SYLVANIA SENIOR SOFTBALL

 

BRUCE ANDERSON
Head Coach

Bruce was born and raised in Flint, Mich., where he attended Kearsley H.S. He played in all four sports: football, baseball, basketball and track. At Hillsdale College he majored in Mathematics, with minors in Physics and Physical Education. He played football, basketball and baseball and was a Captain in all three at various times. Bruce retired after teaching at Kearsley, Whitmer and Cental. He played fast-pitch softball for years and then turned to slow-pitch. He was one of the original founders of the SSS league and served on the Board for three years.
 
HALL OF FAME! In 2014 Bruce was enshrined in the Whitmer High School Hall of Fame for 40-years of coaching and teaching.

 
SPONSOR

photo/JIM SCHNEIDER

FRICKER'S Regional Manager Liesa Wackler, with the cut-glass trophy and autographed team ball the '70's Fricker's Tournament team won in 2014 at Thee Buckeye Classic, Barberton, Ohio.

 TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS The 70's traveling tournament team, coached by Bruce Anderson was established in 2006, playing in the 65'S bracket, they won the ISA-SSWC Qualifier in Novi, Michigan. Veterans Jim Burnor, Jim Dunlavy, Jim Nickelsen and Jerry Keefe are still playing for the Fricker's '70's team.

 

FRICKER'S SPA 2016
TOURNAMENT WINS

THEE BUCKEYE CLASSIC
Barberton, Ohio
June 14-16, 2016

THE HEART of OHIO
Columbus, Ohio
June 22-26, 2016

GREAT LAKES NIT
Sylvania, Ohio
August 11-14, 2016

 
2016 TEAM ROSTER

BRUCE ANDERSON
RICHARD BLOCK
LEE BRANDBERRY
JAMES BURNOR
DON DHEEL
JAMES DUNLAVY
JERRY KEEFE
DON LANGE
GARY MEYER
JAMES NICKELSEN
JOHN RADSCHEID
DENNY SHAFFER
DAN SCHLENBACKER
DON TOROK
JIM VANBRANDT
DICK WACHTER

Fricker's/SSS 70's chalk
up third tournament win at SPA Great Lakes!

FRICKER'S NIT WINNERS! The SSS 70's AA team has been on a roll - winning their third tournament this year! The team won Thee Buckeye Classic, Barberton, Ohio, The Heart of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio and the Sylvania Great Lakes SPA Nationals, compiling a record of twelve wins and only four loses. Back row, l-r, Jim Van Brandt, Gary Meyer, Jim Dunlavy, Don Dheel, Lee Brandyberry, Bruce Anderson & John Radscheid. Front row, l-r, Don Lange, Richard Block, Don Torok, Dick Wachter, Dan Schlenbaker, Jerry Keefe & Jim Burnor. Not pictured: Denny Schaffer and Jim Nickelsen.

 

Fricker's/SSS 70's team runs tournament record to 12-4 with win

The 70's team got off to a slow start in the Great Lakes Nationals, dropping the first two by one run margins. They lost the first game of pool play to the Legends of Dayton 15-14 and lost the second game to the Indy Classics 19-18. Errors played a major factor in the losses.

 

BRACKET PLAY: The next day the Fricker's team bounced back with good defense and timely hitting to average 17-runs per game with a team .621 BA., winning three games to clinch the Great Lakes NIT crown in AA play.

 

GAME 1 (Bracket play) FRICKER'S/SSS 70'S - 14 LEGENDS of DAYTON - 10
Fricker's broke the game open scoring five runs in the 6th to take a 14-6 lead. Dayton scored four in the top of the 7th, losing 14-10. Lead-off hitter Jim Burnor was 3/3, followed by Richard Block 3/4 and Dick Wachter 3/3. The defense stepped up and was solid, not only in this game, but the two to follow.

GAME 2 FRICKER'S/SSS 70'S - 16 THE INDY CLASSICS - 15
Fricker's was down 15-10 in the top of the 6th. The club got the bats in gear and pushed across six runs to take a 16-15 lead. Six hitters scored, before the first out. Richard Block was "hot" going 3/4, to lead the pack. The team collected 21-hits with good hitting up and down the line-up.

 

GAME 3 FRICKER'S/SSS'70'S - 22 THE INDY CLASSICS - 8

With 95+ temperature, The Classics ran out of steam and scored only eight runs in the final game. Top hitters for Fricker's: Jim Van Brandt 4/4 and Denny Shaffer 4/4 with an ITPHR. Jim Burnor, Gary Meyer, Bruce Anderson and Dan Schlenbaker collected three hits each in a well-balanced offensive attack.

