Today we profile an SEC-bound pitcher from Calif. and detail the commitment this week of a young pitcher from Texas who committed on her way to a volleyball tournament!  We also look at some changes from the NPF that will be in place for the 2014 season…

 

*****

 

PLAYER PROFILE: AUTUMN STORMS

Grad Year: 2016
Pos: Pitcher
High School: Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.)
Club: OC Batbusters-Smith                              
College: Arkansas

***

 StudentSportsSoftball.com: You’ve been in a lot of high profile events, like the Surf City tournaments, the OnDeck National Elite Camp, the D9 Sun Classic… where was it that Arkansas first saw you and began the recruiting process?
Autumn Storms: The Arkansas coaches first saw me in November at the Arizona Hotshots Thanksgiving Shootout Tournament.  Coach (Coy) Adkins, the Pitching Coach, had the radar out behind the plate and was taking video of me pitching in the game and as I was warming up.

 

SSS.com: Walk us through the timeline of when they first saw you to the time you received the official offer…
AS: I emailed the University of Arkansas for the first time prior to the Arizona Hotshots Thanksgiving Shootout Tournament in November and my coach told me that they were there to see me.   I participated in the PGF Early Thanksgiving Camp and in the Chrissy Haines Showcase in the same weekend where Head Coach Mike Larabee was able to see me pitch and hit.  I also had the opportunity to play in 18U and pitch for the Batbusters team coached by Mike Stith and Mark Campbell.

Coach Larabee was there as well, I noticed he spoke to the umpire, and was speaking with Mike Stith throughout the game.  The coaches told my coach, Mike Smith, that they were interested and wanted me to take an unofficial visit there.  We tried to get out there in January, but it didn’t work out so we went out in February on a weekend they were hosting a tournament.  It was nice because I got to see them play and do my unofficial all in the same weekend!

Coach Larabee and Coach Carpenter spent the entire day of my visit with my family and me.  I was able to tour the campus as well as the facilities and watch about five games.  The next night we got to meet with Coach Adkins and spoke with him for about two hours about pitch calling strategy and what his expectations are of me.  The next day we met with Coach Larabee again and I verbally committed.

 

SSS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?
AS: I decided while I was on my unofficial to verbal.  I knew about halfway through the day that Arkansas was where I wanted to be. I felt at home.

 

SSS.com: How many times have you been to the campus and what has impressed you enough to call that your future home?
AS: I have only been to the campus once – but I was there for a four-day tournament.  I was impressed by the stadium, the indoor practice facility, the female-specific gym and the training room.  The academic support that they provide for their athletes is amazing and the fact that the entire state of Arkansas has so much pride in the Razorback athletic program was awesome!   The university also prides themselves on shaping students to be productive citizens by having them go through leadership classes and I like how they keep the history of the graduating students from each class by stamping their names on the Senior Walk.

 

SSS.com: Describe your emotions around telling them, were you more nervous or more excited?
AS: I was definitely more excited to tell Coach Larabee that I wanted to come there.  I felt like I was part of their family after spending a couple of days with them and they welcomed my family and I with open arms.

 

SSS.com: Did you do anything fun or out of the ordinary to celebrate committing?
AS: My grandparents were able to come with us so we all drove three hours south to Littlerock where my Papa’s family is from to celebrate and have some BBQ.  It was nice to meet my extended family for the first time, I felt even more at home there after that.

 

SSS.com: Did you actually visit other schools as well?
AS: Yes, I visited other D1 schools and met great coaches.  It was nice to see the differences between climates and campus sizes and interesting to see what each of them had to offer.

 

SSS.com:  What did the college coaches recruiting you say they liked most about your game?
AS: I was happy to hear that the coaches like the movement and command I have over my pitches and that my change-up is my go to pitch in certain counts. They like the presence that I have in the circle and my work ethic and that I like to be in high-pressure situations.  I have very large goals and I always strive to exceed them and I love to prove people wrong.

 

SSS.com: To date, what’s been the highlight of your softball career?
AS: Besides verbally committing to the University of Arkansas the highlight of my softball career has been meeting new people and families that I am close to and experiencing my life through softball and having amazing coaches throughout the years that have believed in me.

 

Quick Hitters

 

What do you want to major in?
Forensics.

What do you think is the No. 1 issue facing the world today? 
That softball was taken out of the Olympics!

Favorite dessert:
Brownies.

Least favorite activity:
Cleaning my room.

If you weren’t so involved in softball, what would you do with all your time?
Spending time with my friends and going to the mall.

Do you have any hidden talents? 
I can do the splits.

What’s your dream vacation?
Staying in the Cinderella Castle at Disney World.

What type of bat do you use (and do you like it)?
Mizuno 34-9 End Load and YES I LOVE IT!

Do you have any softball superstitions or rituals?
Nothing can touch my right arm after warm-ups except the ball until the game starts.

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
I occasionally blink with one eye.

In three words or less, how would YOU describe yourself?
Passionate, hardworking, genuine.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?
The Bible, to guide me.

