Even this site is a disappointment. Let me add my thoughts

[CARDS]

In SW Ohio there is already a Forum that reconizes the ladies at the HS level. Between awards from OHSAA and Larosas etc .here in SW Ohio there is a lot of posting of players.

Actually the winners are more deserving than not.
Its hard to do this with travel ball since there is no centeral scoring system where there is a system of checks and ballances like is found in HS softball in most areas of Ohio. Basically game stats are reconcilled in many areas of Ohio softball but travel ball is not one of them.

 

[Mike_Craig_-_Ohio USSSA]

As a TD for USSSA events - all of our game results are posted live right after they are completed!
On the USSSA website - you can follow every event going on as they happen every weekend! Because of this, I have not felt the need to post here.
I always post pictures on our Tri-State USSSA FaceBook page for each division every weekend! I will begin to share those on The Softball Zone FaceBook page from now on....
I am not smart enough to know how to post pictures on here....

Dittoing what Russ said. The USSSA website is such a valuable tool for me as a TD/Admin also. Plus we kick up to them for it's use, so it only makes sense to use it to the max. To me it is total redundancy to post tournament scores when they are right there on our website as soon as I hit the save button. I haven't listed an event for 2 seasons now in the tournament section because teams are pretty hip to where to find our events at.

And don't start in with the responses about how our program has benefited from the website. I'm aware of this. Myself and Ricky have had several conversations over the years and I have always supported the website because it is such a valuable tool for the softball community. Ricky can attest that on several occasions I have sent him funds just for the privilege of letting our TD's post events. I even got with him to ask for our own separate tournament section so our events had a place to be viewed amidst all the "bumps" that other tournaments were getting daily and hourly by some folks. My first year with USSSA, they sponsored a banner ad for a year on his site which provided some revenue stream for his efforts. We even co-hosted an event and split the proceeds down the middle so he could generate some revenue to do improvements he wanted done for the page.

It is nothing personal as I still enjoy the good conversations on here, but it is just very time consuming for me to keep tourney listings updated when I have an automated site that our National organization does a great job with. And I am biased but when used correctly, I think our site is the best of the major sanctions. There is so much function for us as admin, it makes our life so much easier. And teams like that they can "scout" other teams by their record and also the fact that rosters are posted for transparency purposes. It is not perfect because anything can always be better, but it is a heck of a website. And this is coming from a guy who used to have to do everything by hand and log a spreadsheet for every single payment that came in for multiple teams, etc. collect every single roster for every event, collect every copy of insurance..........

Have a great Memorial Day everyone!!

 

[sopra4343]

Dittoing what Russ said. The USSSA website is such a valuable tool for me as a TD/Admin also. Plus we kick up to them for it's use, so it only makes sense to use it to the max. To me it is total redundancy to post tournament scores when they are right there on our website as soon as I hit the save button. I haven't listed an event for 2 seasons now in the tournament section because teams are pretty hip to where to find our events at. And don't start in with the responses about how our program has benefited from the website. I'm aware of this. Myself and Ricky have had several conversations over the years and I have always supported the website because it is such a valuable tool for the softball community. Ricky can attest that on several occasions I have sent him funds just for the privilege of letting our TD's post events. I even got with him to ask for our own separate tournament section so our events had a place to be viewed amidst all the "bumps" that other tournaments were getting daily and hourly by some folks. My first year with USSSA, they sponsored a banner ad for a year on his site which provided some revenue stream for his efforts. We even co-hosted an event and split the proceeds down the middle so he could generate some revenue to do improvements he wanted done for the page. It is nothing personal as I still enjoy the good conversations on here, but it is just very time consuming for me to keep tourney listings updated when I have an automated site that our National organization does a great job with. And I am biased but when used correctly, I think our site is the best of the major sanctions. There is so much function for us as admin, it makes our life so much easier. And teams like that they can "scout" other teams by their record and also the fact that rosters are posted snapchatplanetorder for transparency purposes. It is not perfect because anything can always be better, but it is a heck of a website. And this is coming from a guy who used to have to do everything by hand and log a spreadsheet for every single payment that came in for multiple teams, etc. collect every single roster for every event, collect every copy of insurance.......... Have a great Memorial Day everyone!!

Even this site has been a disappointment. I had higher expectations, but it seems to fall short in delivering what I was hoping for. It’s frustrating when you come across a platform that promises to meet your needs but ends up being another letdown. I feel like my concerns and input aren't being addressed, and it's difficult to stay engaged when the experience doesn't live up to its potential. Hopefully, this feedback will help improve things moving forward.

 

[Captain_Thunder]

Even this site has been a disappointment. I had higher expectations, but it seems to fall short in delivering what I was hoping for. It’s frustrating when you come across a platform that promises to meet your needs but ends up being another letdown. I feel like my concerns and input aren't being addressed, and it's difficult to stay engaged when the experience doesn't live up to its potential. Hopefully, this feedback will help improve things moving forward.

Thanks for joining this morning!
Then giving your negative thoughts after 20 minutes of observation of the site!
This AI or people creating an account to make a stupid comment is going old!
What this site does need is the Admins approving New Members! We all want new members, but when 90% are not real, or never seen again is very sad...
But hey, we got people looking at a thread that no one had commented on in 3 1/2 years...

 

[Passion4theGame]

Thanks for joining this morning!
Then giving your negative thoughts after 20 minutes of observation of the site!
This AI or people creating an account to make a stupid comment is going old!
What this site does need is the Admins approving New Members! We all want new members, but when 90% are not real, or never seen again is very sad...
But hey, we got people looking at a thread that no one had commented on in 3 1/2 years...

Hints why a lot of people are not active on here anymore.

