Snyder Insurance achieves pinnacle of success with World title
Talent can assure a team of playing with great skill, but sometimes when it comes to winning a championship, it takes more than raw skill, great athleticism and talent. Attributes like unity, determination and teamwork can mean just as much as pure talent, and the softball team from Snyder Insurance exemplified all of the above in winning a very illustrious title last month.
0x489c5890A total of 73 teams came to play Oct. 7-9 in Knoxville, Tenn. for a shot at the crown in a double elimination tournament in the 2011 D Super World Series. All had to qualify to get there, all were dreaming big.
Only one walked away champion, and that team hailed from Holmes County, as Snyder Insurance capped off a fantastic run with the ultimate Class D title.
0x468671700x489b8240Snyder Insurance opened with a 19-12 victory over Vengeance, Mo., and didn’t look back, laying waste to all comers. Victories came with a combination of hitting and defense, with Snyder Insurance beating Camp Creek Softball, Tennessee 17-12, then earning a victory over Wizards of Missouri 13-7, slugging a way 0x489cba40to a 23-15 win over 50/50 from Georgia, doubling up B&K Softball of North Carolina 16-8, before capturing a thrilling 11-8 win over Bill’s Olde Tavern from New Jersey in the winner’s bracket finale.
0x489bd4b0In the finals they met up again with Bill’s Olde Tavern, the same team they had dumped into the loser’s bracket in the winner’s bracket final.
There, a fired up Bill’s Olde Tavern team handed Snyder Insurance their only defeat, a 13-11 loss, which forced a second championship game.
Snyder Insurance rebounded by plastering Bill’s Olde Tavern 20-5 in a game which, once the Holmes County team got rolling, was over long before the final out was recorded.
“They were a really good team and hit the ball hard,” said Tom Markley, the man responsible for putting the team together. “After we got beat, we sat down and talked about how we were only going to have one chance at this championship, and that we needed to put that last game out of our minds and go out and play ball like we are capable. We started hitting early and never quit, and once we got them down they really packed it in. You could tell by about the fourth inning that they were done.”
The victory set off a wild celebration, and while the crown was their’s Markley said that what will mean the most to each team member is the memories of getting to experience such a monumental achievement together.
“Our team unity has been amazing all season long, whether we were winning or losing,” said Markley. “About half of our guys were new this season, but we gelled almost from the beginning. We not only got along on the field, but off of it too. We never let anything get us down, and sometimes when guys make mistakes and they start building up, guys can start to get on each other. We didn’t have any of that. If guys made errors or dumb plays, we would all just start ribbing them and laugh it off. I think for as much fun as we had on the field, we all looked forward to just getting together and having fun more than anything, and I think that helped keep us loose.
“That’s why the relationships that we made through all of this is what we will remember the most.”
The Super World Series MVP honor went to Snyder Insurance’s third baseman Ernie Mast - Snyder Insurance, while teammates Drew Miller, Phil Hostetler, Brian Wengerd and Tim Kandel all were named to the All Super World Series Team.
“Ernie was just amazing, especially in the field,” said Markley. “Nothing was getting by him, and even guys from the other teams were coming up and making comments about how awesome he was playing.”
While the good times rolled the second half of the season for the team, it wasn’t until a poor performance mid-way into the season that they really kicked things into gear.
In July, following what Markley said was a debacle at a smaller tournament in Fredericksburg in which the team went 0-2 and played poorly, Snyder Insurance went on a tear, winning seven of eight tournaments, including the NSA D Super World Series NIT in North Ridgeville, where the team went 4-0 to qualify for the Ohio State Tournament. The team won that, then went on to claim titles at the Central World Series and Super World Series.
“That July 4 Fredericksburg tournament really opened our eyes and served as a reality check for us,” said Markley. “We knew what we were capable of doing, but we hadn’t been playing very well. We kind of refocused and got our heads on straight after that, and really started playing well.”
Now, thanks to the tournament victory run, Snyder Insurance has guaranteed itself a bump up in class, and will now move on to play at the Class C level, which will bring with it a new set of challenges. But win or lose, the team will undoubtedly have a lot of fun competing at the next level.
“We knew when we won State that we would get bumped up, so we figured we better make this one count,” said Markley. “We figured going into this world tournament, why not us? Somebody had to win, and we were playing well. I think we have all played on winning teams before, but none like this. It was pretty special.”
Snyder Insurance is sponsored by Troy Miller Agency and Snyder Insurance. Troy actually owns both agencies and Snyder’s will be changing its name soon to Troy Miller Agency also, and received additional backing from Erie Insurance, Progressive Insurance, Fredericksburg Construction, German Village, Woody Fox Bail Bonds, Skinner’s Salve, Trademark Exteriors, Black Diamond Contracting, Superior Siding, RNR Enterprises/Timberline Trucking and R&W Roofing.
