Today we go to a state where we’ve never profiled a club team to see how this “rebellious” group has dealt with triumph… and tragedy.  We also look at a Georgia Peach who will play for a coach she’s known since the eighth grade and have more recruiting news and notes…

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CLUB PROFILE:  LIL REBELS

We’re excited to profile our first team from Nevada and one that you see all over the nation—the Lil Rebels.

The bulk of our team comes from the Las Vegas valley which incorporates Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and the unincorporated areas of Las Vegas referred to as Clark County.  The squad even pulls in a player from Sparks (a suburb of Reno, Nev.) about 450 miles away.

There are seven teams total in the Rebels organization: a second year 12U, two first year 14U’s, one second year 14U, one first year 16U, one second year 16U’s, and the Gold team, which was started in 2007 team by Gary Stover as a 12U team as he wanted to build around his youngest daughter, Brooke.

“I had coached my two older daughters previously,” Coach Stover begins, “and when my oldest started playing for a Gold team in So Cal and my middle daughter decided to start cheerleading full time I diverted all my attention to this team.”

Originally launched to win titles and develop players who could compete at the national level, the team eventually moved up to 14U and the focus began to be playing up at the 16U level to get exposure.

“Once the team progressed to 16’s it was all about showcases and exposure along with playing a few tournaments a year including Nationals,” the coach continues, “while all along focusing on developing not only better softball players, but young productive adults as well.”

The formula worked as the Lil Rebels began to rack up wins, titles and exposure.  The team won four consecutive ASA State Championships as well as a second place finish at the Triple Crown World Series in Park City, Utah in the 14U Gold division.

In 2012, the Lil Rebels won the 18U division as a 16U team and the last two years at the prestigious Champions Cup in Irvine, Calif. the team has a record of 12-3.

Stover says what makes the Lil Rebel organization unique is its structure.

“Most top level organizations are led by one person who ultimately makes all the decisions,” he explains. “Secondly, most of these organizations are ran by individuals who are professional coaches, meaning they make their living or a portion of their living coaching, doing lessons, putting on clinics/workouts, etc.”

“This organization is run by a board and that board consists of all the head coaches (currently seven teams so seven head coaches), a President (Joe Kissane), and two appointed members: Jeff Kennedy (the previous Gold coach and now asst. coach on Gold team who started this program with Joe Kissane) and Dave Beatty (an assistant coach on both the Gold team and 99 team).”

“All board members have an equal voice and vote.  We meet approximately every two months with an agenda and follow up with action items and minutes.  It’s been a great way to disseminate information up and down through the ranks and make sure all board members are on the same page. Also, as an organization, we demand excellence in the classroom. We want prospective college coaches to know that if they commit to a Lil Rebel, we have done our best to prepare them to be successful academically.”

That’s shown in the current combined weighted GPA of the team which is 3.9.  Two of the twelve seniors on the team are No. 1 in their classes in schools that have more than 3,000 and one of them (Melissa Lacro) is headed to Harvard.

“We have a strong core of leadership and maturity,” believes the coach.  “Several other students are in the top 5 of their class.  As far as talent, I don’t even think we have seen the tip of the iceberg of what their capabilities are.  I think this group is going to go into their respective universities and excel immediately.  We have a combination of power, speed, finesse, and competitiveness that competes with the best teams in the country.”

The current Lil Rebels Gold team has to be one of the most experienced and mature groups in the nation as 12 of the 13 players are committed seniors.

“Like I said earlier,” Stover continues, “I have been with this particular group for a long time so the make-up of this team is a little unusual as far as having all seniors and one junior.  Our main focus now is to prepare this group for their next challenge which is being a starter for their respective colleges along with ensuring they are prepared for all the rigors that being a collegiate athlete will throw at them.”

Coach Stover started his softball career with three daughters who began not in softball, but on the baseball diamond.

“The two oldest woke up one day and said, ‘I want to play baseball.’  My wife and I took them down to the local Little League and signed them up. That was the beginning of an incredibly blessed 14-year ride.  I sat on the sidelines the first year and watched the coach and then said, “I think I can do a much better job than that guy” and I never looked back.

