John Davison gives the Columbus Pioneers a lift in opening day of the 2025 Wheelchair Softball World Series
After Thursday’s opening day of the Wheelchair Softball World Series, John Davison might want to change his nickname.
He’s known as “J.D.” But he might start being called “J.S.” — Just Singles.
Davison provided two key RBI singles to lift the No. 3-seeded Columbus (Ohio) Pioneers to a 15-1 win over the No. 11-seeded Ability360 Arizona Diamondbacks in Thursday’s second-round Division I Wheelchair Softball World Series game in the Mall of America parking lot in Bloomington, Minn. And he helped the Pioneers move on in the double-elimination tournament, where they’ll meet the No. 2-seeded Nebraska Barons Friday morning.
The 51-year-old Davison, who is celebrating a birthday next week, delivered both RBI singles with the bases loaded.
His first one pushed Columbus’ lead from 4-1 to 5-1 and provided the Pioneers a momentum boost from then on.
“Bases were loaded, and there was a pretty good gap out there in right field. And I always try to hit right field when I’m in practice, just for those, I guess, circumstances. So yeah, it was a perfect pitch, and yeah, I drove it to the right field,” Davison says.
But the Wheelchair Softball World Series is nothing new for him.
Davison has played wheelchair softball for 30 years and says he’s played in 27 Wheelchair Softball World Series since being injured in 1989. That year, he sustained a level T4 spinal cord injury (SCI) after being ejected during a car accident while he was coming home from work. He was only a mile away from home.
Davison, though, has enjoyed this year’s event at the Mall of America’s north parking lot — which is a first for the event.
“It’s beautiful,” he says. “ … This is great scenery. It’s kind of noisy with the airport right here, but it’s definitely the backdrop with the mall. Yeah, it’s wonderful. The fields aren’t too bad for being a parking lot. So yeah, definitely, it’s a nice city to be here.”
Thursday had a mix of weather, with the day starting out sunny and humid before clouds arrived. Drizzle and a short rain shower closed the day.
Each of the top four seeds went 2-0, including Columbus, Nebraska, the No. 4-seeded Illinois-area-based LWSRA Hawks and the No. 1-seeded and defending-champion Minnesota Rolling Twins.
LWSRA’s Dan Palmer says the team’s hitting and defense was good, but it’ll need to be better against the defending champs. LWSRA defeated STRAPS, 17-0, in the first round and the San Antonio ParaSport Spurs, 9-2, in the second round.
Palmer sustained a level L1 SCI in a 2004 motorcycle accident in Illinois. He’s played wheelchair softball for the past 18 years, playing for the Chicago Wheelchair Cubs the first nine and with the Hawks the last nine.
And he’s ready for Friday.
“We need to find some gaps tomorrow and play some good defense against the Twins. They’re a great team,” Palmer says.
National Wheelchair Softball World Series At Mall of America
Day 1
Division I
No. 17 Colt 45s 13, No. 9 New York Yankees 0
No. 15 San Francisco Wheelchair Giants 13, No. 18 Tucson Rolling Saguaros 0
No. 1 Minnesota Rolling Twins 15, No. 17 Colt 45s 0
No. 8 Kansas City Royals Wheelchair Softball Team 8, No. 9 Deep South Hurricanes 3
No. 4 LWSRA Hawks 17, No. 13 STRAPS 0
No. 5 San Antonio ParaSport Spurs 12, No. 12 National Wheelcats 0
No. 2 Nebraska Barons 19, No. 15 San Francisco Wheelchair Giants 1
No. 7 Chicago Wheelchair Cubs 7, No. 10 Minnesota Flamethrowers 6
No. 3 Columbus Pioneers 17, No. 14 West Michigan Rollin’ Whitecaps 1
No. 11 Ability360 Arizona Diamondbacks 3, No. 6 Shepherd Sluggers 1
2nd Round
No. 1 Minnesota Rolling Twins 13, No. 8 Kansas City Royals Wheelchair Softball Team 1
No. 4 LWSRA Hawks 9, No. 5 San Antonio ParaSport Spurs 2
No. 2 Nebraska Barons 12, No. 7 Chicago Wheelchair Cubs 1
No. 3 Columbus Pioneers 15, No. 11 Ability360 Arizona Diamondbacks 1
Consolation Bracket
No. 15 San Francisco Wheelchair Giants 12, No. 9 New York Yankees 3
No. 17 Colt 45s 4, No. 18 Tucson Rolling Saguaros 3
No. 10 Minnesota Flamethrowers 12, No. 15 San Francisco Wheelchair Giants 8
No. 6 Shepherd Sluggers 10, No. 14 West Michigan Rollin’ Whitecaps 0
No. 9 Deep South Hurricanes 12, No. 17 Colt 45s 2
No. 13 STRAPS 11, No. 12 National Wheelcats 10