Aunt Rosie's tournament schedules posted

The Aunt Rosie's International Girls' and Women's Fast Pitch Softball Tournament returns to Amherst's Audubon Recreation Center for the 19th season this year, hosting an estimated 125 teams from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, West Virginia and the Province of Ontario.

The tournament is run over five weekends in June and July. It is the largest ASA sanctioned girls'/women's fast pitch softball tournament in the northeast and one of the ten largest such tournaments in the nation.

Thus far, 110 of the expected 125 teams have already signed up to play in the five different ASA age groups which the Aunt Rosie's will feature. In the most popular age group, the 16 and under division, the maximum 30 teams registered within the first few hours after the 2007 registration period opened. Also filled are the 18 and under (35 teams) and the 14 and under (26 teams) divisions. There are three slots still open in the 12 and under division (18 teams) and 14 in the women's major division (18 teams), which is traditionally late to organize.

This year, the popular 16 and under division has attracted an unusually high number of local teams. Twelve of the 30 teams registered are homegrown. Five local teams are entered in the 12 and under division, seven in the 14 and under and 18 and under divisions, and one in the women's open division. Overall, however, approximately 30 percent of the teams are local, which is about the historical average for the tournament.

Unlike previous years, there is not a long waiting list of teams hoping to get into the Aunt Rosie's. This is a situation which concerns Tournament Director Bob Nowak.

"The immense popularity of the tournament has become problematic," Nowak said. "It all boils down to the availability of fields. There are five softball diamonds at Audubon which are used during the tournaments and next year one of those will be lost. What concerns me is that an increasing number of teams are bypassing the Aunt Rosie's in favor of other tournament locations because they know how quickly we reach the limit of teams that we can accommodate. For the Aunt Rosie's to grow, we simply need more fields so that we can accommodate more teams. The interest is there."

At current team levels, the Aunt Rosie's generates more than $1 million in economic benefit for the Town of Amherst and nearby hotels, restaurants, service stations and the like. The tournament is played on fields used by Amherst Girls' Softball and all proceeds benefit the Amherst Girls' program.

In numbers, the Amherst Lightning travel teams dominate the Aunt Rosie's. This year, 10 different Lightning teams will be entered in the tournament. Three other teams, the Buffalo Bisons, Lady Mustangs Blue, and Lady Mustangs White, will also call Amherst home. The 16 and 18 and under division weekends have become a regular stop for coaches on the college recruiting circuit. This year, 30 coaches are expected for the 18 and under tournament weekend.

In addition to the Aunt Rosie's, the Audubon facility will host an ASA national qualifying tournament on Memorial Day weekend in the 10 and under, 12 and under and 14 and under age groups. There will be no ASA National Championship Tournament at Audubon this year. Last year, the ASA Women's Major Championship was played here. This year the tournament goes to South Bend, Ind. It returns to Amherst in 2008.

The Aunt Rosie's 2007 schedule is as follows:

+ June 22-24; 16 and under division; local teams - Amherst Lightning Blue; Amherst Lightning Silver, Amherst Lightning Kerr, WNY Sting Extreme, WNY Sting Gold, Lady Express Red, Lady Express Blue, Buffalo Bisons, Bolivar Richburg Rage, Cayuga Gamblers Silver and Galassi's Elite.

+ June 30-July 2; 14 and under division; local teams - Amherst Lightning Gold, Amherst Lightning White, Amherst Lightning Elite, WNY Diamond Girls Red, New Era Diamond Girls, WNY Sting Blue, Galassi's Elite.

+ July 6-8; 12 and under division; local teams - Amherst Lightning Gold, WNY Diamond Girls Red, WNY Diamond Girls Black, WNY Sting, West Seneca Magic Blue.

+ July 19-22; 18 and under division; local teams - Amherst Lightning Gold, Amherst Lightning White, Amherst Lightning Blue, Lady Mustangs White, Lady Mustangs Blue, WNY Diamond Girls.

Game time schedules remain pending. Food is available at the Amherst Girls' Softball concession stand. Admission and parking are free.