Today we profile a top SoCal team that has two very experienced coaches at the helm.  We also look at a standout Colorado pitcher heading West and have assorted recruiting odds and ends including an SEC-bound commit…

 

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CLUB PROFILE: OC BATBUSTERS 18U – YBARRA/LASTRAPES

Troy Ybarra was born and raised in Orange County, Calif., perhaps the mecca of club softball, but his athletic background included everything but fastpitch.

Ybarra, who todays runs a construction company that builds aluminum patio covers, played baseball at UC Irvine and was drafted by the White Sox where he played in the minors for a year.

“I went through the athletic game,” he explains. “and after leaving baseball, I played semi-pro football for 11 years and even rode bulls in the rodeo for four years.”

When he and his wife, Chandace, settled down in Mission Viejo, Calif., Troy’s original plan was to coach baseball but advice from his wife put him on a life-altering path.

“She told me, ‘You have four daughters so you should be coaching softball, not baseball,’” the coach laughs. “I was introduced to it and fell in love with softball and here we are 13 years later.”

Today, Ybarra not only coaches his club team, he co-coaches the powerful Mission Viejo High program with softball great Toni Mascarenas that went 26-2 and was a Div. II favorite in 2013 before being upset in the second round.

Troy and Candace have five daughters and softball has been a major part of their lives, especially now as the youngest two girls are on their father’s team.

The oldest sibling, Chelsea Young, is now married and lives in Southern California while the next two—Mariah Young and Tayler Ybarra—are both in college: Mariah as a senior cheerleader at Boise State and Tayler a sophomore softball player at Cal State San Marcos.

Shianne Ybarra, the second youngest, is a senior at Mission Viejo High and has verballed to Tennessee while the baby of the family, Camryn, is a freshman and just recently committed to Oregon State.

Five years ago, Camryn began taking hitting lessons with Dave Lastrapes, the father of three daughters with advanced college softball experience: Dominique, an All-American at Washington; Brittany who played at Arizona and Lauren at Nevada.

“Through a combination of Dave being local—he was at Laguna Hills High, our rival—and the fact he’s a great hitting coach and we wanted our daughter to hit with him, we got to know each other and liked working together,” explains Ybarra.

“He helped with the 14U team last year and we decided to take on an 18U team now and that’s how this team got together.  We still help coach the 14U team too.”

Ybarra is in the enviable position of coaching two daughters on not just one team, but two.

The Mission Viejo Diablos will be one of the top-rated teams in the nation next spring and is loaded with talent including slugging infielder Alyssa Palomino and dominating pitcher Taylor McQuillin, both of whom are juniors committed to Arizona.

Another pitcher, Hanna Nilsen, is going to Maryland, and outfielder Alysha Everett has signed with Oregon State. Another infielder, Sierra Bjostad, is going to UC Santa Barbara and there’s even two freshmen who are committed to Illinois in shortstop Samantha Dees and catcher Isabella Loya.

And that doesn’t even include the Ybarra sisters who not only have their father’s athletic genes, but those of their mother, too.  Candace, who has a PhD and teaches Business at Chatman University, was a standout swimmer and softball player according to her husband.

“Unfortunately, the girls got my speed,” Ybarra jokes, “and I was a catcher so you know that’s not too good.”

Growing serious, he explains what it means for him to be able to be with his daughters so much between the lines.

“I never dreamed I’d be able to give back from everything I’ve learned,” he says gratefully. “I played baseball with guys who went on to win the World Series and got so much information back then from amazing players and coaches.”

“The similarities are there between baseball and softball, the competitiveness and the work ethic it takes to get to the next level.”

“And being able to do all that with my daughters has been a real joy.”

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Here’s a player-by-player look at the OC Batbusters-Ybarra/Lastrapes team with comments by Coach Troy Ybarra:

— SS/OF Nadia Amezcua (2015, uncommitted)
“Nadia plays centerfield and always give tremendous effort.  We got her on the team because of her skills and arm.  She can play defense and can hit for power and average.”

— P Grayson Harvey (2014, Concordia)
“Grayson is a riseball pitcher and her off-the-field work ethic makes her shine. She thows a low and high rise and with her change-up she really helps us in the circle.

— 1B/C Noelle Hee (2017, Washington)
“Noelle is one of two freshmen and is all power.  When she gets a hold of the ball she hits it a mile.  During our 14U Premier games and showcases she opened eyes and people realized she’ll be a tremendous power hitter in college.”

