Hope Friday the 13^th has been good to you!  Enjoy some softball news as you read about one of the top club teams in the Southeast, hear about a player’s decommit and why it happened, learn more about a UCLA commit and check out a list of almost 20 new verbals… 

 

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TEAM PROFILE: BIRMINGHAM THUNDERBOLTS PREMIER

One of the fast-rising teams in the South is the Birmingham Thunderbolts founded by Richard Shea, a former noseguard at Auburn (1988-91).  In fact, we spoke to Coach Shea as he and wife were driving to Auburn for the team’s first SEC game tomorrow, against Mississippi State.

Tonight, the Sheas were doing something cool—having a sit-down dinner on the school’s field, literally on the 50-yard-line.

So how did he get in the softball business?  As is usually the case, it began when daughter Courtney started playing.

“She’s a ’96 kid,” he begins and once she reached 10U it wasn’t competitive so in 2007 we started the Thunderbolts.  It was just one team then.”

Eventually, the team started growing and began playing nationally.

“I never planned on making it a big organization,” Shea explains, “but we slowly grew and added players on recommendations from friends.”

Eventually, he began adding key couching hires including Rocky Thompson from Alcorn State.

“He has college experience and we also got Corey Myers, son of current Auburn coach Clint Myers, until he left to coach with his dad.”

“We also got Katelyn Boyd, who was an All-American shortstop at ASU and won a National Championship in 2011, and Kaylyn Castillo, who also was on that ASU title team as a catcher and is currently playing for Akron in the NPF so our coaching talent is outstanding.

Currently, the Bolts have 10 teams, ranging from 8U to 18 Premier. Shea says that having a full-time staff allows his players at all levels to get uniform coaching and instruction.

“The coaches work with the girls the same at every practice.  The younger ones, the 8U and 10U, they get the same instruction as the Premier girls.  We all work on the same defense, the same signs, the same everything so it makes it easier across the board.

All of his teams play Premier except for two younger teams that play ASA and mostly stay local.

Shea owns a construction business, the Morris-Shea Bridge Company, that works all over the nation, from Los Angeles to Baltimore, mostly in industrial building.

“We have a nice niche,” he concedes, “and founded the Bolts from donations from the bridge company.  We’re also sponsored by Mizuno, from head to toe.”

One of the perks of having his own business was it allowed for the building of the Shea Brothers Softball Complex, a beautiful complex with two turf fields and one grass field that would put many colleges to shame.

Before finishing the conversation, I had to ask the Auburn alum what it was like to have four girls on hits Premier team headed to Alabama.

“They’re good girls,” he laughed, “and needed a team to play on.  Coach (Pat) Murphy has been very supportive of us so it’s all good.  If girls are going to an SEC school, I’ll take all of them on my team.”

 

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Here’s a rundown of the 17 girls on the Birmingham Bolts Premier team with comments from Coach Shea:

OF Rebecca Blitz (2014, Indiana)
“She’s been playing with me since she was 10, Rebecca’s a lefty slapper who will hit for a high batting average.  She’s fast and looks to play early at Indiana.  She works out three days a week at 5 am, a great work ethic.  Rebecca can play anywhere in the outfield.

OF/UT Elantra Cox (2014, Ole Miss)
Elantra’s new to us, she handles the bat well and has good speed. She’s also a left-handed slapper and played for the Germantown Red Devils 16U team as many of her new girls did last year

C/3B Reagan Dykes (2015, Alabama)
Reagan’s a catcher primarily and swings the bat really well. She has a lot of potential.  She also played for the Germantown Red Devils 16U team and as a 2015  I’ll have her for two years.

P Becky Fox (2014, Alabama-Birmingham)
Becky is a righthanded pitcher from Birmingham and also played for Germantown.  She didn’t play last summer due to a hip injury. She hits locations well and moves the ball around.

IF Meghan Gregg (2014, Tennessee)
Meghan is the newest addition to our team, she played for Atlanta Vipers-Giles—the team that won ASA Gold.  She’s playing high school ball now in Georgia but will be with us next spring after our school ball is over here.  She bats left and runs well.

1B/3B Caroline Hardy (2015, Alabama)
Caroline is a great kid, she played with the Fury 16U team last year and is a right-handed power hitter who will hit a lot of balls over the fence this year.

P/1B Andrea Kindrick (2015, Alabama)
Andrea’s a pitcher who was also a Germantown girl.  She’s a right-handed power pitcher with good movement and is sitting out right now because of tendinitis in her wrist, but she still drives from Arkansas to be with the team and will be 100 percent in spring.  That’s the kind of girls she is. We’re taking our time with her as we have four pitchers.

OF Haleigh Lowe (2015, Alabama)
Haleigh played with the Mobile Thrillers 16U team and then played with our 16U team at PGF.  She handles the bat well and is extremely fast.  One of her close relatives is an Olympic track star.

OF/IF Shelby Maze (2014, Samford)
Shelby has played with me several years, she can power hit, slap and has a high softball IQ.  She’s not playing this fall because of shoulder surgery, but will be well by school ball and will be with us next summer.

