The man who assembled the talented group is the team's trainer and coach Angel Mangual of Baseball Plus in Hicksville. The girls tried out over five years ago to become members of the elite squad. Once drafted, the real work begins. There's a full summer season packed with traveling and tournaments and fall brings more league play. Winter is peppered with intensive training sessions and one-on-one lessons, and in the spring the girls play for their own high schools. Mangual commented on the team's hard work and determination. "It has been nice to see the girls mature and become the players that they are today."
The team's 2005 season has been filled with significant moments. They finished with a 64-11 record. The last two fast-pitch national tournaments offered opportunities for college recruiters to view the talented team. Mangual fully expects many team members to be recruited into Division 1 teams.
The first tournament, the PONY National tournament in Ohio, they went up against 125 of the best teams from around the country. PONY is an acronym for Protect Our Nation's Youth, and the group has been involved in organized sports since the early 1950s. The girls made it to the tournament finals where they lost a 1-0 game placing second overall. The girls were pleased with their performance, although disappointed by the loss. In recognition of their standing in the tournament the girls received a trophy too large to transport home without disassembling it.
After the trip to Ohio the team played in a Florida tournament, where they faced 23 other teams. Fast Sports sponsored the event, which was held in Ocoee, Florida. In some instances this tournament pitted the BP All-stars against opponents who had already competed for a full year at the college level. The girls dominated the tournament winning the national event. Rockville Centre's Meghan Borst (the team's pitcher and right fielder) shared her thoughts on the tournament win. "We're very proud. It took us six years and we finally got to the nationals. We wanted to win." The girls were individually awarded commemorative rings and received a team trophy for their outstanding performance.
Josephine Casella, of Oceanside, the proud mother of the team's shortstop Angela Casella, said "the team is like a family, and the camaraderie the girls share is really priceless."