— P Tiffany Kennedy-Cummings (2015, uncommitted)
“Tiffany has tremendous velocity and movement on her pitches and great command of her stuff.  She’s a big-game pitcher and will see a lot of time in the circle.”

—- P/1B/2B Amanda Lynch (2015, uncommitted)
“Amanda is versatile and is a great all-around athlete.  She’s fast and smart and can hit for power and average.  She has a tremendous all-around game.”

— SS/2B Quirisa Mauga (2014, Mercer)
“Quirisa’s sister is at Arizona and she has a great arm and all-around athleticism.  She’s very solid in the middle infield and can hit for power as well.”

— OF Briana Paysinger (2016, uncommitted)
“Briana is one of two sophomores on the team, she’s a lefty who can bunt, slap and hit for power and has the makings of a triple threat player.  She has a great arm in the outfield and has speed as well.”

— C Kayleen Shafer (2015, uncommitted)
“Kayleen is our catcher and is very solid behind the plate.  She can frame very, very well.  Kayleen also can hit for power and average and refuses to strikeout. Pitchers love to throw to her.”

— P Courtney Sheldon (2015, uncommitted)
“Courtney has improved tremendously and has great movement and control of her pitches.  She’s helping us greatly in the circle.”

— 3B/1B Tobi Salzman (2014, uncommitted)
“Tobi is almost committed to a university, that could happen soon.  She has great defensive skills and there isn’t a ball she can’t get. She dives all the time and also hits for power.”

— OF/C Samantha Saporito (2015, uncommitted)
“Samantha is another tremendous athlete, she can catch as well.  She can bunt, slap and hit for power.”

— OF/C/3B Cera Stanley (2014, uncommitted)
“Cera is versatile and has a great arm.  From the right side she can hit for power and is another athlete who can play any of the outfield positions.”

— OF Haeley Tran (2016, uncommitted)
“Haeley is our No. 2 batter and puts the ball in play.  She’s a triple threat and has great skills in the outfield.”

— 2B/OF Camryn Ybarra (2017, Oregon State)
“Camryn is our other freshman, she hits from the left site and is our leadoff batter.  There isn’t a pitch she can’t hit.  She also has quick hands in turning double plays.”

— 1B/OF Shianne Ybarra (2014, Tennessee)
“Shianne committed as a freshman to Tennessee.  She has tremendous power at the plate and has a great presence in the batter’s box.”

— SS Alexis Zavala (2014, uncommitted)
“Alexis has been hurt and hasn’t played much because of a knee injury but is still getting Pac-12 interest because of her outstanding shortstop skills.”

 

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RECRUIT PROFILE: KENYA LINDSTROM

From the mountain to the beach (sort of), that’s the future for Kenya Lindstrom from Colorado.  I asked her mom, Jennifer, if there was an interesting story behind the choice of her daughter’s first name.
“No great story…unfortunately,” she said this afternoon.  “It was one of three girl names we were considering.  We wanted a strong but pretty name and after a difficult labor we looked at her and both immediately agreed she was a ‘Kenya.’

Grad Year: 2015
Pos: Pitcher
High School: Denver East (Colo.)
GPA: 4.68
ACT: 29
Club: Colorado Stars Gold-Burns
Stats: 2013 high school: four shutouts, two perfect games, 1.08 ERA, 146 K’s in 91 innings, held opponents to .152 batting average.
Honors: three-time All-Conference and three-time team MVP
College: Pacific

 

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: Tell us how you were first seen by the Pacific coaches and how they came to offer you…
Kenya Lindstrom: I was first seen during the Demarini Summer Showcase in Chicago and then again at PGF Nationals.  After Nationals I went to Pacific’s camp but got the stomach flu so I couldn’t really do anything except see the campus.  I flew back out again in the fall and then committed in October.

SSS.com: What was it about Pacific you liked?  
KL: I immediately fell in love with both the environment and the appearance of Pacific.   The campus was absolutely gorgeous and the community was super close.  I also loved that it was only an hour from the beach.  After spending time with the coaches and the team, meeting with different advisors and seeing the campus, I knew it was the right fit.

SSS.com: How did you tell the coaches you wanted to play for them?
KL: I committed over the phone.  They offered over the phone that afternoon and I called them back that night to tell them I wanted to be a Tiger!

