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Tiffin Dragons take 1^st place at the Second Annual Xpress College Classic Tournament

Sept. 22, 2007: Tiffin University went 2-1 on the day to capture the 2007 Xpress College Classic trophy. The Dragons defeated the University of Dayton and Wright State University, before losing to the University of the Cumberlands.

Tiffin was one of eight teams competing at the Xpress fields in West Carrollton and were declared champions by virtue of tie-breaker statistics. Also participating were Lincoln Memorial University from Harrogate, TN, the Rio Tribe, the University of Findlay and our own 2007 Xpress fall tour team.
The Xpress also went 2-1, defeating Lincoln Memorial and Rio Grande. Their lone defeat was a 1-0 pitching duel at the hands of the Cumberland Patriots. The Xpress pitchers allowed no hits and the Patriots only two hits in the game. The Miami Valley Sports Foundation wishes to thank all who attended and congratulates the Tiffin Dragons.

Area softball players headed to China for exhibition

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 : Several years ago, Richard Duncan attended a meeting in Chicago to discuss the possibility of a professional women's fast-pitch softball league in the United States. A local softball enthusiast and trustee of the Miami Valley XPress club program, the Centerville resident met a player from the Chinese national softball team who was touring the country and also attended the gathering. From that introduction, a group of local players will be heading to China.

The XPress, an 8-year-old program founded by the Miami Valley Sports Foundation, formed a team that will leave today to participate in a series of exhibition games to promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The 11 players, who were either seniors in high school or freshmen in college this past season, will play against Chinese teams with the blessing of the International Softball Federation.

"We're ready for this," said Megan Lee, who recently finished her freshman season at the University of Dayton. "Even if we don't win, it will be such a great experience."

The team will play six games, including two in the Beijing Olympic softball stadium, before returning June 21. It is the only non-Chinese club playing in the event, which Chinese officials hope can spur interest in the sport for next summer's games. "It's not just softball for us," said Emily Stegeman, a recent Carroll High School graduate who will play for UD next season. "We get to see another culture."

2007 China Tour

What a fantastic experience ! From the unbelievable beauty

To understand that there are so, so many people on the world and just how close most live to bare subsistence.

To wonder at the accomplishment of millions of hands over thousands of years.

In just one week we have seen the evidence of privilege for a few

the monuments of oppression

In just a week we learned that the daily rush of the masses is universal

We experienced the anxiety of strange places

at the center of tranquility in the morning.

(photos submitted by Jack Shore)

of the historic sites to the disgust of poverty and filth in the inner city, our lives will be forever changed.

To experience the size of the Earth on a 24 hour journey while the sun never sets.

Lessons in humanities without a price.

and the despair of the street,

and the freedom of international competition.

as also is the carefree nature of the child.

and the love of family and friends.

We found the hustle of the evening

Each of us has left this week with a changed life. I hope that many of you will return to China in your lifetime but from this point forward in your life you can never go back. We expect great things,

Roster:
Faith Amrein - West Virginia State University	Lindsay Bodeker - Ohio State University
Michelle Breen - Cumberland University	Mindy Breitholle - Cumberland University
Kirsten Gersch - DePauw University	Amber Gregory - Northern Kentucky University
Megan Lee - University of Dayton	Jessica Locker - Lincoln Memorial University
Rachael Shepherd - Ohio State University	Emily Stegeman - University of Dayton
Christina Stoffer - Cleveland State University

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 ----- With one and none on the Miami Valley Express (Xpress) was on the verge of a huge upset against the Beijing Provincial Softball Team. Leading 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning and needing just two outs, the roof caved in on the Xpress and the Chinese saved great embarrassment with a 3-2 victory. This was the opening game of a six game tour by the Xpress to help promote the 2008 Summer Olympics to be held in Beijing

The Chinese were held to two hits and struck out 14 times at the hand of USA Lindsay Bodeker (Lakota West, Akron University), through six innings. In the fatal seventh they scored the winning run on a bases loaded error against a drawn infield. Bodeker had given up her first walk, an intentional one, to load the bases and play for a force at home, but the error gave the walk off victory to the Olympic Chinese feeder team on Saturday afternoon.

The Xpress opened the scoring on a bloop single down the right field line by Megan Lee (Centerville) in the second inning and added another run in the sixth on a double by Faith Amrein (Cincinnati Colerain) who had three hits in the contest. The Xpress put pressure on the heavily favorite host team with persistent strong hitting but stranded nine base runners with eight in scoring position. The main highlight of the game though was the strong pitching effort of Bodeker. She the Chinese off balance through six strong innings mixing 65mph fastballs with 48mph changeups.

The Chinese coach commented after the game that Bodeker made his players "look foolish" with her great display of pitches with pinpoint location and constantly changing speeds. Brian Hoehner (Bellbrook) coach of the Xpress was happy with his teams play but disappointed they couldn't finish the challenge. Said Hoehner, "We played against women who were much older than our players and five of the Chinese players actually play on their Olympic team. For us to come so close and actually have the lead into the final inning will be hard to forget."

The Xpress resume their tour tomorrow with a double header in the new 2008 Olympic softball stadium in Beijing against a highly regarded Tianjin Provincial Team. Projected starters are Mindy Breitholle and Bodeker. The Xpress team represents the twelve year old softball program of the Miami Valley Sports Foundation and features some of the best amateur softball players in southwest Ohio. This is the first known excursion by any United States amateur team in China.

Rollllllllllllll On Xpress !

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