Worm Burner Tournaments

07/30/2026

This is a reply to a post earlier and an update on how everything is going! In the post from earlier incase you missed it, we were asking for anyone who was an auctioneer or knew one to please comment as we were in need of one for the Friday night Pre Party.

Thank you all so much!

Because of all of you, we now have an auctioneer for the Berto Memorial. The very first person we reached out to is a fellow Central Texas Select Baseball coach who had never actually met Berto. As we talked, he spoke about the brotherhood of coaches and how this community always shows up for one another. It just felt like the perfect fit.

Even more incredible, he donated his services at no charge. That is huge for us. Every dollar we don't have to spend putting on the Berto Memorial is another dollar that goes directly to what all this is about.

A huge thank you to Brandon Raynes for stepping up. Brandon will be our auctioneer at the Friday night Pre-Party before the tournament begins. Tickets will be available soon—we're just putting the finishing touches on a few details. There will only be 250 tickets sold, so you'll want to grab yours as soon as they go live. Brandon, thank you again. We can't wait to see you there!

Silent & Live AuctionPlease keep the donations coming! We already have some incredible items that have been donated, including taxidermy work, a Rhino bed liner, a helicopter ride, auto detailing packages, and several fi****ms that will be featured in the live auction. The generosity has been unbelievable, and you're definitely keeping Trista busy! The response has been amazing, but we're just getting started.

Volunteers Keep AJ’s thumbs sore from texting! No matter how many volunteers we have, I promise we can use more. To everyone who has already reached out to help—thank you. We truly couldn't do this without you.

Sponsors, Thank you to everyone who has already committed to sponsoring this event. Your support is going to help make this a tournament that is truly worthy of Berto's name. Brian, thank you for taking the lead on our sponsors. We know it's a big job, and without you and all of these incredible businesses stepping up, none of this would be possible.

As this continues to grow, we find ourselves more amazed every single day. Story after story keeps coming in about the impact Berto had on people's lives. Friends he played with in high school and college. Players he coached 20 years ago who are now coaching their own teams. Even people who never had the chance to meet him have been moved simply by reading the stories and comments being shared.

That's what this weekend is becoming. It's becoming so much bigger than a baseball tournament.

It's becoming a celebration of a life that left an incredible mark on so many people.

Please keep the stories coming. Keep sharing the posts. Keep donating. Keep volunteering. Keep spreading the word. Every conversation, every sponsor, every auction item, and every helping hand gets us one step closer to giving Berto the tribute he deserves while providing as much support as possible for Amanda and the girls.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Let's keep this rolling.

Event Sponsors/Donors
Brian NysŦrom – 254-226-0973

Volunteers
AJ Sommer – 254-295-6128

Live & Silent Auction Donations
Trista Poston – 254-722-4193

07/29/2026

We are looking for an auctioneer for our live auction on August 21 for our Berto Memorial pre-tournament party. We will have a live auction during the event that night. We need help finding an auctioneer for it. Any of our followers by chance an auctioneer or do any of you know an auctioneer that may be able to assist us with this? Thanks in advance for the help!

07/29/2026

First and foremost, THANK YOU!

The amount of love, support, phone calls, text messages, and offers to help has been nothing short of incredible. We are truly humbled by the overwhelming response to the Berto Memorial. We knew right away that to make this event everything it deserves to be, we needed to take a step back, organize, and put the right people in charge of different areas. Our goal is to make this process as smooth as possible and create an amazing experience for everyone involved.

If you have called or sent a text and haven't heard back from us yet, you will today. We appreciate your patience as we work through the calls and messages, while we insure no one has been overlooked.

One favor we'd like to ask: all of these volunteers have full-time jobs and businesses they are running during the day. If you need to reach one of them, please send them a text message first. They'll be able to respond when they're available or schedule a time to visit with you after work. We truly appreciate your understanding and patience.