P Madi Moore (2015, Alabama)
Madi’s a lefty pitcher and has played with me since she was 12.  She has good movement on her pitches and has a strong off-speed pitch. In New Jersey this summer we played Mike Stith’s team and because of Madi won one and lost one by 3-2.

IF Morgan Reed (2014, Notre Dame)
Morgan is another who played with the Germantown Red Devils.  She’s a lefty slapper and used to pitch a lot, but is concentrating on playing the infield now. She hits well and plays good defense, mostly will play middle infield for us.

P Alexis Reid (2015, Kansas)
A right-handed pitcher from Kansas City, she played for the KC Originals and started with me twice as a pick-up player and she’s really good.  She also swings the bat really well and can run the bases.  In Missouri they play school ball in the fall but we’ll have her for Rising Stars

IF/OF Brittani Reid (2016, Kansas)
Brittani will play anywhere on the field except pitcher.  She’s extremely good and runs well.  She played in a tournament for us this summer and was one of the top hitters in the event.

IF/OF Autumn Russell (2014, Arkansas)
Autumn’s an outfielder who is new to our team and is one of the fastest players I’ve seen.  She can also play third and is a left-handed slapper who can swing away.

C/1B Courtney Shea (2014, Auburn)
Courtney originally committed to Missouri, they made a generous offer to her, but then Coach Clint Myers got hired—he’s a family friend—and she decided she wanted to stay closer to home so her grandmother could see her play.  She catches primarily and is a lefty-handed power hitter.

IF Kaleigh Todd (2014, South Alabama)
Kaleigh has also played with me since she was a little girl. She can play outfield and third base and is primarily a lefty-handed slapper but can swing away.  Kaleigh’s a tough kid and competitor.

IF/C Kendall Veach (2015, South Alabama)
Kendall is a new kid for me also, she was on the Mobile Thrillers last year. She can play short, third and catch. At the plate she’s a right-handed power-hitter.

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CHANGING SCHOOLS: SAM GLANTZ’S STORY

Sam Glantz, a 2014 C/3B for the California Cruiser-Phil/Lyn team, had originally committed to Auburn last summer but something outside of her control led to a switching of her verbal commitment from one university to another.

We caught up with her last night to see why the All-League catcher for Oaks Christian High (Westlake Village, Calif.) decommitted from Auburn and instead will be signing with the Univ. of Utah.

Here’s her explanation of how everything changed…

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How and when did you make the decision to change from Auburn to Utah? 
My decision to change schools was actually pretty easy after Auburn fired Coach (Tina) Deese and her staff. I officially decided to decommit after the Colorado tournament.

What were the factors in going with Utah?  
Utah is a great university.  I really like Coach (Amy) Hogue and her staff.  Utah is much closer to home and my family can see me play a lot more than they would have if I went to Auburn.  The Pac-12 is a great conference and after visiting Utah this summer I knew immediately that I wanted to be a Ute!

How did Auburn take the news? 
I think the coaching staff respected my decision.

Was it a tough process to go through?   
Yes.  I was very upset when I found out that the Auburn coaches were fired, but I quickly realized that I had to consider other options for my college career.

Did you beat yourself up over it or once you made the decision you were at peace and felt good to move on? 
There were mixed emotions until my visit to Utah with Coach Hogue. Once I made my decision that I was committing to Utah I was at peace and ready to move on.

Looking back on the recruiting process, what’s one thing you’d tell others from what you’ve learned? 
Since softball players are committing earlier and earlier they need to realize that a verbal is a verbal and nothing is set in stone. So they need to continue to work even harder after they verbal because anything can happen and you never know who’s watching you play.

 

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PLAYER PROFILE:  MADILYN “BUBBA” NICKLES

You don’t find too many “Bubbas” in softball—football, maybe, but not softball—but we found one and she’s pretty darn good.

“Bubba” Nickles is a Northern California pitcher with an intense work ethic who loves nothing better to be between the lines playing softball.

Here’s a closer look at the future Bruin who’s just started her sophomore year of high school…

High School: Merced (Calif.)
Club: All-American Sports Academy (Woodland, Calif.)
Pos: P/UT
Grad Year: 2016
GPA: 3.83
Nickname: Bubba
College: UCLA

OK, gotta ask… where’d “Bubba” come from?
My Dad used to call me Bubba and a travel coach started calling me that and now everyone calls me Bubba. I love it, though.

When did you commit to UCLA?
The beginning of my freshman year.  I was being recruiting by Oregon State, Washington and Oklahoma, but UCLA was my last visit and my No. 1 school for a long time.  I fell in love with it and committed on the visit, which was October of last year.

Where did you first get seen by UCLA?
They saw me at quite a few showcases down south but probably the biggest thing was when I went to the 2011 OnDeck Showcase as an eighth grader.  That opened up a lot of doors for me.

