It’s Friday and we finish off this week’s Daily Updates with a trip to Iowa to check in with a new, but increasingly successful club team there.  We stay in the Midwest to learn about a top prospect who was part of a 16U championship team this summer, report back on Day 2 of the Oklahoma high school playoffs…

 

*****

 

TEAM PROFILE: SOUTHEAST IOWA HAWKS

We’ve covered the biggest team in the club fastpitch world and done profiles on programs from the OC Batbusters to the Rhode Island Thunder.  From the Gold Coast Hurricanes in Florida to the Washington Ladyhawks (the state, not the city!).

Today, we do something different… we focus on a little guy in a state we haven’t covered before and a team you probably haven’t heard of.

One reason: it’s from Iowa and the state plays high school fastpitch deep into the summer so many athletes who play for their school can’t play in high visibility tournaments.

Another reason: it’s new. Only three years ago, if you lived in the rural farming communities in the Southeast corner of Iowa your choices for playing competitive 16U or 18U ball meant that you either traveled north to Iowa City or traveled three hours to the northwest to Des Moines.

That all changed in the fall of 2010 when the Southeast Iowa Hawks were created to help players from these tiny Iowa towns get an opportunity to take their play to the next level.

“We are the Jamaican bobsled team of softball,” laughs Head Coach Greg Hale.  “We are this tiny team from Iowa that plays like champions.  We are the square peg for the round hole; we don’t look like we fit, but we force our way in.”

Hale remembers there were many naysayers who told him,  “It (building a competitive club team) couldn’t be done and it won’t ever work down here in our corner of Iowa.”

He also heard from several people that “you don’t have the talent to play against any of the traveling teams of the Midwest.”

Assembling an independent team of eighth graders, the newly crowned Southeast Iowa Hawks—named because Hale is a diehard Iowa Hawkeyes fan—took their lumps playing in some 16U and even 18U tourneys.

“The players have an incredible work ethic in working to improve their hitting and fielding 11 months out of the year, but our pitchers had to learn they couldn’t just throw the ball by a player, they had to learn to pitch instead of throw.  No longer could they lay a bunt down and get on, they had to place it with precision.  No longer could they bobble a ball, they had to field it efficiently.  These were tough lessons to learn, but the young players took great notes.”

Slowly but surely progress was made.  In the last three years, the upstarts from Iowa have won eight tournaments and last fall, the young Hawks went 5-0 in the 18U St. Louis Showcase outscoring their opponents 36-5.

Impressively, the team is 17-1 this fall against 18U competition and went 5-1 versus the field in the 18U PGF Stars of Tomorrow tourney in Iowa City and 8-0 to win the 18UA USSSA Fall Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa.

What has led to the quantum improvement in the young Hawks team?  Hale says the major advantage is speed.

“If you have to put your thumb on what sets this team apart from other teams in the Midwest, it might be their incredible team speed.  We have five players that run sub 2.7 home-to-first times from the left side.  The pressure that is put on opposing defenses is an accumulative effect, like eating spicy Mexican food.  It isn’t the first bite that gets you, it is the whole meal that has you sweating,”

The Southeast Iowa Hawks are now on colleges’ radar and many coaches will be watching at one of the Midwest’s premier showcase tournaments, the St. Louis Softball Showcase, which runs from October 25-27.  Hale has heard from coaches in major conferences including the SEC, Missouri Valley, Big Ten, Big 12, Ohio Valley and Summit saying they’ll be taking notes.

Several of the Hawks’ players have offers pending and one player has decided but not announced yet.  Four others are close to deciding and the head coach expects more to drop after being seen in St. Louis.

Having practically grown up together, Hale says his team is more like a family than a group of athletes.

“These players have a bond that often can’t be found on larger club teams,” he believes.  “They know each others’ grandparents, they eat dinner at each other’s houses.  They are not fill-in players that you met five minutes before game time, they are lifelong friends and the coaches and parents love them all like their own.”

“The Hawks were formed for the players, it’s their equipment, their team, their successes,” continues Hale.  “The coaching staff is just along for the ride to help keep them stay positive and upbeat as they learn their lessons along the way.  They are thriving and we couldn’t be prouder of their journey that seemed impossible at times to the sky is the limit.  We know that there are others out there like us hidden in some forgotten corner of a state and the Hawks want to tell them it is possible to achieve your goals by never giving up.”

Still, it’s not easy and may not ever be.

