Sorry for the delay in getting today’s Daily Update up, but we have a good excuse… had a nice chat with UCLA’s Kelly Inouye-Perez this afternoon which we’ll have up on the site soon.  In this update we learn more about a Mississippi player who will be staying in-state to play, introduce you to a Louisiana all-stater, learn more about a Florida standout who’ll stay in the Sunshine State and find out where the ASA 16U GOLD Nationals will be… 

 

Readers: couple items of business:

1. we’re progressing deeper on the Hot 100 for 2015 class… it’s not too late to send in recommendations and info!
2. new topic: we’ll be doing a Top 10 Stories of the Year… would love to get you input here too!  E-mail me with your ideas: brentt@studentsports.com

 

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RECRUIT PROFILE: HAILEY LUNDERMAN

Last week we mentioned the commitment of Hailey Lunderman to Ole Miss; she has an interesting background including Native American ancestry which she talks about here…

Grad Year: 2015
Pos: Infield
High School: Neshoba Central (Philadelphia, Miss.)
Club: OC Batbusters – Castenado (Miss.)
College: Ole Miss

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: Tell us about your background, we hear you your heritage is Choctaw and Lakota Indian…
Hailey Lunderman: Yes, my mother is Choctaw and my Father is Lakota.  I am a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and have family who are members. I also have family who are members of the Sicangu Lakota tribe in South Dakota.

 

SSS.com: Softball-wise, you played with Team Mizuno 16U coached by Mike Stith this past summer… how did that come about?
HL: Mike had an opening on his team due to injuries… He said there was an opening for me if I wanted to play… I had gone out to California a couple of years ago and played a weekend with Mike’s teams then.  That was the first time he worked with me and saw me play.

 

SSS.com: You get to stay instate to play college softball at Ole Miss.  Where did they find you and how did the recruiting process go leading up to an offer?
HL: Coach Thees and her staff came and watched me play this past summer in Colorado at the Louisville Slugger tournament…. I think they watched every one of my games there…. I made two unofficial visits this fall and then made my decision.

 

SSS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?
HL: I liked the campus, I liked the Education I would receive, I liked the coaches, and the chance to play in the SEC.

 

SSS.com: Is it wild to think you’ll be playing SEC softball in a few years?
HL: Yes it is… I have always wanted to play in the SEC… I am excited

 

SSS.com: After committing, did you and your family do anything to celebrate?
HL: We bought some Ole Miss gear.

 

SSS.com: How far away from home will be?  Was distance a factor in your decision at all?
HL: No, distance was not a factor…. I was willing to go anywhere that was interested in me and that I liked.

 

SSS.com:  Did you look at any other programs?  What was it Ole Miss said they like about your game enough to bring you on board?
HL: Yes, I looked at the University of Memphis, Mississippi State University, and Fresno State University. Ole Miss liked everything about my game and said I was fun to watch play.

 

SSS.com: What’s been the highlight of your softball career?
HL: Being named Miss Softball for Mississippi (2013) and winning softball state titles.

 

Quick Hitters

What do you want to be doing in 10 years?
Be a Physical Therapist.

Fill in the blank… Nothing makes me more happy than: ________________
Resting!

If you could go anywhere in the world for a week, where would it be and why?
Rome Italy…. I have heard it is pretty there.

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
I can sound like a monkey.

How would you describe yourself in one word?
Shy.

Favorite way to relax:
Laying on the couch and falling asleep.

Favorite food:
Pizza.

Least favorite chore:
Washing clothes.

What would you like most to get for Christmas/the holidays?
A new phone.

Other than family, who’s your hero or someone you look up to most?
Louisville women’s basketball payers Shoni and Jude Schimmel. 

 

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TOP 2015 HOT 100 CANDIDATE:

*** C/3B Libby Sugg (Tennessee Fury)… committed to BYU

Libby Sugg is the rare player from Tennessee who is offered by the Vols and decides to go elsewhere.

The junior slugger who attends Frankling High hits for power and average and is an outstanding defensive catcher and corner infielder.

This past spring as a sophomore for the Franklin High Lady Rebels, she hit .512 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI while being intentionally walked 27 times.  Libby has also averaged a home run every 6.59 at bats in her first two high school seasons while being intentionally walked over 40 times.

In 2013, she lead the team to 25 wins, the most in school history, as Franklin advanced to the Region Tournament for the first time in over 20 years.

She was named 1st Team All State Team and was First Team All District and All Mid-State for the second year in a row. This followed a freshman year when she hit .564 with 19 home runs and 58 RBI earning her District 11 AAA Most Valuable Player and All Mid-State First Team as a freshman.

Libby has played in the Tennessee Fury organization with Randy Coppinger, Keith Perry and Kirk Lewis for the past four years and this year helped TN Fury 97-Coppinger/Perry to a second place finish in the Louisville Slugger Independence Day Tournament in Boulder and to a 33rd place finish in the ASA /USA Girls Class A Nationals in Sunnyvale, California.

