FAB 50 12U Club Rankings: 30-21
FAB 50 12U Club Rankings: 30-21
We continue our look at the top 2016 pre-summer club rankings for the 12U age division by spotlighting the teams ranked 30-21.
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We continue our look at the top 2016 pre-summer club rankings for the 12U age division by spotlighting the teams ranked 30-21. Each day this week we’re revealing 10 teams as we head towards Friday’s unveiling of the Top 10!
Here’s the schedule:
Mon., May 16: No.’s 50-41
Tue., May 17: No.’s 40-31
Wed., May 18: No.’s 30-21
Thu., May 19: No.’s 20-11
Fri., May 20: No.’s 10-1
Sat., May 21: Next Teams In
Teams were selected based on performances and results in events over the last year, including this fall and winter, as well as how they project for the summer with the talent returning for the upcoming run at Nationals.Input was also provided by dozens of top club and college coaches from around the nation.
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The Pines Thunder team out of Pembroke Pines, Florida, is a second-year 12U squad and has a 36-11 mark playing primarily in 14U showcases (eight of the loses have been against 14U/15U teams). The team is coached by Rudy Crespo and has already won five tournaments this year—all being in the 14U division. The Thunder earned its berth to the ASA Nationals in Roanoke, Virginia, and also will be competing at the ASA/Under Armour Softball Factory Showcase in the 14U division in Vero Beach, Florida. The team has strong talent across the board led by C/SS Kirsten Caravaca, who’s been in the Pines Thunder organization since 2010 and is considered one of the top young players in Florida. She was the Tournament MVP at the 2014 USSSA Road to Orlando World Series. Jessi Magee was the Most Outstanding Pitcher at the Road to Orlando Series and is one of the most dominant 12U pitchers in the South. The offense is led by a trio of speedy hitters in 2B Brooke Barnard, perhaps the fastest player on the team; OF Tiffany Meek, who covers a lot of ground in the outfield and OF Bianca Polistina, a triple threat slapper who also has excellent defensive skills.
The So Cal Dirt Dog program has quickly become one of the top young organizations in the West and Yancy Romero’s 12U team has been impressive over the last year going 102-25-5 since September. The team became PGF Nationals qualified with a top finish at the Las Vegas PGF Qualifier and has won the TCS Gluv Mother’s Day Tournament and finished 2nd at the Ohana Tigers Winter Classic and the TCS President’s Day Showdown. Last year, as a first-year 12U team, the Dirt Dogs finished 9th in the Gold Bracket at the TCS World Series. The team has two elite pitchers who can bring the heat in Ashlyn Zermeno and Alyssa Rubalcava and the team offensively has power 1-through-9 in the line-up. Opponents call the Dirt Dogs “scrappy” and “deep on defense” with seasoned middle infielders, big and quick corners, outstanding outfielders with strong arms and a trio of catchers who all can pick runners off base and shut down the running game.
The Team NC Louisville Slugger 2021 squad--formerly known as The Green Machine 03 until joining Team NC in 2014—is based in Locust, a small town in North Carolina, 25 minutes east of Charlotte. Coach Ed Hatch’s team, however, is anything but small-time as it has grown from an 8U rec ball team to become one of the 12U powers on the East Coast. Last year, in its first season at 12U, Team NC finished second to Team NC 2020 in the ASA State Championship and in October finished in the top eight of 64 teams in the Atlanta Fastpitch Classic. The team is currently 33-5 this year including a 6-2 mark against 14U teams. In April, Coach Hatch’s team won the Cherry Blossom tournament going 7-0 while scoring 67 runs and giving up just one. The pitching ace is lefty Jordan Hatch, already considered one of the best hurlers in the 12U age division, and is nicely complemented by P/SS Icess Tresvick. The coach’s daughter, P/1B/OF Jordan Hatch, and four others—P/SS Morgan Edwards, C/3B Kailey Furr, 3B Meredith Harwood and OF Riley Barbee—have been with the team since the beginning (2008). Team NC will play at the Atlanta Legacy Prospects tourney in June and will play at PGF Nationals in July before moving to 14U in the fall.
The Beverly Bandits DeMarini team is one of two 12U teams from the Bandits organization that has a chance to make some noise this summer. Coached by Matt Helbling, the Bandits have been awarded berths to the ASA World Series as well as the USSSA Elite Select tournament, but will be attending the PGF Nationals this July in Huntington Beach. Over the past year the Bandits DeMarini team has won tournaments such as the USSSA Fall Flight, Ohio ASA Qualifier, USSSA Pot O’Gold and the USSSA Grand Slam while taking 2nd at the Atlanta Fastpitch Classic. The team is solid offensively with big hitters like CF/SS Ava Aguilar, C/3B Sarah Stone, SS/OF Lexi Campbell and P/2B Macy Krohman leading the way. The pitching is also deep and talented with Krohman, Kaleigh Lamb, Elia Whitney and Maddie Gordon all capable of shutting down opponents and taking over a game.