Sponsorships

If you've already reached out—or would like to become a sponsor for the Berto Memorial—please contact Brian Nystrom. He'll be handling all sponsorship opportunities and will be happy to get you taken care of.

Brian NysŦrom – 254-226-0973

Volunteers

We've had an incredible number of people offer to volunteer, and we couldn't be more grateful. If you'd like to help, please reach out to AJ Sommer, who is coordinating all volunteers.

AJ Sommer – 254-295-6128

Live & Silent Auction Donations

If you'd like to donate an item for our Live or Silent Auction, please contact Trista Poston. We have already received so many generous offers, and we're excited to make this auction something truly special.

Trista Poston – 254-722-4193

More Exciting News!

August 21 – Berto Memorial Kickoff Party

What better way to kick off the weekend than celebrating Berto the way he would've wanted? We'll have dinner, live music, a live auction, and yes... probably a few cold beverages. We know Berto would've approved.

Only 250 tickets will be available for this special evening, so stay tuned—more details are coming soon!

August 15 – O-SO Berto Fundraiser

A huge thank you to O-SO Clean Car Wash for partnering with Worm Burner Tournaments to help.

On August 15, visit either the McGregor or Gatesville O-SO Clean Car Wash location. Whatever you spend that day, O-SO will double your purchase amount as a donation.

For example, purchase a $30 monthly membership, and O-SO will donate $60 to the family.

More details on this fundraiser will be released soon.

Once again, thank you all for your patience, your generosity, and the incredible outpouring of support. This event is about honoring a man who meant so much to so many, and because of each of you, we're going to do just that.

Now let's get this thing rolling and make it a weekend worthy of Berto's legacy.

07/29/2026

Doug Shanafelt is joining the Worm Burner team as Baseball/Softball Operations Director.

Doug has been in public education for 38 years as a coach and teacher. He retired from public education 2 years ago. He was waiting patiently for God to lead him into a new direction.

He has recently been approved as the assistant AD at Texas Wind Athletics. His wonderful wife April is the reading interventionist at Valley Mills ISD. He was elected to the VMISD school board last year. His daughter, Kassie, is working on her Masters Degree in London, England .

His son, Jayson True, is a teacher and head basketball coach at Salado ISD. Jayson’s wife, Aoife, is also a teacher in Salado.

Doug was a football and baseball coach but also coached , golf, track, and cross country . He coached with many great coaches and has been associated with many winning programs . In 1999, he was on the State Championship Bartlett Bulldogs football staff .

In baseball, he was the head coach of three teams that qualified for the State tournament, 1990 Gorman Panthers , 2005 Valley Mills Eagles and the 2022 Valley Mills Eagles State Champions.

He has a baseball record of 325-126-8.

He is looking forward to bringing a new culture of hard working men that have a passion for excellence and and are ready to become the Gold Standard of Umpires in Central Texas . We will strive to show respect for the game to players , coaches and parents.

Please help us welcome Doug Shanafelt or Coach to most people that know him! Welcome to the Dark Side Coach!

07/28/2026

Still doesn’t seem real. So many people missing him and that just speaks to me even more about what an amazing husband, father and coach he was. That list could go on and on. Miss you Brother.

View Alberto "Bert" Lopez's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

07/28/2026

THE WAIT IS OVER… FASTPITCH FALL 2026 IS HERE!

The Worm Burner Tournaments Fall 2026 Fastpitch Schedule has officially dropped, and this season is loaded with some of the biggest weekends we’ve ever put together!

Whether you’re chasing rings, looking for great competition, or just want a tournament that’s organized the right way, we’ve built this schedule with coaches, players, and families in mind.

You have been asking for the last 12 months when will we start doing Fastpitch! The time has come!

📲 Register your team today:
www.wormburnertournaments.com

Questions?
📞 Call or Text: Ray at 254-654-7631 or the Worm Burner Business line at 254-326-9699.

