As you’ve probably noticed, we kicked off this week earlier today with the first of our 10 installments of the Hot 100 2015 list.  We start off today’s Daily Update touching on three key points you should know about the list.  We next profile a freshman going to the SEC and learn why a California talent is staying close to home.  We have verbal news and a very cool Photo of the Day that shows one prominent club has a lot of current and former players who love to hang out together!

 

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HOT 100 2015’S (JUNIORS)… SO IT BEGINS!

I estimated that putting together the Hot 100 list for the 2014 players—from beginning to end—took about 60 to 65 hours.

Why so long?

Well, you have to talk to dozens of coaches, both at the college and club level, to get opinions, insights, cross-reference likes and dislikes, just to get a starting point.

Then you get a master list put together and have to whittle it down to 100, no easy task.  THEN, you have to rank them in a credible order which is even harder when you’re comparing pitchers to infielders, catchers to centerfielders, etc.

Researching players, both from a skills and accomplishments level, comes next which includes getting perspectives and evaluations or scouting reports. Of course, we watch as many players as possible (thank heavens I live in Huntington Beach and am right in the middle of so much of the action!).

While narrowing the list and getting data for write-ups, it’s crucial to search and locate photos of players.  Fortunately, I’ve shot many at events and a lot are found on team websites.  And you can’t exclude the ever-helpful coach, parent and player!

Finally, comes the production part… taking the content and photos, editing them, posting the info in the backend of our admin system and, voila, we have the Hot 100s.

Here are some things that I feel are important to point out in this process:

1. If a player doesn’t make this list, it doesn’t mean she’s not Hot 100 material.  We miss some players frankly and, more importantly, players will emerge in time so these lists are a starting point and not the final product.  We will revise these lists down the road so if your favorite player isn’t in now, it doesn’t mean she can’t be in the next version!
2. If your favorite club team has no or little representation, that doesn’t mean it’s not a good team… it might just mean this year may not be as strong as the 2014 or the 2016 class.  Same with colleges: one college may have loaded up with ‘14’s and doesn’t need many ‘15’s or vice versa.
3. Factors that go into picking the Hot 100: talent, obviously, production, competition, accomplishments such as leading teams to titles, etc., etc.  Injuries do matter: we will have a girl later on the list who’s overcome two blown out ACLs but is playing at a higher level than pre-injury.  Conversely, there’s a few players who’ve had injuries and been out a significant amount of time who we need to watch a bit more post-injury to make sure they’re at a level we think they can and will be, but don’t want to punish those who have and are doing it on the field.

Hope that helps… and thanks to all the great sources of input and help who make this possible.  You know who you are! Finally, to all the great players:  keep working hard and you will be noticed–by us, college coaches or your club and high school coaches.  Show us you have what it takes to make it onto your own Hot 100 list of butt kickers!

 

 

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RECRUIT PROFILE: ASHLEY MORGAN

Grad Year: 2017
Pos: C/UT
High School: Chapel Hill (Douglasville, Ga.)
GPA/SAT or ACT (optional): 4.0
Nickname: Megatron
Club: Georgia Impact – Jeffreys
Stats hit .416 with 21 RBI and 11 doubles in 2013 (Georgia plays high school softball in the fall).
Honors:  All County-Player of the Year, All-Region
College: Tennessee

 

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: OK, I have to ask… how you got the nickname “Megatron?”
Ashley Morgan: An umpire once remarked on my shiny red new catching gear. He told our coach that I looked like a Transformer.  Coach Will (Tomasello) responded, “Megatron!”  It has stuck ever since.

 

SS.com: There’s a photo on the Georgia Impact Facebook page of a very young you posing in a Tennessee uniform… coincidence or were you always a Vols fan?
AM: It was a coincidence. It was Team Spirit Day for Red Ribbon Week at school and I needed a jersey. I borrowed the jersey from a friend of the family, who is a huge Tennessee fan.

 

SS.com: Tell us how you were first seen by the UT coaches, then how long until they offered?
AM: I was first seen by Coach Ralph (Weekly) in Scenic City and then again by both Coach Ralph and Coach Marty (McDaniel) at Atlanta Legacy. We started talking for a while and set up a visit for September 28^th when they made their offer.

