Finucane Rocks ASA Nationals
BY ADAM CHASEN
MOLINE, ILLINOIS - Tori Finucane was back at it again this week, mowing down opposing hitters, this time at the ASA Nationals in Moline, Illinois. After a couple of weeks of rest, Tori was back in top form, impressing everyone who had a chance to see this young star on the mound. Tori led her club team, the 14U Shamrocks, to a 25th place finish out of 156 teams and a strong 5-2 record overall in the prestigious tournament.
There are several national tournaments in softball: ASA, PONY, NSA, USSSA, Softball Nation, and more. ASA Nationals is the event that has the best teams in the country playing each other, and there are many coaches from major programs there scouting, including UCLA, Missouri, Arizona, Oklahoma State, and Michigan.
Here is a recap of all the Shamrock games this past week:
Game 1 ASA Nationals (Monday): The Shamrocks won the first game against the Buckeye Heat 6-0. Tori Finucane struck out 19. The University of Missouri coach gunned Tori at 66-67mph, consistently.
Game 2 ASA Nationals (Tuesday): The Shamrocks over Carolina Bulldogs 2-0 in 5 innings (rain shortened). Tori struck out 12. Tori was gunned at 66-68mph, and nothing below 65 except her off speed pitches and change-ups. Oklahoma State, Missouri, Georgia, Nebraska, and Virginia were among the college programs to watch this game.
Game 3 ASA Nationals (Wednesday - 1st game of elimination play): The Shamrocks over NY Bad Apples 5-0. Tori pitched a no-hitter with 20 strikeouts, just another ho-hum game for Finucane!
Game 4 ASA Nationals (Thursday): The Shamrocks over San Diego Renegades 2-0. Tori once again with double digit K's this time with 11. The Renegades had come into this game after winning their first bracket game 14-2, but would not score against Finucane and the Shamrocks.
Game 5 ASA Nationals (Friday): Frozen Ropes (Omaha, NE) over Shamrocks 2-1 in ITB. Tori held a 1-0 lead into the 6th before a run scored on a series of infield errors. The runner who scored had gotten on via a little flare into shallow right. Tori struck out the side in the top of the 7th, and the game went into ITB. In the 8th, the Ropes' runner on second came in after the batter executed a push bunt that was misplayed. Tori ended the game with 18 strikeouts and a 2-1 excruciatingly painful loss in ITB.
Game 6 ASA Nationals (Saturday): The Shamrocks over Texas Fusion 4-1. The one run came in off an error. Tori struck out 11 with no earned runs.
Game 7 ASA Nationals (Saturday): Birmingham Vipers over Shamrocks 4-1. The Shamrocks had just finished the game against Texas Fusion, and immediately went into the game with the Vipers. Tori had pitched every inning of the tournament at that point, so she was pretty gassed. She pitched 3 scoreless innings; however she had nothing left in the tank and came out of the fourth inning with one out. The Shamrocks #2 pitcher came in and got out of the inning with the game scoreless, unfortunately they still ended up losing 4-1, and were eliminated from the tournament.
Tori ended the tournament 5-1 (3-1 in elimination play) with nearly 100 strikeouts and gave up only one earned run. She didn't allow a run until Friday. The Shamrocks ended up 5-2 (3-2 in elimination play) overall. Tori was very disappointed with the loss, but happy overall with her performance. Having grown several inches in the past year, Tori now stands at 5'7" tall, and will move on to play for the 16U Shamrocks next, along with her high school program at Good Counsel.
Tori received a ton of recognition in the local Illinois papers, and drew a big crowd whenever she pitched. Among the many college programs to watch Tori pitch this week included: UCLA (Lisa Fernandez, an all time great), Florida, Washington, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Cal State Fullerton, Georgia, Arizona, Texas Tech, UVA, Nebraska, Texas, and Northwestern.
The consensus from college coaches, who watched Tori pitch, is that she is the top rated pitching prospect in the 2013 class. Not much of a surprise, but when the likes of Lisa Fernandez (UCLA) make such a statement, it further validates what local Washingtonians have seen for the past year.
Tori Finucane's final statistics for the full season with the 14U Shamrocks:
2009-10: Shamrocks 14U
Team Record- 70-12-1
Pitching Record: 48-4 (plus 4 saves)
579 strikeouts
32 shutouts
ERA of 0.49
2010 ASA 14u ASA State Champions
2010 ASA Nationals - 25th out of 156 teams