0x489c5890A total of 73 teams came to play Oct. 7-9 in Knoxville, Tenn. for a shot at the crown in a double elimination tournament in the 2011 D Super World Series. All had to qualify to get there, all were dreaming big.
Only one walked away champion, and that team hailed from Holmes County, as Snyder Insurance capped off a fantastic run with the ultimate Class D title.
0x468671700x489b8240Snyder Insurance opened with a 19-12 victory over Vengeance, Mo., and didn’t look back, laying waste to all comers. Victories came with a combination of hitting and defense, with Snyder Insurance beating Camp Creek Softball, Tennessee 17-12, then earning a victory over Wizards of Missouri 13-7, slugging a way 0x489cba40to a 23-15 win over 50/50 from Georgia, doubling up B&K Softball of North Carolina 16-8, before capturing a thrilling 11-8 win over Bill’s Olde Tavern from New Jersey in the winner’s bracket finale.
0x489bd4b0In the finals they met up again with Bill’s Olde Tavern, the same team they had dumped into the loser’s bracket in the winner’s bracket final.
There, a fired up Bill’s Olde Tavern team handed Snyder Insurance their only defeat, a 13-11 loss, which forced a second championship game.
Snyder Insurance rebounded by plastering Bill’s Olde Tavern 20-5 in a game which, once the Holmes County team got rolling, was over long before the final out was recorded.
“They were a really good team and hit the ball hard,” said Tom Markley, the man responsible for putting the team together. “After we got beat, we sat down and talked about how we were only going to have one chance at this championship, and that we needed to put that last game out of our minds and go out and play ball like we are capable. We started hitting early and never quit, and once we got them down they really packed it in. You could tell by about the fourth inning that they were done.”
The victory set off a wild celebration, and while the crown was their’s Markley said that what will mean the most to each team member is the memories of getting to experience such a monumental achievement together.
“Our team unity has been amazing all season long, whether we were winning or losing,” said Markley. “About half of our guys were new this season, but we gelled almost from the beginning. We not only got along on the field, but off of it too. We never let anything get us down, and sometimes when guys make mistakes and they start building up, guys can start to get on each other. We didn’t have any of that. If guys made errors or dumb plays, we would all just start ribbing them and laugh it off. I think for as much fun as we had on the field, we all looked forward to just getting together and having fun more than anything, and I think that helped keep us loose.
“That’s why the relationships that we made through all of this is what we will remember the most.”
The Super World Series MVP honor went to Snyder Insurance’s third baseman Ernie Mast - Snyder Insurance, while teammates Drew Miller, Phil Hostetler, Brian Wengerd and Tim Kandel all were named to the All Super World Series Team.
“Ernie was just amazing, especially in the field,” said Markley. “Nothing was getting by him, and even guys from the other teams were coming up and making comments about how awesome he was playing.”
While the good times rolled the second half of the season for the team, it wasn’t until a poor performance mid-way into the season that they really kicked things into gear.
In July, following what Markley said was a debacle at a smaller tournament in Fredericksburg in which the team went 0-2 and played poorly, Snyder Insurance went on a tear, winning seven of eight tournaments, including the NSA D Super World Series NIT in North Ridgeville, where the team went 4-0 to qualify for the Ohio State Tournament. The team won that, then went on to claim titles at the Central World Series and Super World Series.
“That July 4 Fredericksburg tournament really opened our eyes and served as a reality check for us,” said Markley. “We knew what we were capable of doing, but we hadn’t been playing very well. We kind of refocused and got our heads on straight after that, and really started playing well.”
Now, thanks to the tournament victory run, Snyder Insurance has guaranteed itself a bump up in class, and will now move on to play at the Class C level, which will bring with it a new set of challenges. But win or lose, the team will undoubtedly have a lot of fun competing at the next level.
“We knew when we won State that we would get bumped up, so we figured we better make this one count,” said Markley. “We figured going into this world tournament, why not us? Somebody had to win, and we were playing well. I think we have all played on winning teams before, but none like this. It was pretty special.”
Snyder Insurance is sponsored by Troy Miller Agency and Snyder Insurance. Troy actually owns both agencies and Snyder’s will be changing its name soon to Troy Miller Agency also, and received additional backing from Erie Insurance, Progressive Insurance, Fredericksburg Construction, German Village, Woody Fox Bail Bonds, Skinner’s Salve, Trademark Exteriors, Black Diamond Contracting, Superior Siding, RNR Enterprises/Timberline Trucking and R&W Roofing.
Published: November 1, 2011
