Phew!  The Hot 100 2015’s list is completed (for now, it’s NEVER totally done!) and we offer congrats to all those who made it and those who are also great because they’re busting their tails to work hard and improve every day.  You know who you are!  Remember: we’ll be updating the 2014 and 2015 Hot 100 lists down the road so if you’re on it, don’t get complacent, and if you’re not, show us why you should be!!!

It’s back to work for us, too, and in today’s Daily Update we feature an up-and-coming program from the Midwest, look at a Texan going to the SEC and detail a great story of a Florida player who’s been battling every since she was born (and, actually, much more before she was born!).  You’ll want to definitely check out her story down below…

 

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CLUB PROFILE: MIZUNO HAWKS 16U (ILL.)

Several years ago, there was a club team called the Homer Hawks in Illinois which was owned by Dave Betcher.

At the same time, Bill Judge had a daughter in rec ball and, seeing that wasn’t the direction the family wanted to go, contacted Betcher who was interested in bringing Judge because of his baseball background which included playing at Chicago Brother Rice High School and being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1988 MLB draft.

“Dave kept calling me to coach the team,” Judge recalls. “He knew about me and my baseball background and thought it would be a good fit. I was a bit hesitant because I really did not have a background in fastpitch softball, but my wife finally talked me into coaching with the Hawks  organization. I will tell you I did have reservations because of the differences between softball and baseball.

The former baseball standout says one thing he learned quickly was that the differences between the two sports isn’t just physical.

“There are some similarities but also many differences,” he states. “I studied softball a ton, learned the nuances of the game, the short game, the speed of the game, and went to some college coaching conventions to learn more about the game.”

“One thing that always stuck out to me was something one of the coaches said at a convention: ‘Girls need to feel good to play good, which is opposite of boys in baseball where they need to play good to feel good.’”

“By listening to and learning this quote I have changed my philosophy about coaching in fastpitch softball, I used to raise my voice a lot and get animated, but that style does not fit the girls, they need someone to carry themselves professionally and talk with them, not down to them. I am still intense but I internalize and think before I say something to them.”

Judge, who had been coaching a rec team for two years, joined the Hawks and was surprised when Betcher approached him one day to take over the program.

“Dave was getting burned out and had some personal things he wanted to tend to in his life,” Judge continues. “I agreed and have been in charge of it since 2009.”

Today, the Hawks organization has seven teams in the organization: three 12U teams with two of them having all 11-year-olds, two 14U squads, which are young and have mainly 13-year-olds and two 16U teams which includes the one that Judge coaches.

“Mine is a bit older than our other one but that team is very talented with some really athletic girls  and we think they will be ready to have a break out year,” he says.

The Hawks are based out of the Plainfield/Joliet area of Illinois and is located about 45 minutes southwest of Chicago.  Most players come from the Chicago area although Judge adds, “we do occasionally get some girls from the Indiana and Illinois border but mostly from our area.”

Having most of the girls come from the same geographic area is intentional, the organization’s president explains.

“What makes our organization unique,” Judge believes, “is we are more family orientated. These girls are together as much as they are with their own families so we try and keep things loose and fun for the girls. We do try and promote from within, we have no problem moving players up to play better competition at an age level above where they play.  We do not recruit players from other states to play for us—we are not really built to do that—so we are more localized.”

One of the more exciting new developments has been the introduction of a new training program and access to one of the greats in college softball history.

“One thing we have instituted this year is a year-round training program for the girls through Fuel Sports located in Shorewood, Ill.,” the coach adds enthusiastically.  “This facility offers speed and agility training, core strength training, team training, a 300 hit club, and has a 36,000 square foot hitting facility which covers all of our needs and is offered to our girls year round.”

“One other interesting point about us is we have probably the best collegiate pitcher of all time helping us out a bit in Nancy Evans (Univ. of Arizona). Nancy has six WCWS championships under her belt–three as a pitcher and three as a pitching coach and she has been fabulous with all the girls!”

Although most of the teams are young age-wise, the Hawks are starting to flex their muscles a bit.  The organization’s leader says the teams are built to be highly competitive and fundamentally sound and that development has shown results on the field starting with the oldest team.

“The (16U) team actually kept getting better and better and won the state title as a second year 10U and that same year we brought them out to Colorado to compete with some teams on the national level and they did well.   It was then that we felt we were building something special. They really started garnering attention as a second year 12U team, winning won multiple local tournaments and really started showing up on everyone’s radar after coming through the losers bracket in Colorado and winning seven straight games and taking the OC Batbusters to the 7^th inning tied 0-0 before eventually losing 2-1 in the Colorado Sparkler Championship Game.”

