FAB 50 16U Club Rankings: 10-1
FAB 50 16U Club Rankings: 10-1
We continue our look at the top 2016 club rankings for the 16U age division by spotlighting the teams ranked 10-12.Each day this week we’re revealing 10 tea
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We continue our look at the top 2016 club rankings for the 16U age division by spotlighting the teams ranked 10-12.
Each day this week we’re revealing 10 teams as we march to our Top 10 squads to be listed on Friday!
Teams were selected based on fall performances and results in events (showcases and tournaments) as well as how they did last year and the amount of talent returning for this upcoming run at Nationals.
Input was also provided by dozens of top club and college coaches from around the nation.
Click here to see previous rankings lists: 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, 20-11
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Each day this week we’re revealing 10 teams as we march to our Top 10 squads to be listed on Friday!
Teams were selected based on fall performances and results in events (showcases and tournaments) as well as how they did last year and the amount of talent returning for this upcoming run at Nationals.
Input was also provided by dozens of top club and college coaches from around the nation.
Click here to see previous rankings lists: 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, 20-11
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| Rank | Team | Bio |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | So Cal Athletics - McNee | Coach Steve McNee has been in this position before: in 2014, the McNee/(Doug) Myers team won the PGF 16U Nationals and after an early exti this year at PGF looks to have reloaded with 19 new players (only three returners). The revamped lineup had a strong fall highlighted by winning the PGF Ultimate Challenge in October and going 4-2 at the Diamond 9 Fall Showcase with the losses coming to other FAB 50 Top 10 teams. The A’s feature four strong pitchers including the tandem of Shelby Macias (2019, uncommitted) and Paige Vargas (2018, uncommitted) that dominated at the Ultimate Challenge. The offense is paced by Allison Englant (2017, Ohio Univ.) who has speed and gap power and infielder Alondra Mejia (2018, uncommitted) who is a big lefty slugger who crushes the long ball. |
| 9 | Georgia Impact National - Lewis | Last year, the Georgia Impact organization had two 16U teams that finished high at PGF Nationals: the first-year Jeffreys team took 5th while the 2nd year Gibson squad finished 13th. This powerful organization has now combined the top players into the National team coached by Patrick Lewis and Logan Foulks. Like many teams in the South, weather problems meant the Impact only played in two tournaments so the 8-2 record didn’t reveal much, but the future is bright with the team as the chemistry starts to build and the talent emerge. Many feel the defense and offense, especially the hitting, is improved and the question will be who will step up at pitcher. A good bet is Rachel Vaughn, a 2018 commit to South Carolina. Position players to watch include 2017 outfielder Jaydra Von Behren (Georgia Tech) and 2019 first baseman/outfielder Jaiden Fields (Georgia). |
| 8 | Explosion - Greg | The Explosion program continues to grow in size and success and Coach Greg Borzilleri has his best team ever as shown by a 7-0 record at So Cal’s Finest where the team outscored opponents 33-1 in the 18U Gold Bracket. Explosion has 16 of last year’s 21 rostered players committed, many to elite programs, and the depth of the team is one of the best in the nation. Those in the organization feel the balance of speed, power and defense give the team a chance to make a run to the PGF National Championship and the experience of returning players is impressive. The core of top talent includes catcher Liliana Bishop (2017, North Carolina State), infielder Hannah Ramelot (2017, Cal Poly SLO) Casey Shell, Maddy Ruffin and and Isabella Gargicevich-Almeida among others. |
| 7 | So Cal Choppers - Ziese | The Choppers have totally reloaded with all of the 2018s that played for the So Cal Choppers – Fausett 14U team that won the Triple Crown Nationals and the first Boulder IDT 14U tournament. Jim Ziese’s girls showed how competitive they can be by finishing 2nd at the PGF Ultimate Challenge and in the Top 5 of the PGF Shootout this fall. The Choppers are led by the dynamic pitching combo of Shea O’Leary (2018, Texas), who throws in the mid-60’s and changes speeds effectively, and Cassidy Cangemi (2018, Boise State), who works the whole zone with multiple pitches. The offense is paced by middle infielder Lucy Yang (2017, Penn), outfielder Makenna Harper (2018, Arizona State), catcher Makena Smith (2018, Cal) and outfielder Jaclyn Napoli (2017, Cal Poly). |
