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Calvin Miller won the Triple Crown and league MVP.
Cummings and Dawdy shared MVP-pitcher
Cummings won lowest era
Fawcett-Rookie of the year
Rowan Lam won defensive player
Winship won playoff MVP
Paul Unwin and Don Hagerty - Lorne Thomson award for coaches of the year
Mark McCallum - Jeff Carder award 'for the love of the game'
Art Freeman - Dude Locke award for dedication and service to the game
Shedden were league champs(regular season)
Glencoe- playoff finalists
St. Thomas Storm PLAYOFF CHAMPIONS
Storm Win 3rd Straight League Title
St. Thomas Storm won the league playoff championship for the 3rd consecutive year and 4th in the team's history last night by beating the Glencoe Astros 4-2. Glencoe scored once in the top of the 1st and then the Storm came back with 3 in the bottom of the inning. Tex Lessard lead off with a single, Mark Coleman had an rbi double and then Chris Wismer and Chris Payne executed a double steal that Payne scored on for the eventual game winner. Brent Crocker restored the 2 run cushion with a solo blast in the 4th inning after Glencoe had pulled to within 1 run.
Shaun Winship had both rbi's with a single in the 1st scoring Dan Frank and a sac fly in the 4th that scored Mark Johnson who had doubled. It was good to see Johnson gutting it out after injuring his shoulder in game 1.
Dan Beecroft settled down after giving up the run in the 1st inning and went the distance for the Storm, giving up only 3 hits(2 in T1) while striking out 16 with 3 BB. This was especially gratifying to Dan as he was unable to make his scheduled start the previous night due to work commitments.
Winship once again kept his team in it with another strong performance on the mound. He gave up 4 hits while striking out 9 batters and only 2 BB. Pitching for both teams was superb as hits and runs were very scarce! In the 5 games there were only 20 runs scored, 11 by St. Thomas and 9 by Glencoe. The entire series was an excellent showcase of the talent level of the STDMFL.
The fans who attended were treated to some great pitching, solid defense and clutch hitting. Last night's crowd of approximately 200 was very enthusiast and loud!!!
Local fastball gets noticed
Honoured by Ontario Amateur Softball Assoc.
Saturday November 26, 2005
By Rob Ross
Times-Journal staff
Usually it’s players from a league who win awards, not the league itself.
The St. Thomas and District Fastball League has become the exception.
The eight-team outfit is the first league to be recognized by the Ontario Amateur Softball Association for Association Excellence, announced at the OASA annual convention last weekend in Kitchener.
“It’s a pat on the back and a reward for the dedication and efforts involved,” past president Tom Edie said. “It’s a testament to the teams and shows the talent the area can give.”
OASA executive member Gary Wren said the league is the first of its kind to win.
Ontario Amateur Softball Association executive director Gray Wren, right, presents the League of the Year award to Scott Kennedy, centre, and Tom Edie, president and past president for the St. Thomas and District Fastball League.
(T-J photo*)
Past and present history, competitiveness, dedication to and fostering minor fastball programs at all levels in its community and an outstanding dedication of volunteers is what the award stands for.
That certainly describes the local league which has been in operation since the mid 1940s.
Over the years teams from the STDFL have won provincial tournaments at every intermediate level.
Seven of the league’s teams were involved in OASA tournaments over the past year including the 2005 Masters champion Alvinston Indians, 2005 Intermediate Elimination finalists Highgate Rock and the 2004 Senior Elimination champion Union Storm.
“Any given weekend a team can compete and win at any tournament,” said president Scott Kennedy, who has been involved with the league in various roles since 1982. “With its longevity and competitiveness the league ranks up with the best in Ontario.”
STDFL History.
Through the Year's of the St. Thomas and District Fastball League
Although the exact year that what is now known as the St. Thomas and District Fastball League began is unknown according to one reliable source who was involved in the original league, the four team St. Thomas City League began in the mid 1940's which would make the current edition of the League on or around 60 years old.
Over the years, the League has gone through many teams and several changes in format.
In the 60's and 70's the League enjoyed its best years, number wise, when fastball was in its glory years. During those years, the League was truly an Elgin County and St. Thomas and District League and operated with an 8 to 12 team "A" Division and a 6 to 10 team "B" Division in any one season. Most of the teams in either division were sponsored by St. Thomas and area businesses or industries. The "and District" part of the name consisted of teams from surrounding communities such as Aylmer, Port Stanley, Shedden and Union. The St. Thomas and District League co-existed alongside the Southwold Fastball League, 10 to 15 teams in any season, the Yarmouth Fastball League, 8 to 10 teams in any season as well as the very competitive Memorial Fastball League. The more competitive St. Thomas and District League became the feeder system for area teams in the Memorial League. Rules regarding player movement between teams in these leagues was very strict and all three leagues were able to survive despite the restrictions.
Unfortunately for this League and others, one of the two "S" words began to take their toll. In the mid seventies with the introduction of slo-pitch to the area, both talented and average players began to drift towards slo-pitch and with their leaving the teams began to dwindle and the leagues eventually began to fold. By 1992, the St. Thomas and District League was the only league remaining in Elgin County.
By the mid eighties, the St. Thomas and District League was down to four teams. Faced with the prospect of a very repetitive and very boring schedule for the 85 season or the alternative of a possible one year hiatus, the former was decided. Realizing that a one year hiatus would no doubt mean the demise of the League, it was thanks to the representatives of these four teams, Port Stanley Stuarts, Shedden Royals, St. Thomas Royal House Blues and St. Thomas Scott Kennedy Sports Kardinals that the League in its present format continues to operate today. One more team did join the League that year and the following season the League accepted two more teams.
Since that season, the League has operated with anywheres from to seven to fourteen teams including an "A" and "B" division for a few seasons in the early nineties.
Despite the other "S" word "soccer" hurting the future growth of fastball at the youth level in this area, the St. Thomas and District Fastball League is a survivor. It continues to be one of the most competitive leagues in Ontario and more than holds it's own against the best from other leagues throughout Ontario and the States. Proof of the competitiveness within its own League is in the past five seasons, five different teams have laid claim to the League Play-off Championship.
Outside of League play, member teams have represented themselves and the League very well. In 2002, the Alvinston Indians claimed the inaugural ISC II Championship in Kitchener. The following season, 2003, Shedden Mission claimed bronze at the ISC II World's in Appleton, Wisconsin and last season, 2004, Highgate Rock claimed the OASA Intermediate "C" Championship in Wiarton, Alvinston the Master's Provincial Championship in Port Perry and Union Storm the OASA Senior Championship in Owen Sound.
The 2005 edition of the St. Thomas and District Major Fastball League currently takes in eight teams from four counties including Aylmer, Shedden and Union in Elgin County, Glencoe in Middlesex County, Alvinston in Lambton County and Blenheim, Highgate and Morpeth in Chatham Kent.
