FAB 50 12U Club Rankings: 20-11
FAB 50 12U Club Rankings: 20-11
We continue our look at the top 2016 pre-summer club rankings for the 12U age division by spotlighting the teams ranked 20-11.Each day this week we’re revea
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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 20-11.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 InTeams 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 Beverly Bandits Futures 12U team, coached by Tony Michalski, has a lot of promising young talent that will be the cornerstone building blocks for the Bandits organization moving forward. This team is built for the future by having a good mix of 2021 and 2022 players combined to develop together. The Bandits Future team already has had several impressive tournament wins at events like the PGF Midwest Best of the Best, Rumble In Rosemont and ASA/USA Ride the Wave. The Bandits are particularly strong up the middle with key players like P Lauren Derkowski, C Larissa Ortiz, 3B Taylor Pannell, and SS Giana Raitano being big-time prospects who will give the Midwest team a chance to make a strong run at PGF Nationals later this summer.
The Diamond Sports Hotshots South team, formerly known as Texas Chaos, is based out of League City, Texas, and is comprised of athletes from all over the Houston and San Antonio areas as well as Lake Charles, Louisiana. This team is one of the most well-rounded teams in 12U with stellar pitching, an aggressive offense and solid defense. The team has been successful since its 8U beginnings when it had a record of 144-8 losses and went undefeated to win the USFA National Championship as well as two Texas State Championships. At 10U, the team went undefeated to win the USFA National title in Florida two years in a row along with the Triple Crown tournament in December of 2014. Last summer the team finished 2nd at the inaugural PGF 10U National Championship and in the fall as first-year 12s—and with an all 2004 team—went undefeated to win the Ronald McDonald Championship. Currently, the Terry Spencer-coached team is 70-27. Key players to are hard-throwing pitchers Emma Strood, Halie Pappion, and Natalie Castoreno—all of whom have a variety of pitches and locate the ball well. Behind the plate is one of the top catchers in Texas in Victoria Valdez, who has a great arm and fearless blocking skills. The rest of the defense is led by 3B/MIF Katie Lott, 2B Klarissa Martinez and OF Seleste Compian. The team can hit, too, as shown by its .381 average this year.
The Fury ’03 team started in August of 2014 with the core of the players and coaches coming from the Kryptonite 2003 team, which finished 1st at the USSSA Oklahoma City Challenge and took 9th place at the ASA Nationals in Johnson City, Tennessee. Based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Coach Jeremy Newcomb’s team is comprised of athletes from Alabama and Tennessee and last summer went 48-14, capped by winning the USSSA World Series 11U title in Orlando, Florida. Build on a corps of outstanding pitchers backed by a tough defense, the Fury went 30-4 in the fall and looks to be strong again in 2016. The team has already been invited to PGF Nationals this summer and will lean on pitchers McKenzie Newcomb, Anyce Harvey and Ryleigh Boyett to get deep into the week in Huntington Beach. The offense will count on OF slapper Jenna Blanton, SS/OF Lauren Hall, 3B/1B Kendal Pitts, 2B Shelby Radford and OF Taylor Yeager.
The Texas Glory 03 team, which is widely respected nationwide, has been coached by Eddie Acuna until recently when the head coaching baton was handed to Reed Robbins, who has a 2021 daughter, Kelby, playing for Ed Naudin’s 14U Texas Glory team. The Glory 03 group has been together for the past two years and has primarily played up at the 14U level. Last weekend, Glory took 5th in a USSSA 14U event held in Texas that fielded 54 teams and went 3-0 in pool play before losing in the quarterfinals. This spring, the team finished 2nd at the Texas Bomber Shootout; in 2015 Glory won the 35-team ASA 12U Fall Texas Challenge Super Series among its many top finishes. The McKinney, Texas-based program has several marque players including pitcher/power hitter Brailey Waski, one of the top players in the 2021 class; lefty speedster Brianna Evans, who is a dominant slapper and also a star running back for her middle school football team (20 touchdowns); Audrey Schneidmiller, a strong-armed catcher with a big bat, and dangerous hitters Kylie Barnes and Alison Cooper.
