After a hugely successful first year last summer that featured 10 talented incoming college freshman including World Series hero Shay Knighten of Oklahoma and Freshman of the Year Amanda Lorenz of Florida, the Louisville Slugger Hit Club returns for Year Two with dates and initial details announced today.

The Hit Club, which recognizes top softball hitters about to embark on their college careers, will take place in Huntington Beach, California and run from Saturday, July 30 through Monday, August 1.

Louisville Slugger and Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) have partnered again this year to provide the elite hitters from the Class of 2016 with three days of education, competition, fun activities and exposure to noted softball figures such as legendary coach Sue Enquist and Jen Schroeder and her team from The Package Deal.

The 10 athletes chosen for the 2016 Hit Club will be announced in the next week and will come from the pool of players chosen as PGF All-Americans with many participating in the PGF All-American game on Friday, July 29 just prior to the start of the Hit Club.

The players selected have been evaluated by a panel of coaches, scouts and evaluators who look for hitting expertise, technique and ability, be it long-ball sluggers or speedy table-setting slappers.

Last year's first group of attendees included players now at major programs such as National Championship Series teams Oklahoma and Auburn as well as Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington.

"Selecting athletes -- both tremendous in athletic ability and in character--the Louisville Slugger Hit Club continues to connect the nation's greatest 10 high school senior hitters in one location," says Jennie Ritter, Grassroots Manger of Baseball and Softball for Wilson/Louisville Slugger.

"With the help of PGF, the Hit Club is designed not only to honor these athletes' successes so far, but also provide them with a three-day competition and crash course in mental prep with some of the greatest minds in the fastpitch game so they can continue their successes on and off the field at the collegiate level.  We are thrilled at the successes of the 2015 Louisville Slugger Hit Club class and are anticipating similar successes with the upcoming 2016 Hit Club invitees."