The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of its newest Chief Operating Officer, Meghan Watson. Meghan’s immediate focus will be on further assessing organizational needs, both now and in the future, to develop effective strategies and solutions to strengthen USSSA and ensure our collective success. Her appointment as COO is a testament to her exceptional leadership skills and unwavering commitment to the organization’s strategic goals as she has been serving USSSA as a consultant on special projects since 2017.
Meghan brings over 20 years of consulting experience in a variety of industries that will benefit operations at National Headquarters as well as our engagement with USSSA Directors and stakeholders in the field. Her independent perspective and practical yet creative solutions as well as her ability to establish long-lasting relationships and willingness to take on new challenges make her a great fit for USSSA.
Meghan shared, “I am honored to step into the COO role. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join this fantastic team full time and combine my love of sports with my professional life! While my familiarity with USSSA combined with my business background will be valuable as we move forward, I strongly believe in empowering and supporting individuals to be able to do their best work. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together!”
“Meghan has been an asset to USSSA for more than six years. Her operational skills, unique business perspective and proven track record where problem solving, and communication skills are critical within large organizations are highly regarded. She is extremely results-driven and is a dynamic leader. As she transitions into a full-time position, we are confident she will be an incredible addition to the Executive team at USSSA,” added Donny DeDonatis, CEO of USSSA.
Meghan lives in New Jersey with her husband Josh and three kids – James (19), Ryan (17) and Fallon (10). She loves to travel – including plenty of trips with her boys for baseball and soccer – and spend time at the beach with family and friends. Fun fact: she and her husband both worked (at different times) for the Trenton Thunder, former AA affiliate of the NY Yankees. She will be right at home at USSSA Space Coast Complex!
Please join us in wishing Meghan success in her new role!
We’re excited to announce this year’s convention theme — DirectConnect! DirectConnect promotes innovation and encourages partnerships that drive growth and propel business strategies forward. We’re excited for you to experience all that’s in store.
Event Dates: November 13-16, 2023
Event Location: Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa — Fort Myers, FL.
MAIN EVENT ITINERARY CHANGES FOR 2023:
Sunday 11/12 : Arrivals
Monday 11/13 : Check-in, opening day festivities and sessions begin
Tuesday 11/14 : Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Wednesday 11/15: Exhibitor Night
Thursday 11/16 : Director Appreciation Party
Friday 11/17 : Departures
More info regarding agendas and registration coming soon!
Reminder that rooms are now available to book at the Convention hotel – Marriott Sanibel Resort.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2023
USSSA Is Now an Official Sponsor of The Miracle League’s 2023 All-Star Weekend, November 3-5 in Palm Beach County
In addition to sponsoring All-Star Weekend, USSSA will host Miracle League Night in August during a professional women’s fastpitch softball game at the USSSA Space Coast Complex.
VIERA, FLA. — The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), the No. 1 multi-sport association in the country, is honored and excited to partner with The Miracle League of Palm Beach County, which has been helping children and adults with special needs participate in baseball for almost two decades.
USSSA will be an official sponsor of The Miracle League’s fifth annual All-Star Weekend, which will take place for the first time ever in Palm Beach County, November 3-5. All-Star Weekend is expected to attract more than 150 players, 200 volunteers, and 50 directors from 25 cities in 20 different states and two countries.
USSSA’s sponsorship will allow for a free live stream of all All-Star Weekend games, and the association will provide promotional support and a fundraising campaign. Visit www.mlpbc.com to learn about the Palm Beach County league and for more information on All-Star Weekend as it becomes available.
The new partnership between USSSA and The Miracle League also includes a “Miracle League Night” that USSSA will host on August 1 at its Space Coast Complex during a Women’s Professional Fastpitch game between the USSSA Pride and the Smash It Sports Vipers. During Miracle League Night, Pride players will wear custom-made Miracle League-themed jerseys courtesy of New Balance. The game-worn jerseys will be available at auction, with all proceeds benefiting The Miracle League of Palm Beach County. Tickets can be purchased at usssapride.com.
“USSSA is committed to supporting the Miracle League of Palm Beach County and the pinnacle event, the All-Star Games in any way possible with the resources we have available,” said USSSA CEO Donny DeDonatis III. “We couldn’t be more excited to link arms with some of USSSA’s largest partners to provide additional support in enhancing this once-in-a-lifetime experience for these athletes and their families.”
Julia Kadel, Executive Director of the Miracle League of Palm Beach County: “Partnering with USSSA is a major WIN for the Miracle League. Their involvement has already proven to be more beneficial than anything we could have hoped for. We are looking forward to doing great things with USSSA as we gear up for All-Star weekend and beyond.”
Anyone willing to donate to The Miracle League All Star Game can do so by visiting https://square.link/u/lCnSENwh.
For more information on USSSA, visit USSSA.com. To learn more about The Miracle League of Palm Beach County, visit MLPBC.com
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About The Miracle League
The Miracle League removes the barriers that keep children and adults with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and lets them experience the joy of America’s favorite pastime. Since the main barriers arise from the natural grass fields used in conventional leagues, Miracle League teams play on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other devices while helping to prevent injuries. Each player is also assigned a “buddy” who helps them navigate the game and enhance the experience. The first Miracle League field opened in Conyers, Ga., in April 2000. Word spread, and by 2005, fields had opened in South Carolina, Alabama, West Virginia, Illinois, California and other states, including the opening of the Palm Beach County Florida field. There are presently 350-plus Miracle League organizations across North America, including Puerto Rico and Canada, while serving more than 450,000 children and adults. For more information on the national office, visit miracleleague.com.
