continued from page 17 softball field. The sport is also inclusive: most tournaments draw participants from their teens to their sixties. Verrillo and Benas were among them. Beginning in high school, the partners played WIFFLE® ball competitively, and ultimately used their earnings to help fund the business. Top prizes can vary, but are usually about $1,000. For both partners, sharing their love of the game comes naturally. Benas, a Marine Corps veteran stationed in Iraq in 2004-2005, taught Iraqi police officers how to play during downtime. The police officers, avid soccer fans, were intrigued when they saw the plastic ball and bat, and became instant fans of the game, he says. Benas was drawn to Southern after meeting Jack Mordente, associate director of student supportive services and head of the office of Veterans Affairs, who Benas says is known as an
advocate for veterans on the local, state, and national levels. Benas also found a mentor in Patricia Olney, associate professor of political science.“She motivated me to follow my dreams,” he says. Thus far, the result of those dreams has been promising. Benas says the economic downturn hasn’t hurt business. In fact, the partners see renewed interest in WIFFLE® ball, which became popular in the 1950s and remains a staple in homes across the country, despite the draw of high-tech video games. Both say that they see the sport taking off internationally, with televised tournaments in the future. Recently, the pair was featured on Fox’s“This Week in Baseball”and CNBC’s“The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” And more big ideas are on the horizon.Verrillo is working on developing new products that can be used in WIFFLE® ball. Verrillo and Benas also organized a tournament set to take place at Southern on May 2-3. The goal: to set a Guinness World Record for mass participation in a WIFFLE® Ball tournament.A reality show pilot is slated to be filmed during the event, which potentially could bring the sport a wider audience. I
Baseball Writers Association, the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings, and Daktronics. Derbacher also was named the 2008 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year after batting .408 with 53 runs batted in, a .550 slugging percentage, and 28 stolen bases. He ranked among the top 50 players nationally in hits, doubles, triples, stolen bases per game, and stolen bases. Joining Derbacher as team captains this year are fellow seniors Kevin Bowerman and Mike Connors. Bowerman is coming off a season in which he batted .329 with 29 stolen bases and 29 RBI. Pitcher Mike Connors has been one of the top relievers in the Northeast-10 Conference during the past few seasons and is one of the top options out of the bullpen. He didn’t allow an earned run in 17 appearances last season, while posting a 2-0 mark and five saves. The starting rotation is anchored by a pair of returners. Senior Justin Cox has earned All-Conference honors twice in the last three seasons. He registered a 6-4 record in 2008 with a 3.09 earned run average (ERA). Junior southpaw Ed Bethke was 5-2 with a 3.39 ERA and ranked second on the team in innings pitched. The incoming group, which Shea deemed the best recruiting class in program history prior to their arrival in After leading the nation in strikeouts in the 2008 season (145), Jim Fuller signed a professional contract with the New York Mets.
the fall, figures to play an important role in the program’s development, this year and beyond.
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For more information on Southern athletics, visit www.SouthernCTowls.com. Spring 2009 | 19