We continue our look at the top club teams across the nation in the 14U age division as we roll out the next group in the FAB 50 14U Rankings.

Each day this week we are unveiling 10 teams and conclude on Friday, April 14 with the teams ranked 10-1 and on Saturday list the Next In (51-100) teams.

The key factors in where teams are ranked include performances and results from the summer, in the fall and early this year (although we understand that showcase competition, where some top players are held out to allow others to be seen, can be misleading in terms of "who beat who").

We also weigh heavily the return of key players and the addition of talented new ones.

Information was acquired by the FloSoftball staff watching teams in person as well as considerable input provided by club and college coaches across the country.

If we've missed anything or you would like to provide input on your favorite teams and players, send your info/insights to: Brentt.Eads@FloSports.TV.

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30--Illinois Chill

Gerry Quinn's 14U team finished 9th last year at PGF Nationals, but most of the players moved up to the 16U team. However, the Chill coaches are excited about this group because of a strong run in tournaments since being assembled last August. The two holdovers from last year's squad are SS Peyton Bannon, ranked #69 in the 2020 Hot 100, and 2B Jocelyn Currie which gives the Midwest team one of the strongest middle infields in the 14U age division. Bannon has great range and athleticism and is being looked at by Big Ten and ACC schools while Currie is a hard-hitting infielder with an excellent glove. Pitching will be done by committee led by a pair of talented 2021's in Britney Lewinski and Abby Dunning, who both throw hard with good movement. Dunning hit 64 mph this offseason while Lewinski has topped out at 62 mph. They'll be supported by another '21 hurler in Katie Arrambide and a promising 2020 in Kelsey Crawford. The offense will be led by a pair of 6-foot experienced players in catcher Emmy Wells (2020) and 1B Molly Ryan.

29--Birmingham Thunderbolts 03

Lowell Barron's Bolts 03 team is a first year 14U program which some feel could be in the Top 15 by the end of summer. Younger teams often find the jump up to a higher age division to be challenging, but the Thunderbolts always seem to find a way to make it to the top. This team shined at the 12U level last year, winning the title at Atlanta Legacy and Atlanta Fastpitch Classic with a Top 5 finish at USSSA Elite Select and a 7th place tie at PGF Nationals. The 03 team is loaded with some of the best 2021's in the country starting with P/OF Taylor McKinney, a stellar athlete who dominates in the circle with her excellent movement and great stick at the plate. The coach's daughter, Kennedy Barron, is a tall, projectable pitter/hitter with a live arm and is a great mistake hitter at the plate. Behind the dish will be C/UT Riley Hull, a new addition to the Bolts who adds a big arm and the ability to play anywhere on the field. There are a half dozen more Hot 100-caliber 2021 players in the mix and, with experience, the Bolts 03 team could be a threat to go to the final day of any tournament it plays in this summer.

28--Texas Blaze Futures - Davis

Tammie Davis takes over the Futures program after coaching top players like Alissa Dalton and Nicole Mendes, both at Oklahoma, when Davis coached in the Diamond Sports Hotshots program. She jumps into an enviable situation with the Blaze Futures team which played well in the PGF Shootout in October and has a great core of returning 2020's and 2021's including Baylea Brandon, a lefty power hitter with all the tools who is being pursued by SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12 schools. Others to watch include P/UT Kyla Mach (2020), a power pitcher who dominated at the Shootout; SS Camryn Robillard (2021), a smooth fielder with a cannon for an arm and UT Mariah Moore (2021), who has great speed and hits for a high average. Also watch for Hunter Vestal (2020), a 6-foot tall power pitcher who has gained 7-8 mph on her fastball since the fall. And C Riley Rutherford (2021) has one of the top pop times in her class and has thrown out some of the fastest baserunners in Texas.

27--Lady Lightning Gold Futures

Lightning head man John Corn has built his program into a national organization that is strong from top to bottom and has handed the keys to the Futures squad to Jeff Fain, who will try to continue the team's momentum after it finished in the Top 25 at PGF Nationals last summer. It all begins with the pitching and the Lightning Gold Futures team is loaded, starting with 6-foot hurler 2020 Madison Harris from Virginia who throws impressive heat. Complementing her is 2021 pitcher Lauren Wiles, who is already getting interest from several Power 5 schools, and a third shut-down thrower in Kenna Rae Dark, a 2022 rising star to watch. The offense combines speed on the bases with power bats including game changers like C Jacq Bush (2020), 3B Michelle Tarpey (2021), SS/C Logan Sutton (2021) and MIF/P Makayla Marbury (2022). The top of the line-up is loaded as well starting with OF Nikki Piatek, a 2020 speedster. The team's depth is such that the Lightning could very well make another Top 25 run at PGF or any other tournament it plays in.

26--Tampa Mustangs - Hennigar

If you follow club ball, you know that TJ Goelz has won titles in the Tampa Mustang organization and has his own strong 14U team this year, but you may not be as familiar with Coach Jody Hennigar's squad... but you will be as this year unfolds. Hennigar was an outstanding lefty pitcher in Men's Fastpitch and played for Team Canada; he is also a member of the ASA Hall of Fame. The coach has assembled a young team that is loaded offensively and defensively with excellent talent at every position in the line-up starting with one of the top players in the 2021 class, SS Brooke Blankenship, who recently committed to Florida State. Power hitter Destiny Dehovos (2021) anchors the line-up as part of a squad that smashed over 60 home runs last year. Pitching is equally solid with two eighth graders that throw over 60 mph in lefty Madison Droz and righty Morgan Kentrick. Both are getting interest from SEC and ACC schools. The catching spot is strong as well with two 2021's who run the defense, call their own games and have sub-1.85 pop times in Giulia Desiderio and Katie Bright. The Mustangs are one of only two Florida teams in the Colorado Sparkler Junior 14U Power Pool and will also compete at Scenic City, the Bolt Five Star and Atlanta Legacy events this summer.

