1 hour ago 1

Representing the 641

OTTUMWA — The best fastpitch softball team in Ottumwa is proving to be the best fastpitch softball team in the state.

Come September, the Ottumwa 641s are hoping to prove they are the best fastpitch softball team in the country.

The team, representing the City of Bridges, brought home their second championship trophy of the season this past weekend winning the North Starz Iowa Fast Pitch Tournament men's championship in Dubuque. Ranson Alik, the team's sponsor, talked about the pride felt by the squad made up of Ottumwa's Marshallese community.

"It's not for us. It's for this community," Alik said. "The area code here is 641. That's why we named our team 641. We want people to know about Ottumwa when we show up for every tournament. We are representing this community. Playing softball is really important to us."

Coming from the Marshall Islands, an archipelagic country in Oceania, the members of the Ottumwa 641 fastpitch softball squad makes it their mission to use success in the sport to bring pride back to their new hometown. Tournaments like the North Starz brings together teams from around the state that feature players and coaches from different Marshallese communities.

"Playing softball is really important to us. No one else in the tournament had ever heard of Ottumwa," Alik said. "People were asking us 'where is Ottumwa?' 'Where is that at?' We try to represent the city and let people know all about Ottumwa."

The team features almost 20 players and coaches all with Marhsallese ties ranging in ages from near 20s to over 40-year-olds. The sport has provided several people a chance to find a sense of family and community fellowship several thousands miles away from their home country.

"We've got a couple of young guys that might have gone down a bad path. I told them to come with out and play some softball with us," Alik said. "They really enjoy everything. They're not focusing on the past. They're focusing on going out and trying to win for this team and this community."

The Ottumwa 641s won seven games this past weekend in Dubuque, bringing home their first statewide title of the season. The team is making plans to travel to Arkansas for a national tournament, being held Sept. 4-7, featuring fast pitch teams from around the country.

"If we hear about a tournament being put together in Arizona, we gather each other together and head to Arizona. If there is a tournament in Arkansas, then we go to Arkansas," Alik said. "The main thing for us is that, anywhere we play, we want people to know that we've got a lot of great people from the island here playing this sport and that Ottumwa is the No. 1 team in this sport. We're undefeated here in town, all over Iowa and hopefully we'll be the best team in Arkansas."

Alik has mentioned the support of the community already, including the support of Ottumwa Mayor Ben Foote. Besides welcoming members of the team to city hall earlier this year, Foote reached out to congratulate the team after their championship win this past weekend.

"He let us know how proud he was of us for representing the city," Alik said. "We just have to keep playing hard and keep having fun representing Ottumwa."

Those interested in supporting the team can go to the Ottumwa Marshallese Unity page on Facebook or can contact Alik by phone at 641-931-0154. Before they head to Arkansas, the team will be participating in tournament's closer to home including the upcoming Keeva's HomeOne tournament being held June 26-27 in Cedar Falls.

Read Entire Article