If you haven’t noticed, club ball is fully underway now and across the nation teams are already jockeying to make it to the Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) Nationals that will take place this summer in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Some teams solidified berths by placing highly last year. Others with strong nucleuses are being invited to strengthen the 18U, 16U, 14U and 12U fields while the rest have to earn their spots.
Case in point: last Sunday, the Firecrackers Brashear 16U team won the PGF Qualifier in Las Vegas by beating the Sorcerers from Northern California 12-4 in a five inning game.
The Firecrackers clinched their place in the PGF 16U Premier division as they outscored opponents 60-10 during the tournament including a six-run fifth inning that ended with an RBI single by Kelly Martinez (Utah commit) and a three-run double by Emma Bordenkecher (Arizona).
Martinez racked up three RBIs on three hits in the win and the Firecrackers hit three home runs including shots by Alyssa Barrera (Utah), Eliyah Flores (Oklahoma) and Kelly Martinez. Ashley Ruiz (Kentucky) got the win for Firecrackers as she allowed one run over three innings.
Here are the up-to-the minute PGF team confirmations at each age group; we’ll keep a running tab of what teams fill out the fields for the big tournaments coming up in a few months!
PGF Berths – 2014
18U – PREMIER (Total: 72)
Returning Berths: 12
1. SC Athletics
2. OC Batbusters Haning/Stith
3. Texas Glory
4. Beverly Bandits
5. East Cobb Bullets Schnute
6. Firecrackers Rico
7. Jersey Intensity KOD
8. Gold Coast Hurricanes
9. Lady Lightning Gold TM
10. KC Peppers
11. Sorcerers
12. Strike Force GG-Platinum Champs
Invited Teams: 20
13. Corona Angels Tyson
14. WA Ladyhawks Gold Miller
15. Birmingham Thunderbolts Gold
16. Grapettes Gold
17. AZ Storm Brun
18. So Cal Choppers
19. Atlanta Vipers Jennings
20. Team North Florida
21. Cal Cruisers Sievers
22. Wichita Mustangs
23. TX Impact Gold Jackson
24. Nebraska Gold
25. Virginia Legends
26. Explosion
27. Minors Gold Lena
28. Irvine Sting
29. Texas Bombers
30. NW Bullets
31. Tennessee Fury
32. Rhode Island Thunder
Qualified Teams: 40
33. Firecrackers AZ – 6/1-AZ
34. Bownet – 6/1 – AZ
35. Georgia Impact Medlam – 6/1 – MB
36. Williamsburg Starz – 6/1 – MB
37. — 72. TBD
18U – PLATINUM (TOTAL: 72)
Returning Berths: 3
1. Central Cal Dirt Dogs
2. Texas Peppers Gold
3. TNL Downs
Invited Teams: 20
4. OC Batbusters Stith
5. American Athletics SJ
6. Iowa Premier
7. Jersey Inferno Elite
8. Northern Ice
9. Boise Blast
10. Spokane Crash
11. Firecrackers DFW – Torres
12. So Cal Choppers Castillo
13. Nebraska Quakes
14. Texas Glory RWB
15. Texas Black Widows
16. Mizuno All American
17. American Freedom-Mattox
18. Idaho Diamond Bandits
19. Minors Gold- Macias
20. SLC Pegasus
21. Sparks
22. Bull Sox
23. So Cal Diamonds
Qualified Teams: 49
24. Corona Angels Howard – 6/1 – AZ
25. USA Athletics Rogers – 6/1 – AZ
26. Glory Gold – 6/1 – MB
27. – 72 TBD
16U – PREMIER (TOTAL: 64)
Returning Berths: 5
1. Beverly Bandits
2. So Cal A’s Myers
3. Minnesota Sting
4. Firecrackers Blanco
5. East Cobb Bullets Bass
Invited Teams: 19