Being a SoCal girl, what makes you most proud of where you’re from?
The level of competition that I am able to play.

What’s a motto or phrase that means a lot to you?  
Iron sharpens iron.

 

*****

 

RECRUITING NEWS:

*** You won’t find Brooke Vestal, the outstanding 2018 pitcher with the Texas Bombers 16U Gold team, on the softball field for the next few days.

As we spoke to her father Rick, the family was literally driving into St. Louis and was seeing the famous Gateway Arch.

Brooke is there for an AAU volleyball tournament and at 6-foot, she is as talented on the court as she is in the circle.

But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have softball on the mind.

Yesterday, the Vestal family stopped on the way in Norman, Okla. where the pitcher had some big news for Head Coach Patty Gasso and Pitching Coach Melyssa Lombardi.  While taking a break during a tour of the Sooner dorms, Brooke committed to Oklahoma.

“We’re very exciting,” the athlete’s father said this afternoon.  “We went to the camp at OU in November—that was the first camp she went to – and she loved the place.  She performed well and, looking for a place where she’d be comfortable, fell in love with the school.  We saw some other schools that were also impressive, but Brooke  felt Oklahoma was the best place for her.”

“Yesterday we watched the team practice,” he continued, “and spoke to the coaches when we sat down and had a chat during the tour.  Brooke told them she wanted to be on board and, obviously, it was a pretty exciting moment.”

Rick explained that the key factor was a strong relationship his daughter had built with the coaches, especially because she won’t be attending the Big 12 school for a few years.

“As she’s young, it was important to look at schools with coaching stability and try to predict who will be there still in four years.”

Brooke blew up as a national prospect last year when she shined in Colorado—the second year her Austin Stars team finished in the top 10—and at PGF Nationals where the Stars finished tied for 5^th in the 14U division.

The family credits Placido Garcia and the Stars organization for helping her getting noticed but with another daughter, Hunter, playing club ball the two hour drive to be with the Stars became too much and Brooke joined the Texas Bombers organization located “just around the corner.”

Scott Smith leads the Bombers organization and says that Brooke had been with the bombers when she was younger, but was behind a couple of talented older pitchers and the two-year stint with the Stars worked out well for everybody.

“She got good coaching and experience there,” he explains.  “She had the opportunity to come back last fall and it’s a good story about never burning a bridge.”

Coach Smith says he has the luxury of playing Brooke on the 16U team for a while as there are talented players ahead of her in the organization allowing the tall pitcher to develop at a comfortable pace.

“We’re going to be patient with her,” he explains.  “She’ll spot up in Colorado and here and there, but we’ll be smart and let her develop.  We won’t throw her to the wolves, we have the luxury to slow the process and let her develop as a player.”

So what is it about Brooke that had major colleges from every top conference after her?

“The reason good coaches have gravitated to Brooke is it’s scary that she is at that age with that frame, those long levers and has that much maturity to go with it. Her upside is so high.”

In the circle, the Bombers coach, continues: “She does a good job working up in the zone with a tight rise ball.  She’s constantly working the top of the zone and can change speeds really well.”

Brooke certainly has the DNA for athletic greatness.  Her great-grandfather, grandfather and father all played college football, at Rice, TCU and Baylor respectively.

Her father, a 6-foot-4 quarterback with the Bears from 1987-1990, says self-deprecatingly of his lack of playing time, “At Baylor I broke all the clipboard records.”

Being on the bench is not likely to happen to Brooke and probably two younger softball-playing sisters who are marking their own mark.

Hunter is 11 (2020 grad) and plays with the Bombers 12U team.  According to Rick Vestal, she is “more athletic than Brooke” and is already 5-foot-10.  And then there’s the baby of the trio, Harley, who is seven and just starting to pitch.

It could be we’re hearing the Vestal name for the next decade in club and college softball circles.

 

*** Lexi Palazzo, a 2017 pitcher who plays for the Atlanta Vipers – Palazzo team, has committed to Kennesaw State, which is located about 20 miles north of Atlanta.

She has two teammates on the Vipers who will be playing with her at KSU, both current sophomores (2016’s): OF Beth McCulley and C/3B Lexi Solorzano.

 

*****

RECRUIT SPOTLIGHT OF THE DAY: BRITTANY WADE

High school: Windsor
City: Windsor
State: 
Va.
Grad year: 2016
Club: Southampton Storm
Position(s): C/3B
Height: 5-6
Stats & Honors:

High School 2013 Season:
Tidewater Academy batting .440; 25 RBI, 20 Runs, 6 Doubles, 2 Triples and 3 home runs; 1st Team All Conference; 1st Team All State; MVP Offensive Player of the Year.

Fall 2013 Travel:
Southampton Storm 18U Gold – batting.516; on base .575; slugging .766; 3 home runs; 24 RBI. Named to the All Tournament ASA Fall Team – North Carolina.

College: uncommitted

What is your favorite bat:
“What a question. I love bats. I have used and loved Easton (Synergy); Louisville Slugger (Xeno) and Anderson (Rocketech) – but the Xeno is by far my favorite bat (as of now). I still use a new Easton (synergy like) for certain scenarios – but my Xeno has a great pop, and fits my bat speed perfectly.”

