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Shamrocks have 'heart and guts'
In his 36 years of coaching the Shamrocks 18-and-under select fastpitch softball team, Tommy Orndorff hasn't always had the best squad, and his players often aren't as athletic as their counterparts from the likes of California. But while his team might not match up with every opponent on the stat sheet, there is one aspect of the game in which Orndorff can always feel confident.“The Shamrocks play harder than any team in the country,” he declared. "Athletically, they have all the advantages, but we have the heart and guts."
Orndorff's girls once again showed their heart and determination last week, rebounding from a slow start to finish fifth at the Amateur Softball Association Gold National Tournament in Oklahoma City for the third straight summer.
The Shamrocks lost their first game in the 64-team field on Aug. 5, but became the first team in tournament history to win seven straight contests in the losers bracket. The Shamrocks won two games last Wednesday, one Thursday, three Friday and one Saturday morning before bowing out to the eventual national runner-up Angels of Corona, Calif.
“We were definitely more intense,” Westfield graduate Allie Heon said of the team's turnaround. “We had more enthusiasm. Everybody thought about why we weren't playing up to our potential and we came out ready to go.”
Added Robinson graduate Dorian Shaw, “Our season was on the line. Everyone wanted to do what we knew we were capable of. We had to step up or go home very quickly.”
Orndorff challenged his players' character after their initial 3-0 defeat, reminding them that this opportunity may not come for them again. The girls responded by “catching fire” in the losers bracket and finally playing the consistent softball that Orndorff had been waiting for all summer.
Among the Shamrocks' seven straight victories were extra-inning wins over the OC Batbusters (2-1 in 8 innings) and the California Cruisers (1-0 in 10 innings), both viewed as title contenders going into the tournament.
“It took us more time to develop the chemistry needed to play at this level,” said Orndorff, 60, who is also the assistant athletic director and softball coach at O'Connell High School. “That chemistry came together at nationals after that first loss. Each game we just got better.”
In a sport so often dominated by the state of California, where teams are able to play outdoors year round, Orndorff and the Shamrocks have broken the mold. In 2005, Shaw helped the Shamrocks become the first east coast team to win the ASA Gold national championship, and the squad has finished in the top five in the country five out of the last six years.
Such successes inspired both Shaw and Heon to return for one last run with the Shamrocks even though Orndorff does not pressure his players to rejoin the team after enrolling in college.
“I think the Shamrocks did a ton for me as a softball player and a person,” said Shaw, who earned All-Big Ten honors in her freshman season at Michigan. “Now that I can't play anymore, I know I'm going to miss it. It's been a big part of my development.”
Heon, who is transferring from Villanova to Mississippi State this year, also was not ready to give up her favorite summer pastime.
“Travel softball has been the biggest part of my life,” she said. “I love the relationships with everyone on the team. It's been a great experience.”
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