“The players from Iowa are at a serious recruiting disadvantage over any other state,” the head coach believes, “because Iowa is the only state in the union that still plays summer high school ball.  The players take great pride in playing for their respective high schools and communities and value those teams and wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

“But the disadvantage for many Iowa players is that while the vast majority of top tier talent are playing on the fields in California, Colorado, or Oklahoma in front of all of the college coaches, Iowans are not there.  The Hawks players say that they love playing for both and just understand that they have to work even harder than the rest.”

It’s only been three years and yet the program is already on the map, certainly in the Midwest and the future looks bright. Still, the head coach shakes his head at how far they’ve come and the obstacles they’ve had to surmount.

“We are so small that this is the only team we have ever had,” begins the coach. “This is uncharted territory over here and that is what makes it so amazing.  We literally came out of thin air to some coaches and have other long established teams asking, ‘What the heck just happened?’ when we beat them.”

“The thing that makes us so different is that we now have the full attention of the Midwestern D-I’s and we are just this little tiny team from a forgotten part of the country. We’re doing this with rocks and sticks facing these bigger teams with machine guns.”

***

Here’s a player-by-player look at the Southeast Iowa Hawks team with comments by Coach Greg Hale:

— CF Sydney Burnett (2014, uncommitted)
“Sydney is one of the most positive players I have ever coached.  She is also one of the fastest.  Syd hits from her natural lefty batting stance and has power enough to go yard or use her blazing speed to drop it down or slap.  In the outfield Sydney can cover ground like few ever hoped to.  Her smile is infectious to our players, coaches, and fans and we all have a great admiration for her personality.  She does a great job keeping the team positive and we can’t thank her enough for that.”

— P/1B Morgan Christner (2016, uncommitted)
“Morgan is an amazing talent.  She was second in the state in rebounding in basketball as a freshman and is the starting middle hitter on the No. 4 ranked volleyball team as a sophomore.  Morgan has a 63-65 mph fastball, a good change, a developing drop, and one heck of a devastating rise ball.  Morgan struck out 379 batters in high school and led her team to the state championship game as a freshman.  She is a 4.0 student, a great first baseman, and can hit the ball really hard.”

— CF Courtney Coffin (2015, uncommitted)
“I wouldn’t trade outfielders with another travel team especially when we talk about Courtney.  She has this unbelievable ability to track down the impossible out there.  She has an incredibly accurate arm and her footwork is amazing.  At the plate, she is one of the fastest there is down the line.  Courtney batted .492 last season earning All State honors and does all the little things that don’t go unnoticed by our team by moving runners and being “that player” that just annoys the heck out of the opposition.”

— 2B/P/1B Hailey Cox (2014, uncommitted)
“Hailey Cox is our newest Hawk and does a great job for our team.  Hailey is our third pitcher and uses her great control of her fastball to spot pitches to induce groundballs.  I get a kick out of watching teams pound the ball into the ground when she is pitching.  Our defense always plays well behind her.  Hailey is working really hard on her middle infield techniques at second base.  At the plate Hailey is doing great things and recently had one heck of a game at the USSSA ISP Fall Nationals tossing a no hitter and going 3-for-3.”

— 1B/OF Brandall Diaz (2014, uncommitted)
“Brandall has a bright, bright future as a coach.  She is the glue that holds our team together at times.  She has a way to keep people at ease even in the most trying of circumstances.  The coaches have a lot of confidence in Brandall to help keep the team on an even keel.  I know a lot of coaches out there that probably are thinking of a certain player of years past that fits this bill.  She is that player and does a great job at first base for us.  Brandall is a great bunter as well and does a great job moving runners for us.”

— 3B/OC/C Machaela Diaz (2015, uncommitted)
“Starting last spring Machaela became the glue of our defense where she absolutely shut down opposing teams’ small ball offenses.  You could not bunt or slap to third and get on base because she flat out shut it down.  Offensively, Machaela works hard with her father, our Hawks Hitting Coach Mickey Diaz, where she continuously works on fine tuning her swing.  She has a beautiful swing and she works incredibly hard.”

— 2B/OF Riley Hale (2015, uncommitted)
“Someone told me that Riley reminds them of Lenny Dykstra, the former Philadelphia Phillie and New York Met and that is as good of a comparison as any.  She is head first, all out, all the time.  Riley couples her speed with power and exceptional hand eye coordination.  Riley hit .603 with 17 doubles, five triples, and six homers last high school season earning 1^st Team All State honors.  Her combination of speed and power make her one of the hardest outs you will find in the Midwest.  She does her job very well, which is get on base and score.”

