Today’s last Daily Update of the work week (bring on the three-day weekend, although we will have a Daily Update on Monday!) sees us in Southern California looking at a reloaded Corona Angels team, stopping in Georgia to look at a freshman shortstop you’ll be hearing about for a long time, look at Scout Softball’s Top 25 position players and print some of the e-mail feedback we got from the Club Rankings posted yesterday…

 

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TEAM PROFILE: CORONA ANGELS

If you want to go to a softball game and watch (and hear!) energized, passionate teams, you need to watch the Corona Angels play.

We saw them at the Champion’s Cup this year when they won the title and loved the enthusiasm they showed before, during and after the game (check out one of our favorite videos ever: the “C.A. party don’t stop” cheer!

Year in and year out, the Angeles are one of the top programs in the country for two main reasons:

1. Head Coach Marty Tyson is a magnet for elite players (more on that in a minute) and
2. he and his staff push the players to go hard all the time because he carries a big squad (20-21 players for this year) and has them aggressively compete for a spot on the field.

“That’s our mantra,” he explains.  “We bring in kids who are talented, but their work ethic has to be outstanding because playing time is the carrot.  The battle for playing, too, prepares them for college. We want them all to be piranhas!”

If there’s one team you can say truly reloads with talent each year, it’s the Angels.  Tyson’s team lost eight players going to major college programs like Cal, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon and Oregon State, but has a young core of very talent coming back and has added seven new players who should help the team be as competitive as always.

Here are the new Corona players with comments from Coach Tyson:

— 1b/C Abby Lockman (2015, Tennessee)
“We have to replace some power we lost due to graduation and Abby is one we’ll count on for that.  She comes from the Corona Angels 16U team and had 11 home runs this year.”

— P Paige VonSprecken (2014, San Diego)
“She’s another one from the 16U team and is really good.  Paige will add to our depth at pitching which includes players going to UCLA (Rachel Garcia), Alabama (Alexis Osorio) and Utah (Miranda Viramontes).”

— MIF/OF Jazmyn Jackson (2014, Cal)
“Jazmyn was with the Explosion team this past year and we’re really excited about her coming in.  She adds a lot of speed and will be key to the top of our lineup.”

— C Lea Wodach (2014, Oklahoma)
“Lea’s an excellent all-around athlete and is solid on defense.  She can play several positions and is a good fit for what we like to do.”

— 3B Paulina Anasis (2015, Northwestern)
“Paulina is another Explosion pickup who’s played at a high level of competition and is talented in many areas of the game.”

— OF Kirstin Caudle (2015, Iowa State)
“She’s another player from our 16U team, Kirstin will do a lot for us with her great speed.”

— UT Amanda Herrera (2014, UNLV)
“We look at Amanda as another utility or multi-position player who can bring the bat and has big leverage.”

 

What excites Tyson as much as anything is the great core of young talent he has returning.

“All of our pitchers are coming back,” he explains, “and we feel we’ve added people to what we are going to do.  We’re looking to increase our speed and play the small game by stealing bases.”

“We also have a potent middle of the order with Sydney Romero (2015, Oklahoma), who led our team in home runs last year, Shay Knighten (2015, Oklahoma) and Ashley Goodwin (2014, Ohio State).”

“Three of our top players—Sydney, Shay and Rachel—are only juniors and will be asked to be leaders, so we think we have a good group from top to bottom.”

 

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RECRUIT SPOTLIGHT: MAKENNA DOWELL

You have to be pretty darned good to be offered by an SEC school when you haven’t played a single minute of softball your freshman year, but that’s the case for Makenna Dowell, a 2017 shortstop who attends North Gwinnet High in Suwanee, Ga.

Here parents, Eric and Kim, knew they had a dedicated athlete on their hands seven years ago when they kept hearing a thump-thump-thump noise pounding on their house.

“She’d throw the ball against the wall and catch it, throw it and catch it… over and over and over,” laughs the athlete’s father.  “It about drove us crazy.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Makenna ended up as a skilled shortstop—she was only following in the tradition of her older brothers, Christian (now 21), and Ethan (16) who shined on defense as well on the baseball field.

Flash forward to seven years later and, today, the softball-playing teenager is two weeks into high school and already knows where they’ll be playing in college—at the University of Arkansas.

“Their coaches first saw Makenna at a Legacy tournament last year,” Eric begins.  “We later asked them what they saw in her and they said it was her intensity in the line drills.  They followed her around more and saw her at the Premier tournament (PGF) where her team, the Georgia Elite, finished ninth.”

It didn’t hurt Makenna’s stock any that she hit .477 over the team’s five game run in Huntington Beach.

