Today’s Daily Update features a spotlight on a top Texas speedster who’s SEC bound.  We also look at a Pennsylvania standout who’ll stay close to home and an Oklahoma girls who’ll leave the state.  We focus on a top high school event coming up in a few weeks and also cover this week’s College Players of the Week…

 

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PLAYER PROFILE: AUBREY LEACH

Grad Year: 2015
Pos: 2B/OF
High School: The Woodlands (Texas)
Club: Texas Sudden Impact Gold-Dutton
Stats (2014 to date): hitting .547, 31 runs, 19 RBI, four triples, three home runs, 23 steals
Honors:  MaxPreps 2013 Underclass All-American, 1st Team Class 5A All-State, District 14-5A All-District Offensive MVP
College: Tennessee

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: Your dad is one of the Sudden Impact Gold coaches… what are the plusses and minuses of that?
Aubrey Leach: The plusses: my biggest fan is always with me, we think the same way for the most part in the aspects of the game, high expectations. The minuses: my expectations are set very high, it’s not easy being the coaches daughter, you get extra pressure.

 

SSS.com: You had a stellar sophomore season, how is this year comparing to last year’s so far?
AL: This year has started out great! I feel like I have started off where I left off last season. I have really tried to tie my game together better, in the aspects of hitting, slapping, and even the small ball bunting game. I have actually hit my first home run this season! And I was slapping when I hit it! Along with my first one I have hit two others which have really helped me become more of a triple threat.

 

SSS.com: Looking at your stat line, the thing that jumps out is the average and the steals… is Tennessee looking at you as a top of the order, table setter?
AL: Yes, we have talked extensively about where they see me playing and the top of the order was where I’m set to be (as long as I earn my spot of course).

 

SSS.com: Tell us how you were first seen by the Vols coaches, then how long until they offered?
AL: I was seen by Karen and Ralph Weekly in one of Derek Allister`s OnDeck Softball camps late July and again at the OnDeck National Futures Camp in October of 2012, I committed that next January during an unofficial visit.

 

SSS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?

AL: I committed in early January of my sophomore year. The decision felt right, it filled my main requirements for a college. The University of Tennessee offered a great D1 softball program, an amazing nationally recognized coaching staff, beautiful campus, great fundamental principals of faith, education, and future preparations for my later years after college (my 40 after four).

SSS.com: How did you tell the coaches, in person, on the phone, on an unofficial visit?
AL: I was on my unofficial visit. We sat down with the coaches and discussed where they see me in their game plan and how I would be of benefit to the program.  After the meeting we were almost out the door and I said to my Dad that I didn’t need to visit any more schools because this is home and this is where I want to be.

 

SSS.com: Describe your emotions around telling them, were you more nervous or more excited?
AL: Excitement over rode being nervous! It was mostly relief that the process was over, I had accomplished a goal I have been working for most of my softball career!

 

SSS.com: Going out of state, was location a factor at all in your decision at all?
AL: Not a huge deciding factor…I am not originally from Texas (I’m from Missouri) and Tennessee is a lot like Missouri so the distance wasn’t a problem.

 

SSS.com:  Evaluate yourself (scouting report)… What makes you an SEC player and, on the other side, what areas of your game are you working to improve?
AL: I think I read and understand the game very well. I am one who hates to lose more than I like to win, I am very competitive. I would also say my work ethic is a huge part of my success… always working to make myself better, because if I’m not someone else is.

 

SSS.com: What’s been a top memory or two for you in your softball career?
AL: One top memory of mine would be finishing 5th in the nation at ASA Nationals with my team! This was so great being the last Texas team and it pushes us to come back and do better the next years! Also, being invited and competing in the On Deck Softball National Elite Futures Camp in California, 70 of the top uncommitted softball players from around the country worked out and competed against each other in front of over 100 D1 College Coaches.  It was a great learning experience.

 

Quick Hitters

 

What is the best part of being a softball player?
I love being a softball player because of the physical demand needed for absolute success. This sport uses your arms, legs, and mind in all aspects of the game!

Fill in the blank… What drives me is:______
… a desire to be successful.

What do you think is the No. 1 issue in the world today?
Extremism.

Favorite food:
Chicken… anything with chicken.

Least favorite food:
Hamburgers.

Favorite place in the world:
Anywhere in nature away from the city

If you weren’t playing softball, what would replace all that time?
Probably another sport… I don’t think I could ever get away from competition!

What type of bat do you use (and why you like it)?
DeMarini Insane: the balance through out the bat along with the flex of the handle.

Describe your personality off the field in one word:
Complex.

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
My grandmother played professional baseball for the Rockford Peaches!

Being a Texan, name something from your state that makes you proud to say you’re from there…
Everything is bigger in Texas!

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?
Scooby Snacks!