— C/3B/OF Kelci Hill (2015, uncommitted)
“Kelci is a coach on the field.  We let her call all of the games she catches because frankly she is like a Yadier Molina back there with pitch calling.  She really does an exceptional job of looking at players’ swings and tendencies and helps our pitching staff pick the opposing offenses apart.  Kelci also does a great job at the plate where she often takes the ball the other way and does a great job of taking what the pitcher gives you and goes with it.”

— C/SS/OF Jorgi Krieger (2015, uncommitted)
“Jorgi is a great athlete that is incredibly versatile.  Jorgi can catch one game, trot out to shortstop the next, and make a diving play in centerfield the next.  Jorgi might have the best arm on our team and she has a knack for making the SportsCenter play.  Last spring versus the KC Originals Jorgi made an over-her-head, blind, diving play to end the game preserving a one run win with runners on.  No play was bigger than the play Jorgi made at the high school state tourney where she made a diving catch on a blooper over the pitcher to save the game.”

— P/OF/SS Kori Mesecher (2015, uncommitted)
“Kori might be the most underrated player in the nation and whoever gets her is going to say ‘I told you so’ to the rest of the world.  She is 5-foot-10 and might be our best athlete on the team.  She might be the fastest player from home-to-third I have ever seen and she consistently is hitting triples because of her combination of speed and power.  Kori is as versatile as she is athletic where she is our starting pitcher, centerfielder, and shortstop.  She is an exceptional player with soft slap, power slap, and a beautifully smooth lefty power swing.”

— OF Victoria Noel (2016, uncommitted)
“Victoria’s play helped her team get to the high school state championship game last year.  Victoria has great speed, which helps her track down balls that shouldn’t be caught, but does.  At the PGF Stars of Tomorrow tourney this fall, Victoria put on a show out there making two incredible diving plays.  At the plate Victoria has made great strides in gaining balance in her swing and improving her attention to the point of contact.  This has resulted in her driving in more runs and getting on base where we can use her speed.”

— C/SS/1B Marisa Repp (2014, uncommitted)
“Marisa is a 5-foot-10 athletically gifted player with exceptional speed.  Marisa is incredibly smart (3.96 GPA) and mimics things so well on the first lesson.   A month ago she came to me and said she wanted to learn how to slap to take advantage of her speed.  She picked it up in one evening which made my jaw drop.  She has a ton of power from the right side and is our clean-up batter, but make no bones about it, she can flat out fly.  Marisa is an outstanding catcher and a tireless worker.”

 

*****

 

RECRUITING PROFILE: MARISSA GAGLIANO

Marissa Gagliano was the starting centerfielder on the PGF 16U National Champion Beverly Bandits and now plays for Bill Conroy’s Bandits Premier squad.

She has some amazing stats and accomplishments in her yet-to-be finished high school career at Wheaton Academy (Ill.) too. 

After hitting exclusively from the right side as a freshman, and switch-hitting as a sophomore, Gagliano hit primarily as a left-handed hitter as a junior and hit .589 and stealing 30 bases in 31 attempts. Defensively, she recorded an incredible .990 fielding percentage at shortstop with only one error in 97 total chances.

Also, in her high school career, incredibly, Marissa has reached base safely in all but one game.

Says a source close to her high school program, “Marissa has been the only travel player on the Wheaton Academy roster prior to this season and plays in a league that always features a number of future Division I players. She has completely changed the face of the program during her three seasons there.”

Grad Year: 2014
Pos: OF/SS
High School: Wheaton Academy (West Chicago, Ill.)
Club Team: Beverly Bandits (Chicago, Ill.)
College: Radford
Honors: 2013 MaxPreps Small School All-American, 2013 NCSA All-American, three-time ICA All-State
Stats: Hit .642 in the 2013 regular season to lead the Warriors to the Suburban Christian Conference Gold championship.
Family Fact:  Marissa’s younger sister, Meghan, is on the Bandits 14U team and she plays for her dad, Paul, at Wheaton Academy.
Quotable: “Marissa Gagliano is an incredible defensive player who can play centerfield and shortstop with the best.  She has terrific speed and is a great young lady.”—Bill Conroy, Head Coach of the Beverly Bandits

 

***

StudentSportsSoftball.com: Walk us through the Radford experience… how did they first find you, how did the recruiting process go and when, how and why did you commit to Radford?
Marissa Gagliano: I first heard of Radford University after participating in the Demarini Showcase in the winter of 2012. I went on an unofficial visit in March and verbally committed in April.  I originally committed to Mickey Dean but then recommitted to Maggie Johnson who honored my scholarship. The reason I chose Radford was because I loved the softball program as well as the location, atmosphere, and the academics they offered.

