Ohio State UA Softball Tournament returns
UA Local 392 (left) won the 2026 Ohio State UA Softball Tournament that was held in Brook Park by defeating Pipefitters Local 120 A (second from left) in a winner-take-all championship game. Also pictured are Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 219 (second from right) and Pipefitters Local 120 B (right). The tournament was played after more than a decade of being on hiatus.
After a roughly 15-year hiatus, the Ohio State UA Softball Tournament was restarted thanks to the efforts of members of Pipefitters Local 120.
Hosted by Local 120, the games were played on July 25 at Kennedy Park in Brook Park. Seven teams from six Ohio Locals competed in one-day tournament.
The idea of restarting the tournament was the brainchild of Local 120 members Rick Gorski and Mike Bossone, who began talking about the possibility of reviving the event in 2025.
“We started to talk about how to get more involved and how we can play more games,” explained Gorski.
The two tradesmen recalled how a UA state tournament was played in Marietta, more than a decade ago. The pair don’t remember what ended the annual gathering. As they began to talk in more detail, it became clear to them that reviving the UA state softball tournament might be worth the effort.
Gorski, who now runs the annual Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council Softball Tournament, approached then Local 120 Business Manager Don Ols with the idea. Ols told him to run with it. After Ols retired, Gorski eventually spoke with current Business Manager Ryan McCafferty, who also supported the idea.
“It’s everything to have your union’s support,” Gorski said. “Like all things, we can’t do this without their support. They support a lot of other activities and back all kinds of interests.”
Once they had the support of their home Local, it was time to work out the details and get everything in place to host a successful tournament.
“It was a lot of work to put the tournament on,” said Gorski. “Fortunately, we have a great template with the Cleveland Building Trades tournament.”
Gorski credited Local 120 member Jamie Wadsworth for showing him the ropes. He worked alongside Wadsworth for a long time to put together the annual CBCTC softball tournament. Last year was Wadsworth’s last year as the tournament director, and now Gorski will run the show.
While there are some minor differences between the two tournaments, such as the number of teams and days, most of the same principles apply to both.
“The toughest part was getting ahold of all the teams,” he added.
Gorski also credited Local 120 member and Brook Park Mayor Ed Orcutt and the Brook Park Service Department for making sure the fields were in great shape for the tournament. When Orcutt heard about the tournament, he wanted it to be played in his city.
Once the calendar began to get closer to the tournament, volunteers were recruited to help with various aspects of the event.
“Their involvement was huge and I thank them,” said Gorski of the Local 120 volunteers. “We needed them to help keep the tournament running. It’s why we help out and volunteer for their events too.”
The timing of the event is perfect for the Cleveland area Locals, as their teams play in the UA International Tournament in June in Cincinnati, then a month later participate in the Ohio State tournament, before finishing with the Cleveland Building Trades tournament on Labor Day weekend.
“This weekend in late July usually has good weather,” said Gorski when asked why they selected the last Saturday in July.
For members of Local 120, the state tournament also works around golf outings and helps keep the team together for practice, he added.
The one-day tournament, he noted, helps spread union camaraderie among all the UA Locals that participate.
“The event is a big get-together,” he said. “We have a good time and play some competitive softball.”
The seven teams played in a double-elimination format. Similar to the CBCTC tournament, the championship could be determined by a winner-take-all game, but only if the team in the loser’s bracket wins the first championship game.
Besides softball, the event featured a home run derby, food trucks and beverages.
When it came to the action on the field, UA Local 392 from Cincinnati took home the title, defeating Local 120 A in a winner-take-all championship game.
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 189 from Columbus finished in third place.
Looking ahead, Gorski hopes the tournament will grow to at least 10 teams next year. In future years, they could expand to two divisions, if there are enough teams interested in playing.