Do you have any softball superstitions or rituals you go through?
I wear my sliding shorts inside out! I have bracelets which I wear everyday… they don’t come off (about three years running)! I put my socks on the same way every time along with wearing two pairs and I  always have a braid in my hair.

Do you see yourself as a role model to younger players?
Yes, I strive had to be a good role model. I have worked with many developing ball players and love teaching them the fundamentals of the game.

 

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RECRUITING NEWS:

*** Hannah Edwards, a 2016 centerfielder who plays for Lower South Liberty Gold, has committed to Pitt according to her coach Dan Santelli.

He states, “In addition to being an outstanding player, she is also ranked No. 1 in her class academically.”

Hannah said of her commitment, “All my life I have dreamed of going to a college in a big city. I wanted to be challenged in the classroom, as well as on the softball field. This is why I have chosen the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt has a great academic reputation, and their softball schedule is very demanding.”

Hannah is in her second season with the Liberty 18U Gold team and played a key role in the success of Liberty Gold this past season. She was the starting centerfielder and leadoff hitter on the 2013 Liberty Gold team that placed 33rd at the 2013 PGF 18U Premier Nationals in Huntington Beach, Calif. where she had a .300 batting average in bracket play.

This past fall, Hannah hit .457 with 25 runs scored, 26 steals, and had an OBP of .498 and played in two of the top showcases in the country, the Team New Jersey Fall Showcase in Edison, NJ and the Diamond 9 Sun Classic in Orlando, Fla.

Hannah attends Catasauqua High School in Catasauqua, Pa. where she is ranked as the top student academically in her class.

After her freshman season, Hannah was selected to the MaxPreps Softball Underclass All-American Team and 1st Team Pennsylvania All-State Team.

 

*** Halle Melone, a 2016 first baseman with the Oklahoma Exclusive, has committed to Southern Mississippi

 

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EVENT NEWS: KISSIMMEE KLASSIC

The Kissimmeee (Fla.) Klassic tournament, which will be held April 3-5 this year, promises to be one of the top events of the high school softball season.

The teams are broken down into color brackets and the blue bracket looks to be loaded… here are unofficial seedings with comments on each team (note that the Miracle rankings were from Mar. 11):

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1. St. Thomas Aquinas (7A)
9th in Xcellent 25, 12th in StudentSportsSoftball.com FAB 50, 1st in Miracle all-classes Florida poll; Eight college-bound-for-softball seniors, led by LHP Meghan King (Maryland) and C Gwen Svekis (Oregon). Aquinas currently state 7A title holder and defending champion at Kissimmee Klassic and SlamFest top brackets

2. Tate (7A)
9th in Miracle all-classes poll in state, has beaten district foe Niceville twice; led by UAB commit RHP Tori Perkins

3. Harmony (7A)
No. 12 team in FAB 50 and second in Miracle all-classes, sustained first loss in 1-0 defeat to American Heritage-Plantation at SlamFest; Led by senior RHP and UF commit LeLe Ocasio and another UF commit in CF Lily Mann

4. P.K. Yonge (4A)
6th in Miracle all-classes, 23 in Xcellent 25; Undefeated, with two one-run wins over Bradford; Led by South Alabama signee Kalen McGill

5. Niceville (7A)
In ‘district of death’ with Tate, who has beaten them 5-0 and 6-1; 6th in Miracle Class 7A poll; Led by Audrey Diekmann and RHP Aja Brechtel

6. Coral Reef (8A)
Defending Class 8A champion has struggled of late with five losses in past couple weeks; led by junior FSU commit Carsyn Gordon and FIU commit Kylan Becker)

7. Columbia (6A)
Led by left-handed slugger Kayli Kvistad (Florida), the 6A state champions are ranked 9th in FAB 50 and third in Miracle all-classes)

8. Canterbury (2A)
2A state champion lost only 2-1 to Harmony and crushed Coral Reef 12-1 recently; They have been aided by junior transfer Hailey Hopkins, but the core of this team is a bunch of talented freshmen, led by Danielle Romanello (Florida), Taylor Bump and Kama Woodall)

9. Hagerty (8A)
Fourth in Miracle all-classes, incurred their first two losses of the season last week; Led by USF commit Sam Worrell

10. Central Phenix City (Ala.)
Led by 6-1 junior righty Allie Kelley

11. Barron Collier (6A)
Went 2-2 at SlamFest with 4-3 extra-innings loss to Harmony and 5-3 defeat to Cypress Bay

12. Cypress Bay (8A)
Upperclassman-laden defending Class 8A runner-up defeated Barron-Collier to highlight 3-1 SlamFest

13. Gulliver (4A)
Four-time defending 4A champ still adjusting to losses of superstars Stephanie Texeira and Ashley Leon

14. Bradford (4A)
Solid again behind senior RHP Ashton Adkins, with two one-run losses to Yonge the only blemishes on the record

15. Cooper City (8A)
Freshman righty Kara Lokeinsky carried Cowboys to SlamFest’s Blue bracket final where they took their second loss, 5-0 to Ponte Vedra

16. Countryside (7A)
Led by senior righty Alyssa Queen, who was the Tampa Bay Times’ Pinellas County pitcher of the year in 2013

 

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COLLEGE NEWS: PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

*** An outstanding week at the plate for Georgia sophomore second baseman Alex Hugo (Olathe, Kan.) earned her USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors this week the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today.