Today, the coach’s oldest daughter, Lauren, is senior in college playing softball at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, a DII school in the Pacific West Conference, and his middle daughter is a sophomore at the College of Southern Nevada as a student, but getting ready to start Cosmetology School.

The youngest, Brooke, is in her senior year of high school, but signed to UNLV to play softball there next year.

“I didn’t have any formal training or background with softball,” Coach Stover says. “I just knew that I wanted to be an instrumental part of my kid’s lives away from home and sports was an easy way to accomplish that.  But along the way I’ve had the opportunity to coach some incredible kids and players.  It’s been a very rewarding trip.”

Rewarding, certainly, but challenging too. Stover reflects on an indescribable tragedy that hit the Rebels two years ago.

“We had an incredible young athlete that had a beautiful future ahead of her that  I had been coaching for several years,” remembers the coach. “She was my youngest daughter’s best friend and her father was one of our assistant coaches and a good friend.”

“In January of 2011, she took her own life unexpectedly.  This turned our team inside out and knocked the entire softball community in Southern Nevada to its knees.  Not to mention what it did to the family.  She was the type of impact player that everyone respected and the type of person who everyone liked.”

“It has been a long road and an ongoing recovery process, but a defining moment making us all realize that tomorrow is not promised.  Working for the fire department for over 20 years I knew that, but it never hit home until this terrible tragedy.  We are still in the recovery process and we still wear an insignia on all our practice uniforms to remember No. 9.”

Learning from triumphs and tragedies, it looks like the Lil Rebels program will be on the national map for a while now.

One sign of respect came from uniform company The Gluv which sponsors the Lil Rebels.

“That put us in the ranks of programs like Corona Angels, So Cal Athletics, Minors Gold, Firecrackers, etc.,” the coach believes.  “The President, Jonathan Oe, reached out to us and said he had flagged us as the top team out of Nevada and wanted to make sure he represented us.  That was a nice compliment and kind of made us feel like all the hard work each coach was doing with their teams was being noticed.”

One final sign of legitimacy: the Lil Rebels organization was one of only 10 programs in the entire country that had a team in every age division at PGF Nationals last year.

 

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Here’s a player-by-player look at the Lil Rebels Gold team with comments by Coach Gary Stover:

— SS/3B Savannah Horvath (2014, Cal State Northridge)
“Savannah has been an instrumental player on this team for the past five years.  She hits for average and power and is a very savvy base runner.  She has been a starter at SS or 3B in all five years being on the team and brings a level of competitiveness to the field that rivals that of an Olympic athlete”.

— P/OF Rachel Williams (2014, Loyola Marymount University)
“Rachel is a multi-tool kid.  She is a solid pitcher, very talented outfielder with a big arm, hits for average and power, and has good quicks for a big player.  Rachel has had her share of injuries to battle including a shoulder surgery, but shown resilience coming back and getting back into the lineup.  This is another very talented student that plans to study pre-law at LMU”.

— 1B/3B/OF Lauren Stroman (2014, McNeese State)
“Lauren has been with us for four years and has played anywhere we have asked.  Her power and timeliness of showing it is remarkable.  Lauren has had some of the more timely HR’s on this team.  Currently she is a utility player for us playing both corners and outfield, whatever it takes to get her bat in the lineup.  Another 4.0 GPA kid that will do great things in the classroom”.

— OF/1B Breanna Beatty (2014, North Dakota State)
“Bre has been a steady power hitter in our lineup always staying in that the 3, 4, 5 spot.  She normally starts for us in LF, but has shown the ability to play 1B for us as well.  This athlete has a work ethic second to none.  She is at the cages multiple days a week along with in the gym lifting.  She came back from a torn ACL the summer going into her junior year and dropped right back into the lineup without any hiccups.  Bre is going to do great things with her education because of her internal drive to excel”.

— P/1B/3B Dayton Yingling  (2014, Detroit Mercy University)
“Dayton is going on her third year with us.  She has been a workhorse for us on the mound pitching as many innings as we have asked.  She is physically a very strong kid with a incredible work ethic.  She has really picked up her academics at my request over the past couple semesters and demonstrated that she is preparing to be a collegiate athlete”.