“They won the state Metro tournament again that year and went to ASA nationals where they placed 17^th nationally out of 108 teams in Alabama.  After winning the state Metro again the following year as a 13 year old team we went and placed 7^th in Colorado out of 132 teams in the power bracket, and they finished 33^rd nationally at ASA out of 150 teams in Sioux Falls, S.D.”

The team success resulted in individuals getting noticed by scouts and coaches including by two of the top camp producers in softball today, Derek and Joann Allister of OnDeck Softball.

“Two of my players were identified by Derek and Joann and were invited to the National Elite Futures camp at Mt. Sac. in Southern California.  I do not believe any girl from Chicago had participated in that until both of ours were invited. I believe those two put us on the map and we were recognized nationally at the club level.”

The coach and club president felt the national attention was started to follow his team.

“I knew after this point we were going to start showcasing them the following fall,” he says. “We played 16U the next year, though we were truly a second year 14U team.”

“We went to some local exposure events as well as Diamond 9 in Orlando, Fla. where they exploded onto the recruitment scene getting lots of interest from the college community. We followed up last year’s showcasing with an extensive showcase schedule this fall, going to Huntington Beach, Chicago, St. Louis, Orlando, and Arizona as well as doing some local showcases.”

Here’s a brief list of some of the team’s success in events across the nation:

• won the state Metro tournament in Illinois three out of the last five years
• 2^nd place at Colorado (power pools, Gold bracket—2011
• 7^th place at Colorado (power pools, power brackets) —2012
• 9^th place at Colorado  (power pools, super 32 bracket) —2013
• Placed 17^th and 33^rd nationally—2009, 2012
• earned ASA national berth five consecutive years—2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Today, the Hawks feels the 16U team and the entire program is right where it needs to be.

“The girls have great chemistry, they are very athletic and they can play the game with the best in the country.  We have had 11 of the 15 girls on this team identified by the Allisters as recruitable players. This should help them down the road with their college individual college recruitment.”

Judge ends by saying the softball success if fine, but there’s a bigger purpose behind all of the work he and the other leaders of the Hawks put into it.

“My primary focus and goal for this team is to get all the girls into a college that fits them personally so they can earn their degree. Granted, that does not always happen, but we will continue to try. Softball is a great avenue for them to accomplish this goal but after college there isn’t much for them in softball, they need to focus on a job, career and their life’s journey. Hopefully it all works out in the end.”

Click here to go to the Mizuno Hawks website.

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Here’s a player-by-player look at the Mizuno Hawks 16U team with comments by President Bill Judge:

— OF/C/U  Taylor Ahlgrim   (2017, uncommitted)
“Taylor is one of our most versatile players, she can play outfield, infield, and can catch. She is just an all-around great kid who loves to play the game. We can plug her in anywhere at any time!”

— OF/U  Isabell Alexander  (2016, uncommitted)
“Isabell is our speedster who also possesses a great arm from the outfield and has great range who can play all outfield positions. She is a lefty slapper and our second leadoff in our lineup. She has participated in the Chicago, and Arizona OnDeck jamborees as well as the Chicago top 100 prospects!”

— 2B/SS Taylor Bowman  (2016, uncommitted)
“Taylor is 5-foot-11 and she has all the levers and measureables that major programs are looking for. Taylor hits for power and has great range up the middle, she has great bat speed as well as running speed also. Taylor has participated in the Colorado, Chicago, Arizona, jamborees as well as being identified for the Chicago top 100 by OnDeck softball!”

— P/1B/OF Kendal Judge  (2016, University of Minnesota)
“Kendal is a fierce competitor who hates to lose. She always wants the ball in big games and has proven it time and time again, her spin and movement are what make her great. She is relentless in her work ethic behind the scenes to perfect her craft. She can swing the bat a bit too with some pop! Kendal was an OnDeck National Elite Future Camper identified by Derek and Joann Allister.”

— C/OF/1B Jessica Cothern  (2016, DePaul University)
“Jessica is our top catcher, she hits with great power and has a great arm behind the plate, her and Kendal have been battery mates since the start. Jess works hard behind the scenes with her drills to perfect her craft. Jessica was an OnDeck National Elite Future Camper identified by Derek and Joann Allister.”