Hugo guided the Bulldogs to a perfect 4-0 record that included a three-game series sweep of conference foe Mississippi State. With the wins, Georgia improved its record to 25-2 and moved up three spots to No. 14 in this week’s ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 announced earlier today.

“I am so thankful to receive this honor and be a part of this team,” said Hugo. “The best decision I could have made was to transfer to Georgia and be a part of this program. My coaches and teammates are extremely supportive and motivate me every day, both on and off the field. I would have never been honored with this award without them.”

Alex finished the week a combined 7-for-13 at the plate for a .538 average and also led the team in hits (seven), runs scored (six), RBI (seven), home runs (three) and slugging percentage (1.308). She recorded a hit in each of the games over the week, including home runs in each of Georgia’s three games against Mississippi State. She also extended her streak of reaching base safely to 26 games.

The Olathe, Kan., native was brilliant in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) series against Mississippi State, hitting at a .600 clip over the three games. She was responsible for the game-winning hit and run in each of the games, with each coming by way of a home run. On Friday, Hugo scored the game’s lone run when she belted a solo home run off the scoreboard.

Hugo delivered a walk-off home run in each of the next two games to seal the series sweep for the Georgia and delivered a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning in the second game of the series against Mississippi State. With the bases loaded and one out, Hugo came to the plate and hit a towering home run over the right centerfield wall that gave the Bulldogs the 11-2 win.

In the second game of the day and the third of the series, Hugo again was the hero, leading off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run that sealed the 9-1 run-rule win and the SEC series sweep.

“Alex is a complete player and one that can change the game in so many ways – with her bat, her defense, her speed and with her leadership on the field,” said Georgia Head Coach Lu Harris-Champer. “We are thrilled to have Alex not only in our lineup, but in our dugout as she embodies what it means to be a Bulldog. We are excited to see her being recognized nationally as she is certainly deserving of the award!”

On the year, Hugo’s 11 home runs and 30 RBI each rank first in the Bulldog lineup while the sophomore’s .908 overall slugging percentage is good enough for first in the SEC.

This is the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week honor for Alex and the first for a Georgia Bulldog since Geri Ann Glasco earned the award in Week Ten of the 2013 season.

2014 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 6-9): Kylee Lahners – Washington – Junior – Infielder– Laguna Hills, Calif.
Week 2 (Feb. 10 -16): Aimee Creger – Tulsa – Senior – Pitcher– Yukon, Okla.
Week 3 (Feb. 17-23): Ally Carda – UCLA – Junior – Pitcher – Elk Grove, Calif.
Week 4 (Feb. 24 – March 2): Cheridan Hawkins – Oregon – Sophomore – Anderson, Calif.
Week 5 (March 3-9): Dallas Escobedo – Arizona State – Senior – Pitcher– Glendale, Ariz.
Week 6 (March 10-16): Alex Hugo – Georgia – Sophomore – Infielder – Olathe, Kan.

 

*** Freshman pitcher/outfielder/first baseman Sydney O’Hara of Syracuse University has been selected as the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player of the Week for games played over March 10-16.

“It’s a big honor to be named the NFCA National Player of the Week,” O’Hara said. “Softball is not an individual sport though, it’s more of a team effort. We had some tough losses the week before, and we knew we had to step up, which we did at Virginia. The whole pitching staff did really well, and all of our bats began to wake up, and everyone was giving their best effort. I go out there and pitch my best every single game. In the games I just focused on hitting spots, changing speeds and trusting my defense. I was glad my bat started waking up, because I was getting a little discouraged about my hitting, but I made adjustments at the plate, and once I got that first home run, I knew my hitting would start picking up.”

O’Hara, a Cicero, N.Y., native, did solid work both at the plate and in the circle last week, batting .500 overall (10-for-20) with 10 runs scored, three doubles, three HR’s and 11 RBIs while registering a 4-0 pitching mark and a 1.22 ERA over six appearances. The reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week slugged at an impressive 1.100 clip, while striking out 33 batters and limiting the opposition to just a .171 batting average over 23 innings of work. O’Hara twirled a pair of complete-game shutouts, including a one-hitter during a 8-0 (5 inn.) rout of Virginia that gave SU its first-ever ACC victory. During the 2014 season she is hitting .275 overall with 10 extra-base hits and 13 RBIs, while owning a 7-5 record in the circle with a 3.36 ERA and 74 K’s over 56.1 frames.