What is you liked about UCLA enough to commit that early?
I really liked the academics—it’s one of the best in the country—and it’s a chance to play at one of the most decorated schools in the country in softball.  I’m excited to play for Kelli (Inouye-Perez) and Lisa Fernandez.  They have the most national championships in history and I love their Hall of Fame, where you see the trophies of all the titles they’ve won—all 109 of them.  I think it’s so cool because few schools, if any, have that and can compare.

When did you realize you had the ability to play at the college level?
I don’t know of any one moment, I just play the game because I love it and I kept moving up.  When I was 12, I played 12U in the spring, 14U in the summer and 16U in the fall.  I started playing for my 18U Gold team when I was 14. It’s fun to compete against girls who are aggressive and who are older.

How old were you when you started getting recruiting?
I really noticed coaches were watching me when I was in the 16U showcase.  My coach was telling me then that coaches were interested; that was when I was 13 or 14.

What did the coaches see in you then?
Every single coach I’ve talked to said he or she liked how I’m a competitor and that I keep fighting.  That’s what they told me.  They said they saw me as an all-round player.  A lot of coaches call me a “baller” because I love to play everywhere.  They love that I enjoy playing every single position.

What’s your favorite position to play, then?
I don’t have one, I just love playing!  As long as I’m on the field, I’m happy.

What do you do to hone your skills?
I have a weekly hitting coach and us a pitching coach when I need critiquing.  My Dad and I work a lot together, we work on pitching, fielding and hitting and at the end of day I have to do condition and weight training.  It’s a lot of hard work but it’s worth it.  I put in probably 3-4 hours each day.  I work out in the mornings with my mom, do my exercises at school and when everyone leaves I work out with my dad who’s a P.E. teacher and assistant softball coach at my school.

What do you like to do off the field?
Typical teenager stuff, like hanging out with friends, but I’m happiest when I’m playing softball.  I’m sacrificing a lot, I know; for example, I haven’t been to one school dance and only gone to one football game, one basketball game and one baseball game this pas year.  Still, I don’t feel like the sport is holding me back, it’s helping me get to where I want to go.

Some “odds and ends” questions:

How many pairs of shoes do you own: more than a dozen
Would you rather play chess or a board game? a board game, definitely.  I like to play Sorry
Favorite musician: IZ, the Hawaiian singer [editor’s note: the late singer’s full name is Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole]
Favorite candy: I do like candy… any sour candy
Foodwise, do you prefer salty or sugary? salty
What would you rather be—a professional singer or an actor: actor
What’s something unusual or different about you that most people don’t know? I’m actually pretty shy
What would scare you more, speaking in front of 200 people or diving 30 feet off a cliff? standing and speaking in front of 200 people
What do you want to major in? Medicine or Sports Commerce

 

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RECRUITING NEWS:

 
*** Taylor Becerra (2015) of the Firecrackers – Blanco team has committed to ASU
*** Melanie Baccay (2016) from the Lady Magic 16U squad has committed to Michigan State

 

*** The Corona Angels–Howard team has several players who committed over the summer that we’ll be adding to our Master Verbal List:

— C/3B Linda Garcia (2014, UTEP)
— P Brooke Bollinger (2015, Nevada)
— 3B/2B Nychole Anthillon (2014, Iowa State)

 

*** Kevin at GoldFastpitch.com reported a baker’s dozen new verbals today… here they are:

— SS/OF Kristen Ball, Wagner’s Sports 55 (2014, Valparaiso)
— 3B/SS Brianna Burchianti, Batbusters-Fox (2015, Texas-Arlington)
— P Danielle Clark, Alabama Fury (2015, Troy)
— SS/OF Laura Curry, Batbusters-Fox (2015, Texas-Arlington)
— C Kaylee Hussey, Alabama Fury (2015, Troy)
— IF/OF Danika Justis, Firecrackers-Clarke (2016, Cal. St. Northridge)
— SS Tori Lettus, Washington Acers (2014, Montana)
— SS/OF Natalie Lopez, Wagner’s Sports 55 (2014, Florida Gulf Coast)
— 1B/3B Tiana Miller, Batbusters-Fox (2014, Illinois-Chicago)
— OF/SS Quinlan Moore, Virginia Legends (2014, Lafayette)
— C Kaitlyne Musa, Miami Stingrays (2014, Florida International)
— 2B/OF Jill Nicklas, Team Mizuno-Impulse (2014, Illinois)
— 2B/3B Samantha Sweigart, Lower South Liberty Gold (2014, Lafayette)

 

*** Steve Svekis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel is reporting a pair of verbals:

“Two-time Sun Sentinel Broward large-school first-team All-County selection Bethany Williams, a senior catcher for Cooper City High, has committed to play softball at the University of Charleston (W.Va.).

Williams, a key member of the Cowboys’ run to the 2012 state tournament, plays travel ball for the West Pines Diamond Dusters, also coached by her high school coach, Phil Schmalz.

Meanwhile, St. Thomas Aquinas senior outfielder Morgan Biddle committed to attend and play softball for Lafayette Collge in Easton, Pa. Biddle plays travel ball for the Boca Impact.”

 

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