If the season ended today,
we would have a remarkable
10 first-time tournament
teams. Two of those teams
hoping to emerge from The
Darkness with golden tickets
are the No Talent AZ Clowns
and the HAPsters. While
this is the first season in
the USHSL for the Clowns,
the HAPsters have been
playing in the league since
2007, and their rise this
season is a pretty good
story.
In contradiction to what the
HAPsters could “achieve,” up
to this point they have
never finished higher than
#73, never had more than 4
wins in a season, never
finished better than .500,
and have three seasons
ranked #96 or below. And
“achieve” is the magic word.
Representing the Higher
Achievement Program (HAP),
they organized in 2007 as a
way to bring together HAP
staff, volunteers and
supporters. Over the last
four years, like many teams
in the league, they have
maintained that structure
while adding on more
friends.
Asked about the prospect of
a tournament bid, HAPsters
Coach Abby Cohen said,
“We’re going into two-a-days
starting Saturday and are
100% focused on getting the
W next week. This is
definitely the best run the
HAPsters have had and we’re
not ready to call it quits!“
Standing in their way are
the #44 No Talent AZ Clowns,
a new team to the USHSL, but
not Congressional Softball.
After back-to-back
Championships (2007-08), and
a 2nd Place
finish (2009) in the
Congressional Softball
League, the Clowns decided
to join the USHSL in 2011
and test their mettle.
Like other recent converts,
such as the KGb’s, it has
taken some time for the
Clowns to find their
footing. After a 5-2 start,
the Clowns have dropped
three of their last five
games and find themselves in
danger of being on the
outside looking in on
Selection Show Night. Like
the KGb’s though, if they do
sneak into the brackets,
they are not to be
underestimated as the KGb’s
showed last year in winning
their first game as the #47
seed.
Another loss might prove
critical to both teams’
chances, but you never quite
know what two weeks of The
Darkness will do to the
rankings. The best thing
you can do is win, wait, and
hope.
