Heart of America Fastpitch League Clinches Inaugural Commissioner’s Cup 

The Heart of America Fastpitch League (HFL) is the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup award winner for the 2023 Alliance Fastpitch season. The Alliance Fastpitch recently launched the Commissioner’s Cup as a competitive recognition amongst the Member Leagues. The Commissioner’s Cup is determined by the league’s collective top finishes across various age divisions at the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series (AFCS).

Under the leadership of Commissioner Ryan Taylor and Deputy Commissioner Greg Dickel, the HFL showcased its national prowess as 12 teams from the HFL clinched top-10 positions at the 2023 AFCS. Top AFCS finishes by the HFL included:

• Aces Fastpitch – 18U National Runner-up
• Iowa Premier – 18U & 16U 3^rd Place
• Oklahoma Athletics – 12U National Champions, 14U 3^rd Place, & 16U 7^th Place
• Indiana Magic – 14U National Runner-up and 14U 7^th Place
• Midwest Speed also took home the 18U Tier II National Championship

In the 2023 Season, the HFL included teams from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.

HFL Commissioner Ryan Taylor expressed his pride in the league’s achievements, emphasizing the HFL’s commitment to providing access to elite-level competition for all fastpitch teams.

“This is exciting for athletes, coaches, and teams from the Midwest and Great Lakes area to be recognized nationally. We’ve worked really hard in developing local talent that competes at the national level. I think what the HFL did this year at the youth level resembles the parity in college softball as well. There is a lot of talent in the HFL and we are excited to bring home the first Commissioners Cup,” said Taylor.

The HFL’s overarching goal is to create a supportive community that amplifies the voices of Member teams, ensuring they have the means to achieve success both on and off the field.

The Alliance Fastpitch’s inaugural 2023 season awards aim to recognize leagues and clubs for their extraordinary achievements. The 2024 AFCS will take place in July and August in Indiana and Southern California providing additional opportunities for leagues and clubs to be recognized for 2024 season Awards.

For more information about the Heart of America Fastpitch League and its success at the Commissioner’s Cup, please visit https://thealliancefastpitch.com/hfl/ .

About Alliance Fastpitch

The Alliance Fastpitch is a national league system for amateur fastpitch softball. Founded in 2020, the Alliance Fastpitch offers a clear pathway to play through our regional leagues and National Championships. Alliance Fastpitch competition provides equal opportunities to teams through League Play with a unified scoring system, Cup Series, League Championships and National Championships.

Off the field, the Alliance Fastpitch offers year-round community, player recognition, educational resources and membership benefits to individual athletes and coaches. The Alliance Fastpitch was founded by a collaborative effort to change the status quo of youth softball, with a vision to work together and put the female athlete at the forefront of decision-making.

The Alliance Fastpitch has served over 30,000 athletes and 3000 youth coaches in our three seasons. Currently, the Alliance Fastpitch has nine regional leagues including the are the Pacific Coast Fastpitch League, Heart of America Fastpitch League, Central Fastpitch League (CFL), Northeast Fastpitch League, Rocky Mountain Fastpitch League, Southeastern Fastpitch League, Texas Fastpitch League, Northwest Fastpitch League and Atlantic Coast Fastpitch League. The Alliance Fastpitch has recognized thousands of players for their on-field and off-field achievements in League and National play and has crowned National Champions in 10U to 18U divisions.