“Arkansas liked her attitude and in a conversation asked if we’d come for a visit.  They said then that they were ready to give a verbal and we were blown away.”

The shortstop’s father explains that they took the 750 mile trip to the Univ. of Arkansas two weeks ago (Friday, August 16) and spent most of the day with Head Coach Mike Larabee.

“He was careful to not pressure Makenna,” Eric remembers, “and that was her first unofficial visit, but we realized Arkansas hit two key points important to Makenna: she was looking for a town that was college centric and she wanted a coach that was more of a mentor and not a friend.”

“Also, I knew she didn’t want to say local and that’s why we wanted to look at more outlying schools.”

So why would a big school like Arkansas be so interested in a 14-year-old softball player?  Eric says there’s one thing that made her so coveted by not just the Razorbacks, but by several other SEC schools.

“It’s her defense, absolutely without a doubt.  Scouts have told us she just knows what to do and how to do it on contact.”

Here’s more on the talented infielder including her thoughts on why Arkanasas as well as perspectives from her Georgia Elite coach and the head of Scout Softball who has been impressed with Makenna ever since seeing her on the field

 

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Makenna on why she chose Arkansas…

“I chose Arkansas because I really liked the school and what they have to offer both academically and through their softball program,” the standout infielder says.

“I don’t want to go to a school that is just good at athletics or just good at academics.  I want a school that offers me both and I feel like the University of Arkansas is the perfect balance.”

“I have many goals for myself when it comes to softball and the next level.  I feel that the coaching staff at Arkansas, with their like-mindedness and shared philosophy, are exactly who will get me to where I want to be.”

 

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From Georgia Elite 16U Head Coach Australia Hoover…

“Makenna has been a player I have watched grow for nearly seven years now.  She and my daughter, Jaimie Hoover, started their travel ball careers playing against each other as seven and eight year olds, when Jaimie was on the Rockdale Rage and Makenna was on the Hotshots.  It seems their two teams would face off in the championship games of every tournament they both entered.”

“In 2009, I had the pleasure of being on the coaching staff of the Worth Cobras 10U team that finally put Makenna and Jaimie on the same side as teammates as opposed to competitors.  That team went on to finish 2nd at ASA Nationals in Johnson City, Tenn.  The two have been teammates ever since and are the best of friends.  They faced each other as opponents again recently when Makenna’s North Gwinnett High school played Jaimie’s Collins Hill High school in a regional softball game.  Jaimie’s team pulled out the victory in that one!”

“Makenna’s verbal commitment to Arkansas was as special to me as when my daughter verbally committed to play at the University of Florida early in the summer.  Makenna’s talents were appreciated very early by Arkansas Assistant Coach Coy Adkins, who first saw her play in Orlando, Fla in 2012.  From there, Coach Adkins followed and observed Makenna’s demeanor on and off the field and continued to be impressed by her consistency, incredible instincts and her high softball IQ.”

“I told Coach Adkins that if I had to start another team, I would pick my daughter first (only because I have to get her to the field!) but Makenna would be a very close 2nd pick.  Any team will be a better team by having her on board.  Arkansas really got a gem.”

 

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From Mark Mulvany, the Director of Scouting for Scout Softball…

One thing Makenna has done on an individual basis was attend Regional and National events produced by Scout Softball.  She was honored as the Scout 2013 All-American Most Outstanding Defensive Player after onfield performances which only added to the respect she’s garnered even though she’s barely started her freshman year of high school ball.

“’Smooth’… that’s the word I heard over and over from Scout All-Americans this year to describe Makenna and I have to agree. When we selected her as a Scout All-American this year, we knew what we would get: great physical tools accompanied by some of the best pure softball instincts we’ve ever seen. Congrats to Arkansas for landing a defensive stopper up the middle.”

Mulvany says that Makenna’s “Scout Index” is an 88.65… to put that in perspective, here’s a look at some other SS commits to big programs and how old they were when they received their Scout Index*

— Whitney Burks – 2014 – 92.10 – Stanford University – Sophomore year
— Stephanie Wong – 2013 – 90.42 – University of Texas – Sophomore year
— Riley Browder – 2013 – 87.93 – Baylor University – Junior year
— Mason Garland – 2014 – 87.05 – University of Georgia – Sophomore year
— Chelsea Seggern – 2016 – 84.65 – University of Tennessee – 8th grade year

* The “Scout Index” is a combination of 32 individual categories that are graded on each player that Scout evaluates throughout the year in a combination of workouts and games.

Click here to see Scout video of Makenna Dowell in action on the field!

 

 

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SCOUT SOFTBALL TOP 25 PLAYERS

Speaking of Scout Softball, for those who aren’t familiar, the company produces events where athletes like Dowell can work out and play games so the video and evaluations can be used by colleges.