 

FRICKER'S scored 85 runs in five games, averaging 17-runs per game with a team .621 BA. MVP SS Gary Meyer hit .813 with three doubles, two triples, and 14-RBI"s. Jim Burnor was "locked-in", hitting .875. John Radscheid hit .778 with two triples, two doubles and 13 RBI's. Dan Schlenbaker was 9/12, good for a .750 BA.

 

photo/MARY ANN RADSCHEID

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM AWARDS! The Fricker's/SSS 70's team, winners of the 2016 Great Lakes tournament were led by MVP shortstop Gary Meyer, far right, with a .813 BA, pitcher Don Dheel, left, John Radscheid, .778 BA and Jim Burnor, top slugger with a .875 BA, 14 for 16. Not pictured Dann Schlenbaker.

Fricker's/SSS 70's undefeated
in SPA Columbus
"Heart of Ohio" Nationals

photo/SUSAN C. MEYER

COLUMBUS, OHIO - The Fricker's/SSS 70's team went 6-0 at the Columbus "Heart of Ohio" National SPA Tournament, winning the AAA bracket! Coached by Bruce Anderson, this was the teams second tournament win. They won the Barberton, Ohio "Thee Buckeye Classic" AA bracket, with a 3-0 record. Back row, from left, Jerry Keefe, Richard Block, Lee Brandyberry, Jim Burnor, Jim Dunlavy, Jim VanBrandt, John Radscheid and Gary Meyer. Front row, from left, Don Torok, Dick Wachter, Don Dheel, Don Lange and MVP Dan Schlenbaker. Dunlavy led the team with a .882 BA, 15 for 17, and made the All-Tournament team, as did Radscheid, Meyer, and Wachter. Not pictured Bruce Anderson.

 

photo/SUSAN C. MEYER

ALL TOURNAMENT AWARDS! The Fricker's/SSS 70's team won the Columbus Heart of Ohio Senior Classic AAA Division with a 6-0 record. Special team recognition went to Gary Meyer, left, Jim Dunlavy, MVP Dann Schlenbaker, Dick Wachter and John Radscheid. Dunlavy led the team with a .882 BA and Meyer hit .810. The SPA tournament was held at Berliner Park, June 22-26, 2016.

 

 

Fricker's / SSS 70's Win Thee Buckeye Classic Tournament

photo/MARY ANN RADSCHEID

BARBERTON, OHIO - The Fricker's/SSS 70's team won Thee Buckeye Classic tournament with a 3-0 record in AA play at the Barberton Sports Complex, June 14-16, 2016. Back row: from left, Denny Shaffer, Jim VanBrandt, Don Dheel, Coach Bruce Anderson, Lee Brandyberry, Jim Dunlavy, Jim Burnor, John Radscheid and Richard Block. Front row, from left, Jerry Keefe, Don Torok, Don Lange, Dick Wachter, Dan Schlenbaker and Gary Meyer. (Missing, Jim Nickelsen).

photo/JIM SCHNEIDER

FRICKER'S Ray Frick, right, talks softball with Jerry Keefe, one of the co-founders of the Sylvania Softball League and the SPA Great Lakes NIT. Ray is the owner of 29 Fricker's, with locations in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. The first Fricker's opened in Dayton, Ohio in 1985. Mr. Frick graduated from Waite High School and completed his Master's Degree at Bowling Green State University in 1973. Fricker's has been a major sponsor of the SSS league since 2008.
 

photo/SUSAN C. MEYER

DAYTON, OHIO - The SSS/Fricker's '70's traveling team competed in the May 11-12 First Flight of Ohio tournament at Kettering Fields. Back row, from left, Jerry Keefe, Dann Schlenbaker, Lee Brandyberry, John Radscheid, Denny Shaffer, Richard Block & Bruce Anderson. Front row, from left, Don Torok, Gary Meyer, Jim Dunlavy, Don Dheel, Dick Wachter & James Burnor. Not pictured: Jim Nickelsen and Jim VanBrandt. The SPA rated "AA" team was bumped up to 'AAA', due to a lack of teams and finished with a 2-3 record. Both wins were against the arch rival Dayton Legends.

 

photo/SUSAN MEYER

DAYTON, OHIO - Fricker's manager, Matt Ficklin welcomes, from left, Jerry Keefe, Bruce Anderson and Gary Meyer to the restaurant after a day of games at the First Flight of Ohio tournament, May 11-12 at Kettering Fields. The team showed up in full force after a double-header win over the Dayton Legends.

THEE BUCKEYE CLASSIC TOURNAMENT PHOTOS

by Mary Ann Radscheid