to continue to prepare them for the ASA National Championship Tournament where the strongest teams from each state will compete for top honors.  The Champions Cup is a double elimination 2-day tournament where pool play will seed the teams.  Teams such as American Freedom, Texas Glory, Texas Reign and others will be vying for the 12U ASA Champions Cup.

The Texas Travelers will begin Pool Play facing D1 03 and then will play either Texas Glory or Texas Reign in the second pool play game.  Saturday’s games will start at 9:30 AM on Walkers Field in Fort Worth, Texas and Sunday’s Championship Game is scheduled for 4 PM.

The softball girls are coming off of 2 straight tournament championship wins.  They recently won the 2015 Fastpitch and Firecrackers Tournament and a couple of weeks ago the 2015 Summer Swingin 12U Tournament.  The Texas Travelers enjoy the victories, but utilize these tournament to get them ready for the most sought after ASA National Championship.  In addition to playing in top tournaments around the country, the Texas Travelers also participate in workouts with the 2001/2002 Firecrackers.

 For more information on the Texas Travelers, players, coaches, or schedules visit the Texas Travelers News Network or follow the team on Facebook.  The Texas Travelers take pride in competing at the highest level possible for select softball.