How do you become the top rated softball player in your class?

Obviously you need to have the natural talent, but to enhance what you were born with a lot of work is needed! I asked Amanda Lorenz – the No. 1 rated player in the 2015 Hot 100 – what she does to train and hone her abilities.

Today’s blog includes Amanda’s weekly schedule covering athletic and skill training and you’ll see what a big sacrifice it takes to make it happen.

“Many people don’t realize how demanding it is to play softball at an elite level,” she explains, “but in order to beat the best and become the best you need to out train them!”

Amanda is a senior from Moorpark (Calif.) and was a 2014 1^st Team Full Count Softball All-American in high school last spring when she hit .642 with eight home runs and 22 doubles.

She also added “National Champion” to her resume as she hit lead-off for the OC Batbusters-Haning/Stith team that won the PGF 18U Premier Nationals in August, hitting .478 for the week in bracket play and had at least one hit in all seven games (with two hits in four of the seven). In the championship game, a 3-0 win over the Corona Angels, Amanda went 2-for-3 with a key RBI double.

As a sophomore, the Florida commit won several national, state and local honors at the high school level in 2013 including MaxPreps Underclass All-American, CalHiSports.com All-State and Ventura County Star Player of the Year after batting .626 with 17 home runs and compiling a spectacular 1.377 slugging percentage.

In 2013, Amanda also helped lead Team Mizuno-Stith to the PGF 18U National Championship game and in 2012 she was part of the 16U team that won the PGF national title.

Finally, her prolific hitting stroke has some coaches and scouts saying she’s one of the best hitters to ever come out of Southern California.

Click here to read Amanda’s earlier blogs and those from our other outstanding bloggers!

Also, check out the video of Amanda after she learns of being named No. 1 in the 2015 class

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To be able to compete at the highest level, you need to train every day to get better each day. In order to beat your opponent, you need to train harder than your opponent.

Being on the Batbusters, there is a demand for you to be putting in the work on the days we aren’t practicing or playing.

Our team trains with EM Speed and Power Training and has been since we were all in 8th grade; some even younger.

Personally, I live two hours away from Orange County and it gets very difficult to go down there multiple times a week. However, my mom drives me down every Tuesday to do EM and hit with (OC Batbusters Head Coach) Mike Stith. We leave at 2 o’clock to be there in time for my 5 o’clock workout.

I have been trying to get faster so workouts have been extra demanding lately but usually workouts include warming up, footwork in a ring or ladder, some speed workouts, box jumps, then finally a lift.

Coach Ethan from EM has been having me complete many suicides lately in addition to the other components of the workout. After I go through a complete lift filled with about eight exercises, I move on to abs then go to hit.

In hitting classes with Mike we focus a lot on our bottom hands getting through the ball. We hit on the tee with a little bat in one hand with a weight on it for resistance. We also hit off machines and Mike front tosses as well.

However the majority of the week I am unable to go down to Orange County unfortunately.

Here’s a typical week for me along with my Tuesday workouts at EM:

• On Mondays, I have high school practice. After practice I go to the gym and run. Then I go to the batting cages with my dad for about 45 minutes of tee work/front toss.
• On Wednesdays, I go to the gym and run and lift the other part of my body I didn’t lift the day before. Then I go to the batting cages for about 45 minutes with my dad.
• On Thursdays, I have high school practice then I go to the batting cages with my dad.
• And on Fridays, I lift with my high school team in our school weight room.

Many people don’t realize how demanding it is to play softball at an elite level. But in order to beat the best and become the best you need to out train them!

Happy Holidays everyone and Happy New Year!

Amanda