In today’s Daily Update, we head to New England to profile of the top programs there, learn why one of the top players in Calif. is headed across country, ready about a big decommit from the Pac-12 to the SEC and hear from a Washington standout outfielder on how she got recruited and committed…

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TEAM PROFILE: RHODE ISLAND THUNDER

The Rhode Island Thunder team is a bit of a misnomer as the team practices in Plainville, Mass., and Head Coach David Lotti lives in Massachusetts right on the New Hampshire border.

Still, with players from Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine (as well as one long-distance traveler from Florida) a more appropriate club name might be the New England Thunder.

One reason the program draws players from all over the Northeast is it’s success in placing players into colleges.  The focus of the program is geared more towards showcases than nationals.  As Lotti says, “Boulder (where the Thunder finished third two years ago) is our nationals.”

A major difference between the RI Thunder and most other club teams is the approach to the long-term goal of placing athletes in good universities.  Ask Coach Lotti what his top accomplishment has been over the 14 years with the team and he won’t mention wins.

“It would be seeing kids as eighth graders come in as wide-eyed kids and reaching their dreams and getting scholarships to go to schools,” he explains. “That’s it in a nutshell.”

Bob Rossi is the team’s Recruiting Manager and, according to Lotti, is a key component of the RI Thunder program.  Rossi had a daughter playing on a rival team who competed against Lotti’s squads and when his daughter’s team broke up, the RI Thunder coach asked him to help the Thunder. Rossi has been there ever since.

“We’ve been successful because of the girls and the hard work the girls put in,” he states. “We go after the high-end dedicated athlete. For example, we just had a girl (2015 catcher Tori Dubois) verbal to Penn State.”

“Here, everybody is in it to help everybody else and that’s why we’ve been as successful as we’ve been.  Success is dictated by where these girls go off to school and how they do in school at the next level.  We’re in it to help the girls get better and teaching them life lessons that will help in real life with their careers and family. Success isn’t measured in wins… not here.

Rossi points to the annual Alumni Game held each summer where former players come back and compete against the current team.

“This is how we are, players who go on to be success in college or in their community, come back and give back.”

The Rhode Island Thunder program covers all ages with a 10U, two 12Us, two 14Us, a 16U, two 18U Gold teams and an Elite and a Showcase team.

The Elite team is mainly made up of younger kids, according to the coach and the Showcase squad is more of kids that are on the bubble, geared towards more DII and DIII.

 

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Here’s a player-by-player look at the 2013-14 Rhode Island Thunder Gold – Lotti team with comments by Coach L0tti:

— SS Hannah Anderson (2014, St. John’s)
“She’s been with me for three years, probably one of the best infielders I’ve ever. Definitely top 5 on my list.”

— P Sarah Dawson (2015, uncommitted)
“She just joined the team this fall, 6-1 pitcher, long and lanky and has all the tools.”

— C Tori Dubois (2015, Penn State)
“She’s played one full year with us, made unbelievable progression.  She was our top hitter not counting slappers.”

— P Ashley Guillette (2015, Florida)
“She’s another kid who’s going on her second year with us, I’ve watched her since eighth grade.  Still very young, she has one of the best change-ups I’ve ever seen… that’s what caught their (Florida) attention for sure.”

— 3B Gianna Hathaway (2014, Massachusetts)
“She’s been with me for five years, she’ll play with me longer than her college team.  She’s been my starting shortstop for the last three years and will make an immediate at UMass.”

— C/OF Giuliana Hathaway (2016, uncommitted)
“She’s Gianna’s younger sister, she joined us this fall.  She’s a big, strong, athletic kid who throws 64-65 mph overhand.  Has a gun.”

— SS/2B Ashley Hession (2016, uncommitted)
“She’s our shortstop of the future, for the next three years until she leaves.  She has great hands, a kid who was born to play shortstop.”

— OF Mallory Kane (2016, uncommitted)
“She’s going to follow in Theresa’s spot as a lefty slapper who’ll leadoff when her sister is gone.”

— OF Theresa Kane (2014, Georgetown)
“She’s been batting at the top of our order for what will be three years.  She wreaks havoc offensively, can hit away, steal bases, lay down a bunt, slap… she can do it all.”

