06/06/2026
Wow, what a way to end our very first Spring season for the Clovis USSSA Fastpitch League.
The growth we have seen from all of our players and teams since the start of the season has been amazing. There is so much behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a successful league, and I could not have done it without these amazing people. I want to take a moment to recognize them all.
First off, our Vice President, Lorena Chavez — your love and passion for fastpitch and for helping grow our sport is amazing. Your dedication to the youth has always been one of your greatest traits in every sport you’re involved in. Thank you for all of your help at the fields and with sign-ups. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to help grow this league with.
To our field crew, Andrew Duran and Gabriel Montoya (Jiggles)— the time and effort you two have put into making sure our fields were dragged, chalked, and ready to play every single game night has been incredible. These fields looked amazing all season long. From the all-nighters before Opening Ceremony to the last-minute phone calls for rescheduled tournament games at different locations, it didn’t matter — you guys stepped up whenever the girls needed you. We can’t thank you enough. Abby and Baby J, thank you for your help as well. We couldn’t have done this without this amazing team.
To our umpire crew that stepped up to learn the game of fastpitch and take on a new challenge — Sam and Bama, you guys have been here every single night, and we want to thank you for your support in helping grow our league. Joe and Dion, who came on at the very end of the season, we appreciate your time and dedication as well. We look forward to working with all of you this summer.
To my mother-in-law and father-in-law, Bobby and Yvonne Lumsden — this may be one of the jobs nobody sees, but every Monday morning you were out there cleaning restrooms, sweeping, replacing toilet paper, taking out trash, and helping stock and prepare the concession stand for game nights. I know it wasn’t easy cleaning up after another league every week, but you did it without hesitation. We can’t thank you both enough for your help and support.
To my biggest supporter of them all, my fiancée Ashley Lumsden — you have been by my side the whole way. Running concessions every night, helping with sign-ups, spending late nights after everyone left to lock up and clean, and most importantly listening to me vent all the time. When I came up with the crazy idea of starting a fastpitch league to help better our girls and community, you were right there supporting every step of the way. Thank you for always being there and for always helping every single kid out here.
To our NM/WTX USSSA State Director, Julie Rodriguez — thank you for helping me get this league started and finally bringing USSSA Fastpitch to Clovis. We could not have done this without you. Through all the calls, questions, and help getting things started, you always answered. I look forward to bigger and better opportunities for us here in Clovis and continuing to work together to grow the game for our youth.
To Clovis American Little League Baseball — thank you for all of your help and support in growing girls fastpitch. When we started this league, you supported every move we made, even sending players our way when you decided not to have a softball program. Thank you for allowing us to use your fields for tryouts when we didn’t have one and for helping us host tournament games to finish our season. We couldn’t have done this without your support.
To the City of Clovis Parks and Recreation Department — your time and effort in helping us bring this league full circle and grow youth sports in our community has been greatly appreciated. Having the fields maintained and the new lighting system installed has made a huge impact on our league. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to continuing to work together to grow girls fastpitch.
To all of our sponsors — we could not have done this without you. Starting a new league takes a lot of hard work and financial support, and you all stepped up to help make this possible. Thank you.
To all the parents — thank you for trusting and supporting us as we worked to make this the best league possible for the girls. Getting your kids to practices, games, and tournaments is a full-time job in itself, along with all the late nights at the fields. We truly appreciate each and every one of you.
To all of our coaches — this league does not happen without you. The time and dedication you put into these players has been amazing, and we saw the growth in every player from the beginning of the season to the end. We are going to continue growing softball in our community and developing these girls into fastpitch players, and it starts with all of you. The players, parents, and league appreciate your time and commitment.
Last but definitely not least — our players, the ones who made this league successful.
Your willingness to learn, grow, compete, and show great sportsmanship on and off the field has been so much fun to watch. The competitive atmosphere you girls brought every single game day was amazing. I love the relationships I’ve built with our players. I love seeing the excitement when they receive an MVP medal, when a player runs up to tell me they got a hit or played a new position, or when they just want to talk softball.
The growth in these girls has been phenomenal, and we are ready to take the next step into Summer League. Thank you, players, because you took on something new, something faster, something more competitive — and you made it look easy.
We wanted to create a fun and competitive league for our players, from handing out MVP medals to every player earning their rings at the end of the season. It was an amazing first season for us, and we just want to say thank you to everyone who helped make it possible.
We are not done yet, we are just getting started
- Your league President Daniel Pena