SSS.com: The 16U Beverly Bandits won the PGF National Championship this year and obviously had a great team… What are your memories of getting to the championship and what did that win mean for you at the time and now a few months later?
MG: The 16U title win at PGF was one of my favorite memories by far in my softball career. My team and I were told last fall that our team can and has the potential to win a national championship and that’s what our goal was all year. To be able to accomplish such a goal was incredible. Our team saying was “Live in the Moment” and that’s what that win meant to us then and now.

SSS.com: The Bandits look to be loaded again at both the 16U and 18U levels… tell us what you’re looking forward to for the next year.
MG: A core of us is still together this year as we move up to 18U and are joined with great players. Obviously, we want to win and hopefully make a run at this year’s 18U PGF national title.

SSS.com: What’s the culture like in the Bandits… is it really business-like, totally fun and casual or somewhere in between?
MG: Playing for the Bandits is like no other experience. It’s a good mix of having fun, winning and playing with heart. It’s a great atmosphere to play in as well as playing with top softball players in the country.

SSS.com: When did you realize that you were pretty good in softball and had the ability to play at the next level?
MG: It’s funny because I don’t like to say I’m pretty good except that I love the sport and that I’m passionate about. However, it was cool to realize that I could play at a higher level with the Beverly Bandits and at the D1 level. I feel extremely blessed to have the God given abilities to play everyday.

SSS.com: What do you do to get psyched up for a game?  Do you have any superstitions?
MG: This past summer my team and I would always blast songs as we drove to the games, specifically “All I Do is Win” right before we got out of the van. Personally, the only superstition I have is wearing my orange Nikes that say Jordan River to remind myself to have faith.

SSS.com: Halloween is coming up quickly… What’s your plan for October 31, will you be playing, traveling, going to a party or going trick or treating?
MG: I haven’t really thought about Halloween but I’m usually traveling or at a softball tournament. This year I’m home so, I’ll probably hang out with friends or pass out candy to all the kids in my neighborhood. 

 

Quick hitters:

Would you rather have as a gift: chocolates, flowers, clothes or a gift card? Probably a gift card so I could buy Nikes
On any given day are you more of a dress-up person or more shorts and t-shirt? Shorts and a t-shirt person all the way
What’s your favorite dessert? My favorite dessert is probably original cheesecake
Biggest fear: the dark, public speaking, falling, clowns or failure? Biggest fear is of the dark
What’s something people don’t know about you? I went to theater camp during the summer for a couple of years
If you had your choice for an English assignment, would you rather write a poem, a limerick, a short story or song lyrics? Short story
Finally, where do you see yourself being in 5 years? 10 years? Hopefully doing something I love and love what I’m doing.

 

*****

 

RECRUITING NEWS:

*** Some more commits to end the work and school week:

— MIF/OF Briana Angel (2016, Texas)… plays for Texas Blaze
— 1B/C Lauren MacLeod (2014, Long Beach State)… plays for Minors Gold-Lena
— UT Ashley Schnarrs (2015, George Washington)… plays for Vienna Stars
— P/IF Savanah White (2016, Nevada)… play for Central Cal Dirt Dogs

 

*****

 

HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK IN OKLAHOMA (DAY 2)

This is a big week in the Sooner State as the Oklahoma H.S. Fastpitch State Tournament (Small Schools Class 3A-B) started on Thursday and runs through Saturday (Oct. 10-12).

It’s a single elimination formation that takes place at Firelakes Ballpark in Shawnee, Okla.

***

In Thursday’s Quarterfinal action, the day started off with a major upset as Class 2A defending State Champion and No. 3 Wayne (31-5) was defeated by No. 9 Drumright (25-7) 2-1.  2A No. 1 Dale (35-1) looked very strong behind a 9-1 victory over No. 18 Hinton (26-11).

In Class 3A No. 1 Tahlequah Sequoyah (32-6), who was State Runner-Up last season, looked as if they’re here to take care of business this year as they defeated No. 16 Hugo (25-6) by a 5 inning run-rule score of 17-1.  This sets up a great semi-final game on Friday between Sequoyah and No. 6 Henryetta (23-9) who put up some offense defeating No. 5 Oktaha (25-8) by a final of 9-2.