Trey Shaw’s Freedome 12U team qualified for PGF Nationals in April after winning the Dallas/Ft. Worth PGF Qualifier a month after winning the 14U Mizuno ASA Spring Tournament. The Freedom organization has teams in Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas and Coach Shaw’s team is based in Dallas/Ft. Worth where it draws on some of the top talent in the Southwest including Alexa Langeliers who plays shortstop and hits third in the line-up. Considered one of the most athletic players in the state, Alexa possesses great range and a strong arm while bringing a lot of power to the plate. Third base standout Elia Hebel is a big, strong masher who hits in the 4-four hole and hits the ball as hard as any player in the 12U division. IF/UT standout Sydney Ingle is a dynamic player and vocal leader for the team and can play anywhere on the field.
Coach Trowell is in his second year of building the Atlanta Vipers 03 team which has gone 50-15 over the past year. The Vipers won the first ASA Qualifier in Georgia and finished in the Top 5 at the Atlanta Fastpitch Classic. The team’s strength is its outstanding defense along with speed and aggressiveness at the plate and on the bases to keep opponents on their heels. A relatively new team—it started in the Fall of 2014—the Douglasville, Georgia-based program has improved quickly and is competitive with the top teams in the Southeast. Team leaders include SS Mary Beth Griffin, a five-tool player who is one of the fastest players in the South; OF Jolie Lester, a triple threat slapper who can hit 1-through-5 and P Emma Vessell, who has good spins and can move the ball to both sides of the plate mixing in effectively her drop and curve.
The Choppers, led by Coach Raymond Gurule and under the direction of Gary and Dean Fausett, are an all 2003 team. Playing elite competition, the Choppers have gone 54-32 since October and finished 1st in the Batbusters Christmas Joy tournament in December and 5th in the Triple Crown Monster Mash in October. Capable of beating anyone on any given day, the Whittier, California-based team has knocked off several other 12U teams in the FAB 50 Top 20 rankings. The team is loaded with a trio of standout pitchers including Dahlia Fink, who is 5-foot-9 and keeps hitters off-balance with a change and curve while hitting .700 offensively. Pitcher McKenzie Boehm throws in the high 50’s with a screw and change and fellow hurler Ashley Benavides has great spin and gets a lot of ground balls. The Choppers also have one of the best defenses in the country led by C Alysse Dodge, 3B Sierra Daley and SS Isabela Gurule.
Jennifer Birch’s Breeze team, which finished 9th at last year’s ASA 12U Nationals in Sacramento, is considered by many as the top program in its age division in Northern California. The Breeze 12U team became the second in its organization to receive a PGF Nationals berth when it qualified earlier this spring. The Breeze has dominated several tournaments this year including the Ohana Tigers Winter Classic where it placed 1st of 36 teams, going 8-0 for the weekend by scoring 43 runs while only giving up six runs. Over the last two years, the Breeze 03 team has an overall record of 257-44-9 and has played in the championship in 36 of 52 tournaments, winning 23 of them. Players to watch include Jenna Birch, a 2022 righty pitcher/power hitter who also plays third base, C/OF Lauren Asia, also a 2022, but already one of the offensive leaders on the team and SS Sydney Peterson, who has been the starting shortstop for three years.
Texas Impact Gold-Applebe is a second-year 12U team based in Deer Park, Texas and has a core of players who finished 3rd in the nation two years ago at ASA Nationals and was one of the only first-year teams who competed at PGF Nationals last year. Jason Applebe’s team will be back at PGF Nationals this summer and will field a team that features speed and power on offense and good pitching depth offering different looks. Last fall Impact Gold finished 1st in the Texas ASA Challenger Series in Dallas and this spring played up at 14U in the Spring ASA Challenger Series and finished 6th. Starting in December, the team played extensively 14U events until recently going back to the 12U level where the team made it to the championship game in its first 12U tournament.
Here’s the schedule:
Mon., May 16: No.’s 50-41
Tue., May 17: No.’s 40-31
Wed., May 18: No.’s 30-21
Thu., May 19: No.’s 20-11
Fri., May 20: No.’s 10-1
Sat., May 21: Next Teams In
Teams were selected based on performances and results in events over the last year, including this fall and winter, as well as how they project for the summer with the talent returning for the upcoming run at Nationals.Input was also provided by dozens of top club and college coaches from around the nation.