The Diamond Hotshots North team coached by Nathan Nelson is a first-year 12U team and is the defending PGF 10U National Champions. The Texas team has gone 40-5 this spring playing in top Lone Star State tournaments as well as in the St. Paddy’s Day Blast in Las Vegas. The Hotshot North squad is one of the best teams in the nation because of a strong balance of speed, pitching, defense and timely hitting, but it all starts with perhaps the best lefty pitcher in the 2004 class—Savannah Geurin—who has shined on the biggest of stages as she throws five different pitches for strikes. She is backed up in the circle by Sierra Wiltz and Kasidi Pickering and the staff is helped greatly by catcher Maci Bergeron, who is also a top prospect as she has one of the strongest arms in her class and is a great leader on the field. Other talented prospects to watch are SS Cecilia Vasquez, 2B Jaydyn Goodwin, 2B Emma Garcia, C Emma Garcia, OF Aspyn Nelson, OF Kennedy Gustafson, 3B Kennedy Powell, 3B Emma Garcia, 1B Avery Pemberton, 1B Jules Cuarenta.
The Firecrackers have gone 40-16-2 this spring playing most of the top teams in Southern California and having beaten at least five teams in the Top 20 of the FAB 50 at one point recently. Coached by Kraig King, the So Cal-based squad had top 3 finishes in big fall tournaments like the TCS Fall Classic and Pre-Thanksgiving Cup as well as the Brenda March tourney; this spring, the team finished 3rd at the Ohana Tigers Winter Classic and the Mother’s Day Classic hosted by the Corona Angels. The Firecrackers recently added an elite pitcher in Sammy Pineda and, along with Tanna Schweitzer’s excellent screwball and drop curve, gives the team one of the best pitching tandems in the country. Also, keep an eye on pitcher Piper Reed, who is only 12 years old but is already 6-foot-2 and drawing a lot of interest already. Taylar Lannon is behind the plate and is a likely 2021 Hot 100 prospect while 1B Kailyn Pisciotti is a lefty with a great bat and glove.
The So Cal A’s team coached by Ryan Angulo began in the Fall of 2014 and less than two years later has become not just one of the best 12U club teams in So Cal, but one of the best in the nation. The team has gone 33-10-1 this year playing at the highest level of top competition and this spring won two elite tournaments in the St. Paddy’s Day Blast and the TCS April’s Finest. Earlier this month, the A’s finished 3rd at the Mother’s Day Classic including a win over the eventual champs, the Ohana Tigers. The team is built on speed and pitching, which starts with one of the best in the circle at 12U—Emily Leavitt. Catcher Miranda Lista has one of the best arms in her age group as well and the team is stacked on offense too with leadoff hitter Isabel Rivera, a third baseman, handing the bat with power and great speed to get on base and power coming from 1B Natalia Lira. The A’s also feature a several excellent all-around hitters in CF/SS Marissa Caballero, speedy slapper 2B Sommer Quinones, SS Shilo Carlos and LF/UT Kendall Angulo. The A’s have also already punched their ticket to PGF Nationals.
When top club coaches on the West Coast were asked about top teams, almost all referred to Coach Corey Mathis’s Glendale, Arizona-based Mizuno Storm as one of the best in the West. This year, the program is 98-21 playing primarily at the 14U level locally and travelling to California frequently to compete at 12U. The team went into So Cal for the first PGF 12U Qualifier and got one of four berths offered by going 4-1. The Storm has also won three local 14U tournaments in Phoenix since last summer and went 9-0 at the Pre-Thanksgiving tournament in Southern California. Other top finishes including going 5-1 to take 5th at the Ohana Tigers Classic and going 6-1 at the Las Vegas Classic. The Arizona squad is led by three No. 1-type pitchers in McKenna Feringa, Madelynne Yungblood and Riley Lauffer who all would be aces for any other team but combine to give the Storm a formidable rotation. The team also features a strong defense and a powerful offense to plate runs to support the dominating pitching.
