OK, as a Ohio native I’m excited to do our first club profile on a team from the Buckeye State… one that has a cool name and a cooler logo inspired by an NFL team!  We also spotlight a SoCal player who’s headed to the desert and have several recruiting notes, a decommit, a video and a Pic of the Day.  So get going and enjoy!

 

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CLUB PROFILE: OHIO OUTLAWS

Talk about hitting the ground running, four years ago at this time the Ohio Outlaws hadn’t even played its first game.

Founder Warren Wolff was with another organization in the Buckeye State but left as he believed “the organization president didn’t share my vision of playing on the national stage.”

Putting together a Northern Ohio coaches Dream Team comprised of Sam Petrash, Mike Bowen, and Jon Stevens, the four coaches launched the Ohio Outlaws organization, which is based in Aurora, Ohio and draws players from Ohio as well as Western Pennsylvania.

Interestingly, the team with one of the coolest logos in the country almost was named something else.

“Our name was suppose to be ‘Intensity,’ but the day before I was going to announce it, a guy in Ohio had changed his team name from ‘Outlaws’ to ‘Intensity.’ I have always kind of considered myself a little bit of an outlaw, so I just took it and ran with it.”

“Being a big Raiders fan, the colors seemed to be a natural fit and the logo is kind of a take off of the pirate with swords that the Raiders use. Then, of course, black always looks pretty intimidating!”

Intimidating or not, it didn’t take long for the Outlaws to find success: in the summer of 2010 Petrash’s team finished fourth at the ASA Nationals and, adding another coach in Scott Alderedge, the Outlaws success continued.

Petrash’s team–the Outlaws Black—made it into the Pennsbury (Pa.) and Stingray Classic (Ohio) tournaments, two of the top events east of the Mississippi, and the team led by Dave Blashinsky and former Hofstra player Pam Dreslinski—the Outlaws Silver—would go on to finish ninth at the Sunnyvale ASA 16U Nationals this past summer.

Today, the Outlaws have 13 teams from 10U up through 18U including the Gold, 14U and 16U Premier teams and is playing in events in Colorado, New Jersey, Florida, Illinois and California.

“We’ve had some great opportunities we never thought would be provided to Ohio girls,” Wolff marvels.

“But this is not the end, we want to continue to build this program to not just be the best in Ohio but one of the best in all of the Midwest.”

With an ambitious eye toward making the Outlaws nationally relevant, Wolff and the coaches first identified what their top priority would be.

“Success just doesn’t come from winning tournaments or placing high at nationals,” he explains, “which we feel is important and strive to do, but also comes from helping these young ladies become confident and driven to succeed in life and not just in the game of softball.  For us, that’s how we define success!”

Wolff had the typical baseball background and was an accomplished travel ball pitcher and infielder and lettered as a freshman in high school.

After he graduated, he took up men’s slowpitch and co-ed softball with his wife, Charlene.  In time two daughters, Emma and Kate, followed and when the Emma was six she began playing rec ball.  The young girls’ father would become president of the Garretsville, Ohio rec leagues and saw there was something missing.

“I realized when Emma was about eight years old that we needed more and sought out other options,” Wolff explains. “My first thought was to get a bunch of local kids and do tournaments, but I soon found out that the small community we lived in was not going to support that.”

After Emma joined a travel team, Wolff was forced into a coaching role when the young coach, a former college player, wasn’t ready to run a team.

“I only had a year and half of coaching experience but moved forward,” the Ohioian says.  “It was a rough first year as we had a bunch of eight and nine year olds playing against almost all older teams, but our second year was great and won about 80 percent of our games. Over the next two years I continued to learn and study the game, but realized my daughters needed more so we left the organization we were with and in November of 2009 I left and started The Ohio Outlaws.”

If that were all Wolfe did, it would be more than plenty, but he wears many other hats too.  Not only is he President of the Ohio Outlaws and the Recruiting Coordinator, working his contacts with the college coaches to promote his players, he’s also the Ohio State Director for PGF.

