by Geary Mason
The 40th Annual SAE World Series softball tournament, hosted with spirited tradition by the New Orleans SAE Alumni Association, was held on Friday and Saturday, June 13-14. The SAE World Series was proud to dedicate this year’s event to the memory of John A. “Jay” Batt, Jr., and Todd M. Brady, who were local loyal supporters of the event for many years. The wives and daughters of both Jay Batt and Todd Brady proudly threw out the ceremonial first pitches after everyone sang the Star Spangled Banner with heartfelt enthusiasm. The family and SAE friends of Jay Batt were so enthusiastic about the recognition of their beloved Jay that they fielded two teams in the tournament, fittingly named Battman 1 and Battman 2. On the weekend prior to the event, an SAE World Series Draft party was held for local teams, and Jay Batt’s daughter Bailey Batt was the first overall selection by the Battman 1 team.
On Friday night, the Battman 1 team, whose average age was 60 years old, sported vibrant uniforms with the iconic ‘Batman’ logo, opened play losing to a determined young Millsaps team 15-0. Meanwhile, across the softball complex, the Battman 2 team respectfully lost to a strong LSU team 5-0. The hometown Rejects lived up to their reputation, losing their opener 17-0 to Brett Sanchez’s Louisiana Epsilon Alumni Association team. Meanwhile, the LSU Pledges defeated South Florida 5-2, and Union University cruised to an 11-0 victory over the hapless Rejects 2 team. It should be noted that the enthusiastic LSU chapter and their alumni fielded five of the sixteen teams—setting an SAE World Series record for teams from one chapter! Later Friday night, Evan Watson’s clutch hitting led Millsaps over Tulane 9-6, and LSU edged the Louisiana Epsilon Alumni Assn. Team 3-2 to advance in the winner’s bracket. Union dominated the Millsaps Alums 12-2 while the LSU Alums defeated the LSU Pledges 13-5. In elimination games, the Rejects actually won a game and eliminated the Battman 2 team 9-4, and the Millsaps Alums ousted the Battman 1 team 24-5. The fun-loving and enthusiastic Batman teams stole the show by claiming the tournament’s SAE Spirit award, Best Dressed award, and Last Place award—embodying the joyful camaraderie that makes this event special.
On Saturday, only six resilient teams remained in contention, and games started at 10 am. In a great defensive game, the LSU active team survived the pesky Millsaps team 5-4. The top-seeded LSU Alums defeated the strong Union team 10-6 and would later face the LSU actives for a berth in the finals. In the consolation bracket, a usually mediocre Millsaps team eliminated the LSU Pledges 5-4, and Union knocked out the Louisiana Epsilon Alumni Assn team 9-1. In the best game of the tournament, ‘Cinderella’ Millsaps eliminated second-seeded Union 5-4 in a game that went into three extra innings and gave Millsaps at least a third-place finish. Team captain Collin Edwards’ base hit with two outs and the bases loaded gave Millsaps the upset victory.
The only two undefeated teams, LSU and the LSU Alums, squared off with the LSU Alums prevailing 6-2 and earning a berth in the finals. After losing to their own chapter’s alumni team, LSU bounced back and eliminated Millsaps 3-0. Millsaps finished with a 4-2 record and deservingly received the Most Improved award. Because of the tournament’s double-elimination format, LSU would now have to defeat the powerful LSU Alums twice to win the event. Lyle Hunter of the LSU Alums led the barrage as the LSU Alums jumped out to a commanding lead and cruised to a 12-1 victory over the LSU actives to secure the victory, giving the LSU Alums their fifth SAE World Series title. Lyle’s heroics over two days of play earned him the tournament MVP award.
On Saturday night, everyone ventured to 30/90 in the historic Marigny area for an awards banquet featuring a Cajun meal and awards ceremony. The SAE World Series is proud to have recently won the SAE national “Outstanding Special Event Award,” and everyone who attended knows why. Don’t miss your chance to make lifelong memories and compete in next year’s SAE World Series in New Orleans. Contact your SAE active or alumni brothers and form a team together or form two separate teams for next year. Full details can be found at www.saeworldseries.net and on social media (Facebook under “SAE World Series”; Twitter @saeworldseries; and Instagram @sae_world_series ). See the attached official results and all award winners of the 2025 SAE World Series.
