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Women's Baseball Team in=20
Nationals
By Tom =
King=20
Monday, October 23, 2006
Telegraph,=20
The (Nashua, NH)
Section: Tom King
Women's baseball=20
team in nationals
Three cheers =
for the=20
Nashua Pride Pioneers. It's the women's =
baseball team, a=20
collection of All-Stars from the North American Women's =
Baseball=20
League, who will be competing in Ft. Myers, Fla. next week =
in the=20
Women's National Championships.
Pride owner =
John=20
Stabile is sponsoring the team - hence the name - and it's =
just=20
another step in the move to enhance the game of baseball =
among its=20
women athletes.
"It's the top tournament in the U.S., =
with the=20
top players from all over the country," said Pride =
general=20
manager Robin Wallace,who will pitch and play second base. =
"It's=20
going to be a fun event, but it's also going to be very=20
competitive."
The event, taking place this Tuesday =
through=20
Sunday, will consist of 10 teams, with a potential for eight =
games=20
in four days. There will be pool play, and then the =
survivors will=20
be seeded. Top players for the Pride Pioneers, =
besides=20
Wallace, include Naomi Greckol-Herlich and 40-year-old third =
baseman=20
Kathy O'Connor, who hails from Northfield. The locale will =
look=20
familiar for Red Sox and Minnesota Twins fans, as the City =
of Palms=20
Park facility will be used.
Actually, the women are part =
of a=20
larger men's amateur tournament, the Roy Hobbs World Series, =
so=20
there will be a lot of baseball played. It's pretty much the =
icing=20
on the cake for Stabile & Co., who besides rescuing the=20
Pride last year also rescued the NAWBL, after it was=20
determined it wouldn't be playing in its former home in =
Lynn, Mass.=20
"I think on a whole, it worked well," Wallace said of =
having the=20
games at Holman Stadium and other local spots this past =
summer. "We=20
had some crowds and got a lot of PR. Some games had over 200 =
people,=20
which we certainly didn't have in Lynn. And we have some =
fans who=20
are flying down to Florida to see us play. That's super." =
It=20
will be interesting to see how the Pride =
Pioneers=20
stack up against other teams nationwide, because it could be =
a=20
barometer for the NAWBL. It would also back up Wallace's =
assertion=20
that "I think on the whole, the best women's baseball league =
in the=20
country is right here." Stabile is into this. He and his =
wife pushed=20
it all spring and summer, and without him this team wouldn't =
be=20
going to Florida.
"We'll have some fun," Stabile said. =
"We're=20
going to have some fun with this team."
"Everyone here =
is=20
extremely thankful for the opportunity given us by John =
Stabile, and=20
we also thank the city of Nashua for the opportunity," =
Wallace said.=20
"For keeping this thing alive. Also, I think we've also =
tapped into=20
a new level of player. Hopefully, there's some good young =
kids=20
looking to someday have a league of their own."
Indeed, =
Wallace=20
said the NAWBL had at least seven high school age players, =
"and=20
every year we pick up a couple of more."
But this =
tournament=20
should be a good showcase. "It definitely is," Wallace said. =
"It's a=20
lot of baseball, a lot of people there, a lot of people see =
it. It's=20
good exposure for the sport."
Stabile is hoping for even =
more=20
exposure. Next summer is an "off year" for international=20
competition, but the Pride owner is putting a =
proposal before=20
city officials to have the city sponsor and host an =
international=20
tournament of its own in late July and early August. =
Under a=20
proposal he is in the process of formulating for the mayor's =
office,=20
Stabile plans to have a U.S. team, a Pride team, a =
wild-card=20
team, and teams from Australian, Canada, Japan and China =
right now.=20
He hopes to work with Daniel Webster College to house =
the=20
players during the event, which he hopes can be at Holman =
Stadium.=20
"It's an opportunity for all these countries to keep =
(women's)=20
baseball going," he said.
Nothing official yet, but stay =
=
tuned.
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