“Libby’s an extremely good hitter,” Fury Heach Coach Kirk Lewis told us today. “She’s one of top home run hitters in the state and is a tall, strong athletic kid who can hit with power.”

She also shines in the classroom with a 4.167 GPA and this fall verballed to BYU after being recruited by the University of Tennessee and over 30 other schools.

“I liked BYU because of the opportunity to receive a quality education, play softball for a great program and grow spiritually in a unique environment,” she says.

 

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PROSPECT TO WATCH: WHITNEY ROMERO

High school: St. Thomas More Catholic

City: Lafayette
State: 
La.
Grad year: 2016
Club: Louisiana Patriots 18U Gold
Position(s):  P/2B
GPA: 4.0
College: uncommitted
Stats/Honors:  freshman year (2013)—Louisiana Class 4A state champions, 1^st team All-State (pitcher), All-district
Events: OnDeck East Coast National Elite Camp; pitched in the Champions Elite 50, pitched last inning and had two strikeouts

 

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RECRUITING NEWS

*** Brooke Hartman is a 2016 corner infielder with the Central Florida Blazers, a top 25 team at ASA Nationals in Sioux Falls, S.D. The 5-foot-11 infielder is headed to South Florida and according to her mother, Dina, that was her No. 1 school to go to.

We’ll let her tell the story of her commitment from here:

“Brooke went to the summer camp where she was excited to meet Coach (Ken) Eriksen, who is also the Team USA coach).  The coaches noticed her and went up to her wanting to know when and where she played this fall. They went to quite a few of the showcases that we were attending.”

“Through this process we have been lucky enough to have Coach Alissa Smith of Daytona State as a hitting and fielding coach for the last five years helping out as a mentor. Coach Smith was there to give us advice on what to do.”

“We went to a USF showcase in November and was fortunate to be able to be able to play on the Stadium field. It was there that Coach Erriksen got to see her play and Brooke hit a home run that we think sealed the deal.”

“From there we received a call from Coach Smith that informed us that they liked her and wanted us to have an unofficial visit with them. So we went to USF the next week. It was then they gave us a 6 1/2 hour tour of the campus and the facility. They were wonderful to us. They answered all the parental questions that us parents had and made Brooke feel very comfortable.”

“The school also had what she wanted to major in, which is Medicine. At the end of the day, Coach Eriksen said he knew we had a lot to think about and to call him if we needed anything. On the drive home we had a quick talk and Brooke said she wanted to be a Bull.”

 

*** More verbals:

— IF/OF Leslie Sims (2016, Indiana State)… plays for Indy Edge
— OF Justice Carmichael (2015, Taylor Univ.)… plays for Indy Edge
— OF Donna Conrad (2014, Albany)… plays for Top Gun Gold
— P/1B Alyssa Rothwell (2016, Ball State)… plays for Beverly Bandits
— P/INF Allison Block (2015, Canisius)… plays for Cayuga Gamblers
— 1B/UT Victoria Webster (2015, George Mason)… plays for So Cal Breakers
— SS Savana Guidry (2015, Houston Baptist)… plays for Texas Storm
— INF/P Amanda Dobner (2015, Liberty U.)… plays for Team NC Elite
— SS Alyssa Martinez (2017, LSU)… plays for Austin Storm Gold
— MIF Madison Urquiola (2016, Southern Miss)… plays for Windermere Wildfire
— 1B/3B Katie Warrick (2015, Tennessee State)… plays for Tennessee Ballhawks
— P Leigh Ellen Thomas (2015, Tennessee Tech)… plays for Louisville Lady Sluggers
— C Taylor Ellsworth (2017, Texas)… plays for Texas Dirtbags
— IF/OF Monique Rojas (2014, Wilmington)… plays for American Pastime

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EVENT NEWS:  ASA 16U GOLD NATIONALS

More news out of the ASA on the 16U GOLD Nationals, which will be played July 21-26 in Broken Arrow, Okla.

Passed at the 2013 ASA/USA Softball National Council Meeting held a few weeks ago, the 16U GOLD National Championship will feature 48 of the top 16-Under teams from across the country.

Qualifying for 16U Gold Nationals is going to be similar to qualifying for the 18U Gold Nationals in that there are (48) total berths; (12) per Territory; each Territory will host (2) qualifiers allotting (6) berths per qualifier. There are no Regional Qualifiers or State Qualifiers for 16Gold.

“Having the 16-Under GOLD and 18-Under GOLD in close proximity gives college coaches the chance to scout at both championships, which are less than two hours apart,” said Chris Sebren, Director of Championships for ASA/USA Softball.

“It also allows members of the  Women’s National Team Selection Committee the opportunity to identify players at both events for our Junior and Women’s National Teams.”

Details will be updated on the ASA site at ASA 16Gold Info

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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.