— 2B/OF Lexxie Lux (2016, uncommitted)
“Lexxie is a lefty slapper who makes good contact, she is a smooth fielding second baseman and a great teammate to all the girls. She is one of the hardest working girls on the team, she has been with us for the last 5 years. Lexxie participated in the Chicago top 100 in 2013, an OnDeck invite camp.”

— P/UT Melanie Bakotic (2015, uncommitted)
“Melanie has tremendous upside, she has great movement and spin, when she is right and hits her corners she can dominate games, Melanie with be a valuable pitcher in the rotation this year for us. Melanie participated in the OnDeck Chicago top 100 this year.”

— 3B/2B/OF Alexis Rogers (2017, uncommitted)
“Alexis is a tough competitor, she swings the bat real well, hits for power, and is one of the smartest baserunners we have. She has tremendous arm strength and should be very solid for us this year. Alexis has participated in the Chicago, and Arizona jamborees as well as the Chicago top 100 this year all OnDeck events.

— P/UT Ally Wallace (2016, uncommitted)
“Ally came to us last year but missed the entire season with tendentious in her shoulder, she pitched her way back into shape this fall and showed signs of being very good for us. She has a very good change up and mixes in all of her pitches real well,, she is a gamer and will help out the staff this year.”

— P/OF Emily Aichele (2015, uncommitted)
“Emily is a gritty competitor who came to us this fall, she works constantly at improving her game. Emily is a control pitcher who will live off of getting ahead of hitters and pitching to the corners getting groundball outs. Emily will be an added plus to our pitching staff this year.”

— SS/2B/OF Kylee Walbright (2016, uncommitted)
“Kylee has the measureables that colleges are looking for in a SS, she is a smooth fielder with soft hands, and has great range up the middle. Kylee was a late fall pickup for us but we feel she will fit right in and help the team out tremendously. Kylee has attended the Chicago OnDeck jamboree and was invited to the Chicago top 100 prospects by OnDeck softball.

— 3B/C/1B Karina Madera (2016 uncommitted)
“Karina has tremendous power and bat speed that just cannot be taught, she is a new addition to the team this year and should solidify the middle of the order. Karina participated in the Arizona jamboree and the Chicago top 100, at both events I believe she registered the top bat speed with OnDeck.”

— OF/2B Madisen McCarthy (2016, uncommitted)
“Maddy is a great kid who works very hard for us, she started off this fall on fire with her hitting until a shoulder injury sidelined her for the rest of the fall. When she is done rehabbing her injury she will be an added bonus to our line up this summer.”

— 1B/OF Katie Krzus (2015, uncommitted)
“Katie has great size and athletic ability, she is also probably one of the smartest girl I know, she has a 4.6/4.0 GPA. She is a very smooth fielder with great power to the alleys. Katie participated in the Chicago OnDeck Jamboree. Katie is just an all-around student athlete.

— OF/UT Kristen Zarate (2015, uncommitted)
“Kristen is a fast lefty slapper who took over our leadoff spot last year for us. She has great range and a strong arm from the outfield. She can play all outfield positions and some infield positions also. Kristen participated in the Colorado Jamboree presented by OnDeck last year.”

 

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PLAYER PROFILE: MEGAN HARRIS

Grad Year: 2015
Pos: outfield
High School: Whitehouse (Texas)
GPA: 4.0
Club: Firecrackers DFW Gold-Poole
Stats: 2013 club: hit .425, .483 on-base percentage and 23 steals; 3^rd at 4A level for steals
Honors: 2013: 1^st Team All-District (softball), state ranked in the triple jump, all-state in track
College: Ole Miss

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: Tell us how you were first seen by the Ole Miss coaches, then how long until they offered?
Megan Harris: I went to a camp the summer before high School and several more since. They offered me the start of my junior year.

 

SSS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?
MH: I decided to commit in mid-October. When I went to my first camp there I fell in love with the town, the campus and facilities.  The coaching staff is great!  I knew that is where I wanted to go to school.

 

SSS.com: What were the circumstances around your commitment… were you there or was it by phone or some other way?
MH: I went on an unofficial visit and stayed from Saturday to Monday.  They played Texas A&M, it was a great game. I committed in the coaches office on Monday.

 

SSS.com: Did you and your family do anything to celebrate?
MH: Right after we left the office we went straight to Rebel Rags and bought everything from hats to Chapstick!

 

SSS.com: What does it mean to you to play in the SEC?
MH: It has been my dream to play college softball since I was 10 years old.  Playing in the SEC is just bigger than I could even imagine.  I’m so excited to join my team!