Here are the players that have been to Scout Softball events and are rated in the top 25 (note: this is only for those who’ve attended their events):

 

Rank	Name	Pos	College	State	Grad	Club Team	Scouting
1	Erin Harris	P		OK	2017	OK FORCE	One of the best pitching prospects we've ever seen. Pitches with poise and is a natural born leader in the circle. Great presence and one of the most overall athletic pitchers in the 2017 class.
2	Braxton Burnside	SS		AR	2016	Arkansas Heat	The definition of a 5-tool player. Leads the state of Arkansas in HR as a 9th grader, 2.6 runner with a 67 MPH arm.
3	Bella Norton	C		VA	2016	Vienna Stars 18U Gold	Norton was up to 65 MPH at VA Tech in April 2013 and shows increased power at the plate. Still one of the most talented overall players we've seen at Scout.
4	Emily Soles	P	Georgia State	GA	2016	Georgia Outlaws	Soles was up to 66 MPH in the circle in Atlanta in March 2013. Expected to make a push for her 2nd Scout All-American selection this year.
5	Julia hollingsworth	LF/CF		TX	2015	Firecrackers DFW	Is .01 seconds away from holding the Scout Home to 1B all-time record. Major D1 tools all around including the best combination of power and speed you'll find in the 2015 class.
6	Kiana Sherlund	CF	North Carolina	VA	2015	Lady Lightning Gold Team Miken	Kiana not only is a 2.60 runner home to 1B, sheÕs one of the top lead off prospects in the entire country. SheÕll be headed for a Major Division 1 contender after HS.
7	Ivie Drake	C	Georgia State	GA	2014	Georgia Outlaws	Ivie Drake at 71 MPH has the strongest arm of any FSR athlete. Drake also has big time power potential with some of the best raw power in the country.
8	Whitney Burks	SS	Stanford	VA	2014	Vienna Stars	Whitney is one of the most well known prep players in the sport. With an ability to hit the ball the other way, with high level speed and instincts sheÕll make an impact right away in college
9	Taylor Ellsworth	C		TX	2017	Texas Dirtbags	Ellsworth is one of only a few 2017_s to make this elite list. SheÕs headed for big things behind the plate and is the most accurate arm weÕve seen from her knees. Bat has upside and will continue to grow athletically.
10	Mariah Miramontez	SS/CF		TX	2016	Texas Stix 18U	An incredible overall athlete with big time softball tools. Starting to show more power at the plate along with a very versatile defensive skill set.
11	Cameron Barnes	2B/CF		TX	2015	SA Hitt 18U Gold - ALFARO	Extremely similar to DePaul commit Angela Scalzitti. Lightning quick with the best bat control from a LH slaper we've seen. 2.6 speed with ability to swing as well. Pure D1 lead off potential.
12	Mary Mills Lochaia	RF	Central Arkansas	AR	2016	Arkansas Pride	After having the best BP session of our 2013 Spring schedule, Lochala steps in and hits 2 HR in her first 2 at bats against a quality pitcher. The 2nd Arkansas prospect to rank in the Top 25
13	Morgan McCallum	SS		TX	2016	Firecrackers	The first player we've seen attack the ball pitch by pitch similar to Chaley Brickey (Kansas SS). Power potential at the plate with D1 hands and instincts at SS.
14	Kyle Rock	C	Illinois	IL	2015	Illinois Force	Rock could be a big time power hitting, athletic catcher at the Major D1 level. 68 MPH overhand that is projectable at the plate and behind it.
15	Kailla Searcy	P/3B		CA	2016	Stealth Fastpitch
16	Shannon Felde	P/SS		IL	2015	Homer Hawks 18 Gold (Perryman)	Up to 63 MPH in Rosemont at the Chicago National Showcase.
17	Sydney Smith	P	LSU	MN	2015	Beverly Bandits	Smith is headed to LSU after graduation and should make an impact in the program with one of the best change-ups we've ever seen.
18	Kendsey Chappelear	CF	South Carolina Upstate	GA	2014	Georgia Impact	Kendsey was the first FSR athlete to touch 2.60 home to 1B. Chappelear was very impressive at the 2012 All-American Games as well, with true CF tools and instincts.
19	Rachel Carlson	CF		FL	2014	18U Miami/Tampa Stingrays	Impressive physical tools at 70 MPH overhand and 2.72 Home to 1B. Can swing it as well as slap.
20	Angela Scalzitti	2B/CF	DePaul	IL	2014	Northern Ice 95	Scalzitti shows low 2.6 speed with a strong arm from the OF. Displays some of the best footwork out of the box from the LH side of the plate weÕve seen. Expect Angela to hit for a high average at DePaul.
21	Shannon Hughes	SS		MO	2014	Victory KC	At 69 MPH with easy arm action, Shannon has plenty of arm to play SS at the next level. Plus range and a plus glove make her a top 10 prospect.
22	Holly Vanckhoven	1B/LF	Abilene Christian	TX	2014	Texas Blaze Gold	Holly is one of the best raw athletes in the 2014 recruiting class. Could be an elite power hitter at the next level and might have the best bat speed in the 2014 class nationally.
23	Cheyenne Thompson	CF		TX	2015	American Freedom 18U Gold	Thompson breaks into the top 20 with a 5-tool performance in Austin, Texas. At 67 MPH overhand with big time opposite field power sheÕs a legit Major D1 prospect at any of the 3 OF positions.
24	Christa Hall	CF		VA	2015	Starz Gold 18	Huge arm, big time speed and solid potential at the plate. Hall could challenge for an All-American spot in 2013.
25	Devin Cantu	C		TX	2016	Firecrackers-DFW Rosales	As much raw power as anyone in the Scout rankings. Handles the ball well behind the plate with soft hands and an above average arm.

