And thus it begins…

The premier event of the club season, the PGF 18U National Championship, kicked off with pool games all day Sunday in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Irvine, Calif. for the 18U Premier, 18U Platinum and 12U divisions.

Teams checked in at the main complex at Central Park where the “big dogs,” the 18U Premier teams will mostly play.

It is club softball heaven: this afternoon, for example, you could walk from one field matching the Lady Lightning (N.C.) playing the California Grapettes, walk to the next field to see Explosion (Calif.) battling Jersey Intensity (N.J.), roll over to the adjoining field and see the Louisville Sluggers (Ky.) battling the NW Bullets (Ore.) and so on.

This tournament has the elite club teams from every corner of the country, literally. From the Rhode Island Thunder to the Gold Coast Hurricanes (Fla), from the Washington Ladyhawks in the Northwest down to a bazillion great So Cal teams (too many to mention but early favorites would have to be the Corona Angels and OC Batbusters-Haning).

And all across the midlands—the Beverly Bandits (Ill.) down to the Texas Glory and many other top Lone Star State teams—there are talent-laden teams that will try to dethrone the four-time defending champion So Cal A’s-Richardson squad.

In just a few hours of watching and talking, here are some observations I picked up…

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*** Big news confirmed: Dave Lastrapes, who has long been connected to OC Batbuster legend Gary Haning, will be moving his 16U, 14U, 12U and 10U Batbuster teams to the Beverly Bandits organization.

According to Bill Conroy, who oversees the Bandits teams which cover Illinois (home base) and Ohio, Lastrapes’ teams will now be called “Beverly Bandits-So Cal.”

 

*** In other “expansion” news, John Corn of the NC Lady Lightning organization, says he’ll be teaming up with former Minnesota Sting coach Michelle Harrison, who played at Minnesota, to start a Lightning team in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

We’ll have more on this story during the week…

 

*** First injury of the tournament goes to… an umpire who apparently broke a finger when a ball hit his hand in the Jersey Intensity/Explosion game. Ouch.

After the injury timeout and a new ump was brought in, Explosion infielder Brittany Werre (2015, Washington) had a nice home run and her team went on to win 5-4.

 

*** Saw a North Carolina coach there who was apparently watching M.K. Bonamy, a 2015 infielder committed to UNC. Bonamy had been on the Birmingham Thunderbolts but is now on Kevin O’Donnell’s team.

Speaking of coaches, I saw a lot onsite including UCLA, Texas A&M, Houston and many others…

 

*** The Aces Express team will be interesting to watch. According to Head Coach David McCorkle, pitcher Sam Show (2015, Texas A&M), one of the top hurlers in the country, has been hobbled with a strained back and this is the first time she’s played for a while.

Coach McCorkle isn’t sure how durable she’ll be, but if she can hold up the team could be fun to watch.

 

*** In recruiting news, Aces Express 2015 outfielder Sydeny McKay has changed her commit from So. Arkansas to Louisiana-Monroe.

Also, Coach Corn says one of the NC Lady Lightning 16U players, Morgan Brucee, a 2016 pitcher/first baseman from Roanoke, Va. has committed to Ole Miss.

Corn says, “Morgan is a hard thrower who hits 63-64 mph and has an excellent dropball.”

 

*** The team draw was held last night and perhaps the most interesting development is that two of the favorites, the OC Batbusters-Haning and Beverly Bandits Premier, will face each other early meaning the loser will have a long road to go in the loser’s bracket.

It can be done: last year Team Mizuno-Stith won five games the day before the championship only to lose 3-2 to the So Cal A’s – Richardson.

Ironically, Mike Stith is a co-head coach on the Batbusters…

 

*** Had a chance to talk to Makinzy Herzog, a 2018 pitcher/outfielder with the Texas Bombers organization, which has a handful of players going to Florida State, where Makinzy is committed.

I did a video interview and will post this week, but this incoming freshman is one to watch because she’s a great athlete competing in track (4×100, long jump, triple jump) and volleyball and reminds me of Lauren Gibson at that age.

Both had/have a compact, powerful frame and Makinzy is a leadoff hitter who has power too.

She played on the 14U Bombers team that lost last week to the eventual champs, the Corona Angels-Tyson, and she’s sticking around to watch her older sister, Morgan (2015, Texas A&M) play this week as an outfielder for the Aces Express Gold.