And there’s more.

“I also run about eight indoor tournaments at the Gplex in Garrettsville, Ohio which I started about six years ago. In my spare time I started the Midwest’s Finest Showcases and Camps, which consist of two or three outdoor showcase’s and three or four player camps.”

“Our first Showcase was The Fall Brawl which drew the best collection of teams to ever come to Ohio according to college coaches. It will be followed up by Midwest’s Premier Showcase and PGF National Qualifier next June 20-22. We are already beginning to draw interest and entries from teams around the country and feel this will be another great event for Ohio and the Midwest.”

With all the teams and events Wolff runs, he hasn’t forgotten the organization’s primary mission, to promote the players, and he puts in overtime to make it happen.

“I generally get to a showcase two hours before our games begin,” Wolff begins, “to start working for the girls talking to college coaches. I’m often accompanied by (Head Coach) Dave Blashinsky too and we will never be outworked!”

“After the games I will continue to work and see what we can do to help these kids fulfill their dreams. It will continue into the following week with follow-up emails and phone calls. It is really starting to pay off big: on our Gold team we have six of the nine starters verballed to D1 programs and two more with D1 offers.”

Is the immersion in softball worth it?  Wolff says the rewards are great and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We are always looking for great players that we can help coach into even better players and get them prepared for college. No matter what, we try to do what is best for the kids and are willing to help them with anything, even if it does not concern softball. We develop very close relationships with our players and families, not only on the softball field, but outside the sport as well.”

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Here’s a player-by-player look at the Ohio Outlaws Gold with comments by President and Founder Warren Wolff:

— OF/2B Sam Blashinsky (2016, uncommitted)
“Sam is of the hardest workers on the team, she just keeps getting better. Sam does all of the little things that help a team win. She may have been the best outfielder I saw all last summer.”

— OF/MIF Megan Brown (2015, Slippery Rock)
“Megan’s nickname is ‘Grasshopper’ and she has been with us a long time.  What I like about Megan is that she is fast, smart and athletic.”

— SS/2B/OF Summer Constable (2016, Purdue)
“Summer is our team leader. She is a phenomenally gifted athlete and student. Summer still has not reached her full potential which is scary. Watch out Big Ten teams!”

— 1B/3B/C Katie Cozy (2015, Toledo)
“Katie can hit the ball a long, long way and can put a team on her shoulders when she’s hot and in a groove.”

— 2B/ SS/ 3rd Marissa DeMatteo (2015, Pittsburgh)
“Marissa, who’s a great kid from Pittsburgh, leads by example and makes the hardest plays look routine. She’s very smooth and has a great arm.  As a lefty slapper, she’s a hitter who never strikes out.”

— P/OF Nicole Doyle (2015, Southern Illinois)
“’The Surgeon,’ ‘The Silent Assassin’ and ‘Cool Hand Luke’ are just a few of the nicknames other teams have had for Nicole. She didn’t lose a game until Nationals including summer and high school ball because of her amazing riseball and curve.”

— P/1B Cheyenne Eggens (2015, South Florida)
“’Shark” is the Original Outlaw and has been here since Day One. She can bring the heat in the mid to upper 60’s and is also just a great all-around young lady.”

P/OF Alyssa Iron (2016 uncommitted)
“’Big Country’ is our newest addition as we found her in the corn fields of Ashtabula County. She’s a big, athletic girl at 6-foot-1 and throws in the mid to low 60’s. Alyssa’s also a good athlete who can also hit the ball well.”

— P Lauren Powell (2015, uncommitted)
“Lauren is new to our program but she is very composed on the mound and is always in control.  She never gets rattled no matter what the situation.”

— 2B/OF Taylor Rowe (2015, uncommitted)
“Nicknamed ‘Trowe,” Taylor is our little Energizer Bunny.  She’s a little lefty slapper who can play great defense and provide a spark on the bases.”