 

Click here to see the complete list of the 150 rated position players…

 

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REACTION TO CLUB RANKINGS

In yesterday’s Daily Update we ran the final end-of-summer 18U club softball rankings… we received nearly 40 emails from you, the readers, and the responses were about 85% critical, 15% positive.

We thought it’d be interesting to share some of the comments—some heavily edited, naturally— and, rest assured, we’re not ID’ing anyone here so your anonymity is safe with us!   Before we begin, let’s put up the old qualifier: “The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of this company… blah, blah, blah.”  In other words, don’t shoot me, I’m just the messenger (only reporting what YOU are writing)!

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“Dumbest rankings I’ve ever seen.  Mizuno is at #11 and there are teams they beat at PGF like the Batbusters (who they beat twice!) and Firecrackers who are ahead of them?  Really?!?  How can you not factor in head-to-head play when it’s at the culmination of the club season?!?” – Kelly (Los Angeles, Calif.)

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“I know these aren’t perfect, but I think it’s cool someone is doing this and bringing exposure to club softball through team rankings. Any discussion, as I see it, is good for the sport.” –  Sydney (Dallas, Texas)

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“What jumped out at me was that the rankings do not have a mathematical rhyme or reason attached to them: just look at the Batbusters and Mizuno. Stith’s overall ranking is 10th (1st in NPS and 13 in ballot with that 198 CPI). The only conclusion to draw from looking at that one blended ranking by itself is that NPS has the overwhelming weight of value among the categories. Obviously, if all three were equally weighted, Mizuno would have been ranked 71. Yet, Batbusters are ranked 6th blended, but their NPS is 9. Their best score is a 6 on the ballot, while the college players rank is 41. So, all of a sudden, the ballot is counting for 100 percent.

If the math above applied to Mizuno was used with the Batbusters, the Batbusters would have been ranked ninth, and if all three categories had been equal, they would have ranked 19. Mathematically, one team’s ranking makes no sense cast against the other’s. Subjectively, I wonder if the Athletics at No. 1 is a career-achievement appreciation of their domination of one event. Rico’s Firecrackers rallied for a T7 at Huntington Beach and also swept the major Triple Crown events. And Mizuno seems like a Top 3 team as well..” – Stan (Boca Raton, Fla.)

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“These rankings are produced by Triple Crown Sports, right?  This is just a way to promote their events and their teams.  No wonder, then, that the teams who played in their televised game are much higher ranked than they should be.  Neither made the final 4 at PGF, where all the good teams were and they are listed IN THE TOP 3 because they won less competitive tournaments?  No freakin’ way.”  — Brad (Akron, Ohio)

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“I think some teams could move up or down a bit, but overall this looks pretty close to what I’d think… you can’t just go on one tournament (PGF).  You have to look at the body of work all summer.  A team can get a tough draw in one tournament or have players injured/visiting colleges so one week shouldn’t make it all or nothing.”  — Barbara (Eugene, Ore.)

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“Usually, I’m all about doing whatever promotes the sport, but this just doesn’t sit well with me.  My daughter players on one of the teams that covers the nation going to West and East Coast tournaments (we live in Missouri) and I think I’ve seen most of the top 20 at least once in the last year especially at PGF.  Granted, I’m just a parent and not a scout or coach, but I think all the mathematical and computer formulas and such has this so skewed.  This, to me, seems like it’s missing the most basic human element—common sense.”  Todd (Kansas City, Missouri)

 

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