SSS.com: When did you first realize you had the ability to play at the college level?
KL: I dreamed of playing softball in college since I first learned how to pitch, but I didn’t realize that playing for a division one school was a reality until I made the Colorado Stars Gold- Burns team.

SSS.com: How far away from home will you be and were you worried about playing out of state?
KL: I will be about a two hour plane ride from home but a very close family friend of ours lives only three hours from Pacific so hopefully it won’t feel so far.  Distance was definitely a factor for me.  I knew I didn’t want to go to college in Colorado but I still wanted to be near home, so having someone who we consider family so close was huge.

SSS.com: What do you think (or have others said) are your strengths as a softball player?
KL: I think my mound presence and competitive spirit are definitely two of my biggest strengths.

SSS.com: What’s been a top memory or two for you in your softball career?
KL: One of my favorite memories was the championship game in a 14U tournament in Loveland, Colo.  I just remember it being freezing cold and by the end of the game the rain had turned into snow.  I pitched the whole game in only Under Amour and even though it was the coldest game I’ve ever pitched, it is a softball memory that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. And a big reason why I am so happy to be continuing my career in California!

 

Quick Hitters

 

Favorite movie:
Pitch Perfect.

Fill in the blank… The thing I like best about myself is:____________
… my love of learning.

In your opinion, what’s the biggest problem in the world today:
Global economic inequality.  I think one of our biggest problems is the gap between the rich and the poor and the increasing poverty in some parts of the world.

What’s something unusual or different about you that makes you special/unique?
My name.  Most people, especially substitute teachers, when they hear the name Kenya expect me to be black and are pretty surprised when they see a white girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

What’s your personal philosophy or motto in life?
“Just Do It.”

What are the three things you’re most thankful for at this stage in life?
I am thankful for my friends and family, the opportunity to play softball in college, and food!

Imagine you’re an astronaut and going into space for six months… What’s the one thing you’d insist on taking with you?
A picture of my family.

What’s on the top of your gift list for the holidays?
A car.

Other than family, who’s your hero or someone you look up to most?
I look up to Peyton Manning.  I think he is the most determined and committed athlete out there.

 

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PLAYER SUBMISSION FORM INFO:

Players: fill out our Player Submission Form, whether committed or not, and you may see your info used on our site! 

Name: Alysia Rodriguez
High School: Joliet West
City: Joliet
State: IL
Grad year: 2015
Club: Dirt Devil Elite
Position(s):  SS/3B
College: DePaul
Other Offers: Purdue-Calumet
GPA: 3.80
Stats (sophomore year on varsity): .374, 31 RBI, 22 doubles
Why DePaul: “I committed last weekend on campus.  I like the school and the area it’s in.  I met the girls and enjoyed being with them and I love Chicago and feel like it’s a really good fit. Also I chose to play for DePaul because I really liked the coaching staff and the family feel from the school and athletic department.”

 

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RECRUITING NEWS:

***  Hailey Lunderman, a 2015 infielder who attends Neshoba Central High in Philadelphia, Miss., has committed to Ole Miss.

Hailey played fall ball with the OC Batbusters-Castenado team out of Mississippi after playing with Team Mizuno 16U

She bats left and is a triple threat at the plate.  Hailey played with Team Mizuno 16U this summer and was coached by Mike Stith.

In an interesting twist, she became friends with Andi Jarvis of the OC Batbusters-Briggs team—Andi is the one who does our “Day in the Life of a Softballer” videos including the latest which went up today.

 

*** Thanks to the fan of Middle Tennessee State who send us their signings and current commits:

2014

Precious Birdsong, OF, Tenn Fury 97
Makenzie Prince, RHP, Nashville Cruisers
Kristen Uselton, UT, Nashville Cruisers
Morgan Harris, C, Tenn Fury 97
Josie Messick, OF, Nashville Cruisers
Kelci Cheney, RHP, Transfer UNC
Alex Ortiz, SS, Transfer IRSC

2015
Bricen Hunt, RHP, Tenn Fury
Payton Grove, C, Team Worth 96
Mattie Woodruff, SS, Tenn Firebirds
Kirstyn Cuccia, UT, Nashville Cruisers

2016
Caylan Arnold, RHP, Team Knoxville

 

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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.