2025 USBA Summer Smash Tournament

Champions - The Free Agents!

 
 

Tournament Recap

The USBA Summer Smash Tournament kicked off under clear skies and scorching sunshine on Saturday, July 12, at Markham Centennial Park—a perfect setting for a full day of high-energy softball. Eight competitive teams came ready to battle for bragging rights and the title of tournament champion. But beyond the games, the atmosphere was pure summer magic—a festival of community and sport. Tents were pitched, BBQs fired up, and laughter echoed across the diamonds as players, families, and friends came together to celebrate not just the competition, but the joy of the game.

The North field saw a tightly contested round robin between The A's, Free Agents, Royals, and White Sox. The day opened with a slugfest as the Free Agents edged out The A’s 12–10. The Royals then started their campaign with a strong 15–8 win over the White Sox. In a thrilling 12:30 PM showdown, the Royals stayed hot, narrowly outlasting The A’s 18–16. The afternoon continued with an offensive showcase, including a 16–16 draw between Free Agents and White Sox. The A's ran out of gas late in the day, falling 16–1 to the surging White Sox. The final matchup between the Royals and Free Agents ended in a unusual 16–16 stalemate, wrapping up a wild and balanced day on the North diamond.

Over on the South field, fans were treated to several high-scoring affairs and a few surprises. The morning opened with a 6–6 tie between the Rockies and Jays, setting a tone of parity. The Padres then pulled out a tight 10–9 win over the Giants, before cruising past the Rockies 16–9 in their second game. The Giants bounced back in the afternoon, overpowering the Jays 11–2 and then dominating the Rockies 16–1 in a statement win. The day closed with a low-scoring 4–4 draw between the Padres and Jays, sealing a mixed bag of results that left most teams within striking distance going into the playoffs.

The playoff rounds brought drama, upsets, and clutch performances as teams battled for a spot in the finals.

Quarterfinals Recap:
The underdog Jays, who had gone winless in the round robin, shocked the heavily favored Giants with a dominant 9–1 victory. Their bats came alive at just the right time, and strong defense kept the Giants off balance throughout. On the other side of the bracket, the Free Agents put together their most complete performance of the tournament, exploding for a 17–5 win over the White Sox. From the first pitch, the Free Agents were in control, overwhelming White Sox pitching with a relentless offensive attack.

Semifinals Recap:
Riding high off their quarterfinal upset, the Jays nearly pulled off another stunner against the top-seeded Royals. The Jays held the lead deep into the game, but the Royals showed their championship pedigree. A few timely hits in the late innings swung the momentum, and the Royals ultimately held on for a tight 11–9 win to book their spot in the final.

In the other semifinal, the Free Agents continued their offensive surge with a statement 20–10 victory over the Padres. The game was close early, but the Free Agents broke it open with a massive middle-inning rally. The Padres couldn’t keep up, and the Free Agents advanced to the final looking like the hottest team in the tournament.

Finals: Free Agents vs Royals

The championship game between the Free Agents and Royals lived up to the hype, delivering a thrilling, back-and-forth battle that came down to the final pitch.

Both teams traded blows throughout the game in a tightly contested affair, with neither side willing to give an inch. The Free Agents, riding the momentum of two high-powered playoff wins, held a narrow lead going into the 6th. But the Royals, as they had done all tournament, responded under pressure—scratching across the tying run to make it a deadlock heading into the final inning.

In the top of the 7th, the Free Agents managed to squeeze across a crucial go-ahead run, reclaiming the lead at 10–9. It was now all up to their defense.  The bottom half of the inning delivered the moment of the tournament. With a runner on first, a Royals batter launched a towering drive to deep left field—a shot that looked destined to be a walk-off home run. But the Free Agents’ left fielder had other plans. In a jaw-dropping display of athleticism and determination, he sprinted to the fence, perfectly timed his leap, and soared above the wall to rob a championship-winning home run. The crowd erupted as he came down with the ball—a highlight-reel catch that will be remembered for years.

Still with life, the Royals put two runners on with two outs. Their final batter gave it one last push, sending a deep fly to right field. But the ball hung just long enough for the right fielder to settle under it at the warning track and squeeze the final out.

Final score: Free Agents 10, Royals 9.

The Free Agents—clutch at the plate and heroic in the field—are your 2025 USBA Summer Smash champions.

 

Get Ready for the Next Chapter 

The dust has barely settled on the epic Summer Smash finale, but the countdown is already on for the next USBA Tournament, set for August 23–24 — and it’s shaping up to be bigger, louder, and more competitive than ever.

The stakes are higher. The rivalries are heating up. And after witnessing highlight-reel catches, clutch home runs, and heart-stopping finishes in July, fans and teams alike are eager to see who will rise next.

🏆 Will the defending champs Free Agents go back-to-back?
💪 Can the Royals return with a vengeance and finish the job?
👀 Which dark horse squad is ready to shock the field?

Expect fireworks, upsets, and edge-of-your-seat drama all weekend long. Whether you’re a returning powerhouse or a new team looking to make your mark, this is where reputations are made and legacies are born.

📍 Mark your calendars
📆 August 23–24 (One/Two days depending on teams)
📍 Location: Markham Centennial Park

 

USBA Summer Smash - 2025

USBA is bringing the heat this summer with Summer Smash, a softball tournament like no other!   Join us on July 12 at the beautiful Markham Centennial Park (4 Miley Dr, Markham, L3P 7S6)  for a weekend packed with intensity, teamwork, and championship vibes.  

