May 28, 2025
After a 30-plus year journey in the US Air Force and retiring as a Colonel in 2016, Dennis Seymour didn’t have to pull any muscles figuring out how to fill his free time.
Running parallel with his life in the service was a decades-long love for fastpitch softball, where he took charge in the pitching circle and played on multiple national and international teams. When the game gets in your blood, you want to donate that enthusiasm to others, which long ago prompted Seymour to jump into the world of coaching in the youth ranks.
He's one of the dedicated coaches working with the Central Florida Eagles, a club program that will bring two 12u squads to the Triple Crown OKC event, which is set for May 30-June 2 in Oklahoma City and will run alongside the NCAA Women’s College World Series.
“This will be my fourth year bringing Central Florida Eagles teams to OKC,” said Seymour, who was contacted by Eagles founder Cindy Corrado and asked to join her staff. “In the past we have brought 14u, 16u and 18u teams. We’ve always had a very good time and (event director) Sarah (Pow) and her crew do an extraordinary job putting it all together.”
Jeff Lane and Seymour run the show with the Central Florida Eagles 12u, while Robert Walters and daughter Lucy coach the 12u Central Florida Eagles, all assisted enormously by club administrator Tammy Bowles.
“Cindy Corrado founded the Eagles organization a few years back and deserves all the credit for getting the Eagles up and running,” Seymour said. “I was honored when she asked me to take the team over.
“The team is composed of players from around the Central Florida area. For the most part, the first tournament the teams play in as a team is the TC OKC.”
Seymour played men's fastpitch for more than 40 years and was selected to the All-World team in the age 65+ division on multiple occasions. He’s coached at the high school and college levels and is a mainstay for pitching lessons in the Orlando area. He will also be taking a group of players to Germany later in the summer of 2025 for a tournament and the chance to have a unique cultural experience.
“The connections you make coaching this great game cannot be equaled,” he said. “An amazing game and amazing people. Coach Cindy had brought teams to the OKC tournament before I came on the scene. The tournament itself is challenging but quite fun. We get to face great competition with teams coming from all over. But it is the College World Series games that are the biggest thrill to the kids.
“It has proven to be a wonderful experience. We very much appreciate Sarah and her folks giving us the opportunity.”
The Central Florida Eagles get unique matchups right out of the gate on May 31, taking on the Catalyst National team out of Savage, MN, before facing the havoc squad from Hebbronville, TX. The other Eagles team starts this dynamic youth fastpitch championship against the Canyon Regulators (Marana, AZ) and the FW Elite-Velasquez team from Saginaw, TX.
