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Clubbers receive 2nd Place trophies in the Seminoles Slugfest Tournament in May, 2004

The 2004 13-U Clubbers finished the Suburban Power League Season with an impressive record of 14 wins and 10 losses, capturing 2nd Place in the SPBL American Division, right behind the McHenry County Hurricanes. In SPBL League Play the Clubbers earned wins against the Top Ranked Schaumburg Seminoles. They also won games against the number-two ranked McHenry County Hurricanes twice, the Berwyn Bulldogs twice, the Barrington Big Red twice, the Hoffman Heat three times, the Schaumburg RedHawks once, the Norridge Young Guns once and the Chicago Roos once.

The Clubbers also played fourteen of the USASportsRanking.com "Top 15" Illinois 13U teams a total of 24 different times and have a record of 13 wins, 10 losses and 1 tie -- and facing the best only made the Clubbers better! In May, 2004 the Clubbers captured 2nd place in the Schaumburg Seminoles Slugfest Memorial Day Tournament by defeating the Orland Park Magic, the Norridge Young Guns and the Lombard Launchers to advance to the Championship game against the Schaumburg Seminoles who barely managed to stop the Clubbers' winning streak. This tournament featured 34 of the top teams in the state, and it was the biggest 13U tournament in Northern Illinois.On June 7 the Clubbers defeated the nationally ranked Schaumurg Seminoles in an exciting game at Ed Glancy Field. Also in June of 2004, the Clubbers qualified as the Wild Card Team advancing to the playoffs in the"School's Out Tournament" held on the UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) campus. In the Semi-Final Playoff Game the Clubbers faced the #1 ranked Schaumburg Seminoles, and in a thrilling match the Clubbers led throughout most of the game and barely missed taking the tournament! The final score of that game was Seminoles 9, Clubbers 8. After the game, the Seminole's manager, Russ Gangler, said, "The Clubbers are for real and definitely get my vote as a Top 10 Team. They played a great game and gave us everything we could handle -- and then more!" In early June the Clubbers earned a National Ranking of #58 for their outstanding play in May and early June.

On July 5, the Clubbers finished as the 7th Ranked team at the CABA Illinois State Tournament of the 20 teams and advanced to the Quarter Final Playoff; while they played a good game, the outstanding Orland Park Sparks took the game. On July 25, the Clubbers took 2nd Place in the Windy City Tournament held on the beautiful fields of the UIC campus. The Clubbers qualified as the 3rd seeded team advancing to the play-offs where they soundly defeated the overconfident GABA Hawks with a 12-2 "Mercy Rule" win! For details on the game, go to Game #67 in the Clubber Clubhouse. However, in the Championship Game the Schaumburg Seminoles once again proved to be more than the Clubbers could handle, claiming their 55th consecutive win and taking home the 1st Place trophy. The Clubbers have faced the Seminoles 6 times and made several of those games close "nailbiters." The last time the Seminoles lost a game, it was to the Clubbers in a match-up played on June 7th -- right at the beginning of the Seminoles' incredible 57 game winning streak!!!

On July 27, the Clubbers played the Team Illinois All Stars, a collection of some of the best baseball talent in Northern Illinois. The Clubbers got a "Big Time" win defeating Team Illinois 6-3. For details and a Game Recap visit the Clubber ClubHouse and go to Game Recap #69. The Menomonee Clubbers 13U baseball team finished their season with a 40-30-1 record, playing 71 games that resulted in a .563 win percentage. Additionally, the Clubbers were ranked #9 in Illinois among more than 100 Illinois age 13 teams by USA Sports Ranking.com, a national ranking system that tracks teams playing an aggressive schedule. The Clubbers began playing the first week of April and ended the season in August playing in the"Big Time" tournament. The team played a difficult and demanding schedule filled with heavyweight competition every week of the season. Overall, the Clubbers finished up with a win on the 60/90 full field. 2004 was a Big Time success for everyone involved with the Clubbers. The coaches saw improvement from every player and everyone's game improved. Congratulations to all the players and coaches for making the 2004 season our best yet!