Interview and Story by Emma Breer

The Alliance Super Cup Series final Presented by EvoShield is slowly approaching, and among the final eight teams you can expect to see is the Crossfire Fastpitch Dwyer. An organization based out of Star, Idaho, it first started with one team organized in September 2011; change, however, started seven years ago when they started playing in showcases across the country. They started to gain ground as one of the more notable teams in the country as they started playing bigger names. Although, the official breakout for this organization came three years ago with the initial group that was brought in.

“It’s a privilege,” David Dwyer, Crossfire Fastpitch’s coach, said. No one really acknowledges that there is talent within their small valley of Idaho. “No one is running up to Idaho when you can sit in California” (Dwyer). Crossfire Fastpitch strived to flip this assumption that you can’t find talent in Idaho. On their roster, there are eight seniors, all of whom are committed to Division I programs. Dwyer pointed out how it’s difficult for kids from Idaho to go play at the next level, and they have eight of those kids moving forward on their team. It helps when a name, like Crossfire, is constantly being pushed into recognizable events. By continuing to push “that envelope, this organization can help all players in this valley,” not just players on the Crossfire team, so coaches realize there are kids that can play over here.

From hard work and great support, they’re now here for their organization’s first-ever appearance at the Super Cup. They “used to think look at these rosters. Now these kids think let’s go play!” (Dwyer). It’s important for them because they’re now not only getting to face the best competition, but they’re also doing it on the biggest stage in Colorado this year. “They play the underdog role well but they don’t think they are underdogs,” Dwyer said. They roll with one goal: to be better than what they were last year. If you’re a competitor, you’ll be able to grow from challenge to challenge. The Super Cup is comprised of the best teams in the country, and Dwyer “thinks (Crossfire Fastpitch) will grow from this.”

Expect to see Crossfire Fastpitch play in the Super Cup finals in Colorado the week of July 1st among the final eight teams vying for that championship title. Another exciting first for the organization is having one of their very own, Rylie Haith, selected to play in the coveted Alliance All- Star Game at Kokomo High School stadium in Kokomo, Indiana on Sunday, July 21^st.

About the Super Cup Series

The Alliance Super Cup Series presented by Evoshield is an in-season tournament that promotes competitive and purposeful play through the year for 18U, 16U, and 14U teams. The Alliance Super Cup Series launched in 2022 with a vision of creating year-round competitive opportunities in each region and a culminating national event that is played within the TC Fireworks week in Colorado. The Super Cup Series is an Alliance National Event meaning all teams must be registered with an Alliance Member League and all athletes on the roster must be active Alliance Members. The Alliance Roster is the Official Event Roster.  there are SIX Super Cup Qualifying events hosted throughout the country. Teams are invited to the Alliance Super Cup based on their 2023 season national finishes. The Alliance Fastpitch National Competition Committee awarded each event with Super Cup Finals berths for each age division and AFCS National Berths for each age division.

For more information on the Super Cup Series along with the full scheduled and brackets, click HERE.