What do you do if you’re club team just can’t get over the hump? What to do if you’re good… but just not quite good enough?

Five years ago, John Corn and his Lady Lightning were frustrated.

The North Carolina-based 18U team had lost seven straight ASA Gold Qualifying berth games—six of them by one run when they lost late in the game.

“Every pitcher we faced at that time,” he recalls, “was a returning college freshman pitcher and we just couldn’t find a way to beat them. It was more of a mental edge we were missing, we just couldn’t find a way to get it done.”

Corn decided he needed to try something new and in January of 2009, he organized a Lady Lightning “Mini-Camp” where the girls in the organization would meet for two weekends in January to create fun, team-bonding activities and improve team cohesion.

That innocent early event has continued through this year and just recently the 2015 edition of the LLG Mini-Camp came to an end.

It starts with putting the players together as teams are put into a condo with as many as 14 girls sharing two bathrooms. The coach laughs and says, “The girls really get to know each other and you find out what each girl’s personality is like and, frankly, if they’ll be a good fit on the team.”

But sharing the same digs isn’t the only key to successful bonding.

“We do what we call ‘Lightning Games,’” the coach continues, “where we play dodgeball and get on the beach and have an initiation—like the Polar Bear Club—where we try to get everyone to jump in the ocean together… and it’s cold! The point is, we try to get everyone to buy in and be confident together.”

There are also activities where the players are challenged mentally. Speakers are brought in to help the players envision what it takes to get the clutch hit or make the big play.

The mini-camp activities have even evolved into the players producing commercials touting the club’s success (2013) and this year, according to Corn, “the Futures team did an incredible motivational video.”

Here’s a “commercial” the team did promoting team sponsor Miken:

… and here’s the motivational video done for this year by the Futures team:

It’s hard to say that a January pair of weekend mini-camps has turned the Lady Lightning organization around, but the results speak for themselves: the last two years the 18U team – Lady Lightning Gold Team Miken – has finished in the top 10 at the PGF Nationals and Corn’s program has become one of the most highly respected by players, parents and coaches on the East Coast.

Speaking about the mini-camps, the head man of the Lightning speaks highly of these events and the success it’s brought his players.

“These things are about being engaged,” he affirms. “I don’t know if other organizations do it but they should because it creates bonds that last a lifetime.”

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Coach Corn talks about his Lady Lightning organization as a “small market” club team, but the results for the North Carolina-based team have certainly been big time.

“We don’t have a big pool to draw on, like a team California and Georgia has, and we certainly don’t have the budgets some programs have.”

“When I first got into club ball in 2006, we played at team from the Northwest and they drilled us. I talked to their coach and he said the budget for all of his teams and players that year was $250,000. My budget was $15K for the one team we had.”

“In today’s world, there are big budget organizations that spend a half million upwards to a million dollars a year. We are probably close to the $200,000 level team with the 13 teams we have in the organization.”

Smaller market size and limited budget notwithstanding, the Lady Lightning organization continues to roll on and attract outstanding talent with this year’s 18U team looking like it could make another deep run this summer at Nationals.

“On paper, this team is a Who’s Who of our area,” the coach explains, “and it speaks volumes to where we were, where we’re at and where we’re going. The 2013 campaign, led by Marisa Runyon (Alabama) and the others on that team, has led to what we have now: a lot of players wanting to experience what we do.”

That has included several Full Count Softball Hot 100 players who have joined the organization this winter including pitcher Cayla Drotar and power-hitting infielder Mia Davidson, who, along with her sister Montana was originally with the Lightning (click here for a story we did called “Sister Act to Mississippi State”).

“Players like Cayla, Montana and Mia have come to us,” Corn continues, “because they wanted to be challenged and pushed by the SEC-caliber players in the Lightning organization and because they see something special in the talent we’re putting on the field and want to be part of it.”

This year’s 18U team, at least on paper, looks to be perhaps his best ever and will be one to watch for 2015. It could even be considered a PGF Nationals favorite, a position that’s fairly new to Coach Corn and his program.