In Class A, No. 1 Binger-Oney (25-8) survives a quarter-final scare, as they defeated No. 20 Barnsdall (23-10) by a final of 2-1.  No. 5 Healdton (28-6) and No. 7 Wright City (28-11) took a 2-2 tie into the 7^th inning before Healdton scored the final run to win 3-2.

In Class B, No. 1 Red Oak (31-4) looked as strong as ever as they knocked off (NR) Frontier (10-20) 8-1.  No. 4 Asher (31-4) and No. 3 Arnett (28-8) both secured victories by scores of 10-0, setting up a potential slugfest between them in Friday’s Semi-Final matchup.

***

3A State Tournament

Thursday’s Quarterfinal Results

No. 3 Washington (22-8) defeated No. 9 Meeker (28-13), 2-1;
No. 4 Marlow (28-5) defeated No. 7 Davis (28-9), 3-1;
No. 6 Henryetta (23-9) defeated No. 5 Oktaha (25-8), 9-2;
No. 1 Tahlequah Sequoyah (32-6) defeated No. 16 Hugo (25-6), 17-1 (5 inn).

Friday’s Semifinals Field 4:

Tahlequah Sequoyah vs. Henryetta, noon;
Marlow vs. Washington, 2 p.m.

Saturday’s Final Field 4:

Championship, 1:15 p.m.

***

2A State Tournament

Thursday’s Quarterfinals Field 3:

No. 9 Drumright (25-7) defeated defending State Champ No. 3 Wayne (31-5), 2-1;
No. 2 Savanna (26-5) defeated No. 11 Tushka (28-9), 8-3;
No. 1 Dale (35-1) defeated No. 18 Hinton (26-11), 9-1;
No. 7 Colbert (26-8) defeated No. 5 Frederick (31-9), 3-2.

Friday’s Semifinals Field 3:

Drumright vs. Savanna, noon;
Dale vs. Colbert, 2 p.m.

Saturday’s Final Field 2:

Championship, 3:45 p.m.

***

A State Tournament

Thursday’s Quarterfinals Field 1:

No. 4 Sterling (27-6) defeated No. 9 Rock Creek (21-10), 5-2;
No. 14 Davenport (24-11) defeated No. 3 Mooreland (33-6), 3-1;
No. 5 Healdton (28-6) defeated No. 7 Wright City (28-11), 3-2;
No. 1 Binger-Oney (25-8) defeated No. 20 Barnsdall (23-10), 2-1

Friday’s Semifinals Field 1:

Sterling vs. Davenport, noon;
Binger-Oney vs. Healdton, 2 p.m.

Saturday’s Final Field 4:

Championship, 6:15 p.m.

***

B State Tournament

Thursday’s Quarterfinals Field 2:

No. 5 Stuart (30-9) defeated No. 8 Caney (28-9), 4-3;
No. 1 Red Oak (29-8) defeated (NR) Frontier (10-20), 8-1;
No. 4 Asher (31-4) defeated No. 13 Sentinel (22-16), 10-0 (5 inn);
No. 3 Arnett (28-8) defeated No. 17 Leedey (17-15), 10-0.

Friday’s Semifinals Field 2:

Red Oak vs. Stuart, noon;
Asher vs. Arnett, 2 p.m.

Saturday’s Final Field 2:

Championship, 11 a.m.

*** Huge thanks to Jeff Filali who sent in this info…

 

*****

 

EVENTS: TOP CLUB EVENTS

*** There are two big club tournaments going on this weekend, one opposite sites of the country:

— Team New Jersey October Fall College Showcase has top elite teams from the East Coast as well as programs from as far away as California, Texas and Florida.  To see the list of the 69 teams attending, click on this link.

— The Surf City Fall Showcase is for 18U and 16U teams and is the first of three consecutive weekends of tourneys hosted by Surf City.  Click here to see the 18U teams.

 

*****

 

TOP UNCOMMITTED 2014’s

Had a great idea from a top club coach to start a list of top uncommitted seniors (thanks to a reader who pointed out that 14’s haven’t signed yet so technically all players are unsigned!).

If you’d like to send a player we’ll be adding to our soon-to-be-launched list, please send your info to us at brentt@studentsports.com.

We’ll take stats, honors, accomplishments, recruiting info, photos and promote as appropriate.  We hope to launch the list next Monday or Tuesday!

 

*****

 

If you’d like to submit information, forward to brentt@studentsports.com.  Also, follow us on twitter at @SS_Softball.