| 6 | EC Bullets - Biele | The EC Bullets, coached by Andrew Biele, already had one of the top pitchers in the country in 2019 Kelley Lynch, who will likely commit before long to an SEC school. Lynch helped the Bullets win the Triple Crown Southeast Nationals and place 5th at the Triple Crown Sparkler Junior tournament. Then, after the summer, the Bullets added a pair of 2018 Hot 100 pitchers in Logan Caymol (Tennessee commit) and Kassidy Krupit (Delaware) as well as three others from the Georgia Impact-Lewis team that finished 2nd at PGF 14U Nationals. Obviously the pitching is top-notch—coach’s daughter Angelina Biele is another standout hurler—but the offense is outstanding as well with three players that run under 2.7 second home-to-first. So far four players have committed to SEC schools and with Lynch and several others it could be as many as nine. |
| 5 | Beverly Bandits DeMarini | The Bandits DeMarini team finished 3rd at PGF 14U Nationals last summer and with a power-pitcher like 2018, a 6-foot-1 flame thrower committed to Alabama, it’s not hard to see the team making a deep run in any tournament. Coach Eddy Ketelhut leads a team that many feel is actually better than the elite squad from 2015 because it now has a good balance of speed, power and athleticism. Infielder Morgan Overaitis, a 2018 verbal to Michigan is one of the play-makers on offense and centerfielder/catcher Jayme Bailey, a 2018 commit to Virginia Tech is a versatile player who hits for power and also has speed to cause havoc. |
| 4 | Corona Angels - Slye | This Angels team has been together since 12U and was coached by organization founder Marty Tyson himself. Over the past few years the team has finished 1st, 3rd and 5th and many club coaches say this team has the talent and cohesiveness to win it all. At the PGF Shootout in Southern California this fall playing as one of 32 top teams in 16U, the Angels finished 2nd to So Cal Athletics TO-Mercado. Coach Dena Slye’s team features two excellent returning pitchers in Annalise DeLa Roca (2017, Arizona State), who mixes a drop with an off-speed curve, and Brenna Smith (2018, Georgia Tech, who throws hard but is adding an effective change. The position players includes one of the top 2019’s in the nation, middle infielder Brooke Marquez who committed this fall to Notre Dame. |
| 3 | So Cal Athletics TO - Mercado | The So Cal A’s TO – Mercado team finished 3rd at the PGF 14U Nationals and returns the same standout players with additions from the 16U Mercado/Jendro team from last year. Over the last four years, the A’s have finished no lower than 5th at PGF Nationals with a title at the 12U division. For the fall, the team went 39-3-2 and has the benefit of drawing talent from 10 teams who workout at the Mercado/Tidd Academy. One key to the A’s success is the squad only travels 14 players, but each has a purpose and role along with getting a lot of playing time. Coach Brian Tidd’s daughters, Payton, a 2018 Hot 100 pitcher committed to Notre Dame, and Emily, a 2018 outfielder/third baseman verballed to Utah State, are two of the standouts on the team. |
| 2 | Beverly Bandits - Conroy | The Bandits made an interesting coaching move this year as Coach Jenn Tyrell, who won a PGF National Championship in 2013 with the 16U Bandits, has moved up to lead the 18U team while Bandits head man, Bill Conroy, has moved to 16U to hand-pick players from seven teams in the vast organization to get a mix of players to fit his preferred style of a blend of speed and power in a motion offense that is heavy on lefty sticks. Most of all, however, the Conroy 16U is built around defense and pitching and this squad features two of the best hurlers in their respective classes: Meghan Beaubien (2017, Michigan) is a two-time Michigan Gatorade Sate Player of the Year and Sydney Supple (2019, Northwestern) is also a franchise player in the circle and at the plate. At the plate, Hannah Carson (2018, Michigan) is one of the top power-hitting catchers in the country and Nikki "Lucky" Cuchran (2018, DePaul) can rake against the best pitching in the country. |
| 1 | Birmingham Thunderbolts 99' - Roberson | The No. 1 team in the country returns everyone from a team that finished 3rd at PGF Nationals last year—the highest returning team 16U. The Bolts, coached by Jay Roberson, had the unfortunate luck of running into a buzzsaw team, the Tampa Mustangs, that won it all with 12 straight wins after losing the play-in game. Two of the wins were one-run victories over the Bolts who were missing their No. 1 pitcher and two speed players out with injuries. All three are back plus the team has added 6-foot-1 lefty pitcher Grace Fagan from New Jersey and dangerous 6-foot power-hitting catcher Abbey Latham. The talent on the Bolts is obscene: 10 SEC commits, 1 Big 12 verbal and another player going to the ACC. With all this talent coming back and the balance of speed, power and pitching, the Bolts have the goods to hold off some seriously talented competition. Will they? That remains to be seen and is why they play the games! |