 

SSS.com: How far away from home will be?  Was distance a factor in your decision at all?
MH: It is about 7 1/2 hours away from home.  Distance didn’t matter, Ole Miss could be on the moon and I would go there!

 

SSS.com:  What do you do well that attracted SEC schools?
MH: My strength has always been my speed.  My coaches recognized it early so they made me a slapper when I was just in 10U softball.  

 

SSS.com: What have been your best memories in softball so far?
MH: My greatest memories in softball have been playing in places like California and Nevada and beating some of the best teams in the country.  Also, going to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City and meeting the players.

 

Quick Hitters

 

What is your favorite thing about softball?
My great teammates and coaches.

Fill in the blank… If I wasn’t playing softball I’d:_________________
… I’d be a gymnast.

Other than family and friends, what means the most to you in the world?
My church and my faith.

Favorite way to relax:
Read.

Least favorite activity:
Running farther than 60 feet!

What’s your dream vacation?
Go to England and meet One Direction.

Being from Texas, what makes you most proud to call the Lone Star State your home?
The fact that everything is bigger and better in Texas!

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
I can do 20 backhand springs in a row.

What would scare you more: playing softball in front of 10,000, telling a joke at a party, giving a speech in front of your school class or singing a song to your family?
Giving a speech in front of my school class.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?
My cell phone.

What is the most serious issue facing your generation?
A lack of communication skills because all we do is text.

What’s your No. 1 goal/New Year’s resolution for 2014?
Stop drinking sodas.

Who’s your hero or someone you look up to most?
Caitlin Lowe. I watched her in WCWS on TV when I was 10 and wanted to be just like her. I have gotten to meet her and take some slapping lessons from her several times. I would love to meet her again!

 

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RECRUITING NEWS:

*** We recently told you about Kinsey Goelz, the 2017 shortstop/utility player with the Tampa Mustangs-Goelz team, who has committed to South Florida.

She has a great story, which goes back to, literally, the beginning.

Kinsey was a hard worker even before she was born.  The future softball standout was born four months early and entered the world as a micro-preemie (pre-mature baby) at 1 lb and 8 ounces.

She fought for 88 days in the prenatal unit before she could go home with her parents.

As her father, T.J., the head coach of her Mustangs team remembers, “Kinsey overcame many early struggles by always being a hard worker and fighter and now has very little, if any, signs of being born so early and so small.”

Kinsey started playing softball at age six and immediately showed a strong desire for the sport as well as ability.  She was asked to join the Suncoast Storm ’98 travel ball team at age seven and with the Storm she hit her first over-the-fence home run at age 13 in Tennessee at a World Series tournament where she also made the All-World Team.

The Florida native also won two Florida State Championships (ASA and USSSA)  and finished 4th at the USSSA 14A World Series as a 1st year 14U team.  After the World Series, the team joined the nationally known Tampa Mustangs organization and immediately qualified for the 14u ASA National Championships in its first qualifying tournament.

The team went on to finish as the National Runner-Up at ASA Nationals after losing 5-4 in the National Championship game.  Kinsey batted .342 at Nationals, scored eight runs and had two doubles and two triples on Championship Sunday.  For 2014, the team has already qualified for ASA 16u Nationals, PGF 16U Nationals and will be playing in the prestigious Independence Day Tournament in Colorado.

Kinsey bats second for the Mustangs and is the starting shortstop, but can also play 2B, 3B and all outfield positions well.

The scouting report on Kinsey is she is very athletic, strong arm, has good pop at the plate and has a high softball IQ.

The infielder attended the Florida State Summer Sleepover Camp after her seventh grade year and quickly was identified as a prospect by the coaching staff.

She continued to attend camps at almost every Division 1 school in Florida and was being noticed at all of the major showcase tournaments as well as ASA Nationals.

Kinsey began to narrow her list of potential schools with the following criteria

• highest level she could play at
• school has a chance to win a National Championship
• stay in Florida.

All of the “Big 3” schools in Florida began recruiting Kinsey during her eighth grade year and summer following.  USF’s Coach Eriksen noticed Kinsey at a showcase and then got to see her more and know her more at one of the USF instructional camps.   Kinsey took unofficial visits to USF and FSU and was invited to James Madison University for a visit as well. USF watched her play many games over the past eight months and ultimately she decided to commit to the USF Bulls.

 

*** Finally, Erin Shick, a 2014 P/3B/1B with the San Diego Renegades-Stern program, is headed to Pacific University-Oregon which is an NCAA Div III school.

 

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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!

 

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