(Above) Co-champions Nicholls State and LSU alums. 

         The 38th annual SAE World Series softball tournament was held at New Orleans City Park on Friday, June 9th and Saturday, June 10th, 2023. 

1st place - Union University.

2nd place - Christian Brothers alums. 

3rd place - Louisiana Epsilon alums.       

 Thank you to every team, player and volunteer for making this the best SAE sporting event in the nation!

Final bracket for 2021 SAE World Series softball tournament. Full details for the tournament are below. 

LSU Alums win their third consecutive SAE World Series title. June 11th and 12, 2021.

New Orleans City Park softball complex.

1^st - LSU Alums

2^nd-Christian Brothers

3^rd- LSU A team

4^th- Nicholls State

 

 

Most Improved Award  -LSU

Farthest Distance Traveled -South Florida

SAE Spirit Award- Nicholls State

Best Dressed Award- Rejects

Last Place Award -Millsaps Young Alums

Joe Burciaga Bourbon Street Award -South Florida

Old Timer’s Award -Doug Lee (ULL Alums)

SAE Queen - Phoenix Pope and Donna Delia

Steve Birk Dedication Award - Michael Lorenzen (Millsaps)

Young Gun Award - Sean Provin (Florida State)

MVP - Stewart Hooper (LSU Alums)

LSU ALUMS THREE PEAT TO WIN 36^TH ANNUAL SAE WORLD SERIES

By Geary Mason

On Friday and Saturday, June 11^th and 12^th the New Orleans SAE Alumni Association hosted the 36^th Annual SAE World Series. Fifteen teams from across the country registered to play, almost doubling last year’s tournament which was held despite the pandemic. For the second year in a row, the SAE World Series was dedicated to the memory of past ESA James L. “Jim” Pope. For over three decades, Jim Pope was a fixture at the SAE World Series participating as a player, coach, cheerleader and all around supporter. Jim’s enthusiastic participation over the years endeared him to many SAE World Series participants and his memory was properly honored during the opening ceremony. One of Jim’s daughters, Phoenix Pope, was the guest of honor and threw out the ceremonial first pitch after a tribute to Jim’s legacy to the fraternity and this event. All tournament players then joined enthusiastically in singing the national anthem in perfect harmony.

Softball games began immediately after the opening ceremony with each team playing at least twice because of the double elimination format. With fifteen teams on the schedule, the defending champion and top seeded LSU Alums would receive a first round bye.  The first round of games saw South Florida defeat Tulane 17-5, the LSU A team smashed the Rejects II 19-1, Nicholls State edged the LSU B team 8-7, Florida State beat Millsaps 7-4, and Christian Brothers cruised to a 18-0 victory over the lowly Rejects. In the second round, the defending champs LSU Alums crushed South Florida 17-0 in their opening game with a near perfect game from LSU Alums pitcher Stewart Hooper. Coming off an 18-0 victory in their opener, Christian Brothers schooled the Millsaps Alums 34-3 in their second game. Logan Javier led the LSU A team by the ULL Alums 14-3 to win their second game.

In the consolation bracket, the LSU B team led by Connor Kurzweg stayed alive eliminating Millsaps 9-7 and then eliminating the Millsaps Alums 13-3. As catcher, Kurzweg made a diving bare handed catch of a pop up to highlight the team win. The Millsaps Alums two losses by a combined score of 6-47 would easily earn them the tournament’s fun loving “Last Place Award”. The usually “two and out” Rejects II team won a game eliminating South Florida 10-5 and then staged a come from behind victory over the LSU B team 6-5. However, it was determined that some of the Rejects II players had also played on the Rejects team in an earlier game which is a violation of tournament rules, therefore they forfeited and the LSU B team advanced. In other elimination games, the ULL Alums knocked out Tulane 14-8 and Florida State knocked out the Rejects 9-5.

On Saturday, softball play resumed in the semi-final round with the LSU Alums facing the Christian Brothers scoring machine with the lead changing multiple times and the LSU Alums surviving 8-7 thanks to key hits by Jut Untereiner and Matt Collet. In the other semi-final game, the LSU A team and Nicholls State had an exciting slugfest with the LSU A team surviving 19-18. Coming off close losses, Nicholls State then eliminated the LSU B team 16-2 and Christian Brothers slammed the ULL Alums 30-0 to remain in contention.

