Today we head to Northern California to profile a team within an hour from the Bay Area that has as colorful of a name and look as you’ll find.  Relatively new and small (four teams), the program is growing in size and respect after finishing in the top 10 of the PGF Nationals last year.  We also  profile a Texas girl who got the offer she wanted and is thrilled to be SEC-bound.  We have a junior from Misssissippi who’s a masher in home runs and RBI and we have a lot of verbals to report!

 

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CLUB PROFILE:  CALIFORNIA KRYPTONITE

There are some brands in sports well known by their look or image:  the Yankees’ black and white pinstripes, the Boston Celtic green, the traditional Crimson Tide or Alabama, the Maize and Blue of Michigan and the color-of-the-week that Nike provides Oregon!

In club softball, one of the most colorful and spalshy looks comes from the California Kryptonite based in Los Gatos, Calif., about 50 miles south of San Francisco.

“Our colors are unique,” agrees Kryptonite President and Recruiting Director Derek Bowers, who founded the organization.  “The neon green and black with a touch of pink is hard to miss at a showcase. I have been told by many college coaches that they love our colors because we are easy to find.”

Not surprisingly, Bowers is an entrepreneur and thinks outside the box.  He started his first company at age 26 and eventually sold it and eventually took five years off from working to get the California Kryptonite program off the ground.

He says he got into the coaching side by accident.

“I played slowpitch for a number of years but got started coaching when my youngest daughter was six. I walked into her first tee ball pizza meeting and accidentally volunteered. From there, I grew with her to coach and win ASA qualifiers in 10u and 12u before moving to “real” travel ball. During those years, I also served on the board of that recreation league as secretary, vice president and president.”

In the summer of 2009, he was an assistant coach for a 12U travel team in a local organization, but wasn’t feeling the camaraderie or togetherness among the teams and coaches.

“At a tournament, one of the 16U coaches walked up as I was watching the 18U team play,” he recalls. “I said hello, but he barely acknowledged me even though we wore the same colors. I looked around and inquired a lot about the other top organizations in the area and heard similar stories of all types.  I had a different vision so I decided to create something new from scratch. This was the germination of the California Kryptonite.”

Bowers contacted some coaching friends in the area and got the ball rolling.  He emphasized creating an organization that would attract players and families who would enjoy travelling and hanging out together for softball

“Our target was the most talented athletes who were great students and also had fantastic families,” he continues.  “We started with one 14U team and planned to grow under control increasing the overall quality of the group as we went along.”

As noticeable as their bright colors, that first team produced between the lines and was ranked No. 1 in the nation from USSSA for 13U teams at the end of the summer of 2010.

Today, the oldest team is an 18U squad led by Coach Steve Hill, who has been one of the leading hitting and defense instructors in the Bay Area since 2005.  Hill founded the San Jose Sizzle and in 2003 led the team a seventh place finish at the ASA Nationals.

He began working with the Kryptonite in 2010 as a trainer and in 2012 took over as head coach of the 16U team which led to a 2012 championship at the Colorado Sparkler and second place at the Triple Crown World Series.

In 2013, his 16U team tied for ninth at PGF Nationals, took first at the ASA NorCals and finished third at the Champions Cup.

Bowers explains that the 18U team, which includes players going to Pac-12 and SEC schools, is built around a core group that has been together since 14U.

“This team was created to be the best of the best that we had in order to make a mark in the softball world both now and when they get into college,” he says. “I am so proud of these players as they are the first representatives of the California Kryptonite organization that will transform into college students across the country.”

“In a way, they are walking advertisements of our program. Our organization is a college prep program so our goal is to get every one of our players happily playing ball in college, somewhere. In the last few months, we have announced our first five college commits and one more is coming very soon plus we should have more this coming summer.”

As the founder says, an emphasis on academics isn’t just empty rhetoric.  The team’s collective GPA is over 3.80 and the program also monitors on and off the field behavior.

“We have strict rules on classy, non-dramatic, behavior,” Bowers explains. “We will ‘fire’ a family if they can’t comply. It doesn’t matter how talented the player is. Our families spend a lot of time together over a summer or fall season. We want the experience to be fun for them. If it’s fun, there is more of a chance that the player enjoys softball and will want to play after high school.”