“I think this team is the most talented group of players we’ve had from top to bottom on one team,” he says. “We have hefty goals and want to continue our success at PGF. We definitely want to make a lot of noise this summer.   I’ve liked being in the role of the underdog but it’s going to be hard to be the underdog this year.”

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Here’s a look at the Lady Lightning Gold Team Miken squad for 2015 with comments from Coach John Corn:

— C/SS/OF Katie Bailiff (2015, North Carolina) — Hot 100 No. 69
“Katie is our backbone, she is the most versatile in doing everything—from catcher to shortstop to outfield—and is also a very strong hitter.”

— P Maddie Damon (2015, Purdue)
“Maddie’s our little dynamite and comes in as a 5-foot-4 hard throwing in the mid-60’s and hits every spot. She lives by that deadly change-up she has.”

— C Mia Davidson (2017, Mississippi State) — Hot 100 No. 16
“Mia is the anchor of power for our squad, she’s the one that will hurt you the most and most often.”

— IF Montana Davidson (2016, Mississippi State)
“Montana is our wildcat and has become versatile at second, short, third and in the outfield. She also brings tons of power to the plate.”

— C Megan Dray (2017, North Carolina) — Hot 100 No. 29
“Megan is our big-time defensive catcher, she’s great in hitting for power and for average. She can also play the corners. Between her and Mia I think we have two of the best catchers in the 2017 class.”

— P Cayla Drotar (2016, South Carolina) — Hot 100 No. 18
“Cayla went with us to Orlando in January and is the all-around player, both as an offensive threat with all her power and in the pitching circle where she is a very strong power pitcher who throws in the mid 60’s.”

— OF Stacy Fodrie (2015, Appalachian State)
“Stacy is what we call our speedy utility outfielder. She can play all three spots and is a lefty who gives us a lot of depth.”

— P Regan Green (2015, Miss State) — Hot 100 No. 14
“Regan is a dominant power pitcher, she’s re-invented herself so it’s hard to sit on her pitches and hit. She has all the tools.”

— 1B Morgan Halo (2015, East Carolina)
“Morgan is a power-hitting first baseman capable of changing the game with one swing.”

— 2B Emily Heimberger (2015, Mississippi State)
“Emily is our glue and our igniter, we live and die by her glove play and her incredible defensive mind. On offense she’s one of our hardest outs.”

— IF Kaitlyn Martin (2016, Tennessee) — Hot 100 No. 63
“Kaitlyn is our lefty power, she’s a big-time hitting game changer. She gives us a lot of versatility against lefties.”

— UT/C Ashley McGowan (2015, Tennessee Tech)
“Ashley give us depth behind the plate and has a good right-handed stick. We’ll use her when we need a big hit.”

— UT Olivia Narron (2016, East Carolina) — Hot 100 No. 70
“Olivia is called ‘Flash,” she is so fast on the basepaths. If she’s on base, we’re stealing that base.”

— P Megan Richards (2016, Campbell)
“We call Megan ‘Steady Ritchy,’ she’s our go-to pitcher with speed, movement and change of speed. We think she’s the up-and-coming future of the program.”

— OF Kiana Sherlund (2015, North Carolina) — Hot 100 No. 25
“Kiana is our spark, she provides speed and power on offense and is really the one who sets Emily up for success. She is a triple threat kid.”

— IF/OF Caroline Smith (2015, Campbell)
“Caroline is another versatile flex player who can play third, short and outfield. She led our team in home runs last year and we get a lot of power from Caroline.”

— OF Emma Strouth (2015, Virginia Tech)
“Emma is a power-hitting outfielder who’s our silent assassin. Many don’t know about her as she came up with us through the eighth grade, but she can burn you at any moment.”

— MIF Sam Tingler (2016, Coastal Carolina)
“Sam is a middle infielder depth player and gives us speed and some right-handed power hitting.”

— IF/OF Sabrina Turner (2015, Miss State) — Hot 100 No. 96
“Sabrina is one of our more athletic players, she brings power to the plate and give us flexibility in the infield and outfield.”