Whether you're swinging for the fences or making game-saving grabs, each team is guaranteed at least 3 round robin games—plenty of action to show what you're made of. We’re playing with a 1 & 1 count format, so bring your A-game from the first pitch!  

Medals, trophies, bragging rights, and glory are all on the line.   

Tournament Schedule:

Here are some of the important rules for the tournament:
  • All pitchers must wear a mask
  • Standings are determined by points, then run differential
  • Teams are seeded for playoffs based on round robin standings
  • Coin toss winner chooses to be home or visitors
  • A team can only have 3 more home runs than the other team (+3 HR rule)
  • Maximum 5 runs per inning
  • Last inning is open, called by the umpire (no run limit)
  • Mercy rule: game ends if a team leads by 15 or more runs after 5 innings
  • Player must play at least 1 round robin game to qualify for playoffs
  • Please see complete tournament rules here

Standings & Scores



2025 Season Schedule and Format - Season Starts June 1st

The 2025 softball season is set to begin on June 1st, and we’re excited to kick things off with a fresh new format. This year, in addition14-game regular season, we’re introducing two open tournaments that will welcome participation from both league and non-league teams. These tournaments are designed to bring more excitement, variety, and competitive energy to the season, giving teams additional opportunities to play and connect with a wider softball community. We’re looking forward to a fun and dynamic season ahead—let the games begin!

Schedule:

Tournaments:

  • First Tournament: July 11–13 at Centennial

  • Second Tournament: August 22–24 at Centennial

Playoffs:

  • The top 3 teams from the overall standings qualify directly for the playoffs.

  • Tiebreaker criteria (in order): Points, Wins, Run Differential, Head-to-Head.

  • The 4th playoff spot will be decided through play-in games on August 10, 2025

    • Teams ranked 4th, 5th, and 6th will compete for the final spot:

      • Game A: 6th vs 5th

      • Winner of Game A plays 4th for the final playoff spot.

  • All playoff series are best-of-three.

  • Players must participate in a minimum of 6 games to be eligible for both playoff and play-in games.

  • Tentative playoff dates:

    • Play-In Games: August 10

    • Semi-Finals: August 17

    • Finals: September 14

Games:

  • Games canceled due to rain will be recorded as a tie (Best effort will be made to make up the games).

  • Games will only be canceled if fields are deemed unsafe or if there is lightning.

  • Please provide full player names (no nicknames) to the stat keeper when submitting your lineup.



USBA Management




2024 USBA Playoffs

  • Players must have minimum of 8 games played to qualify for playoffs 
  • 3 substitutions are allowed in the playoffs.  Once the player is subsituted, he is out of the game and can not return to the game.
  • All bench players that can be used for substitutions has to be communicated to umpire before the start of game 
 

Date

Time

Visitors

Home

Location

September 15, 2024

9:00 AM

TOR

NYY

Legacy Park - North

September 15, 2024

10:30 AM

NYY

TOR

Legacy Park - North

September 15, 2024

12:00 PM

TOR

NYY

Legacy Park - North

September 15, 2024

9:00 AM

SF

CHS

Legacy Park - South

September 15, 2024

10:30 AM

CHS

SF

Legacy Park - South

September 15, 2024

12:00 PM

SF

CHS

Legacy Park - South

September 15, 2024

1:30 PM

TEX

BOS

Legacy Park - North

September 15, 2024

3:00 PM

BOS

TEX

Legacy Park - North

September 15, 2024

4:30 PM

BOS

TEX

Legacy Park - North

September 15, 2024

1:30 PM

MIL

OAK

Legacy Park - South

September 15, 2024

3:00 PM

OAK

MIL

Legacy Park - South

September 15, 2024

4:30 PM

MIL

OAK

Legacy Park - South

Semi Finals - Teams are re-ranked

Date

Time

Visitors

Home

Location

September 29, 2024

10:00 AM

TEX

OAK

Legacy Park - North

September 29, 2024

10:00 AM

CHS

NYY

Legacy Park - South

September 29, 2024

11:30 AM

OAK

TEX

Legacy Park - North

September 29, 2024

11:30 AM

NYY

CHS

Legacy Park - South

September 29, 2024

1:00 PM

TEX

OAK

Legacy Park - North

September 29, 2024

1:00 PM

CHS

NYY

Legacy Park - South

 

 

Finals

 

 

Date

Time

Visitors

Home

Location

October 6, 2024

1:00 PM

CHS

OAK

Legacy Park - North

October 6, 2024

2:30 PM

OAK

CHS

Legacy Park - North

October 6, 2024

4:00 PM

CHS

OAK

Legacy Park - North



USBA is accepting new teams for 2024 season

The United SoftBall Association a Member of NSA Canada, located in Markham at Legacy park (9th line/14th Ave)
 

We are currently expanding our league and accepting new registrations.

Our Mens league commences in early May and ends in late September, with approximately 20+ regular season games plus playoffs.  Most of our games are played on Sundays with a few Saturday games.  We offer a mid season tournament, home run derby, Allstar game and a year end award ceremony and banquet for all participants
 
League fees:
 
$2800 per team with a one time $300 new team administrative fee.
 
All players must be over the age of 18 and abide by the rules of the USBA. All rules and other information are listed on usba.ca 
 
If you are interested please email [email protected]
 
Spaces are limited.