In a little under five years, the organization has grown to have four teams—one each at 18U and 16U and two 14U teams. Next fall, another team will be added, a middle-school 14U team.

“Unlike some organizations,” Bowers says, “we separate the high school 14U players from the middle school players into two separate teams due to the high school rules and restrictions.”

Currently, there are six committed players on the program and the top 10 finish at the 2013 PGF 16U Nationals has helped increase attention and the level of talent coming in.

The future looks bright for the organization, but don’t expect to see Bowers on the field coaching anything soon.  He and the other administrative staff, including the President, Vice-President and CFO, spend more time on strategic planning and development of the colorful Kryptonite program.

“I retired from coaching a couple years ago and spend 100 percent of my time focused on the direction of the organization and educating players and families through the recruiting process,” he says.

“I work personally with both the college coaches and players to market our athletes. We even send old-fashioned Christmas Cards every year to families, tournament directors, and coaches. This year it was in the hundreds that I personally signed and mailed.”

The self-proclaimed entrepreneur stresses he’s more of a marketer and promoter sometimes than a softball exec.

“We have an active website, Facebook page and our live scores and news are tweeted on Twitter. It’s getting harder and harder to find someone in softball that hasn’t heard of us and yet I know there are thousands that have not.”

“The work is never done.”

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Here’s a player-by-player look at the California Kryptonite team with comments by President and Recruiting Director Derek Bowers:

— C Danessa Augenstein (2015, uncommitted)
“Danessa has the prototypical strong catcher’s body and yet will surprise you with her quickness. There’s a good chance she would be committed already except she missed both National tournaments last year with an illness. My expectation is this kid has a long runway in front of her and will be a star in college. Danessa also plays field hockey in high school.”

— OF Haley Wymbs (2015, UC Davis)
“Haley can do it all offensively. As a lefty, she can hit a bomb, drop a bunt, slap it to the gap, or take your head off on either side of the circle.  Her quickness to first and aggressive base running makes her a scoring threat in the front of our line up. Haley also has a super high softball IQ and can spot a pitcher tipping her game or tendencies in the defense. She roams the outfield for us as well as for her nationally ranked high school team, Archbishop Mitty.”

— C Mackenzie Mitchell (2015, uncommitted)
“Mackenzie Mitchell is a solid catcher and good contact hitter. She has some clutch in her as well exhibited by her game-winning three-run homer against a tough Louisiana team last year at ASA Nationals. We also throw her in the outfield from time to time. Mack is one of the best teammates around as we added her last fall and she fit in immediately.”

— P/1B Kim Nelson (2014, uncommitted)
“Kim, at 5-foot-10 is our No. 1 consistent pitcher. Last year in our run through PGF Nationals, Kim continued to do her thing by getting pop ups and ground balls. A typical game for her was our 2-0 shutout over the very good KG Hitters at PGF. She doesn’t blow batters away with speed but her location control, speed mix and ball movement just gets the job done time after time after time. Kim is also one of the best at fielding her position in the circle and is great digging out everything when she plays first base. She also plays varsity basketball in high school.”

— 3B/OF Natalie Dorsey (2014, Cal State Stanislaus)
“Dorsey may be the hardest working kid in the program during practice. Accomplished at third, she also plays shortstop for us and can also track a ball well in the outfield. Nat is a line drive hitter and is quick enough to turn a gap shot into a triple. Natalie is also a captain of her high school field hockey team.”

— P Lizzy Beutter (2016, uncommitted)
“Lizzy is one of our youngsters as a 2016. She moved up from 14U last summer (in another organization) and is quickly adapting to 18U batters. Lizzy also spins the ball well and mixes speeds to keep hitters off balance. We expect her to be a pitching workhorse during the summer as a regular starter in our rotation. She also plays high school volleyball.”

— OF/P Caitlyn Weisner (2015, uncommitted)
“Caitlyn is a tall, lanky natural lefty with very good speed and is very strong. Her nickname is “Spyder” as she seems to come from nowhere to reach out and get a fly ball in the outfield. She has great home run power already and has a lot of growth to go. Her running stride is so natural that it doesn’t look like she’s fast but then she’s at third base before the cut-off turns to look. Surprise! Caitlyn is also a hard throwing lefty pitcher as a backup and would start on most teams around.”

