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To quote the fictional baseball players from the musical Damn Yankees, "you gotta have heart" to be a championship team. While the San Jose Strikkers have only been playing together since May, the teenage girls on this fastpitch softball team have shown enough heart to take them to the Amateur Softball Association's national championships.
The Strikkers—whose 12 players hail from around the South Bay, including Cupertino—earned a championship berth after taking first place in the state championships held in Fairfield in June, beating out 23 other 14-and-under teams from Northern California. The team will travel to Normal, Ill., later this month for the national competition, where they'll be pitted against as many as 120 other A-level teams in tournament play.
Cupertino resident Sarah Hassman, 13, a shortstop and outfielder, says playing for the Strikkers has taught her about teamwork, but also about the competitive spirit. "It's fun to beat the other teams," Hassman says.
This team unity both on and off the playing field has helped the Strikkers remain undefeated in five straight tournaments. "I've seen teams with more horsepower, but other teams don't have the cohesiveness we do," says their coach.
According to the team's Website, the Strikkers were founded in 1982 "for the sole purpose of showcasing the best softball talent in Northern California to college coaches and scouts seeking to sign players on athletic scholarships." In the 20 years the Strikkers operated as an 18-and-under team, more than 100 players were awarded softball scholarships.
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