Head Coach Mike Suarez has assembled an A’s team that combines great execution, speed and power in the bats. Since the fall, the A’s have gone 52-18 and won a PGF Nationals berth in Phoenix. Also this spring the team finished tied for 3rd at the TCS President’s Day tournament. Last year, the A’s were the USSSA National Champions behind Savannah Coyle, the ace pitcher who also is a big-time power hitter—she’s currently batting .390 and has an OPS over 1.000. Also integral to the team’s success is C Amanda Gull, who is hitting .429 and a team-leading seven homers, SS Ramsey Suarez who is batting .386 and has a strong arm on defense, OF Cassie Cruz, a .413 hitter and one of four on the team with an OPS over 1.000, C Jordan Peters, who has only made two errors all year and 3B Alexa Yarbro, the No. 2 pitcher and a .405 hitter.
One of the hottest teams this spring is Coach Robert Oakes’ Firecrackers squad that earned a berth to the PGF Nationals the hard way, dropping a game early in a qualifier and then pulling off seven wins in a row. But more than that, the team has the firepower to explode at any time and has beaten fellow FAB 50 teams by scores of 18-1 and 25-4 this spring. Formerly known as the Grisley team that played well at 10U, many coaches feel the Firecrackers have the most potent offense in the country and if they pull it all together could easily play late in the week at PGF Nationals. This spring, the team has gone 17-5-2 and finished 2nd at the both the TCS President’s Day tournament and the ASA Brenda Marsha tournament and tied for 3rd in the TCS Pre-Thanksgiving Cup. Top offensive weapons include SS Reagan Walsh, one of the top hitters in the age division, IF Kelly Breen and 1B/P Charlotte Forniss, but don’t overlook the pitching of Lexi Miramontes and Forniss, both of whom are 2003s invited to an OnDeck Jamboree.
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 InTeams 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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20—Beverly Bandits Futures
The Beverly Bandits Futures 12U team, coached by Tony Michalski, has a lot of promising young talent that will be the cornerstone building blocks for the Bandits organization moving forward. This team is built for the future by having a good mix of 2021 and 2022 players combined to develop together. The Bandits Future team already has had several impressive tournament wins at events like the PGF Midwest Best of the Best, Rumble In Rosemont and ASA/USA Ride the Wave. The Bandits are particularly strong up the middle with key players like P Lauren Derkowski, C Larissa Ortiz, 3B Taylor Pannell, and SS Giana Raitano being big-time prospects who will give the Midwest team a chance to make a strong run at PGF Nationals later this summer.19—Diamond Hotshots South-Spencer
The Diamond Sports Hotshots South team, formerly known as Texas Chaos, is based out of League City, Texas, and is comprised of athletes from all over the Houston and San Antonio areas as well as Lake Charles, Louisiana. This team is one of the most well-rounded teams in 12U with stellar pitching, an aggressive offense and solid defense. The team has been successful since its 8U beginnings when it had a record of 144-8 losses and went undefeated to win the USFA National Championship as well as two Texas State Championships. At 10U, the team went undefeated to win the USFA National title in Florida two years in a row along with the Triple Crown tournament in December of 2014. Last summer the team finished 2nd at the inaugural PGF 10U National Championship and in the fall as first-year 12s—and with an all 2004 team—went undefeated to win the Ronald McDonald Championship. Currently, the Terry Spencer-coached team is 70-27. Key players to are hard-throwing pitchers Emma Strood, Halie Pappion, and Natalie Castoreno—all of whom have a variety of pitches and locate the ball well. Behind the plate is one of the top catchers in Texas in Victoria Valdez, who has a great arm and fearless blocking skills. The rest of the defense is led by 3B/MIF Katie Lott, 2B Klarissa Martinez and OF Seleste Compian. The team can hit, too, as shown by its .381 average this year.18—Tennessee Fury 03