 

SSS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?
AM: I committed on Sunday, December 22nd. I finished my final planned visit the previous weekend and knew UT was where I wanted to go.

 

SSS.com: Being a freshman, any concern in committing so young?  Did you visit and check out other schools?
AM: Yes, it was a concern, but if I didn’t start the process early, I would not have gotten the opportunity I have now. It is also a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders because now I don’t have to worry about the recruiting aspect of the game. I visited many schools before making my final decision to eliminate any doubt that I may have had otherwise.

 

SSS.com: Recap how you told the Weeklys you’d be committing?
AM: On our way to New Jersey to visit relatives for Christmas break, we stopped by the UT campus so I could tell the Weeklys in person. They were running a softball camp with over 400 girls. We thought they might be too busy, but they told us to come anyway. When we arrived, they brought us to a conference room and I told them that I wanted to commit to Tennessee. After that, they brought in Coach Marty and Coach Marc and we talked for about half an hour. We got to meet some of the other girls who are committed to Tennessee and were attending the camp. It was a moment I will never forget.

 

SSS.com: How far away from home will you be?  Was distance a factor in your decision at all?
AM: It is about a 3 1/2 hour drive for us. At first I didn’t really care how far I would go, but after going to Arizona for a softball camp, I realized I wanted to be closer to home.

 

SSS.com:  Humility aside, what about your game makes you an SEC-caliber softball player?
AM: I think my focus, intensity and ability to perform under pressure are all traits that make me an SEC-caliber softball player.

SSS.com: What do you love most about softball?
AM: I love being a part of a team. I love being able to work in a group to achieve a common goal.

Quick Hitters (short answers)

 

What was the highlight of your Christmas?
Getting to spend time with my relatives and finding out that I’m going to have a new baby cousin.

Fill in the blank… When I take the field I:
… want the ball.

What makes you most proud to say you’re from Georgia?
I am proud of the state’s southern hospitality and good family values.

Do you like playing high school ball in the fall or wish it were in the spring?
I like playing school ball in the fall because it doesn’t interfere with travel ball.

Favorite food:
Honey crisp apples.

Least favorite food:
Tomatoes.

Favorite place in the world:
Hawaii.

What makes you laugh the hardest? 
Watching Napoleon Dynamite with my mom.

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
I was two months premature.

What’s your No. 1 goal/New Year’s resolution for 2014?
To continue doing well in school and get better in softball.

Other than family, who’s your hero or someone you look up to?
Jennie Finch.

 

 

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PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: DOMINIQUE JACKSON

High school: Jackson
City: Chico
State: 
Calif.
Grad year: 2015
Club: KG Hitters
Height: 5-10
Position(s):  outfield/1B
College: Fresno State
Other Offers: Georgia, San Diego, Utah State
Stats: 69 RBI, most in California in 2013 and 11^th in the nation
Honors:

• All League 1st Team
• Northern Section MVP
• CIF Northern Section Div 1 Champion
• EAL League Champion
• CIF Northern Section homerun, triple, slugging percentage leader
• CalHiSports.com record three triples in one game
• All American (medium schools) by MaxPreps

Why Fresno State: “Originally I had been committed to Utah State as an outfielder, but a few months after I committed, the coach ended up resigning after a not so good season. That coach had been one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Utah State, so when I learned she was not coaching there anymore I was wondering what I was going to do.”

“Then I learned Coach Ford from Fresno State was showing an interest in me. I originally did not want to go to Fresno State just because I thought it was too close to home. Then I went on an unofficial and I saw the campus and met some of the girls from the team. I still was not sure what I wanted to do because I was in love with the idea of going to Georgia.”

“After spending a weekend with my aunt and uncle and talking it over with them as well, I realized Fresno State was the school for me. So I took another unofficial, toured the school again, and towards the end of my visit I told the coaches I would take their offer.”

“I’m glad I chose Fresno State because my family, friends, old teammates, and coaches can come watch me play now! And after being in touch with the coaches I know that they will do anything in their power to make sure my college career is the best out there.”