“I’m so proud of the way Sydney is leading our team right now,” Syracuse head coach Leigh Ross said. “Syd did a great job this past week. She was in the zone both pitching and hitting, and that’s what we’ve been asking her to do. Her stats from this week show a lot about her determination as an all-around player to help her team win.”

Next up for O’Hara and the Orange is a three-game league set against Georgia Tech that’s slated for March 22-23 in Syracuse, N.Y.

Selected Top Performances


Georgia’s Alex Hugo, the SEC Player of the Week, batted .538 (7-for-13) with six runs scored, a double, three HR’s, including two walk-offs to end run-rule victories (with one of those being a grand slam), and seven RBIs against Tennessee State & Mississippi State…Auburn’s Marcy Harper went 3-0 from the circle with a 2.33 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 15 innings of work while tossing back-to-back, five-inning no-hitters during wins over Radford and Savannah State…Kori Nishitomi of Oregon State provided a spark for Oregon State’s offense in a series win over No. 7 Arizona State, hitting .600 (6-for-10) overall…Louisiana’s Christina Hamilton, the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week, was 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA and 10 strikeouts during a pair of triumphs over defending national champion Oklahoma…South Carolina’s Julie Sarratt, the SEC Pitcher of the Week, recorded a pair of victories and a save in a 3-1 week that included a series victory over nationally-ranked Texas A&M…USF’s Sara Nevins was a perfect 4-0 with a 0.34 ERA and tossed her fifth career no-hitter in a 3-0 win over UMass to earn American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week…Tennessee’s Melissa Davin batted .636 (7-for-11) with eight tallies, a double, two HR’s and nine RBIs last week against Western Carolina and at Arkansas…Buffalo’s Tori Speckman, the MAC East Pitcher of the Week, led the Bulls to all three of their wins last week, striking out 31 over 21 frames of effort…Campbell’s Milly Martinet hit at a .450 clip (8-for-18) with eight runs scored, five HR’s and 12 RBIs on her way to earning Big South Conference Player of the Week…Lipscomb’s Kristen Sturdivant, the Atlantic Sun Conference’s Player of the Week, hit .438 with three HR’s and nine RBIs…South Alabama’s Hannah Campbell twirled her second career perfect game as part of a 2-0 week with a 0.00 ERA and 22 K’s over 14 innings of work against Nicholls State and Oklahoma State…California’s Kylie Reed batted .588 (10-for-17) against Ohio State and No. 21 Stanford, going 5-for-6 in the opener against the Cardinal…Tiffany Harbin of Jacksonville State, the OVC Pitcher of the Week, picked up three wins to establish a school mark for career victories at JSU with 65…Creighton’s Becca Changstrom, the Big East Pitcher of the Week, was 3-0 with a 0.30 ERA and fired the program’s first no-hitter since 2011 via a 11-strikeout win over Army…Conference USA Player of the Week, Southern Miss’ Meaghen Nelson, batted .529 (9-for-17) with a team-best 11 RBIs…George Washington’s Tori Valos, the Atlantic-10 Player of the Week, batted .520 (13-for-25) with six runs scored and eight RBIs…Auburn’s Kasey Cooper hit .692 (9-for-13) with four extra-base hits and 13 RBIs against Troy, Radford, IPFW, Savannah State and Ball State…Alabama’s Haylie McCleney batted .700 (7-for-10) with four runs scored, three steals, two walks, a HR and five RBIs during a three-game sweep of Ole Miss.

2014 Louisville Slugger Division I National Player of the Week
Feb. 11 – Griffin Joiner – Kentucky – Jr. – C – Hopkinsville, Ky.
Feb. 18 – Bryana Walker – Washington – Sr. – P – La Quinta, Calif.
Feb. 25 – Anna Miller (Co-) – USC Upstate – Sr. – P – Portland, Ore.
Ally Carda (Co-) – UCLA – Jr. – P/UTIL – Elk Grove, Calif.
March 4 – Lacey Waldrop – Florida State – Jr. – P – Chester, Va.
March 11 – Dallas Escobedo – Arizona State – Sr. – P – Glendale, Ariz.
March 18 – Sydney O’Hara – Syracuse – Fr. – P/OF/1B – Cicero, N.Y.

 

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Players, parents and coaches:  want to know the best way to get us info on your favorite player?  Fill out our Recruit Form link and complete.  It comes directly to me (Brentt) and you very likely could see the info used somewhere on our site!

 

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If you’d like to submit information, forward to brentt@studentsports.com.  Also, follow us on twitter at @SS_Softball.