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30—Jersey Intensity
The Jersey Intensity National KOD team (initials are for founder Kevin O’Donnell) is coached by Ken Oh, father of 2017 Hot 100 pitcher Kelsey Oh who is headed to South Carolina. The Intensity team is already PGF Nationals qualified and is led by pitcher Marissa Frederick, who also has ties to the FloSoftball Hot 100 as her sister, Samantha, made the 2017 list as well. The team’s strength are pitching, speed and power bats. The ace of the Intensity, Marissa has hit 59 mph on the gun and averages 57 mph consistently mixing in a splitter, cutter, screw, rise, drop and even an offspeed knuckle slurve. Another top prospect on the team is Erin Rafferty, a pitcher who is already drawing college interest. The Intensity has looked good this year at previous events like Diamond9 and Cherry Blossom.29—Pines Thunder 03
The Pines Thunder team out of Pembroke Pines, Florida, is a second-year 12U squad and has a 36-11 mark playing primarily in 14U showcases (eight of the loses have been against 14U/15U teams). The team is coached by Rudy Crespo and has already won five tournaments this year—all being in the 14U division. The Thunder earned its berth to the ASA Nationals in Roanoke, Virginia, and also will be competing at the ASA/Under Armour Softball Factory Showcase in the 14U division in Vero Beach, Florida. The team has strong talent across the board led by C/SS Kirsten Caravaca, who’s been in the Pines Thunder organization since 2010 and is considered one of the top young players in Florida. She was the Tournament MVP at the 2014 USSSA Road to Orlando World Series. Jessi Magee was the Most Outstanding Pitcher at the Road to Orlando Series and is one of the most dominant 12U pitchers in the South. The offense is led by a trio of speedy hitters in 2B Brooke Barnard, perhaps the fastest player on the team; OF Tiffany Meek, who covers a lot of ground in the outfield and OF Bianca Polistina, a triple threat slapper who also has excellent defensive skills.28—So Cal Dirt Dogs-Romero
The So Cal Dirt Dog program has quickly become one of the top young organizations in the West and Yancy Romero’s 12U team has been impressive over the last year going 102-25-5 since September. The team became PGF Nationals qualified with a top finish at the Las Vegas PGF Qualifier and has won the TCS Gluv Mother’s Day Tournament and finished 2nd at the Ohana Tigers Winter Classic and the TCS President’s Day Showdown. Last year, as a first-year 12U team, the Dirt Dogs finished 9th in the Gold Bracket at the TCS World Series. The team has two elite pitchers who can bring the heat in Ashlyn Zermeno and Alyssa Rubalcava and the team offensively has power 1-through-9 in the line-up. Opponents call the Dirt Dogs “scrappy” and “deep on defense” with seasoned middle infielders, big and quick corners, outstanding outfielders with strong arms and a trio of catchers who all can pick runners off base and shut down the running game.27—Team NC-Hatch
The Team NC Louisville Slugger 2021 squad--formerly known as The Green Machine 03 until joining Team NC in 2014—is based in Locust, a small town in North Carolina, 25 minutes east of Charlotte. Coach Ed Hatch’s team, however, is anything but small-time as it has grown from an 8U rec ball team to become one of the 12U powers on the East Coast. Last year, in its first season at 12U, Team NC finished second to Team NC 2020 in the ASA State Championship and in October finished in the top eight of 64 teams in the Atlanta Fastpitch Classic. The team is currently 33-5 this year including a 6-2 mark against 14U teams. In April, Coach Hatch’s team won the Cherry Blossom tournament going 7-0 while scoring 67 runs and giving up just one. The pitching ace is lefty Jordan Hatch, already considered one of the best hurlers in the 12U age division, and is nicely complemented by P/SS Icess Tresvick. The coach’s daughter, P/1B/OF Jordan Hatch, and four others—P/SS Morgan Edwards, C/3B Kailey Furr, 3B Meredith Harwood and OF Riley Barbee—have been with the team since the beginning (2008). Team NC will play at the Atlanta Legacy Prospects tourney in June and will play at PGF Nationals in July before moving to 14U in the fall.26—Beverly Bandits DeMarini
The Beverly Bandits DeMarini team is one of two 12U teams from the Bandits organization that has a chance to make some noise this summer. Coached by Matt Helbling, the Bandits have been awarded berths to the ASA World Series as well as the USSSA Elite Select tournament, but will be attending the PGF Nationals this July in Huntington Beach. Over the past year the Bandits DeMarini team has won tournaments such as the USSSA Fall Flight, Ohio ASA Qualifier, USSSA Pot O’Gold and the USSSA Grand Slam while taking 2nd at the Atlanta Fastpitch Classic. The team is solid offensively with big hitters like CF/SS Ava Aguilar, C/3B Sarah Stone, SS/OF Lexi Campbell and P/2B Macy Krohman leading the way. The pitching is also deep and talented with Krohman, Kaleigh Lamb, Elia Whitney and Maddie Gordon all capable of shutting down opponents and taking over a game.25—American Freedom-Shaw
