John Mello

Male Player - Presented by Keith Belloli

John’s first Men's Major Championship win was in 1996 with Shen Valley/Taylor TPS coming from the loser's bracket to win 5 or 6 games. A total team and "fan" effort. Their fans kept them "alive" with cheering to a point you could see other teams in disbelief.  He received MVP honors at the 1996 and 1999 Men’s Majors Tournament. He has also received numerous All Tournament and defensive awards throughout his years of tournament play.

John was also named to the Jerome Earnest All-Decade Team for the 90’s and received All Year honors in 1998 and 1999. In 2001 he was named to Old Scout All Year. 

John’s "greatest thrill" was being honored with the Brian Ellinghausen: competitor" of the year award in 2002 at the Disney World Series in front of a couple thousand people. It was a memorial award in honor of a great person and player that loved softball. He pitched for many years and John won his first National Championship with him on the mound. 

The Men's Major World Series is the best week of softball to participate in. The level of talented teams makes the National Championship Tournament the "best" of the best. The professional atmosphere among the USSSA staff and the commitment to keep softball a strong participation sport makes these tournaments the A1 game. Umpires have been personable and very committed to doing their best on the field.