This fall… don’t just play tournaments. Play Worm Burner. 🔥⚾

07/27/2026

Here is the usssa fastpitch link. Fastpitch teams this where you need to sign up-

https://usssa.com/fastpitch/event_home/?eventID=419316

Here is the usssa Baseball link. Baseball teams this where you need to sign up-

https://usssa.com/baseball/event_home/?eventID=419190

07/27/2026

We have had an overwhelming response from teams wanting to sign up, businesses wanting to donate/sponsor, and people wanting to volunteer their time to help make this a huge success for Berto’s family, which just goes to show the incredible impact he has had on the baseball/softball community and the many lives he touched. We are doing our best to respond as much as we can while also trying to work hard and quickly to insure that we have everything sorted and organized on the back end to make this go as smoothly as possible. We ask that you please be patient with us as it may be tomorrow or the next day before we are able to respond to everyone. However, please do not stop sharing, tagging, commenting or texting about wanting in or to help in some way. Thank you for all the support and help to pack the park and make this a tremendous success to honor Berto’s legacy!

07/27/2026

This one is different. This one is personal.

This game has a way of turning strangers into friends and those friends into family.

Berto was family.

His passing is a loss that reaches far beyond the baseball community. He impacted countless players, coaches, parents, and friends, and if you were lucky enough to know him, you know exactly the kind of man he was.

For all the times Berto showed up for others, it’s our turn to show up for him.

With Amanda’s blessing, we are honored to host The Berto Memorial Classic on August 22-23. Every dollar raised will go directly to Amanda and the girls to help support them during this incredibly difficult time.

⚾ Baseball & Fastpitch Divisions
📅 August 22-23, 2026

Baseball is already live on both the Worm Burner and USSSA websites. Fastpitch is live on the Worm Burner website now and will be available on the USSSA website tomorrow.

We’ll also be hosting a silent auction throughout the weekend. If you or your business would like to donate an item, service, or gift certificate, we’d be incredibly grateful. Every donation helps.

We know no tournament, fundraiser, or amount of money can ever replace Berto or take away the pain of losing him. But together, we can help ease some of the burden on the people he loved most.

Now we’re asking each and everyone of you to do what this select community does so well at—come together.

Register your team. Invite another team. Share this post. Bid in the silent auction. Volunteer if you’re able. Help us fill the ballparks and show Amanda and the girls just how many lives Berto touched.

We already have two complexes committed and are actively working to secure at least one more because we believe this weekend is going to be something truly special.

There are many more details to come, and we’ll be looking for volunteers to help make this weekend everything Berto deserves.

Let’s honor his life the way he lived it—surrounded by the game he loved and the people who loved him. ❤️

Call/Text 254-326-9699 with any questions or to register.

07/26/2026

There are some people in this game whose impact can’t be measured by wins and losses. I’ve never met someone that was so liked and loved. He was fiercely loyal and would always have your back. Even 3 hours away when you needed some extra help getting fields dry and ready to play! Made the drive, worked fields with us for 14 hours!! Not that he was just there for 14 hours. Berto actually worked it with us for 14 hours straight! When we walked off the last field he said he showered, grabbed a sandwich and was on the fields 30 minutes later coaching his own team and of course they had the last 2 games of the day. All weekend long though, with less than 6 hours of sleep, he never complained or bi***ed, not once. That’s just who Berto was.

His sudden passing is going to leave a hole in the baseball community that will be felt for a very long time. He wasn’t just someone you saw at the ballpark—he was someone who made the ballpark a better place. He invested in kids, encouraged coaches (most of y’all anyways lol), shared his knowledge, and reminded all of us what this game is really about.

On behalf of everyone at Worm Burner Tournaments, we extend our deepest condolences to Berto’s family, friends, players, and everyone whose life he impacted. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this incredibly difficult time.

The baseball community is a family, a dysfunctional one at times maybe but we are a family and today that family mourns together.

Rest easy, Berto. Thank you for everything you gave to this game and to the people who love it. Your legacy will live on every time a coach teaches, a player hustles, and a team comes together.

You’ll never be forgotten.