Organizational History

The Diamond Dusters have had a successful history reaching back to 1986. Although many girls have come and gone since then, they have all contributed to the success of the organization and to girl’s Fastpitch in the state of Washington.

In their first season (1986) they were called the Police Reserve Rookies. In 1988 the Rookies took on the now famous name of Diamond Dusters. The 1989 season saw the start of the championship future for the Dusters. That 12 & Under team placed 9th in the ASA Washington State Tournament and 5th in the ASA Northwest Regional Tournament. That fifth place finish earned the Dusters an invitation to the 12 & Under ASA National Tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team’s finishing record that season was 45-19.

The Diamond Dusters of 1990 entered the season as the first Washington State ASA District 9 14 & Under Select team. Their overall record was 48-19. That season the Dusters were ASA District 9 Champions, finished 9th in the ASA Washington State Tournament and 9th in the ASA Northwest Regional Tournament.

In 1991 the Dusters won 3 invitational tournaments including the prestigious Canadian-American Invite and finished 2nd in a 16 & Under invitational tournament. Again that season the Dusters were ASA District 9 Champions. The team placed 5th in the ASA Washington State Tournament and 9th in the 14 & Under ASA Northwest Regional Tournament. The 1991 season record was 58-15. The 1992 season saw the Dusters move up to the 16 & Under age division. That season the team won 4 invitational tournaments including the Can-Am invite and one 18 & Under tournament. The Dusters finished 9th in the ASA Washington State Tournament to earn a place in the ASA Northwest Regional Tournament. They finished 3rd at Regionals to earn a spot in the 16 & Under ASA National Tournament held in Greenwood, Indiana. A very strong showing at Nationals netted the Dusters a 5th place finish out of 73 teams.

The 1993 Dusters took 1st place in 5 invitational tournaments and a 5th place finish in the Colorado Firecracker 4th of July tournament in Boulder, Colorado. That year the Dusters won both the ASA Washington State Tournament and the ASA Northwest Regional Tournament. At the ASA National Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, the Dusters finished 9th out of 73 teams. The 1993 season record was 68-14.

The 1994 season marked the inaugural year in the 18 & Under division leading to a season record of 49-19. The Dusters competed in the Colorado Fireworks 4th of July tournament and finished 7th out of 64 teams and won the Sportsmanship trophy. The team finished 5th in the ASA Washington State Tournament and swept the ASA Northwest Regional Tournament in 6 straight games. The Dusters competed in West Coast Premier Tournament in Lodi, California, a warm up for the ASA National Tournament. They finished 3rd at that tournament but lost two straight at the ASA National Tournament.

The 1995 Dusters’ record was 42-14. They placed 7th out of 73 teams at the Firecracker Invite in Colorado and 5th at the ASA Washington State Tournament. In 1997, two of the Diamond Dusters coaches, Bruce Welling and Dick Thompson started the 12 & under Diamond Dusters Fastpitch Team. This team secured the ASA District 9 Championship, placed 1st in the NSA State Tournament, and 2nd in the ASA Western World Regionals in Eugene, Oregon. Their season record was 37-14.

In 1998, the Diamond Dusters formed an organization consisting of a 10 & under team coached by Dusty Anchors, a 12 & under team coached by Bruce Welling, a 14 & under team coached by Dick Thompson, and a 16 & under team coached by Mike Ransier. That year the Diamond Dusters Red placed 1st in the NSA State Tournament, 2nd in ASA State, and 2nd in ASA Regionals. They then went on to the ASA Nationals in St. Louis, Missouri where they placed 49th out of 72 teams. Their season record was 48-14.

In 1999, as a 14 & under team consisting of 13 year olds, the Diamond Duster Reds took home a 1st place trophy from NSA StateTournament for the third year in a row. They also placed 3rd in ASA State and 4th in the ASA Regionals. The Reds ended their season in Fairfield, California at the ASA Western Nationals where they placed 9th out of 32 teams.

The 2000 season (51-16 record) proved to be another successful season for the Diamond Dusters Red Team. During the season the Dusters won six tournaments, took 2nd in three tournaments, 4th in two tournaments, and placed 7th one. They also finished 2nd in the NSA State and 4th in the ASA Regional’s. At the very prestigious Colorado Fireworks Tournament held over the 4th of July in Colorado, the Reds finished 7th out of 55 top teams from all over the United States. They ended their season in Hawaii by winning the 8th Annual Hawaiian Invitational Tournament.

The Diamond Dusters Red were the first 16 & under team in Washington State to win ASA and NSA State Titles. The Reds finished 1st in 5 tournaments in addition to one 2nd place finish. They finished their season with a 40 and 15 record. Other teams and coaches included:

  • 10 & Under: Dusty Anchors, Mark Paden, Karen Newman, Jon Quint, Dave Sours
  • 12 & Under: Tony Boddie, Darrel Stanley, Ron Koller, Brad Adams
  • 14 & Under: Paula Grande, Michelle Hoem, Katie Rothenberg
  • 14 & Under Red: Bruce Welling, Jim Hendrick, Dave Cooper, Bob Case
  • 16 & Under: Dick Thompson, Bob Pedroza, Dan Haas
  • 18 & Under: Bill Garner, Mike Ballard, Ron Cruz

2001 The Reds and the 18 & under team coached by Dan Kolda were the only two team this year. The 2 time ASA 10 & under State Champions, coached by Dusty Anchors, moved up to 12 & under. They changed their name to The Base Raiders. Dick Thompson’s 16 & under team moved up to 18 & under joining the Snohomish County Sidewinders Organization. The over-all record for the Diamond Duster Red Team is 197 and 61. This team has committed to playing fair and hard and continued to compete in the best tournaments in the Nation during the 2002-2003 years.

2004 Brought a new 18U team to the Dusters coached by Ron Whiteley, Dave Reynolds, Brooke Quam, Kevin Krause and Mike Rinehart. The team attended the 2005 prestigious Canadian-American Invite.

2005 Brought 3 more teams to the Duster organization. 14U team Coached by Mike Chase and Jeff Tapp. Another 14U team coached by Ron Whiteley and Brooke Quam and a 16U team coached by Bruce Welling. The 16U’s attended the ASA Nationals in Seattle. Kevin Krause and Mike Rinehart continued at the 18U level finishing 65 at ASA Nationals

2006 Brought the addition of a 12U team coached By Jessie Winfield, Mike Ison and Wendy Packer. The Duster’s are now 6 teams strong and are looking to build on it’s success. We are currently working on a project to build a practice facility in Kitsap County for future generations.

The Duster organization thanks the original Diamond Duster Coaches: Dick Thompson, Larry Anderson, Gary Hlebichuk, Ken Meigs, and Tim Quimby for there part in our history.