— P Jacqueline Sertic (2014, North Dakota State)
“Jacquie has been our go to pitcher for the last year.  This kid travels from Reno every time we play which is a 10 hour drive one way to So Cal.  How about that for a commitment from a player and family?  Great kid, very intelligent on and off the field, true student of her craft, and when not pitching the type of team mate everyone wants in their dugout.  This kid is going to do great things.”

— C/UT Brooke Stover (2014, UNLV)
“I couldn’t be more proud as a dad or coach to see my kid play for our home town school and Lisa Dodd.  Brooke has been our starting catcher for the last three years coming into the position late in her club career.  She demonstrates a level of leadership not seen often at her age on the field and timely hitting that has even exceeded by expectations.  I really look forward to seeing every game of her college career after missing a good portion of my older daughter’s career.  It will be fun being the house that her and her team mates can come to for a home cooked meal.”

— CF Sarah Murphy (2014, Cal Baptist University)
“Sarah has been with the team for five years and really developed from just a small ball lefty offensive player to being able to hit and slap for power.  She is very fast and typically leads our team in BA from the 1 or 2 spot.  She has been our starting centerfielder for all five years.  I anticipate great things from her at CBU.  They have not only got a great player but an incredibly motivated person.  She is very well organized and self driven well beyond her years”.

— 1B Katie Dawson (2014, Kansas Wesleyan)
“Katie has been on the team the longest with the exception of Brooke.  She has been our starting first baseman for five plus years.  She has really developed her ability to hit for power tying our team high last summer.  She has been in the gym hitting the weights hard and developing more athleticism.  Katie is another one of our brilliant students.  She will be leaving high school with a 4.1-4.2 GPA.  She is a great catch for the Coyotes”.

— SS/C/UT Heather Bowen (2014, Utah)
“Heather is new to our team this season.  One of our top recruits to pickup in years.  She is a great shortstop and power hitter.  Heather is also a natural behind the plate and truly can play anywhere on the field with the exception of pitcher.  This kid has a canon for an arm and a player we would have loved to have a long time ago.  We are very excited to have the chance to develop her and help ensure she is ready to play for the Utes”.

— 3B/2B/OF Letticia Valenzuela (2014, Colorado Christian University)
“Letty has played a variety of positions for us over her five year tenure.  She has pitched, played shortstop, third base, outfield, and now plays second base for us.  Letty has really developed into a consistent threat at the plate and also developed into a player who hits for power.  This kid’s throwing mechanics are impeccable and has an incredible arm.  Letty is also a very talented student”.

— 2B/UT Melissa Lacro (2014, Harvard)
“Melissa knew from the beginning that she wanted to play softball and attend Harvard.  That has been our goal since she has entered the recruiting process.  Coach Allard took her time recruiting Melissa and she passed all her tests including the early admissions assessment where she received the green light.  Melissa is #1 in her class of over 3500 students and will be a great asset to the Crimson  as well and a brilliant student”.

— 2B/3B/UT Kayla Stephens (2015, uncommitted)
“Kayla is the newest member of our team.  We brought her up from our very solid 16U team where she was instrumental in their success last summer.  We brought her up for several reasons, we needed a true utility player that could hit for average and who had shown the ability to hit in clutch situations.  She also is a player we are grooming to be one of our leaders next season when almost our entire team will be new players coming up through the organization.  Kayla has shown early signs of being capable of that leadership role for next season.  Kayla is getting lots of looks from a variety of different schools and we are currently just weighing her options. Being a junior we still have a lot of time and she still hasn’t played her best softball.  Good things to come from this young lady.”

 

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RECRUIT PROFILE: KAYLA COTTON

Pos: P/1B
Grad Year: 2015
Club Team: Peaches Gold
High School: Harris Co. (Ga.)
GPA/ACT or SAT: 4.25
Honors: All-West Georgia Player of the Year
Key Stats: 2013 club: .422 average and 12 home runs; 2013 high school: .308 average with eight home runs and 26 RBI; went 20-8 in the circle with a 1.82 ERA
College: Georgia

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: You’re staying in-state to play for Georgia… how did the Dawgs first find you?
Kayla Cotton: I took a private hitting lesson with (Georgia Head) Coach (Gerry) Glasco when I was in the eighth grade. This was the first time I met him. I returned that winter for a hitting clinic. I did pretty good but was still improving. I went back in the ninth and 10th grade to the hitting camps.