In case you missed it, this year’s USSSA National Convention will be held November 13-16 at the Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in Fort Myers, FL. We’re excited to welcome all to Florida for another year in review and celebration!
The 2024 Baseball and Fastpitch season is now open.
Managers can register/create teams for the new season, register for 2024 events and purchase team insurance through their manager accounts on usssa.com
More than 650 teams from 28 states, including Alaska, will gather and compete over three days at over 20 ballparks, with current and former USSSA Pride professional players in attendance.
VIERA, Fla.. — The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), the No. 1 multi-sport association in the country, is proud to organize and host the third annual Road to the Show, its largest youth fastpitch event, June 2 through 5 in Oklahoma City and surrounding areas.
The weekend will draw more than 650 teams from 28 states — including Alaska — to play and compete over three days in 8U through 18U fastpitch. Road to the Show coincides with the NCAA Women’s College World Series weekend, bringing together pinnacle events in both youth fastpitch and college softball.
“Road to the Show has become a premier event for USSSA Fastpitch, growing into the largest single-weekend tournament in our history,” said Ryan Highfill, National Director of USSSA Fastpitch. “We are thrilled to see this event, centered around the Women’s College World Series, continue to grow and we look forward to supporting it for many years to come.”
Added William Whitmire, USSSA Co-State Director, Oklahoma: “It takes a village to pull off this event, and we couldn’t do it without the support from USSSA and all the State Directors and UICs who assist. We use over 70 fields and have over 200 umpires for Road to the Show. The Women’s College World Series is an important event for the Oklahoma City area and our sport, and we are glad to do our part to help support it by running this youth tournament alongside it.”
Road to the Show weekend kicks off Friday, June 2, with a player party, the final tryout of the year for the All American Games, and a skills competition. Fastpitch games in a pool-play format take place Saturday and Sunday, June 3-4, with Championship games on Monday, June 5. The weekend also will include appearances from current and former USSSA Pride professional players Haley Cruse (USSSA Fastpitch ambassador), Delaney Spaulding, Ali Aguilar, Shelby Pendley, and Abbey Cheek.
Registration, schedule, venue information, and more are available at the event page on Oklahoma USSSA Fastpitch’s website: https://okfastpitch.usssa.com/event/road-to-the-show-wcws-no-stay-to-play-5gg-2/.
USSSA Announces the Appointment of Samantha (Sam) Lichtner as the Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey Fastpitch State Director.
A former player and graduate of Mount Saint Mary’s, Sam is a registered nurse by trade. Sam has played softball since the age of 5 at multiple levels, including recreation, competitive travel and Division I college softball. She has coached the game and served as a director and an umpire for USSSA as she worked her way through college.
“Sam brings a lot of energy to the organization, as well as experience within all the facets of our game and its administration,” says Ryan Highfill, USSSA National Director of Fastpitch. “She will easily hit the ground running and add youthful energy and perspective to our team!”
Sam and her family reside in Eastern Pennsylvania. Her father Erich and two sisters will be joining her program team in this new venture. The entire family has spent decades involved in the administration of youth fastpitch softball in the northeast and will continue to work together to promote the development of the game in the region.
“I am excited and honored to be selected as the steward of the USSSA Eastern PA and NJ fastpitch program,” says Sam Lichtner. “We look forward to picking up where our predecessor has left off, and continuing to deliver the highest quality of customer service, communication and experiences we can offer our participants.”
“The USSSA program in East Pennsylvania and New Jersey is strong and Sam has some big shoes to fill.” Said Andy Wisk, USSSA National Fastpitch Committee Chairman. “There is no doubt that her energy, passion and professionalism will continue to fuel that machine and push the program to new heights. She is going to be a great addition to USSSA!”
Update regarding slowpitch bats that were temporarily suspended in March.
*This is effective immediately until further notice.
Juno Athletics:
JUNO bat models listed below that have UTH-43 markings on the handle are allowed for USSSA and GSL Tournament and League play. The previous temporary suspension has been lifted.
JA20MR1PT
JA21MR1
JA21MK18
JA21FW1
JA21FV1
JA21MR1WS
JA22MRI
JA22BO12
JA22FW2
JA22SOS1
JA22KB1
JA22RH1
JA22TKB
JA22FW3
JA23MRI
JA23FW4
JA23GC1
JA23SCX2
JA23RH2
Suncoast:
Suncoast bat models listed below are disallowed from USSSA and GSL sanctioned Tournament and League play, effective immediately.
SR12MUCETE
SRM12AASE
SR12MUCE
SRMAASE
SRMAASB
SRMUSE
SR12MUSE
SRMUSB
SR12MUSB
Directors,
Our IT team needs another day to wrap up the system maintenance that was being performed this week.
The system (DC, DC2 and usssa.com) will be down for a brief time between 5:00am – 6:00am EST, Monday 5/15.
We appreciate your understanding and patience.