 

[CARDS]

Its tough with Facebook pages for organizations to maintain several sites.
I would get updates on the REDS and I would try to post the game video, tryouts and tournament results to TSZ but its hard to keep up with all teams and what they have going on.
I think many clubs face the same struggles. TSZ has a facebook page but I see more post on 16u Fastpitch and Cincinnati Fastpitch than the TSZ facebook pages. This site also once had a big following on coaching hitting, pitching etc. It looks like may of the instructors are no longer instructing as the list is much smaller.

 

[BruisedShins]

But hey, we got people looking at a thread that no one had commented on in 3 1/2 years...

That's the whole purpose of these bots

 

[Captain_Thunder]

That's the whole purpose of these bots

That would be great if it was an old thread regarding hitting, or something useful. For the Bot to add some insight that could cause some traffic.
But when it is stupid or silly comments (this one is actually better than most) that add nothing, I don't see nothing helping an old discussion.
It has added posts to this old thread, but the posts are basically discussing bots and not so much the original topic.

 

[andrew8643g]

Dittoing what Russ said. The USSSA website is such a valuable tool for me as a TD/Admin also. Plus we kick up to them for it's use, so it only makes sense to use it to the max. To me it is total redundancy to post tournament scores when they are right there on our website as soon as I hit the save button. I haven't listed an event for 2 seasons now in the tournament section because teams are pretty hip to where to find our events at.

And don't start in with the responses about how our program has benefited from the website. I'm aware of this. Myself and Ricky have had several conversations over the years and I have always supported the website because it is such a valuable tool for the softball community. Ricky can attest that on several occasions I have sent him funds just for the privilege of letting our TD's post events. I even got with him to ask for our own separate tournament section so our events had a place to be viewed amidst all the "bumps" that other tournaments were getting daily and hourly by some folks. My first year with USSSA, they sponsored a banner ad for a year on his site which provided some revenue stream for his efforts. We even co-hosted an event and split the proceeds down the middle so he could generate some revenue to do improvements he wanted done for the page.

It is nothing personal as I still enjoy the good conversations on here, but it is just very time consuming for me to keep tourney listings updated when I have an automated site that our National organization does a great job with. And I am biased but when used correctly, I think our site is the best of the major sanctions. There is so much function for us as admin, it makes our life so much easier. And teams like that they can "scout" other teams by their record and also the fact that rosters are posted for transparency purposes. It is not perfect because anything can always be better, but it is a heck of a website. And this is coming from a guy who used to have to do everything by hand and log a spreadsheet for every single payment that came in for multiple teams, etc. collect every single roster for every event, collect every copy of insurance..........

Have a great Memorial Day everyone!!

Yes i see this

 

[Jennyrich789]

It’s great that you’re sharing this content! The challenge is that there isn’t a single hub for the softball community. Between Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and sites like Softballzone, it takes a lot of effort to track down information. What sets Softballzone apart is its accessibility—you don’t need to sign up, and anyone with a phone or computer can easily find what they need. Social media, especially Facebook, often throws up too many barriers.

Also, I’m not sure who runs the site, but I’d bet they’re from Ohio. It feels good knowing that by reading and clicking a few ads, I’m supporting a fellow Ohioan instead of adding to the wealth of tech billionaires like Zuckerberg or Dorsey. Using this site means supporting a local business, and that really matters.

 

[BUCKEYELEAF]

It’s great that you’re sharing this content! The challenge is that there isn’t a single hub for the softball community. Between Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and sites like Softballzone, it takes a lot of effort to track down information. What sets Softballzone apart is its accessibility—you don’t need to sign up, and anyone with a phone or computer can easily find what they need. Social media, especially Facebook, often throws up too many barriers.

Also, I’m not sure who runs the site, but I’d bet they’re from Ohio. It feels good knowing that by reading and clicking a few ads, I’m supporting a fellow Ohioan instead of adding to the wealth of tech billionaires like Zuckerberg or Dorsey. Using this site means supporting a local business, and that really matters.

The Softball Zone – A Legacy of Connecting the Fastpitch Community Since 1996

Thank you for the kind words—and yes, you're absolutely right, we're proudly rooted in Ohio!

The journey began in 1996 when I founded the Ohio Fastpitch Connection forum with the support of Jean May (aka TheBearMay) and the late Jonny, whose contributions were invaluable. From day one, our mission was simple: connect players with teams and provide opportunities for everyone involved in fastpitch softball.

The original forum quickly became a must-visit hub for players, parents, and coaches across Ohio. In 2007, we expanded nationally under the name The Softball Zone. While the standalone national forum didn’t meet all our expectations at the time, we made a strategic decision to unify everything under one powerful brand—The Softball Zone.

Our Core Goals Have Never Changed:

1. Help players find teams, tryouts, and opportunities at every level of the game.


2. Support coaches in filling roster needs with talented, passionate athletes.


3. Assist college coaches in promoting camps and clinics.


4. Connect tournament directors and coaches with tournaments that fit their schedules.



In 2014, I partnered with Charles, who became a 50% stakeholder and took over all things tech. While I continued to serve as the face of The Softball Zone, Charles worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Together, we kept our shared mission alive.

By 2024, we saw that traditional forums could no longer compete with platforms like Facebook. So, we made the decision to launch an app—built from the ground up to continue what we’ve done best since the beginning: connect the softball community.

Three weeks ago, The Softball Zone App officially launched—and the response has been phenomenal. It’s already been downloaded in nearly every state, with New Jersey, Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, and New York leading the way at over 600 downloads as of yesterday.

We're thrilled to be doing what we love: building bridges across the fastpitch softball world and offering one unified platform to help the entire community stay connected.

You can download the app for your favorite device https://tinyurl.com/msk2nabe