After the camp of my 10th grade year Coach Glasco said he wanted me to play for them but he wanted to keep up with me during the next season. He talked with my travel ball coach in Aug of this year and my dad called him. He wanted me to commit.

 

SSS.com: How did you commit?
KC: Coach Glasco emailed me on, I think, Oct 1st and I responded that I was very happy to accept. I was at home and was more than excited. I always wanted to go to UGA and to get to play ball—there is a huge opportunity.

 

SSS.com: What did they recruit you for—pitcher, hitter or both?
KC: UGA recruited me for hitting. My primary position in high school is pitcher and in travel ball I split time pitching and playing first base. I hope to have the opportunity to play one of the two at UGA also. I will just have to work hard and keep improving.

 

SSS.com: Tell us about the Peaches Gold team and how you ended up there…
KC: The Peaches Gold team is coached by Leo Valero. This is his 26th year coaching girls softball and he had the first girls travel ball team in Columbus, Ga. He is just a great coach and works with the girls in every aspect of the game. I started taking lessons from him when I was 13 years old and he would even let me pick up with him sometimes and play with his 18U gold team.

When I was 15 he really wanted me to play full time with him and I did. It was the best decision I made. He has really helped me to get where I am today. He had five girls this past year sign D1.

 

SSS.com: What do you like to do when not on the field?
KC: I like to relax with my friends and go to the movies.

 

SSS.com: Talk about your background and love for softball; how long have you played and what do you love most about the sport?
KC: I have played softball since I was 6 years old. I love being around the girls that love the sport like I do. I love the feeling I get when I do something extraordinary on the field. I also love traveling with the team. We are just like family.

 

SSS.com: Have you played other sports?
KC: In the past years I have danced, played soccer, been a cheerleader and done gymnastics. Softball is my favorite and that’s all I do now.

 

SSS.com: What’s been your proudest accomplishment in softball?
KC: My proudest accomplishment in softball was getting Pitcher of the Year in my region, Player of the Year in my region and All-West Georgia Player of the Year as well as MVP of the year on my team.

SSS.com: What your proudest accomplishment off the field?
KC: My proudest accomplishment other than softball was finding out that I am No. 2 in my junior class of 369 with a GPA of 4.25.

 

Quick Hitters

 

Favorite clothing item to wear:
My cheetah scarf.

Favorite ice cream flavor:
Mint chocolate chip.

Favorite place:
Hawaii.

Favorite movie:
Bride Wars.

Favorite pro team:
Atlanta Braves.

If I wasn’t playing softball I would be…
…. trying to play volleyball.

If I could spend a day with one person it would be:
Blake Shelton.

Are you a dog, cat, bird or other type of animal person:
I am a cat person because they like to sleep and so do I.

Fill in the blank: I hate it when _______________
… people mock me.

Fill in the blank: I am happiest when_______________
… I am with all my friends hanging out and laughing.

 

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Thanks to Dr. Les Anderson, an extension professor at the Univ. of Kentucky, who writes to say:

Jenna’s blog is EXACTLY why your site does NOT need to change.  A coach or reporter can write this and it will mean NOTHING to a player.  But coming from Jenna, this article gives girls an insight into the mindset of one of the best players in the country.  I copied her blog and sent it to my kids/my team.  I know she is talented but this attitude is also why she is the #1 rated player in the US.

Absolutely perfect!  Love it.

Thanks again!

Les Anderson

Stunners 99

 

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RECRUITING PROFILE: REGAN NASH

High school: North Platte High
City: Dearborn
State: 
 Mo.
Grad year: 2015
Club: KC Monarchs
Position(s): OF
Key Stats: 2013 club: .527 average; 2013 high school: .667 average
Honors: club: 2013 Top Gun All-American (club); high school: All-State, All-Region, All-District
College: Missouri
Other Offers: Northwest Missouri State, Central Methodist
Why Missouri: “I’ve been a Mizzou fan since I started playing softball. They are a top ranked program and I’m excited to play there and still be so close to home.”