 

RECRUITING NEWS:

*** 2015 pitcher Meehra Nelson of Bownet Gold has committed to Oregon State. Meehra went on an unofficial visit to the school on Friday and committed during her trip.

The SoCal junior was unable to pitch most of her freshman season at Moorpark High because of an injury, and she was forced to sit out her entire sophomore season because of CIF transfer rules after transferring to Westlake High, so most of the competition she has faced the past two years has been through travel ball.

Meehra posted a team-leading 2.22 ERA for Bownet during the summer and struck out 121 batters in 72.2 innings. She helped pitch Bownet to the PGF Nationals, where she went 2-1 with a 1.11 ERA.

This fall, Meehra registered a 1.95 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 135 strikeouts in 86 innings.

She pitched in the 2013 Colorado Fireworks All-Star Game and was a participant at OnDeck Softball’s National Elite Futures Camp in October.

 

*** Continuing on Bownet Gold news, we’re hearing that 2014 P/UT Miranda Magana has decommitted from Colgate and is reportedly back on the recruiting market.

 

*** Jacy Boles, a 2016 P/1B for the California Grapettes, writes to tell us why she committed to UC Riverside, which happened 10 days before Christmas:

“UC riverside had been watching me pitch at showcases for a while and, through my coaches, invited me on an unofficial visit to look at the campus and stuff.”

“I really loved everything about Riverside—the campus, the coaches, and what the coaches want to do with the softball program there. They really want to turn it around and I believe they can do it. It’s definitely going to be a really good up and coming program. Plus I am getting a great education.”

“What more could I ask for!”

 

*** Lindsay Phillips, a 2014 SS/2B/OF with the OC Batbusters-Gonzalez team, has signed NLI to play at Lehigh.

 

*** More verbals:

— IF Meredith Burroughs (2014, North Carolina State)… plays for NC Lady Lightning
— P Sarah Cornell (2016, Hofstra)… plays for Team Long Island Gold
— C Kyle Davidson (2015, Dayton)… plays for Ohio Lasers Black
— SS Bryanna Flanagan (2015, Creighton)… plays for Oklahoma Ultimate Gold
— P Michal Haylton (2015, Creighton)… plays for Oklahoma Ultimate Gold
— P/IF Taylor Mabry (2015, Liberty)… plays for Aftershock Fastpitch
— OF Brenna Skalski (2014, Georgia State)… plays for Georgia Knockouts

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PIC OF THE DAY

 

 

Last Saturday (Jan. 4, 2014), the Corona Angels Gold team practiced and then scrimmaged against alumni.

These were the former (marked with an *)and current players in the group photo…

Top row for left:

Mariah Mazon (from Perez’s 14U team)
Jessica Scroggins Baylor
Kinsley Washington UCLA
Paige Von Sprecken Univ of San Diego
Alexis Osorio (kneeling) Alabama
Kirsten Caudle Iowa State
Taylor White (kneeling) Ohio State
Melissa Tullar Campbell
Dannielle Ingraham Virginia
Shay Knighten (kneeling) Oklahoma
Abby Lockman Tennessee
Taylor Edwards* Nebraska
Dawna Tyson* Nebraska
Taylor Langdon* Fresno State
Austen Urness* Nebraska
Emily Lockman* Nebraska
Paulina Anasis Northwestern
Rachel Garcia UCLA
Miranda Viramontes Utah
Dani Munoz Tennessee State

Bottom row from left:

Lea Wodach Oklahoma
Amanda Herrera UNLV
Zoe Casas Florida State
Tatum Edwards* Nebraska
Elizabeth Caporuscio* ASU
Nikki Girard* ASU
Jasmin Mejia* Cal
Jazmyn Jackson Cal
Kylie Reed* Cal
Ashley Goodwin Ohio State
Marina Ili UNLV
Destiny Henderson Maryland

 

A big thanks to Kelly Lockman, mother of current Angel, Abby, a junior C/3B committed to Tennessee, for providing the photo and ID’ing the players!

 

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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.