— IF/UT Megan Hackleman (2015, uncommitted)
“Megan, a scholar-athlete, is another contact hitter who lives up to her nickname. “Hacks” is going to do just that and battle a pitcher into frustration. Megan with a solid glove, has played shortstop for us for years but can play second and also fills in in the outfield.”

— C/3B Jessica Earnshaw (2015, uncommitted)
“Jess is a hard working player who takes her game seriously.  She is our most vocal catcher directing the infield and cuts. When not behind the dish, Jess is a solid third baseman not afraid to play up to take away the short game. She easily covers a lot of ground on pop ups whether behind the dish or at third. “

— OF Danielle Bowers (2015, Cal)
For a strong power hitter, Danielle has great speed (2.7 from the right) and is a virtual maniac on the bases taunting catchers’ every pitch. Danielle’s home runs can be line drives or towering shots. She also bats cleanup for nationally ranked Archbishop Mitty High. Danielle was actually one of our top pitchers during our championship runs last summer. Since then, she has retired from pitching to concentrate on the outfield and hitting to prepare for the Pac-12.”

— C/SS Marcella Kay (2015, Seattle University)
“Marcella is a rare combination: a great catcher and a great shortstop. She also bats in the middle of the line-up with power and good bat control to any field. Marcie is a quick and smart base runner. She’s also a multi-sport athlete as a varsity water polo standout in high school and is another one of our scholar athletes.”

— 3B/UT Morgan Martinelli (2015, uncommitted)
“Morgan is fairly new to our team but has great defensive skills tracking the ball and covering the entire third base area whether it is fair or foul, in front or behind her. She also is flexible and has proved to be able to play just about everywhere we have put her. She’s a strong hitter with pop and placement. Morgan is also a scholar athlete.”

— 1B Alexis Lindsey (2016, South Carolina)
“Alexis at 5-foot-10 is a physical presence at first base. A varsity basketball player since her freshman year, she can move her feet and also has great eye-hand coordination. Alexis is a natural lefty with a powerful bat that doesn’t seem to care if the wind is in her face or not. As a 2016, she has three years to prepare for the tough competition in the SEC.”

— SS/2B Mackenzie Drake (2016, uncommitted)
“Mackenzie is a wonderful teammate who also moved up from 14U last summer. She has good range as a shortstop and a very good softball IQ. Put that range at second and she covers it all. Mack is a switch hitter who can hit a gap for a double or drop a bunt down for a sacrifice to either side of the diamond.”

— P/2B Lauren Castro (2015, Canisius College)
“Lauren started last summer by leading her Gilroy High team to the Central Coast Section championship. She followed that up by being one of our top pitchers in our successful summer campaign. She’s a power pitcher with also good spin that moves the ball side to side as well as up and down. Canisius likes her not only for her pitching but also for her powerful bat and good defensive skills to keep her on the field 100 percent of the time.”

— OF Marissa Dierkes (2015, uncommitted)
“Marissa is not only quick, she is very fast too. At 5-10, she still gets to first in 2.65 seconds from the right side. She has towering home run power and takes extra bases at ease on any gap hit or defensive laziness. With her strong arm and athleticism, Marissa is a very accomplished back-up catcher and played third for her high school team last season.”

 

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RECRUIT SPOTLIGHT OF THE DAY:  SYDNEY SPRINGFIELD

High school: Flower Mound High
City: Flower Mound
State: 
Texas
Grad year: 2016
Club: Texas Glory-Allen (16U)
Position(s): first base/outfield
Height: 6-0

College: LSU
Other Offers: “No other offers. I only wanted this first offer from LSU and Coach (Beth) Torina.
I was invited and attended the University of Missouri Prospect Camp in 2013.
I also had some interest from Oklahoma State where I’m a legacy–most of my family graduated from OSU.
Those are the three major D1 schools who I had the most interest and communication with.
Why LSU: “After visiting the LSU campus and attending prospect camp and summer camp, I knew this is where I wanted to go to school. Coaches Torina and Howard Dobson made me feel welcome right away. Their strong work ethic and level of competition in the SEC at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge is where I want to be. When Coach Torina made me an offer last September on my unofficial visit, there was no doubt I wanted to be an LSU Tiger and I want to make history with a team that plays for each other with Coach Torina leading the way.”

