Sports
DB Sends 3 Teams to State Softball Tourney
The Diamond Bar Girls Softball League is taking three teams to Lancaster this weekend for a state tournament that marks the first in years for the Diamond Bar athletes.
Three teams from Diamond Bar Girls Softball (DBGS) are headed to Lancaster this weekend to compete in a statewide championship tournament for the first time in years.
"The league is very excited," coach and league president Bob Nishimura said. "We haven’t sent a team to the state tournament in many years and this year we are sending three."
An under-8, under-10, and under-14 team will head to the So. Calif. Amateur Softball Association to represent Diamond Bar this weekend.
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Nishimura said the tournament is also a first for many of the players that come up through the league.
"Some of the girls on the (under-14) team have played in the league for 8 years and have never advanced this far," Nishumura said. "The teams and parents are excited."
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Cim Freeman’s daughter, Catrina Freeman, 14, has been playing for DBGS for six years.
"When (Catrina) started, she didn’t know anything,” Freeman said. “The coaches have been wonderful. All of them are great. They really taught (the girls) the fundamentals of the game."
Despite the 90-plus degree weather forecast for the weekend, Freeman said the team is excited to go.
Since softball is a summer sport, Freeman said that the girls are used to playing in the heat and one time had to water down the turf to cool down to 109 degrees from 116 degrees.
Earlier this year, DBGS teams competed in San Clemente, Covina Hills, Pico Rivera and Diamond Bar. DBGS also hosted their 18th annual Father's Day tournament as a fundraiser for the state tournaments and other softball events. Over 40 teams came to Diamond Bar to compete, Nishumura said.
“We were able to raise a substantial amount of money,” Nishumura said.
The money raised over Father’s Day weekend will go into paying entry fees for the state tournament and other tournaments.
Drafting for the All-Star teams begins in May, Nishumura said, and the league was able to field an under-6 All Star team who competed in an annual tournament as well. This year, however, the league went without an under-12 team, Nishumura said.
Aside from the Father’s Day fundraiser, Freeman said that the team also relies on private sponsors from individuals and sometimes parents.
This year's State Tournament will be held July 15-17 in Lancaster at the Lancaster City Park - Big 8 Softball Complex.
Read more about the Diamond Bar league and fall registration at the organization's website.