OF/MIF Logan Snyder (2015, uncommitted)
“Logan is also new to our program. She’s a very smooth outfielder who can come in and play middle infield and we won’t skip a beat. Logan, another Pennsylvania girl, is a utility player who can do it all.”

— 3B/C Destiny Weber (2016, uncommitted)
“Destiny or ‘D-Web’ is a vocal leader who has a cannon for an arm and hits the middle of the ball hard. She’s just a great all-around player who is going to make some college very happy.”

— P/OF/1B Lexi Zapatelli (2015, uncommitted)
“’Zap’” is a gifted athlete who runs like a deer and hits the ball hard. She’s very versatile and can play the infield, outfield and also pitch.  In the circle, she throws in the low 60’s.”

 

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RECRUITING PROFILE: CIERA SCHICK

Grad Year: 2015
Pos: MI/3rd base
High School: Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.)
GPA: 4.17
Club: California Thunder
College: Arizona State

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: How did Arizona State first learn about you?
Ciera Schick: I was first seen by the coaches when I went out to a camp in 2012. I was in contact for about 6 months and they constantly came to watch me play for those 6 months and then after some time i went on an unofficial and verbally committed.

SSS.com: When did you decide to commit and what led into the decision?
CS: I decided to commit when they offered me (laughs)! ASU has always my dream college so I had had my mind made up that I was going there ever since I was nine years old.

SSS.com: How did you tell the coaches, in person, on the phone, on an unofficial visit?
CS: Unofficial visit

SSS.com: Describe your emotions around telling them, were you more nervous or more excited?
CS: I can’t remember what I was thinking when I told them my answer because I was extremely excited and that whole weekend is a blur now. I do remember that I was so excited to become a Sun Devil that I just started talking about random things.

SSS.com: How far away from home will you be, a SoCal girl going to Tempe, Arizona?  Was distance a factor in your decision at all?
CS: I’ll be a 45 minute flight away or a five hour drive. Distance was never an issue for me because my sister goes to the University of Georgia for gymnastics and she always inspired me to stretch my boundaries on my school options.

SSS.com:  What do you think (or have others said) are your strengths as a softball player?
CS: I’ve been told that I am a great leader on the field and my knowledge and understanding of the game allows me to stand out.

SSS.com: What’s been a top memory or two for you in your softball career? 
CS: My all time favorite softball memory was of course making my dream come true and committing to ASU, but I also love how I am able to travel the nation playing softball and meet future teammates of mine.

 

Quick Hitters:

What do you want to major in?
Pre- Law. I plan to be a contract lawyer.

Fill in the blank… I’m happiest when:
… every situation in my life is in balance (I’m a bit of a perfectionist)

Favorite place in the world:
… softball field

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
I love to bake… my mom even gets me cooking magazine each month!

With Thanksgiving coming up, what are you most thankful for?
That the Lord has blessed my family with a roof over our head and meals on the table each night.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?
A set of tools to build a shelter and hack food from trees and fish with.

The Holidays are fast approaching, what’s the No. 1 gift request you have in for Santa?
A Pomsky (husky and Pomeranian mixed)

Other than family, who’s your hero or someone you look up to most?
Katy Boyd

 

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RECRUITING NEWS:

*** Aleshia “Lele” Ocasio, a 2014 pitcher/shortstop for the Wagner’s Gold-Dunn team from Central Florida, has decommitted from Florida Gulf Coast according to her father, Anthony, one of the coaches for the Wagner’s team.

“Lele simply had a change of heart,” her father told us today.  “She really liked the school and coaches but she didn’t feel like it was where she wanted to be for the next four years.”

Lele has received interest from major programs in the SEC and Pac-12 among others.

“She just de-committed Sunday, so she wants to take her time and make the absolute best decision she can make realizing that it is pretty late for a 2014, but she figures if a school really wants her, they will find a way. She’s weighing her options and looking to make the best decision academically and athletically.”