The only two remaining teams without losses, the LSU Alums and the LSU A team, would face each other with a berth in the finals at stake. This classic intra-chapter matchup would not even be close as the older Alums would cruise to an 18-2 victory credited to Stewart Hooper’s great pitching. Meanwhile Kyle Talley’s Christian Brothers team stayed in contention by eliminating Nicholls State 15-7 and the LSU Alums 14-0 to advance to the finals hoping to avenge themselves against the LSU Alums who edged them Friday night 8-7. The defending champs would only have to win one more game and Christian Brothers would need to defeat the LSU Alums twice to win the tournament because of the double elimination format. The big game started slow as LSU Alums pitcher Stewart Hooper kept Christian Brothers off the bases and scoreless in the top of the first inning. The LSU Alums started hitting early and jumped ahead 1-0 after the first inning. In the bottom of the second, the LSU Alums had successive base hits that scored four runs and now led 5-0. LSU Alums pitcher Stewart Hooper kept the Christian Brothers hitters off balance and his infield made every play to keep Christian Brothers off the scoreboard. The LSU Alums added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to lead 7-0. Christian Brothers would threaten in the top of the fifth inning until Matt Collet made a “ESPN play of the day” throw from deep right field to third base to make the third out and stop a potential Christian Brothers threat. Christian Brothers would get one run in the top of the seventh and final inning and the LSU Alums celebrated with a dogpile on the pitcher’s mound after Cody Roberie made the final out. The LSU Alums captured their third straight SAE World Series championship and have done it without losing a single game in the last three years. Stewart Hooper’s pitching performance throughout the tournament would earn him the well-deserved MVP award.

After the last game, everyone ventured downtown to a post tournament party featuring a Cajun buffet and awards presentation. Hundreds of enthusiastic SAEs attended the Cajun feast and party and vow to return next year to New Orleans to again compete in friendly sportsmanship. See full details and photos at www.saeworldseries.net and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for information on this and next year’s annual SAE World Series. Please make plans to have your SAE chapter or alumni group come to New Orleans in 2022 for the 37^th annual.

 

1^st - LSU Alums

2^nd-Christian Brothers

3^rd- LSU A team

4^th- Nicholls State

 

Most Improved Award  -LSU

Farthest Distance Traveled -South Florida

SAE Spirit Award- Nicholls State

Best Dressed Award- Rejects

Last Place Award -Millsaps Young Alums

Joe Burciaga Bourbon Street Award -South Florida

Old Timer’s Award -Doug Lee (ULL Alums)

SAE Queen - Phoenix Pope

Steve Birk Dedication Award - Michael Lorenzen (Millsaps)

Young Gun Award - Sean Provin (Florida State)

MVP - Stewart Hooper (LSU Alums) 

 

The 35th annual SAE World Series softball tournament was held on Friday Nov. 13th 2020. See The Record Online article below.

Val Riess Park

1101 Magistrate St.

Chalmette, LA 70043

Annual softball tournament in New Orleans, La. 

Open to all active and alumni members.

10 man teams. 

Double elimination format.

Professional umpires. 

Saturday night awards banquet with cash bar and free cajun, creole buffet.

          Call Geary at 504 782 6812 or Ron at 504 906 7484 to register your team or for more information.

The Record Online article.

On Friday the 13th of November 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic, the 35th Annual SAE World Series softball was successfully held in New Orleans. This event is usually held annually in early summer, but the COVID restrictions forced a postponement until August, then September, then October. Finally, a window of opportunity opened in mid-November. 

          The New Orleans SAE Alumni Association host committee decided that based on strong demand from participating SAE teams, the show must go on! It was decided months before to dedicate this year’s softball tournament to the memory of former Eminent Supreme Archon J.L. “Jim” Pope. Jim Pope was a faithful player, coach, cheerleader, and all-around supporter of the SAE World Series for many years. Jim’s enthusiastic participation over the years endeared him to hundreds of SAE softball players over more than thirty years.

          To pay a proper tribute to Jim, his three daughters and their kids were the honored guests at the tournament’s opening ceremony. Jim’s daughters Stacy Pope Burgess, Mary Pope Murphy, and Phoenix Pope all attended, and Jim’s granddaughter Haleigh Murphy had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. SAE World Series Chaplain Jamie Devall followed with a short prayer and moment of silence for Jim, and then Geary Mason mentioned Jim’s legacy to the fraternity and the event. All tournament participants joined in singing the national anthem while maintaining proper social distancing and wearing protective masks.