The Fury ’03 team started in August of 2014 with the core of the players and coaches coming from the Kryptonite 2003 team, which finished 1st at the USSSA Oklahoma City Challenge and took 9th place at the ASA Nationals in Johnson City, Tennessee. Based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Coach Jeremy Newcomb’s team is comprised of athletes from Alabama and Tennessee and last summer went 48-14, capped by winning the USSSA World Series 11U title in Orlando, Florida. Build on a corps of outstanding pitchers backed by a tough defense, the Fury went 30-4 in the fall and looks to be strong again in 2016. The team has already been invited to PGF Nationals this summer and will lean on pitchers McKenzie Newcomb, Anyce Harvey and Ryleigh Boyett to get deep into the week in Huntington Beach. The offense will count on OF slapper Jenna Blanton, SS/OF Lauren Hall, 3B/1B Kendal Pitts, 2B Shelby Radford and OF Taylor Yeager.17—Texas Glory 03-Robbins
The Texas Glory 03 team, which is widely respected nationwide, has been coached by Eddie Acuna until recently when the head coaching baton was handed to Reed Robbins, who has a 2021 daughter, Kelby, playing for Ed Naudin’s 14U Texas Glory team. The Glory 03 group has been together for the past two years and has primarily played up at the 14U level. Last weekend, Glory took 5th in a USSSA 14U event held in Texas that fielded 54 teams and went 3-0 in pool play before losing in the quarterfinals. This spring, the team finished 2nd at the Texas Bomber Shootout; in 2015 Glory won the 35-team ASA 12U Fall Texas Challenge Super Series among its many top finishes. The McKinney, Texas-based program has several marque players including pitcher/power hitter Brailey Waski, one of the top players in the 2021 class; lefty speedster Brianna Evans, who is a dominant slapper and also a star running back for her middle school football team (20 touchdowns); Audrey Schneidmiller, a strong-armed catcher with a big bat, and dangerous hitters Kylie Barnes and Alison Cooper.16—Diamond Hotshots North-Nelson
The Diamond Hotshots North team coached by Nathan Nelson is a first-year 12U team and is the defending PGF 10U National Champions. The Texas team has gone 40-5 this spring playing in top Lone Star State tournaments as well as in the St. Paddy’s Day Blast in Las Vegas. The Hotshot North squad is one of the best teams in the nation because of a strong balance of speed, pitching, defense and timely hitting, but it all starts with perhaps the best lefty pitcher in the 2004 class—Savannah Geurin—who has shined on the biggest of stages as she throws five different pitches for strikes. She is backed up in the circle by Sierra Wiltz and Kasidi Pickering and the staff is helped greatly by catcher Maci Bergeron, who is also a top prospect as she has one of the strongest arms in her class and is a great leader on the field. Other talented prospects to watch are SS Cecilia Vasquez, 2B Jaydyn Goodwin, 2B Emma Garcia, C Emma Garcia, OF Aspyn Nelson, OF Kennedy Gustafson, 3B Kennedy Powell, 3B Emma Garcia, 1B Avery Pemberton, 1B Jules Cuarenta.15—Firecrackers-Ensey/King
The Firecrackers have gone 40-16-2 this spring playing most of the top teams in Southern California and having beaten at least five teams in the Top 20 of the FAB 50 at one point recently. Coached by Kraig King, the So Cal-based squad had top 3 finishes in big fall tournaments like the TCS Fall Classic and Pre-Thanksgiving Cup as well as the Brenda March tourney; this spring, the team finished 3rd at the Ohana Tigers Winter Classic and the Mother’s Day Classic hosted by the Corona Angels. The Firecrackers recently added an elite pitcher in Sammy Pineda and, along with Tanna Schweitzer’s excellent screwball and drop curve, gives the team one of the best pitching tandems in the country. Also, keep an eye on pitcher Piper Reed, who is only 12 years old but is already 6-foot-2 and drawing a lot of interest already. Taylar Lannon is behind the plate and is a likely 2021 Hot 100 prospect while 1B Kailyn Pisciotti is a lefty with a great bat and glove. 14—So Cal A's-Angulo