Here’s a video interview we shot with Lele Nov. 2 at the Florida Classic…

 

*** Verbal news from the Tulsa Elite organization courtesy of Coach Jeff Filali, who writes: “Our 2014 Class is going to be the largest signing class we’ve ever had, we now have 19 committed 2014s and still have five more who will be making decisions soon.

Here’s our latest commitments…”

— Morgan Bohanan, a 2014 infielder, who had decommitted from Wichita State a few months ago, has committed to Kansas. She has two older brothers, one who played college baseball at Nebraska and South Alabama and the other who is in the military and currently stationed in Afghanistan.”

“She also has a superstition where she eats two pickles before every game she plays.  It started several years ago when she was nervous before a game and one of her teammates said, “Here you can have my pickle.”  Morgan went 5-for-5 that game so ever since then, as soon as pregame warm-ups end, she eats two of the exact same brand of pickles right before the game starts.”

— OF Maddi McGraw (2014, Div 2 Northwestern Oklahoma)
— OF Shelby Madden (2014, NJCAA Labette CC)
— OF Mikelynn Mantich (2014, NJCAA Cowley CC)

*** Have you noticed the Recruit Form link at the bottom of our Daily Updates?  If not, and you’re a player, or her parent or coach, and to get into our system, then complete the form and we may write you up!

Zoe Conley, a 2014 pitcher/second baseman from Salesian High (Calif.) did and we’re writing about her!  Zoe plays for the KG Hitters-Garcia team and is committed to Cal State Northridge who she says she picked over St. Mary’s, Iowa State and San Diego State.

“CSUN is in a really nice neighborhood and I really like the weather there. Tairia Flowers is the head coach and Natasha Watley is the Director of Operations, so two Olympic medalists as coaches was something that’d be hard to pass up. I really vibed with everything about Northridge.”

*** The CT Charmers Gold have two new verbals to report and one from last winter we didn’t have on our list:

New Ones:
Fallon Bevino – OF/1B  2014 – Kutztown University
Jessica Harkness – P  2014  – Iona College

Old Verbal:
Sydney Ferrante – OF/SS 2014 – Northern Kentucky

*** More verbals:

— Marina Vitalich, a 2015 pitcher for the Firecrackers, is going to George Mason

— Maiya Miller, a 2016 infielder for the Texas Bombers HTX, is headed to McNeese State

 

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NPF NEWS: AKRON RACERS GET NEW FIELD MANAGER

Brentt’s note:  we’ve learned that our market, the club and high school fastpitch players along with their families and coaches, typically like and follow the National Pro Fastpitch league so—as we do with other organizations producing content and events— we’re going to report NPF news from time to time…

The Akron Racers announced today that Brian Levin has been named the field manager for the 2014 campaign.

Levin, currently the head coach at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, takes over the controls of the NPF’s oldest existing team facing its 13th season of competition at the professional level in 2014.

“It is an honor to be selected as the Field Manager of the Racers and continue to build on the tradition of excellence that has been established since 1999,” commented Levin. “The Racers organization has been a tremendous promoter of the NPF and fastpitch softball at all levels.”

Levin comes to Akron after a one-year stint as an assistant at Murray State in 2009, where they too, were called the Racers. Levin took over the direction of the Missouri-St Louis program in 2010 guiding them to a 20-4 conference record in his first season as head coach.

Overall, Levin is 99-25 in three seasons including a 41-13 mark which included a conference title and the school’s first trip to the NCAA Regional Finals in 2013.

Levin, the Founder of STARR hitting mechanics and camps, is a former semi-pro baseball player and men’s fastpitch player. He also founded the ASA Clarksville Heat Softball organization located in Clarksville, Tenn. in 1999.

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PIC OF THE DAY

Finally, kudos to the Northwestern softball team which did some great work last weekend in the community.  As this picture taken from the team’s Facebook page shows, the ‘Cat players helped move 80,000 pounds of chicken to local food banks with the Hunger Resource Network.

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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.