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The tournament started with a parade in Johnson City, Tennessee, and ended with Jackson County’s Zoe Stuckwisch and Saige Stahl raising the Future Stars of Sports World Series championship trophy.

Earlier this month, the Southern Indiana Impact 10U softball team finished a spectacular stretch of wins to claim the world series softball crown.

The Impact, a Columbus-based travel-ball team, won eight-straight games including a 4-0 victory against the Indiana Force, a Terre Haute-based team that knocked the Impact out of the state tournament, en route to their world series title.

In the finals, the Impact beat another Indiana team: the Evansville-based Indiana Diamond Divas 14-2.

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The 2015 world series featured teams from Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia.

Stuckwisch, who plays first base, is a sixth-grader at Lutheran Central.

Stahl, a third baseman, is a fifth-grader at Immanuel Lutheran.

“Zoe played with us last year, mostly right field, and this year her level of play has really stepped up,” Impact head coach Joe King said. “We had her in the cleanup batting spot for a long time to change things up strategically and put runners in front and behind her. We nicknamed her ‘Slugwish’ because she hits the ball very well.”

King said that Stahl, who didn’t start the season with the Impact, is known for her speed.

“Saige Stahl came on board about five or six weeks ago,” King said. “We were needing a sub for a weekend, and she was not playing at the time. I got a hold of her parents and she fell right into our team.

“It was amazing how she meshed with the girls. Saige is a quiet kid, but she leads with her actions. She’s always hustling on the field and in the dugout. The kid has a set of legs, she’s amazingly fast. The first time that she played with us she hit a deep outfield ball and there was a girl on second, by the time that the run scored she was sliding into third base by the time I turned my head.”

For all the girls, the tournament was a testament of all the hard work over the past couple years, King said.

“It was exciting,” Stuckwisch said. “There was a lot of hard work. Since we’re a Christian team we play before every game together. Our saying this year is ‘one team one heart.’

“You really don’t know how competitive they’re going to be until you play them. If they’re competitive team it’s awesome.”

Stahl, who also plays volleyball and basketball, said she enjoys team sports.

“I like working as a team,” Stahl said. “I want to keep working hard and getting better.”

This was Stahl’s second time around, as she played in her first world series when she was 8 years old.

In February, the Impact won an indoor tournament in Louisville to qualify for the world series.

King said that defense played key in the world series, as the team gave up just seven runs in the tournament.

The team, which had its inaugural season in 2013, has made leaps and bounds since their start.

Joining King’s staff this season were assistant coaches Joe Sitterding and David Hamilton.

“Its been overwhelming and humbling,” King said. “To see the support of the families involved is amazing. I went out on a limb to start my own team a few years ago with the backing from the families from around me and my wife. Its been very amazing to see the support that we’ve had.”

This past weekend, the Impact concluded their season at the Northern Nationals in Lincoln Park.

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Southern Indiana Impact Softball Registration and Tryouts

8U Streeval

August 1: 1 p.m. registration, 1:30 to 4 p.m. tryouts at Dunn Stadium, Columbus.

10U Babb

August 8: 2 p.m. registration, tryouts 2:30 to 5 p.m. at Northside Middle School, Columbus.

12U King

Today: 5:30 p.m. registration, 6 p.m to 8 p.m. tryouts, Dunn Stadium, Columbus. 

August 1: 8:30 a.m registration., 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. tryouts at Dunn Stadium, Columbus.

12U Nading

August 4 and 6: 5:30 p.m. registration, 6 p.m to 8 p.m. tryouts at Ceraland Park Field 5, Columbus.

For questions or to schedule a private tryout call Joe King at 812-350-5964 or email at [email protected]

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