— 1B/2B/C Kaitlin Mattera (2016, uncommitted)
“She’s a very versatile kid, she has played every infield position for us and can do everything but pitch.”

— 1B Kristen Niland (2014, Maine)
“This is her second year with us, she’s a lefty hitter who’s very solid defensively.  One of the best first basemen we’ve had.”

— P Christina Ramirez (2014, Providence College)
“She’s from Florida and is a very good athlete who’s more than just a pitcher.  She can swing the bat well and is an absolute bulldog in the circle.”

— 3B Madi Shaw (2014, Fordham)
“Madi’s a bigtime power hitter who has great opposite field power.  We have her playing third and doing a little catching as well.”

— SS/3B Alexis Sangermano (2017, uncommitted)
“A lefty slapper who will be at the top of our order.  She has an absolute cannon, I clocked her at 67 mph overhand myself. She’ll be a bigtime player.”

— P Peyton Silverman (2016, North Carolina State)
“She guest played for us when a pitcher went down with injury.  She is 6-foot and committed to UNC at the end of the summer, only took four weeks to get her recruiting done.”

— OF Adriana Toro (2015, uncommitted)
“Adriana’s our centerfielder, one of the top outfielders we’ve had in the program, she also has been clocked at 67 mph overhand.  She’s a lefty hitter who can also do some slapping.”

— OF Christa Wagner (2016, uncommitted)
“She’s going into her second year with us, led our team in home runs last summer.  She generated some big-time interest, she should be verballed by the end of the fall.  She’s an outstanding slapper who hits for power as well.”

 

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RECRUITING PROFILE: AMANDA LORENZ

Amanda Lorenz is a 2015 outfielder who plays on the new OC Batbuster – Haning team that’s part of the Team Mizuno organization of teams that merged with the Batbusters.  Amanda has committed to Florida and we asked the Southern Calif. standout how it came to be that she’ll be going from one coast to the other.

Here’s an insight into her recruiting process and more…

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: Congrats on your verbal to Florida!  How did the Gators first see you?
Amanda Lorenz: During fall of my eighth grade school year, my team (at the time we were OC Batbusters – Stith) was in a Surf City showcase tournament. But it got rained out so we had a hitting and fielding workout at Mike Stith’s training complex (STC) and Coach (Tim) Walton from the University of Florida was there. I was super nervous because I always loved Florida’s uniforms and once I saw Coach Walton I wanted to impress him to catch interest so there could be a chance to wear the Gator uniform. I thought I did very poorly so I was very upset after the workout. But a few days after when I was hitting with Coach Stith he told me Coach Walton really liked me and I should give him a call!

SSS.com: How did they offer you?
AL: In the very beginning of my freshman year I set up an unofficial visit to UF to tour the campus and talk to Coach Walton. We had a tournament in Orlando the first week of November and I went up a few days earlier so I could go up and visit the campus. During breakfast one morning with Coach Walton, he verbally offered me a scholarship.

SSS.com: Tell us about how you made it official in choosing Florida…
AL: It was VERY hard not to commit on my first visit to UF. I fell in love with Gainesville and loved everything about UF’s campus and athletic facilities. However I came home to think things over to make sure it would be the right decision. However, my parents surprised me right before Christmas with a spontaneous trip to Florida for their winter camp and for me to commit. I committed at dinner on campus Friday night before the camp. The whole coaching staff and their families were there in addition to my parents and my sister. I asked Coach Walton if No. 18 was available if I were to come to Florida, and after joking around with me for a while, he finally said yes. And I said, “Okay then I want to be a Gator!”

SSS.com: Are you worried about being so far from home?
AL: I’m very close with my family so there is definitely a little fear in going all the way across the country for college. However, I know I will gain independence and not only be on one of the best college softball teams in the country but get an amazing education as well. Also, my best friends will be attending Florida along side me as well. Justine McLean is a freshman there now and Janell Wheaton will be there next year. We are very close and it will help a lot having them there to help me if I’m homesick.

SSS.com: What was the “ah ha” moment when you know it was Florida?
AL: Once I stepped onto the softball field the first night of my visit I knew it was where I wanted to spend my four years in college. It just seemed like the perfect place for me!

