Midwest Express 70s won the Senior Softball Tournament of Champions, 70 AAA division, held in Lakeland, Florida, February 8-10, 2019. Ninety five teams from across the U.S. and Canada attended, divided into 5-year age divisions ranging from 40’s to 85’s.
Teams invited won the privilege of competing against the very best Senior Softball teams in the country, including champions of all 21 of Senior Softball-USA’s Regional, National, and World Championships as well as Canadian National Championships and Pacific Rim Championships.
Participants were in a very select group– only champions of top tournaments were invited. Midwest Express 70s team qualified to participate by virtue of winning the Winter Worlds Championships at Phoenix in November.
Midwest faced 6 different opponents, 4 from Florida, a California champion and a Canadian champion. After losing the first game by 1 run, they ran the table with 5 straight victories.
In the semi-finals, Midwest Express faced powerful and presumed favorite Lane Construction (FL), who was undefeated, averaged 23 runs, and hit multiple home runs per game, but was shut down to a 13-6 loss by excellent Express defense. In the championship finals the Omaha, Nebraska based team defeated the Windsor Chiefs (Ontario, Canada) by the score of 10-8, posting 5 tournament wins and 1 loss. In their final at-bat, Express scored 5 runs with no outs to overcome a 3-run deficit and held on to win in the final inning.
All-tournament honors went to Duane Carolus (.611), Tarry Cory (.762), John Kelly (.767), Ron Peterson (.650), and Ed Tworek (.833). Outfielder Ed Rastovski earned MVP of the entire 70’s division for glove work and a .789 batting average. He also received a new Miken bat. Pitcher Larry Stolte tossed complete-game victories in all championship games. All Midwest players will receive a championship ring from Josten’s.
Express infield defenders dominated opposing hitters, gunning down runners at third base and home plate multiple times during the tournament as well as turning double plays in every game. Offensively, game manager Bob Kubat capitalized on team speed, inserting pinch runners at every opportunity. In the preliminary skills contests, Tarry Cory won the home run hitting contest, the pitching contest, and starred in the victorious All-Star game.
Manager Ed Tworek said, “The team faced adversity in losing 3 key players, including a pitcher and shortstop to injuries just prior to and during the event, but resolved to overcome odds with focus and unity of purpose.” After fading in the finals during two prior TOC championships, the black and red Midwest team finally finished strong and won the gold ring for the Nebraska/Iowa seniors.
Current and former Nebraska Senior Softball league players participating include Duane Carolus, Bob Kubat, Rick Simodynes, Ed Rastovski, and Ed Tworek. Larry Peterson sat out with injury. NSS players who have previously played with this 70s team, and have contributed to its development, include Al Chamberlain, Bob Williams, George Scott, Woody Johansen and Tom Fiscus.
Player Roster:
| Butler, Jim | Chicago |
| Carolus, Duane | Nebraska |
| Cory, Tarry | Iowa |
| Coulter, Mike | Iowa |
| Jackson, Paul | Iowa |
| Kelly, John | Iowa |
| Kubat, Bob | Nebraska |
| Peterson, Ron | Iowa |
| Rakers, Harry | Chicago |
| Rastovski, Ed | Nebraska |
| Simodynes, Rick | Iowa |
| Soyer, Glenn | Iowa |
| Stolte, Larry | Iowa |
| Tworek, Ed | Nebraska |
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