Today’s Daily Update previews the OnDeck series of tryouts, Jamborees and Nationals which will run over the next year as well as looking at a Georgia team that is moving up to 18U and an SEC coach who will be “pretty in pink” for years to come!

 

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ONDECK SOFTBALL KICKS OFF EVENTS TOUR

When it comes to showcase events in softball, there are none better than those put on by OnDeck Softball, the event company started and run by Derek and Joann Allister.

Over the last decade, OnDeck Softball has become more and more prestigious in the recruiting world after Derek used his expertise and knowledge in the basketball world to create platforms for softball athletes to be evaluated in person by college coaches.å

Since 2005, the National Elite Futures Camp has been where the best of the best are invited to do skills work and play in games in front of dozens, if not hundreds, of college coaches.

We know of one high school player from the Midwest who went to an OnDeck even as a freshman and by the time she returned on the following Monday had 25 phone calls and e-mails from college coaches saying they wanted to recruit her.

In the past, the National Elite Futures Camp was held exclusively on the West Coast, but this year there will be two editions: one on the West Coast held October 17-18 at Mt. San Antonio college (Mt. SAC) in Walnut, Calif. and an East Coast version, the East Coast National Elite Futures Camp, to take place November 7-8 at Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Ga.

“ Some kids can’t afford to fly to California,” Derek Allister explains as to why there are two now on each coast. “The East event will help kids, particularly in the south, East and Midwest, get a chance to play in front of a large contingency of college coaches.”

The OnDeck founder explains that players in the Midwest and Texas will have the choice of which Futures Camp to attend.

To get to these elite camps, there are several other events that serve as feeders: in 2013-14, OnDeck will run 13 tryout camps and five Jamborees. The Jamborees will be held in Northern Calif., Arizona, Texas and Chicago with one next June still to be finalized.

The first of the tryouts will begin this weekend in Fresno and Sacramento with the intent of the players to impress and get invited to the Jamboree. Each session holds about 45 players and are so popular both have sold out, with the Sacramento tryout becoming full in less than 24 hours.

In between the Jamborees and the Nationals last year was the Colorado National Jamboree which Derek describes as a hybrid.

“It’s a middle ground between the jamborees and the nationals with the talent level being outstanding. Last summer we had 191 kids over two days with 200 college coaches watching.”

He emphasizes the tryouts are key in getting softball standouts seen and invited to each higher level.

“Of the 191 in Colorado, 103 of those came through the tryouts.”

This year, the Allisters and their OnDeck supporting staff will see about 1,500 athletes at the tryouts and another 1,000 at the recruiting events, the Jamborees and Nationals.

“Yes, the bottom line is we see a whole lot of kids,” laughs Derek.

But it’s not just quantity, it’s the quality of players that have college coaches eager to attend. The best compliment OnDeck has received, says Allister, came from a coach that won a National Championship.

“He said, ‘The Thursday at Mt. SAC (the West Coast National Elite Futures Camp) is the most important recruiting day of the year.’”

 

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ONDECK NORCAL JAMBOREE PREVIEW

*** The first of the five OnDeck Softball Jamborees is the NorCal Jamboree which takes place September 6, 2013 in Stockton, Calif.

Here are some of the talented young players expected to be there with comments from Derek Allister:

— 1B/3B Taylor Stephen (American Athletics Gold), 2015
“Taylor exploded on the scene at the Colorado National Jamboree after trying out at the SoCal Tryout last Spring. She is a hitter with good size and athleticism who reminds us of Oregon State sophomore Natalie Hampton at the same stage in their careers.”

— 1B/OF Alexis Lindsey (CA Kryptonite), 2016
“Alexis is on an upward trajectory since her appearance in the June Jamboree in Hemet.”

— MIF/OF Melanie Baccay (Sorcerers), 2016
“Melanie will make her first appearance at an OnDeck event. She has grown and matured since she came to our first NorCal Tryout a year ago. She performed very well in ASA 16U Nationals in Sunnyvale and we are excited to get her in front of the college coaches. Melanie is an athletic player who can run, hit, and defend.”

— OF Livy Schiele (Batbusters-San Diego), 2017
“This San Diego prospect is going to attract a great deal of attention. She is small but quick and is one of the more sophisticated outfield prospects in her class.”

— MIF Katie Vretzos (Sorcerers), 2017
“Katie is also a quick and smooth 2B prospect who will be in Stockton. She continues to improve and is emerging as a solid Division 1 prospect.”

— OF/1B Alyssa Pinto (NorCal Firecrackers), 2018
“Alyssa will continue to blossom as a player. She has played up for the last few years and is a scrappy competitor with a wide range of skills.

— UT Danielle Pasquariello (Central Coast Athletics)
“And finally, we are very excited about Danielle, who’s from Santa Cruz, and will be exploding on the recruiting scene on the 6th. Danielle is a tremendous athlete with size and strength who will become a major hitter at the next level.

 

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VERBAL UPDATES

*** We spoke this afternoon to Coach Darrell McHellon, one of the assistants for the Georgia Power team that finished tied for 9th at the ASA 16U National Championship held in Sunnvale, Calif. from July 28 to August 4.

The team will move up and become an 18U Gold team this year and has some big-time players to make some noise.

One of the key players is McHellon’s own daughter, Savannah McHellon, who is a 2014 P/IF/OF who’s committed to Georgia.

Coach McHellon says Georgia coaches likes her as a pitcher, but also as a hitter.

“Savannah’s greatest asset is probably her hitting,” he explained. “At ASA, she hit eight home runs in 12 games with 24 RBI and a .446 average.

The athlete, who was named as the Georgia Power Player of the Year at a team banquet, committed to the Univ. of Georgia before last fall.

*** Committing more recently was Power leadoff hitter Nicole Cook, a 2014 OF who verballed to Shorter University in Rome, Ga.

Cook hit over .500 for the summer and was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year.

*** Here are the other Georgia Power players who are committed:

— IF Alex Duncan (2014, North Florida)
— IF Katelyn Fuller (2014, Georgia)
— OF Chaycle Goggins (2014, Georgia)
— C/1B/3B Jurie Joyner (2014, Mercer)
— UT Kia Smith (2014, Tennessee State)

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LSU’S TORINA DOUBLES UP ON BABY GIRLS

What a fun way for LSU Head Coach Beth Torina to announce the gender of her new baby! Here’s a clever tweet she did yesterday announcing that she and husband Nick will have a baby daughter in mid-January:

Team pink wins! So happy to welcome the newest member of the Torina family and @LSUsoftball this January! pic.twitter.com/vHT8mSulKA

— Beth Torina (@BethTorina) August 27, 2013

In case you don’t know, the Torina’s adopted a daughter, Taryn, who was born in June so they will now have two girls only seven months apart.

Taryn, in fact, has her own Twitter account: @TarynTorina. She’s amazingly advanced in her social media skills because at the NFP championship she was held by Megan Willis of the USSSA Pride and somehow was able to tweet out:

I only hang with champions @MeganJoWillis pic.twitter.com/mUny1qQnxc

— TARYN Torina (@TARYNTorina) August 25, 2013

Wow, she’s got high expectations already!

Congrats to the Torina and LSU softball families…

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