SSS.com:  Coach Stith runs a workout facility and his teams are known for being well conditioned… how has that helped your game?
AL: I am incredibly lucky in the fact that I get the best training in the country every week. Mike Stith has taught me so many things about the game. I learn something new every practice and game and he never allows me time to get complacent. There is always something he can tell me to work on to get better. Also, the trainers at EM have helped me get faster and stronger every week. I have noticed a great difference in my speed and my strength when I hit since lifting with EM. Our team has been able to play many, many games in a weekend because of the workouts we experience.

SSS.com: What’s your reaction his Team Mizuno teams merging with the Batbuster squads?
AL: In regards to the teams merging, I am excited. I was lucky enough to wear the Batbuster uniform for two years before switching to Mizuno and I will love wearing it again. I am also very happy we still are apart of Mizuno because they are a big part of our success and they give us tremendous support.

SSS.com:  What’s been the highlight of your softball career to this point?
AL: My most proud moment of softball so far was winning the National Championship in 2012 with Mizuno. I can honestly call my teammates sisters and experiencing that moment with them was indescribable. I get goosebumps just thinking about it!

 

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RECRUITING NEWS:

*** Justus Perry, our blogger extraordinaire from Minnesota, had surprising news for us last night saying she decommitted from Arizona State last Sunday and has now verballed to Auburn.

Not a total shock as she was recruited by Clint Myers and his staff when they were with Arizona State.

Plus, Perry is now playing with the Birmingham Thunderbolts in Alabama so she’s down that way anyways.

Justus is a 2016 infielder from Prior Lake, Minn. who played for the Minnesota Sting this past year and is now travelling each weekend 2,000 miles to practice with the Bolts.

She says the blog she sends on Sunday will cover the details of her switch from a Pac-12 school to one in the SEC…

 

*** We love to hear how athletes get recruited, offered and then commit… we asked John Shoemaker about how his daughter, Lauren Shoemaker, committed to Lafayette.

Here’s what he wrote us:

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Lauren played for the Washington LadyHawks Gold-Hawkins travel ball team out of Puyallup, Wash. last summer and they were playing at the Pennsbury, Pa. recruiting tournament in June, 2013.

Newly hired Lafayette College Head Coach Jexx Varner, formerly of Kent State, saw her playing the outfield and leading off for the team and apparently he liked what he saw. Coach Varner had handled the outfielders and the hitting for Kent State and his past approach to both appears to have influenced his sticking around and scouting Lauren.  Conversations were started not long after that time and an offer to Lauren was extended in July, soon after the coaches could approach the student athletes.

Lauren delayed making a verbal commitment until she could visit the school and was also waiting for possible offers from several other schools that were following her throughout the summer.

When she went for an official visit in September to stay on campus and meet all the coaches and possible teammates, she had a great experience and really enjoyed all the aspects of the school and the team.  Despite the smaller size of the school, the campus was spectacular and the facilities were the tops in their league and comparable to most of the bigger schools throughout the country.

Lafayette College (of Easton, Pa.) is a member of the Patriot League and have very high academic requirements and expectations of all member schools and the student athletes who participate in sports.

The combination of high academics and Division I softball was a great opportunity that Lauren did not want to pass up.  Soon upon her return to Oregon, Lauren spoke with Coach Varner and accepted the offer to play for Lafayette College.

As far other information goes, Lauren is now playing for Something Special Gold out of Vancouver, Wash. and they were last year’s Washington State 16A ASA champions and have moved up to Gold for the fall of 2013 and Summer of 2014.

She will be playing outfield and maybe some middle infield while also looking to establish herself as the leadoff hitter for the team and to bring some more speed to the lineup along with her experience in playing at the gold level.  She joins a great group of girls looking to move onto the next level and to pursue their dreams of playing college ball.

Two years ago she made All-League as an outfielder and last year made All-League as a shortstop for her Valley Catholic High School softball team out of Beaverton, Ore.

While playing for the Valley Catholic Valiants, she lead the team in BA, OBP and steals during her sophomore year while batting in the leadoff position and playing short stop.  This was done while being a member of the National Honor Society, being on the honor roll each semester while at Valley Catholic High School, being named the Physics Student of the Year for 2012-2013 all while maintaining a 3.986 unweighted GPA.

—John Shoemaker

 

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