 

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RECRUITING NEWS

*** Verbals to report today:

— P Maddie MacGrandle (2017, Texas A&M)… plays for the Texas Glory
— OF Alexa Schultz (2017, Oklahoma)… plays for So Cal Athletics-Quarles
— P/IF Lauren Castro (2014, Canisisu College)… plays for California Kryptonite
— 2B/OF Alexys Haskings (2018, Tennessee)… plays for Tennessee Fury
— OF/UT Andrea Beruman (2014, Oklahoma Wesleyan)… plays for Cal A’s
— C/3B Lexi Hanson (2015, South Dakota State)… plays for KC Monarchs

 

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EVENT NEWS:  SOCAL NATIONAL SKILLS COMBINE

This Saturday and Sunday, approximately 150 athletes from across the country will participate in the So Cal National Skills Combine produced by Diamond9 events.

The two-day event will take place at Foothills High in Santa Ana, Calif. and will have numerous colleges there including Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA, BYU and many more.

Here is the list of the players scheduled to attend the Sunday, December 15 session:

 

#	Year	First	Last	Pos	Team/Coach
2	2015	Ashley	Ruano	C	OC United Katie Cochran
3	2015	Viveka	Cousins	P	California Thunder 18 Gold Valerie Van Kirk
4	2015	Taylor	Smith	C	OC United Katie Cochran
5	2015	Carly	Pina	3B	Firecrackers Snyder 18 Gold Jim Snyder
7	2015	Mandy	Larios	SS	ACA Jesse Mendez
10	2016	Taylor	Burns	1B	BOWNET 16U John Ashley
11	2016	Karter	Williams	SS	So Cal Breakers 16/18u - Imoto Bobby Howe
12	2016	Kaitlyn	Kruger	1B	Bownet 16U John Ashley
15	2016	Ashley	Romero	1B	Irvine Legacy
16	2016	Micaela	Barber	SS	AZ Desert Thunder - Noland Steve Noland
22	2016	Julissa	Trevino	1B	Jersey Intensity Eileen Hannigan
30	2017	Marina	Williams	CF	Quakes Will Diaz
31	2017	morgan	melito	3B	BOWNET 16U Breanna Parr
32	2017	Valerie	Ventura	SS	Firecrackers-Redmond Chance Redmond
33	2017	Cierra	Valenzona	SS	OC Batbusters Eddie Valdivia
34	2017	Madison	Hanson	RF	Case Batbusters Terry Paredez
35	2017	Alizae	Umi	C	La Mirada Firecrackers Anthony Hernandez
43	2017	Caroline	Dame	SS	OC United Katie Cochran
53	2017	Lindsey	Lowe	C	So Cal 3D Ken Molina
62	2017	Kalie	Buffinet	C	New Orleans Voodoo Donnie Lee
67	2017	Annie	Luderer	P	SoCal 3D Mark Burkhardt
68	2017	Linnay	Wilson	P	California Stampede Tim Rivera (559)
69	2017	Sammy	Garcia	LF	SoCal Athletics Mercado David Mercado
70	2018	Donna	Friedman	C	Firecrackers Chavez Jerry Chavez
71	2018	Alyssa	Nunez	P	La Mirada Firecrackers Anthony Hernandez
72	2018	Emma	Ruth	1B	Central Cal Dirt Dogs 14U - Wallace Mike Wallace
73	2018	Erica	Holt	CF	OC Batbusters Jim Wilson
75	2018	Kaylee	Dawson	P	Central Cal Dirt Dogs 14U - Wallace Mike Wallace
76	2018	Jordyn	Kolone	1B	La Mirada Firecrackers Anthony Hernandez
77	2019	Rachel	Kessler	C	Central Cal Dirt Dogs 14U - Wallace Mike Wallace
78	2018	Jessica	Martinez	P	La Mirada Firecrackers Anthony Hernandez
80	2018	Jessica	Cordola	3B	So Cal 3D Ken Molina
83	2018	Madison	Wallace	2B	Central Cal Dirt Dogs 14U - Wallace Mike Wallace
86	2018	Carsen	Beckwith	3B	Central Cal Dirt Dogs 14U - Wallace Mike Wallace
89	2018	Analiese	Raley	C	Central Cal Dirt Dogs 14U - Wallace Mike Wallace

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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.