Today we profile more in detail a player who has already been announced in the Hot 100 and look at another outstanding junior who may have been the first in the 2015 class to commit.  We have video of two East Coast teammates who will be playing together in college and profile an SEC bound freshman who is tearing it up in the Midwest…

***Note: our server went down for several hours and delayed our posting of this Daily Update… we apologize for the inconvenience.

 

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PLAYER PROFILE: TESSA DANIELS

Yesterday, we revealed Tessa Daniels, the pitching star for the Georgia Impact-Pauly team, as the No. 78 rated player in the Class of 2015.

Don’t be surprised, however, if Tessa jumps a lot higher in the next revision of the Hot 100 junior list.

Why?

Because she has won big-time on every level.

Tessa, who verballed to Florida State in November, 2012, was one of the first 2015’s out of Georgia to receive major D1 offers. She chose FSU over offers and heavy interest from SEC programs like Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina.

All the schools recruited the left-hander as a pitcher, first baseman and hitter.

The Georgia hurler had played for the Atlanta Vipers-Loveless team for three years prior to joining the Georgia Impact-Pauly program last fall. She is currently a junior at Buford High School in Buford, Ga. where her team recently won its seventh consecutive state title.

A clean-up hitter at both the club and high school level, Tessa has played in seven national club tournaments including the following: PGF 16U, PGF 14U, ASA Nationals 14U, 12U (twice) and 10U (twice).

Here is a list of her championship accomplishments at each level:

Buford High School – State Champion (2011, 2012, 2013)

• 1^st-Team All-State (freshman, sophomore and junior years)
• only junior in Georgia who has been selected 1^st Team All-State for three years running for all classifications
• has made 1^st-Team as both a pitcher and position player
• in 2011 as freshman was winning pitcher in championship state game
• highlights in fall 2013 season included a 8-0 pitching record (injury prevented more games) and 22 game hitting streak (new school record)
• In three years only four errors in 327 putouts.

 

Atlanta Vipers (2012) – 2^nd Year 14U (Vic Loveless)

• 14U PGF National Champions as the Atlanta Vipers-Loveless team was the first team outside of Calif. to win PGF for any age group.

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  Tessa was winning pitcher in the championship game over the So Cal Athletics.

• She lead off the first game with a 1-0 pitching performance against the Lil Saints.
• She led or tied all other players in the tournament in Wins (3), HRs (3) and RBI (13).
• Vipers listed as the No. 1 team in the nation by GoldFasthPitch.com.
• Softball Today named the Vipers the Team of the Year.

Altogether, Tessa has contributed in helping her team win:

• 1 Club National Championship (PGF)
• 1 Club National Qualifier
• 2^nd place in ASA Nationals
• 1 Georgia ASA State Championship
• 1 GA USFA State Championship
• 3 state high school championships

And individually she has been named 1^st-Team All-State three out of three years and if selected again in 2014 will be the only senior in Georgia history to make 1^st Team all four years.

 

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RECRUIT SPOTLIGHT:  ALYVIA SIMMONS

High school: Blue Valley Northwest
City: Overland Park

State: 
Kan.
Grad year: 2015
Club: Nebraska Gold
Position(s):  outfield
Height: 5-10
Honors: All-State sophomore year while playing at Millard West in Omaha, Neb.
Stats: holds school record at Millard West for triples in a season; slugging percentage over .700 each of the last three years; on-base percentage for high school and club over .600; hit 17 home runs between club and high school in 2013.
College: Nebraska
Other Offers? “I had been on several visits to Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Missouri and Wisconsin. Reportedly, I was the first 2015 in the nation to receive my D-1 verbal offer and commit, just nne days after my eighth grade graduation in Spring of 2011.”
Why Nebraska?: “Nebraska is where I was born, I have a lot of family there and it seems like home to me. I can have a lot of people there to support me in the stands and it isn’t too far away from my parents in Kansas City.”

“The Nebraska coaching staff is awesome, they are very stable and committed to making Nebraska a top contender each year for the World Series. They made me feel at home and have always treated me as an adult with decisions and opinions about my choices both on and off the field.”

 

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VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: LADY LIGHTNING’S EMILY HEIMBERGER AND REGAN GREEN

At the Sun Classic in Florida in early November we had a chance to talk to Lady Lightning Team Miken teammates Emily Heimberger and Regan Green, both current juniors who will be playing at the next level together as each has committed to Mississippi State.

Here’s a brief interview which will show you how charming both girls are!

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RECRUITING NEWS:

*** Chardonnay Harris-Leark, a 2017 P/1B with the Lemont Rockers 16U team based in Illinois, has committed to Auburn.

We contacted her Rockers head coach Chris Naujokas and asked him about Chardonnay as a player and what makes her an SEC-caliber talent and here’s what he had to say:

“Chardy is a two-sport athlete—she plays basketball as well as softball where she has been the best pitcher in the state of Illinois since she was 10 years old. I know this first hand being on the losing end of many of her pitching performances!”

“Being a 5-foot-10 inch lefty who throws 60 mph-plus with tons of movement makes her a special player.”

“As a coach, she is the most talented pitcher I have had the chance to work with. Her record was 34-3 because she throws  a fastball with movement, a riseball clocked at 65 mph at the ASA Nationals in Bloomington, Ill. in 2013, a change-up and drop curve with nasty movement.”

“Chardy is only a freshman this year and the sky is the limit for her as she has not reached her top potential. She is also a very good defensive pitcher and first baseman.  The girls call her ‘The Octopus’ due to her long arms and defensive play!”

“As a hitter she can slap, bunt ,and hit, which she did for a .536 average as she was one of our top performers at the plate. As a teammate, she wants to win for the girls more then herself and is a quiet leader who loves to keep girls loose with her

crazy, funny personality. All in all, Chardy is a great teammate and  extremely talented athlete.”

“What makes her a SEC caliber player? Lets just say she is a player!”

 

*** A player on the rise to watch out for is 2015 middle infielder/outfielder Kelly Welsh from St. Joseph High in South Bend, Ind.

Kelly had played on the Michiana Mystique teams the last three years before recently deciding to play for the Beverly Bandits 16U DeMarini Team this summer.

She recently attended the 2014 Banditfest after being invited by Joann and Derek Allister.

Kelly helped lead her team to the state semi’s the last two years as a speedy lead-off hitter.  Her numbers: .420 average as a sophomore after hitting .510 as a freshman.  At the club level he ht .515 with an on-base percentage of .552.

 

*** More verbals:

— IF Gabby LaSala (2015, Tennessee Tech)… plays for Cincy Static-Morgan
— IF Lindsay Phillips (2015, Lehigh)… plays for Team Mizuno Gonzalez
— C/UT Regan Wright (2016, Texas Tech)… plays for Texas Glory-Adkins

 

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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.