Field of Dreams takes fourth

Tori Brown and Becca Joseph joined players from Ontario and Western Idaho on the Ontario Hopper Field of Dreams softball team that placed fourth at the Triple Crown Sports Softball World Series in Park City. Both young ladies also played on the Field of Dreams team that placed fifth at the Series a year ago.

“It was great,” Joseph said of the experience.

“It was awesome, added Brown. “It was unbelievable that we went that far with this team.”

Field of Dreams, coached by Dave Hopper of Ontario, advanced to the Final Four at the World Series before losing 8-0 to eventual-champion Grand Junction, Colo., SWAT.

“The best thing about being in Park City was sending the other Field of Dream team home,” Joseph said.

The other Field of Dreams-Yano finished seventh at the Series.

The Triple Crown World Series, an ASA softball program, included different levels of play for different age divisions. Brown, Joseph and the Field of Dreams players competed in the 18U B division.

“There’s the 18U A and B divisions,” Joseph said. “The B division means there can be no college players on the teams.”

The Baker duo became members of the Ontario team because there was no Baker team.

“Last summer at the end of the high school season there was no Baker ASA team for players in the 16U division,” Brown said.

“Our coach (Baker coach Al McCauley) tried to find us a team to play on. Coach Hopper in Ontario said he needed a couple more players.”

Joseph plays right and left-field, and Brown center field and pitching. Brown, who will be a junior this fall at BHS, was a first-team all-Greater Oregon League pitcher this past spring. Joseph, who will be a BHS senior, was second-team all-GOL catcher.

The 72-mile distance between Baker City and Ontario posed some inconvenience for practice time.

“We were on the road to Ontario at 7:30 a.m. for practices at least three times a week,” Joseph said.

“And we’ve been gone every weekend for tournaments.”

Field of Dreams competed in tournaments in Boise, Tri-Cities, Aloha and Beaverton prior to the World Series.

“We actually had a weekend off right before the World Series because the state championships in Junction City that weekend were cancelled,” Brown said.

Both young ladies said Field of Dreams players had to raise their own funding to play during the season.

“We had to pay our own way for all the trips,” Joseph said.

“We had to do a lot of fundraising,” Brown added.

Both players who also play on the Baker High School volleyball, basketball and softball teams, said playing summer ball was different.

“It’s so much more competitive,” Brown said. “We’re playing against bigger, stronger girls.”

“We also get more playing time because we play twice as many games as we do during the high school season,” Joseph said.

Field of Dreams played at least 50 games this summer.

“The biggest thing for me is meeting so many girls and making friends,” Joseph added. “We learn a lot of things about other girls and become friends with so many other girls.”

So, now that the Series has come and gone, are the girls ready to start school and fall sports. No.

“I have a tournament in McCall this weekend,” Joseph said.

“I’m playing slowpitch softball right now,” Brown said. “And I’m going to a softball camp in Las Vegas in October and one in Arizona in December during Christmas break.”

“And, open gym for softball starts in November so there’s no real break,” Joseph said. “That’s the nice part about it, and I love it.”