Trey Shaw’s Freedome 12U team qualified for PGF Nationals in April after winning the Dallas/Ft. Worth PGF Qualifier a month after winning the 14U Mizuno ASA Spring Tournament. The Freedom organization has teams in Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas and Coach Shaw’s team is based in Dallas/Ft. Worth where it draws on some of the top talent in the Southwest including Alexa Langeliers who plays shortstop and hits third in the line-up. Considered one of the most athletic players in the state, Alexa possesses great range and a strong arm while bringing a lot of power to the plate. Third base standout Elia Hebel is a big, strong masher who hits in the 4-four hole and hits the ball as hard as any player in the 12U division. IF/UT standout Sydney Ingle is a dynamic player and vocal leader for the team and can play anywhere on the field. 24—Atlanta Vipers-Trowell
Coach Trowell is in his second year of building the Atlanta Vipers 03 team which has gone 50-15 over the past year. The Vipers won the first ASA Qualifier in Georgia and finished in the Top 5 at the Atlanta Fastpitch Classic. The team’s strength is its outstanding defense along with speed and aggressiveness at the plate and on the bases to keep opponents on their heels. A relatively new team—it started in the Fall of 2014—the Douglasville, Georgia-based program has improved quickly and is competitive with the top teams in the Southeast. Team leaders include SS Mary Beth Griffin, a five-tool player who is one of the fastest players in the South; OF Jolie Lester, a triple threat slapper who can hit 1-through-5 and P Emma Vessell, who has good spins and can move the ball to both sides of the plate mixing in effectively her drop and curve.23—So Cal Choppers-Gurule
The Choppers, led by Coach Raymond Gurule and under the direction of Gary and Dean Fausett, are an all 2003 team. Playing elite competition, the Choppers have gone 54-32 since October and finished 1st in the Batbusters Christmas Joy tournament in December and 5th in the Triple Crown Monster Mash in October. Capable of beating anyone on any given day, the Whittier, California-based team has knocked off several other 12U teams in the FAB 50 Top 20 rankings. The team is loaded with a trio of standout pitchers including Dahlia Fink, who is 5-foot-9 and keeps hitters off-balance with a change and curve while hitting .700 offensively. Pitcher McKenzie Boehm throws in the high 50’s with a screw and change and fellow hurler Ashley Benavides has great spin and gets a lot of ground balls. The Choppers also have one of the best defenses in the country led by C Alysse Dodge, 3B Sierra Daley and SS Isabela Gurule.22—CA Breeze-Birch
Jennifer Birch’s Breeze team, which finished 9th at last year’s ASA 12U Nationals in Sacramento, is considered by many as the top program in its age division in Northern California. The Breeze 12U team became the second in its organization to receive a PGF Nationals berth when it qualified earlier this spring. The Breeze has dominated several tournaments this year including the Ohana Tigers Winter Classic where it placed 1st of 36 teams, going 8-0 for the weekend by scoring 43 runs while only giving up six runs. Over the last two years, the Breeze 03 team has an overall record of 257-44-9 and has played in the championship in 36 of 52 tournaments, winning 23 of them. Players to watch include Jenna Birch, a 2022 righty pitcher/power hitter who also plays third base, C/OF Lauren Asia, also a 2022, but already one of the offensive leaders on the team and SS Sydney Peterson, who has been the starting shortstop for three years.21—Texas Impact Gold-Applebe
Texas Impact Gold-Applebe is a second-year 12U team based in Deer Park, Texas and has a core of players who finished 3rd in the nation two years ago at ASA Nationals and was one of the only first-year teams who competed at PGF Nationals last year. Jason Applebe’s team will be back at PGF Nationals this summer and will field a team that features speed and power on offense and good pitching depth offering different looks. Last fall Impact Gold finished 1st in the Texas ASA Challenger Series in Dallas and this spring played up at 14U in the Spring ASA Challenger Series and finished 6th. Starting in December, the team played extensively 14U events until recently going back to the 12U level where the team made it to the championship game in its first 12U tournament.