Friday night in Irvine, Calif. saw 160 elite softball players from around the country work out at the PGF-Surf City October Showcase Camp/Clinic.

Players came from as far away as New Jersey and Texas to work out at Bill Barber Stadium and consisted of players in the classes of 2015 through 2019.

The players did the typical on-field skills drills including hitting, fielding, pitching and catching, but what made this event unique was the approach to testing similar to what you might find at a football combine.

“The most important thing about this camp,” explained Dan Hay, the President and CEO of PGF, producer of the event, “is that we’re breaking new ground in the testing and measurement market.”

“This is the model Sue Enquist (former UCLA head coach) has been promotion the last several years and she asked PGF to led the way and we’re excited about the direction this is heading. We’ve partnered with Sportsboard and have brought EM Training in to do the testing and feel this is second to none in how we’re executing it.”

Enquist, in fact, was at the event to see how the testing was executed including the station done by Zepp to measure hitting metrics such as bat speed.

“We have to create an environment where there is a consistency of information and where it’s beneficial to the kids spending the money to go to events like these and for college coaches flying in to see the players,” Enquist explained after the event.

“PGF is doing a good job in implementing combine testing with on-the-field skills, but it will take some time to show everybody the value of standardization and we will learn as we go. We need to create a level playing field with objective measurables which will help players and the coaches make a better college decision.”

If there was an increased interest in the testing component of Friday night’s event, then the “winner” of the measurable would have to be infielder Riley Kuderca, a 2018 grad who plays in the Sorcerer organization.

Riley came in first in the home-to-first test with an electronically timed 2.81 seconds and also was best in the 20-yard shuttle as she recorded a 4.56 second time, which would be good if this was a football combine.

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Here is a look at 10 other players who drew attention from the staff running the drills as well as from college coaches (listed in order of grad year, oldest to youngest):

— 1B/OF Brenna Youngquist (2015, Teamsmith 18U)
A strong power-hitter who had good vision in watching where the pitch was thrown and then going with the pitch to hit it where thrown.

— P/OF Lauren Pascual (2015, Strikeforce Gold – Guerrera)
Showed good movement on her pitches with a strong riseball and good off-speed pitches.

— P/SS Jordan Wehr (2015, Raptors)
The Arizona senior throws close to 60 mph and has good movement. Also a basketball player, she’s a good all-around athlete who can hit well too.

— 2B/OF Samatha Vacko (2016, Firecrackers-Brashear)
Many scouts felt she was the best player at the camp/clinic, she’s a phenomenal defensive outfielder with a live arm whose stock will soar after tonight’s performance.

— P Francesca Mendoza (2016, OC Elite)
Another outstanding pitcher who kept the ball down and moved the ball in and out.

— 1B/OF Delaney Marshall (2017, Arizona Hotshots Elite Gold)
Picks the ball well at first and is raw in the outfield, but has impressive ability and a high ceiling.

— MIF Brianna Hill (2017, NW Bullets)
One of the top hitters at the camp/clinic, she was smashing line drives all over the field and the camp pitching staff was raving about her.

— 3B/SS Alyssa Ramirez (2017, All American Sports Academy – Harrison)
Another dominating power hitter who was smashing balls deep into left field (over the soccer goals for those who were there!).

— C/3B Jessica McAlister (2017, Mizuno Storm – Mizuno)
This New Mexico standout turned on the ball well and everything she hit seemed to be a frozen rope to the outfield.

— 2B/OF Melissa Spencer (2018, So Cal Choppers – Fausett 14U)
Many college coaches were talking about her play in the infield where she showed really good hands. She also showcased her speed and will likely have multiple offers within the next few weeks.