What bat does your team use?
“I use both the Xeno and Easton (Yellow-Synergy like). My team uses different bats, but most of us use Xeno, CF5/CF6 or Eastons.”

What is your favorite brand of cleats? 
Mizuno
What is the uniform brand you prefer? Under Armour or Mizuno

 

*****

EVENT NEWS: NPF MAKES CHANGES FOR 2014

Many of our readers, especially the players, are big fans of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league and this week the Nashville, Tenn.-based league (which has operated since 1997 under the names Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL), announced some changes that will be implemented for the 2014 regular season and the championship play.

Here are some of the key items that came out this week:

***

Approved changes are listed below under their particular categories:

Game Rules:

1.Committee voted to keep the International Tie Breaker during regular season play. The tie breaker will continue to be implemented in the top of the 10th inning.
2.Committee voted to reject the implementation of a proposed “Run Rule” that would end the game after 5 innings (4 1/2 if home team was ahead) if a team led by 12 or more runs
3.Committee voted to implement a “90 second” clock between innings. Upon expiration of the clock, umpires will apply effect from Rule 10.18 of the current rulebook and issue a ball on the batter for “delay of game”.
4.Committee voted to revise the current statute of defensive conferences from one per inning to three per game. In extra innings, teams will be given one charged conference per inning that exceeds seven. Violation will result in ejection of the Head Coach.
5.Committee voted to eliminate former rule revision under Section 10.18 and apply the current rule in the rulebook instead. This effectively gives the pitcher a total of 25 seconds to get in place on the rubber, take the signal and deliver the pitch.

Policies and Procedures:

6.Committee voted to eliminate the Disabled List
7.Committee voted to increase the maximum roster limit from 20 to 23 (Salary cap did not increase)
8.Committee voted to increase the minimum roster limit from 14 to 18.
9.Committee voted in favor of implementing a running 45 minute clock for autograph signing following all games except double headers. The clock will begin counting down immediately following completion of the game. Built into the 45 minute countdown is a 10 minute allowance for players to receive treatment, gather equipment and move to autograph areas. The autograph sessions remain mandatory for all players.

It was also determined that the Chicago Bandits market would be a “test market” for alternate outlines of the autograph sessions. The league is attempting to find the most efficient way to maintain a priority situation of fans having the opportunity to obtain autographs, while also respecting the time of the players to wind-down, eat, res and generally prepare for their next competition.

1. Committee voted to implement a complimentary ticket policy that would allow fifty tickets total (between both teams) per game. The Home Team will be given first choice with a 2 ticket per player allowance with the remaining tickets (if any) offered to the Visiting Team. It is at the discretion of the Home Team whether to make discounted tickets available to Visiting Team Players.
2. Committee voted for a new payment structure for umpires in the event a game is split in its completion either due to weather or other reason.
3. Committee voted for an overall re-structure of the umpire assignment and evaluation system for the league. The new structure will do away with the existing format involving an Area Umpire Coordinator for each market that would cover the responsibilities of assigning game crews and evaluating those crews. The assignment of all league umpires will now be handled at the League Office level by the League Supervisor of Officials. The League Supervisor will also be responsible for gathering crew evaluations from designated Umpire in Chief from each series, making personal evaluations in each market and utilizing the evaluations of outside contracted evaluators. Each crew for every NPF series during the regular season will be assigned an Umpire in Chief that will actively work games as a crew member. The UIC must reside “outside” the Home Team’s local market.
4. Committee voted to enter into a contract with the company, “Game Changer” to carry the complete stats of the NPF

 

Post Season:

1. Committee voted to qualify post season Awards to note that players must meet a minimum amount of innings, plate appearances, or total games played, to be considered for post season award nominations and voting. Those minimums are: Defensive player nominees must have played a minimum of 75% of the total innings possible, at the position they are being nominated for. Utility will require the player to have played in 75% of total innings possible, but with no stipulation on position. Offensive player nominees must have 75% of total plate appearances possible based on their team statistics. There are no minimum criteria for the nominations of pitchers into any category that would pertain to the position of pitching.
2. Committee voted to change the Championship Series format back to the format utilized 2010 – 2012. That format still sends the top 4 league teams, according to regular season finish, to the Championship Series. Those 4 teams play three series’ of “best-of-three” match-ups. To begin, the #1 seed will play the #4 seed a best-of-three series and the #2 seed will play the #3 seed a best-of-three series with both winners advancing to the Final Series. Those two winners will then compete in a best-of-three series to determine the Cowles Cup Champion. This format will add one day to the competition from the 2013 structure.

 

*****

Players, parents and coaches:  want to know the best way to get us info on your favorite player?  Fill out our Recruit Form link and complete.  It comes directly to me (Brentt) and you very likely could see the info used somewhere on our site!

*****

If you’d like to submit information, forward to brentt@studentsports.com.  Also, follow us on twitter at @SS_Softball.