6. OC Batbusters Smith
7. So Cal Choppers Shipman/Ziese
8. Lady Lightning
9. Corona Angels Dena
10. Texas Glory Naudin
11. Birmingham Thunderbolts Horton
12. Atlanta Vipers Kates
13. Wichita Mustangs
14. Cal Lite
15. WA Ladyhawks Nelons
16. Irvine Sting
17. Louisville Sluggers Jordan
18. Gametime Stars
19. Georgia Elite
20. Explosion Greg
21. Gold Coast Hurricanes
22. Cal Breeze Mashburn
23. Lady Magic
24. Germantown Red Devils
Qualified Teams: 40
25. So Cal Athletics Datan-5/26-AZ
26. AZ Storm Mizuno Tyler-5/26-AZ
27. East Cobb Bullets Legere – 6/1 – MB
28. Lady Blues Premier – 6/1 – MB
29. Firecrackers Brashear – 6/1 – LV
30. Firecrackers Baisdon – 6/1 – LV
31. – 64. TBD
16U – PLATINUM (TOTAL: 32)
Invites: 4
1. Ohio Outlaws
2. Louisiana Pride
3. Oklahoma Twisters
4. Idaho Xtreme
Qualified Teams: 28
5. AZ Firecrackers Henry-5/26-AZ
6. Sorcerers
7. Georgia Outlaws White
8. – 32. TBD
14U – PREMIER (TOTAL: 65)
Returning Berths: 2
1. So Cal Athletics Quarles
2. Austin Stars Garcia
Invited Teams: 18
3. So Cal Choppers Moore
4. Corona Angels Perez
5. OC Batbusters Marinacci
6. Firecrackers Lutterloh
7. Beverly Bandits Demarini
8. Birmingham Thunderbolts
9. Atlanta Vipers Vallery
10. AZ Suncats
11. Texas Glory Y2K
12. Lady Lightning
13. Irvine Sting
14. Georgia Impact Jeffreys
15. Power Surge Berndes
16. KG Hitters Kiko
17. Jersey Intensity
18. Sorcerers Williams
19. Lil Rebels RC
20. Gold Coast Hurricanes
Qualified Teams: 45
21. So.Cal A’s-Quarles_4/14 -TX
22. Texas Bombers-HTX-4/14-TX
23. TX Glory Adkins Campbell -5/11-NT
24. Cal Lite – 5/11 – NT
25. Corona Angels Tyson-5/26-AZ
26. AZ Firecrackers Hinkle-5/26-AZ
27. Impact Gold Grotenhuis – 4/14-TX
28. Impact Gold Newcomb -5.11-TX
29. Georgia Impact Lewis – 6/1 – ATL
30. Georgia Power – 6/1 – ATL
31. OC Batbusters Campbell – 6/1 – LV
32. So Cal Pumas Black – 6/1 – LV
33. – 65. TBD
14U – PLATINUM (TOTAL: 32)
Invites: 1
1. Salinas Storm Kaiser
Qualified Teams: 31
2. Cal Cruisers Sievers/Kempton-5/26-AZ
3. Texas Bombers Prospects – TX
4. Georgia Elite Laukka – TX
5. Atlanta Premier Haag
6. OC Batbusters Granado – 6/1 – LV
7. – 32. TBD
12U – PREMIER (TOTAL: 52)
Invites: 3
1. OC Batbusters Steele
2. Corona Angels Dena
3. Salinas Storm Jimenez
Invited Teams: 13
4. So Cal Choppers Rourick/Olson
5. Firecrackers Thornburg
6. So Cal Athletics Mercado
7. Birmingham Thunderbolts Dorsett
8. Texas Glory Blue 01
9. Beverly Bandits Premier
10. Georgia Impact Stewart
11. East Cobb Bullets Caldwell
12. Idaho Flash
13. Direct TV Genies
14. Georgia Impact 02
15. Team Georgia
Qualified Teams: 36
16. OC Batbusters-Stith
17. OC Batbusters-Young
18. OC Batbusters-Bracamonte
19. So Cal Breakers-01
20. SA Tapout No Regret 01-4/14-Tx
21. Texas Glory 2020-4/14-Tx
22. AZ Thundercats-4/14-Tx
23. Fresno Force Rod – 5/11/14-Sac
24. OC United – 5/11/14-Sac
25. LTG Lions – 5/11/14-Sac
26. So Cal 3D Gold – 5/11/14-Sac
27. Bownet Black – 5/11/14-AZ
28. Corona Angels Dominique –5/11/14-AZ
29. Hotshots Appel – 5/11/14-AZ
30. So Cal Choppers Vidal– 5/11/14-AZ
31. Texas Bombers CTX – 5/11 – NT
32. Texas Blaze Lindsey Red– 5/11 – NT
33. Cal Lite Viles – 6/1 – LV
34. OC Batbusters Montoya – 6/1 – LV
35. – 52. TBD