18U Gold profile: Lady Lightning

Jul 29, 2013 by Brentt Eads

The 18U Premier Division of the Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) National Championship started pool play on Sunday and one of the teams involved is NC Lady Lightning Gold Team Miken.

Marisa Runyon gets two of her five RBI against Jersey Intensity in a game Sunday afternoon at the PGF 18 Premier National Championship.

While North Carolina hasn’t been known as a hotbed for fastpitch in the past, the Lady Lightning program has quickly become one of the most reputable in the East.

This year marks the fourth in a row the 18U Gold team has participated in the PGF 18 Premier Nationals, meaning it’s been a part of PGF every year the event has been in existence.

During the summer season, the team won 23 games in a row and captured the Louisville bracket of the Louisville Slugger Independence Day Tournament in Colorado going 11-0 that week, posting six shutouts and allowing only eight runs in those games while hitting 15 home runs themselves.

You know as a program you’re doing something right when you have players crossing state borders to play for you, with athletes hailing from as far away as Alabama, Virginia and even Indiana.

We caught up with some of the players after their Sunday afternoon win over NJ Intensity and asked them what it’s like being part of Lady Lightning now compared when they started with the organization three, four and even five years ago and the dedication they put into playing with the lightning bolt on their jerseys!

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Student Sports Softball: How has the Lady Lightning, being from North Carolina, started to be perceived nationally?
Madison Arroyo (3B/IF): We’re definitely making our way up. I think that has to do with the girls that are coming up, the younger girls that are keeping the program going. The exposure we have gotten, kind of making a name for ourselves, and especially coming over here on this side of the country where softball is really big and making a name for our self on the West Coast.

SSS: Marisa, you’ve committed to a high profile team in Alabama… from what you see, are people taking the Lightning players more seriously now?
Marisa Runyon (SS): Yea, we definitely have a target on our back. We’ve met all of our goals so far this summer. We have really, competition wise gotten so much better.

Ladies on the Lightning (l-r): Emily Heimberger, Marisa Runyon, and Madison Arroyo

SSS: Madison, what do you feel is the strength of this team?
Madison Arroyo: I think we have great depth with our pitching. We have a great battery of pitchers. Our defense and our hitting have improved so much. We’ve gotten key hits, we’re putting the hits together and we’re getting the runs when we need them. Our chemistry kind of takes us a long way. It’s great when girls work well together.

SSS: Tell us about this team’s chemistry…
Marisa Runyon: I love these girls. It’s weird how you lose touch with people, as you get older, but you know the girls that you played ball with you will always stay closest to because you have that one thing in common.

SSS: Emily, being that you’re younger than the other girls, has it been intimidating to be with such talented teammates?
Emily Heimberger (2B/OF): Not at all. They all treat me like I am the same age. I get a long with them really well.

SSS: What are you hoping to accomplish this week along with winning the National Championship?
Emily Heimberger: Well, being uncommitted I definitely want to try to put myself out there, work as hard as I can, and try to get some looks so I can have some things to look forward to in the future.

SSS: The dedication you players have, including coming from such distances for practice, is amazing. Tell us about how you and Emily carpool four hours one way for a weekend practice…
Marisa Runyon: Emily’s mom and my mom will tag-team it, my mom will take us one time and hers the other and we’ll switch back and forth. But it’s well worth because we go and practice for four hours and we get a lot of batting practice in and defense so it’s well worth it. We’ll drive up the four hours and stop for lunch. Some girls come from another state, they’ll come up Saturday night then stay in a hotel, and we’ll practice Sunday then they’ll head back.

SSS: So what do you do for that long of a drive?
Marisa Runyon: I sleep (laughs)

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Finally, we take a look at the Lady Lightning Gold Team Miken roster playing in Huntington Beach, Calif. this week with comments from Coach John Corn:

Seniors

#9 Marisa Runyon (four year starting SS from South Carolina)
Committed to Alabama.
Coach Corn: “Marisa is one of the best teammates we have ever had in the program. When she committed to Alabama it changed the landscape of our program. Her game has become stronger over the last four years shown by her accumulating over 50 HRs in her LLGTM career.”

#5 Kendra Lynch (one year starting Utility player from Indiana)
Committed to UNC.
Coach Corn:“Kendra gives us the best 4 hitter we have ever had. She is the poster child for dedicated player. Her work ethic rivals no one. She is the backbone of our lineup. She believes she is going to get a hit every time she steps to the plate.”

#7 Jess Weber (starting OF from South Carolina)
Committed to Eastern Illinois.
Coach Corn:“Jess is a true athlete, fast, aggressive and confident. Jess roams our outfield with reckless abandon. She is a true overachiever and refuses to fail.”

#1 Madison Arroyo (three year starting Utility player from North Carolina).
Committed to Miss State.
Coach Corn: “Madison has overcome the uphill battle of injury. She spent 2 years with us battling a concussion. This summer has been her best summer ever. Madison is the one player we have that will play anywhere for us. She has played first, second, short, third, and outfield for us.”

#33 Logan Green (two year pitcher from Maryland)
Committed to Jacksonville State.
Coach Corn: “Logan came to us last year and pitched great. She has had many great wins for us but none bigger than this year in Colorado when she pitched the semi final game against Team Mizuno Impulse in Colorado. Winning that game put us in the championship game. She provides us a different style pitcher that always gives us a chance to win.”

#23 Lauren Batten (three year pitcher from North Carolina)
Committed to North Carolina.
Coach Corn: “Lauren has been our back bone of the pitching staff for 3 years. She is a pure power pitcher. She likes to challenge batters and dominate games for us. Every time Lauren steps on the mound we feel like we have a chance to win.”

UNDERCLASSMEN

2014