The So Cal A’s team coached by Ryan Angulo began in the Fall of 2014 and less than two years later has become not just one of the best 12U club teams in So Cal, but one of the best in the nation. The team has gone 33-10-1 this year playing at the highest level of top competition and this spring won two elite tournaments in the St. Paddy’s Day Blast and the TCS April’s Finest. Earlier this month, the A’s finished 3rd at the Mother’s Day Classic including a win over the eventual champs, the Ohana Tigers. The team is built on speed and pitching, which starts with one of the best in the circle at 12U—Emily Leavitt. Catcher Miranda Lista has one of the best arms in her age group as well and the team is stacked on offense too with leadoff hitter Isabel Rivera, a third baseman, handing the bat with power and great speed to get on base and power coming from 1B Natalia Lira. The A’s also feature a several excellent all-around hitters in CF/SS Marissa Caballero, speedy slapper 2B Sommer Quinones, SS Shilo Carlos and LF/UT Kendall Angulo. The A’s have also already punched their ticket to PGF Nationals.13—AZ Mizuno Storm-Mathis
When top club coaches on the West Coast were asked about top teams, almost all referred to Coach Corey Mathis’s Glendale, Arizona-based Mizuno Storm as one of the best in the West. This year, the program is 98-21 playing primarily at the 14U level locally and travelling to California frequently to compete at 12U. The team went into So Cal for the first PGF 12U Qualifier and got one of four berths offered by going 4-1. The Storm has also won three local 14U tournaments in Phoenix since last summer and went 9-0 at the Pre-Thanksgiving tournament in Southern California. Other top finishes including going 5-1 to take 5th at the Ohana Tigers Classic and going 6-1 at the Las Vegas Classic. The Arizona squad is led by three No. 1-type pitchers in McKenna Feringa, Madelynne Yungblood and Riley Lauffer who all would be aces for any other team but combine to give the Storm a formidable rotation. The team also features a strong defense and a powerful offense to plate runs to support the dominating pitching.12—So Cal A's-Mercado/Suarez
Head Coach Mike Suarez has assembled an A’s team that combines great execution, speed and power in the bats. Since the fall, the A’s have gone 52-18 and won a PGF Nationals berth in Phoenix. Also this spring the team finished tied for 3rd at the TCS President’s Day tournament. Last year, the A’s were the USSSA National Champions behind Savannah Coyle, the ace pitcher who also is a big-time power hitter—she’s currently batting .390 and has an OPS over 1.000. Also integral to the team’s success is C Amanda Gull, who is hitting .429 and a team-leading seven homers, SS Ramsey Suarez who is batting .386 and has a strong arm on defense, OF Cassie Cruz, a .413 hitter and one of four on the team with an OPS over 1.000, C Jordan Peters, who has only made two errors all year and 3B Alexa Yarbro, the No. 2 pitcher and a .405 hitter.11—Firecrackers-Oakes
One of the hottest teams this spring is Coach Robert Oakes’ Firecrackers squad that earned a berth to the PGF Nationals the hard way, dropping a game early in a qualifier and then pulling off seven wins in a row. But more than that, the team has the firepower to explode at any time and has beaten fellow FAB 50 teams by scores of 18-1 and 25-4 this spring. Formerly known as the Grisley team that played well at 10U, many coaches feel the Firecrackers have the most potent offense in the country and if they pull it all together could easily play late in the week at PGF Nationals. This spring, the team has gone 17-5-2 and finished 2nd at the both the TCS President’s Day tournament and the ASA Brenda Marsha tournament and tied for 3rd in the TCS Pre-Thanksgiving Cup. Top offensive weapons include SS Reagan Walsh, one of the top hitters in the age division, IF Kelly Breen and 1B/P Charlotte Forniss, but don’t overlook the pitching of Lexi Miramontes and Forniss, both of whom are 2003s invited to an OnDeck Jamboree.