What is your favorite bat: Louisville Slugger Xeno
What bat does your team use? Louisville Slugger Xeno
What is your favorite brand of cleats? 
Mizuno
What is the uniform brand you prefer? Intensity

 

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RECRUITING NEWS:

***  Even though we’re gathering research for the 2016 class, don’t think we’ve forgotten about the 2014’s and ‘15’s!  We’ll continue to profile players we think are talented, committed and uncommitted.

One uncommitted 2015 that’s on several teams’ radar is Sarah Van Schaik, a power-hitting catcher/third baseman who attends St. Patrick High in Biloxi, Miss. and played last year for the Mississippi-based Batbusters.

In a state where softball is a distant fourth behind football, baseball and basketball, she’s gone under the radar a bit but with a nickname like “Tonka” (as in she’s as tough as a Tonka truck) you’d think her play and stats can’t help but get her some acclaim soon.

Her St. Patrick high school team won the 3A State Championship the last two years and Sarah caught every inning while leading the team in home runs and RBI both years including clutch performances in the title games: two home runs and five RBI total.

She was selected as the 3A Player of the Year as sophomore after hitting .489 and led the state with 13 home runs and 63 RBI.  As a freshman she was second in the state with eight home runs and tied for first with 51 RBI.  Both years she was honored as a starter on the MHSAA All-State Team.

The last three years she’s played for Velocity Gulf Coast under Tommy Castanedo which was rebranded as the OC Batbusters and in 2013 batted .455 with nine homers and 33 RBI.  This summer she’ll be playing for the Birmingham Thunderbolts.

Sarah’s a good student with a 3.89 GPA, which includes several AP classes, and trains with Sam Morris, the trainer at Oak Grove High in Hattiesburg, Miss. where NFL great Brett Favre is an assistant coach on the football team.

The slugging junior received the Camp Hitter Award at the 2012 Alabama camp and is talking to several DI programs though is currently uncommitted.

 

*** Lot of verbals to include today…

— C/3B Natalie Alvarez (2015, Ohio Univ.)… plays for California Thunder
— P Katelyn Boles (2015, Northwestern State)… plays for Texas Magic Premier
— MIF Bailee Carter (2016, Texas State)… plays for Texas Glory
— OF/C Kelsi Dickey (2015, Tennessee Martin)… plays for Tennessee Illusions
— OF Erin Durbin (2015, Birmingham Southern College)… plays for Cincy Static-Morgan
— OF Sarah Flanders (2015, BYU)… plays for East Cobb Bullets-Bass
— 1B/P/OF Wendy Folfas (2014, Gettysburg College)… plays for Riviera Beach Spirit (Md.)
— 3B/2B Sydney Ginsberg (2014, Yale)… plays for Gator’s Gold
— C Jessica Goldyn (2016, Buffalo)… plays for Legends (VA)
— OF Sabrina Gordon (2014, Stevenson University)… plays for Riviera Beach Spirit (Md.)
— P Alex Held (2015, Holy Cross)… plays for Texas Magic Premier
— OF Hannah Howell (2016, Arizona St.)… plays for OC Batbusters-Smith
— MIF Demi Janak (2015, Houston Baptist)… plays for Texas Magic Premier
— C/3B Morgan Kazerooni (2015, Ole Miss)… plays for East Cobb Bullets-Bass
— P/1B/OF Courtney Merson (2014, Mary Washington College)… plays for Riviera Beach Spirit (Md.)
— P Anna Brooks Pacha (2016, Georgetown)… plays for Texas Sudden Impact
— P/OF Aileen Reilly (2014, Gettysburg College)… plays for Long Island Express Gold
— OF/3B Jessica Robinson (2014, Shepherd University)… plays for Riviera Beach Spirit (Md.)
— P Annika Seedborg (2014, Lamar)… plays for California Cruisers Phil/Lyn
— P Jessica Shalongo (2014, Delaware St.)… plays for New Jersey Thunderbolts

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EVENT NEWS: TRIPLE CROWN/USA NATIONALS WITH LOADED FIELD

The TC/USA Nationals that will be televised on CBS Sports this July 14-17 in Georgia is loaded with talent.

Click on this link to see the elite teams that will be playing at the 18U, 16U, and 14U levels…

 

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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.