          After the opening ceremony, softball play began at 6 pm, and each team would get to play at least twice because of the tournament’s double-elimination format. Just as 2020 would be a screwy year, the host committee screwed up in the seeding of teams, and the 2019 champs from LSU were paired against last year’s runner ups from Southern Mississippi. These two teams last met in the 2019 finals, with LSU prevailing. LSU’s same squad had now graduated and renamed their team the LSU Alums but picked up right where they left off by defeating Southern Miss 19-9 in the opening game.

          Across the softball quadruplex, the LSU active team defeated the home town Rejects team 10-5. In other opening game action, the University of Louisiana Lafayette Alums (ULL Alums) survived 17-13 over the Tulane 1 team. Another Louisiana squad, the Nicholls State team, cruised to a 23-0 demolition of the Tulane 2 team. In the second-round games of winners, the LSU active chapter outscored the ULL Alums 19-13, and the LSU Alums defeated Nicholls State 28-13. 

          In the loser’s bracket, the Rejects were eliminated by the Tulane 1 team’s last inning rally to lose 9-7. The Tulane 2 team didn’t fare as well, getting destroyed 26-1 by Southern Miss. The Tulane 2 team only managed to score one run but gave up 49 runs in their games. This large margin of loss would earn the Tulane 2 team the event’s “Last Place Award,” a toilet bowl trophy that would soon be proudly displayed in the chapter house. The enthusiastic Tulane teams also earned the SAE Spirit award for their incredible fun-loving attitude throughout the event. The next round of elimination games had the Nicholls State team defeat the Tulane 1 team, 20-9, and the Southern Miss team eliminate the ULL Alums 22-13.

           In the winner’s bracket, the LSU actives would take on the LSU Alums who had won the tournament in 2019. The defending champs held a commanding 9-0 lead after three innings until LSU came to life and closed the gap to only trail 13-8 after the top of the fifth inning. In the bottom of the fifth and final inning, the LSU Alums pulled away with a nine-run rally to win 22-8 and advance to the finals.

          In the consolation bracket, the Nicholls State and Southern Miss actives played an exciting elimination game that was tied 6-6 after four innings. Southern Miss pulled ahead 10-6 in the fifth, but Nicholls State answered with eight runs to lead 14-10. In the sixth and final inning, Southern Miss tied the game at 14-14 with a solo and three-run homer. But, in the bottom of the last inning, Nicholls State added the one run needed to secure a 15-14 victory and eliminate the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. 

          Southern Miss would take home the Farthest Distance Traveled award and fourth place. With both Nicholls State and the LSU actives having one loss each, they would now play for the honor of advancing to the finals against the now well rested LSU Alums. Nicholls State led 6-4 after the first inning, but LSU team captain Price Petagna led them to an 11-6 lead in the top of the second. Nicholls State then answered with five runs to tie the game 11-11 after only two innings. LSU regained the lead, 13 -11 in the top of the third, and then ran out of gas as Nicholls State added seven runs to lead 18-13 after three innings. The Colonels from Nicholls State added one more run in the fourth inning to win 19-13 and advance to the finals. With the loss, LSU would at least take home the Third Place trophy.

           In the championship game, LSU Alums team captain Chandler Wynne led by example with an early home run, which set the pace for the LSU Alums to jump ahead 3-0 after the first inning. Nicholls State would score six runs in the top of the second inning, but the LSU Alums answered with three runs to tie the score 6-6 after two innings. The LSU Alums then went on a home run spree and held a commanding 19-7 lead after the fourth inning. But in the top of the fifth, Nicholls State scored ten runs to close the score to 19-17 and make it a close game. LSU’s alums immediately answered with five home runs, which added eight runs to lead 27-17 after the fifth inning. Nicholls State could only muster one run in each of the sixth and seventh innings, while the LSU Alums added three insurance runs to win 30-19. The LSU Alums would hit 37 home runs in their four tournament games and repeat as SAE World Series champions.

          LSU Alum Connor Maginnis, who went four for four with four home runs in the championship game, greatly contributed to the championship victory. Connor’s heroics earned him the coveted SAE World Series MVP award. In addition to being the runner ups, the Nicholls State team took home the Most Improved Team award and the Best Dressed award for their colorful uniforms. 

          The 35th annual SAE World Series was a great success in adapting and overcoming COVID-19 related challenges. It was great to see SAE brothers come together and cooperate with restrictions and compete in friendly sportsmanship without any issues. Like everyone, the SAE World Series looks forward to a better 2021 and our 36th annual softball tournament. Please see www.saeworldseries.net and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for information on the event.

         Due to many preventative measures implemented by the host committee and all involved in the tournament, no one has reported virus contraction.