T25--Tennessee Mojo

Brooks Cherry has the Mojo on the rise as the team finished 3rd at the USA Elite Select last summer as a 12U team and in the Top 7 at PGF Nationals. In the fall, the Tennessee team went 8-0 to win the Scenic City Fall Power Pool and won the championship with a 6-0 win. Overall, the team was 108-24 last year and is poised to make some noise as a first year 14U team. Already invited back to PGF Nationals, Cherry's team of 2021's is loaded with talent including C/3B Aubrey Barnart (committed to Auburn); P/1B Emma Minghini (Penn State); SS/CF Cayden Baker (being recruited by Auburn, Duke and Tennessee); P Elena Escobar (Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida); CF/C Sadie Saul (SEC interest) and OF/2B Lydia Coleman (who has 2.6 home-to-first speed and is hearing from several Power 5 programs). Two new players merit mention: C/SS Addisenn Weaver, who was a Select 30 All-American last summer, and P/IF Claire Woods who pitched in the PGF 14U Nationals in 2016. The young team will get a baptism by fire as it will play in top events like Colorado Sparkler Junior, Scenic City, the Bolts Showcase and possibly TC/USA Nationals and PGF Nationals.

T25--Glory Adkins/Berkhiser

Formerly the Georgia Select 02 team, which was on the FAB 50 12U list in recent years, the Glory is a fast-rising team out of Georgia that features solid pitching, a nice blend of speed and power and a shut-down defense. The team had a Top 20 finish at ASA Nationals and has impressed in the fall and spring with appearances at the Florida Elite Classic Showcase where it went 6-0-1 against 14U and 16U teams and 6-2 at the USA Elite Select 16U Qualifier. More recently the Glory went 3-1 at the USA Elite Select Gold Cup playing 16U and in one game scored 15 runs in one inning against an older team. Many Power 5 programs are starting to follow the core of talented recruits which is led by P/OF Makenzie Chappell, who was ranked at #70 in the 2020 Hot 100. The team also has five 2021's who are strong candidates to make that class's Hot 100 in SS/2B Faith Barth; SS/2B Skylar Berkhiser; IF/OF Lauren Flanders; P/1B Riley Reese and 1B/3B Lily Meuninck.

24--Texas Bombers

Shaun LaRue's Bombers team had Top 10 finishes at the USA Select Elite tourney (5th) and The Top Gun Invitational (7th) last year and tied for 33rd at PGF Nationals, but looks stronger than in 2016 as the pitching and defense are improved while the bats look to be as prolific as they usually are. The Bombers have experience--12 of the players are 2020's--and talent including six standouts who return from last year. CF Ashley LaRue (2020) can drive the ball gap-to-gap and batting in the 2-hole uses her speed to set the table for the sluggers. She's attracting interest from Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Texas, Mizzou and Tennessee. The power is generated by 3B Aaliyah Ortiz (2020), who hit 11 home runs last year while maintaining a mid-.400 average. Another top prospect to watch is 2020 SS and lead-off batter Jordan McClain, who has been clocked at 2.59 home-to-first and is hearing from Power 5 schools. Jayden "JJ" Smith (2020) is a tall, muscular catcher who is getting looks from Texas, Texas A&M, Mizzou and UTSA.

23--Arizona Mizuno Storm -- Mathis/Holtorf

After finishing in the Top 25 at PGF 12U Nationals last summer and being ranked in the Top 15 at that level, Corey Mathis' team moves up to 14U and has had great success already, going 56-8 since the fall including having won four straight 14U tournaments. The team is stacked with talent--seven players have been invited to the OnDeck Elite Camp in June--and schools like Oklahoma, UCLA, Washington, Oregon and Arizona are recruiting the promising prospects which include new pick-ups such as 2021 MIF Rylee Holtorf, who has 10 home runs in her last 126 at-bats and has a batting average around .500. An excellent infielder with good hands, feet and range, Holtorf attended the 2016 OnDeck June Jamboree last summer and the OnDeck National Elite Camp in the fall. She's being recruited by most of the Pac-12 as well as the National Champion Sooners.

22--East Cobb Bullets - Byars

Cliff Byars's team has a chance to win any tournament it's in this year because the team is deep with talent with as many as eight current 2020 and 2021 players expected to go to Power 5-type programs. It starts with a talented and deep pitching staff led by 5-foot-10 flamethrower Binkley Yevak (2020), who is already throwing in the mid-60's at just 14 years old. She's being heavily recruited by SEC, ACC and Big Ten universities already. The other ace is Olivia Fannin (2020) who one college coach said has the best spin he's ever seen on a player her age. At one event, Fannin's spin rate was clocked at 23. The duo has only given up one run this spring while averaging 1.5 K's per inning. Behind the plate, M.B. Cahalan is one of the top catchers in the South with a 1.68 pop time combined with a great power bat. The team will play in the Boulder IDT and all the top Southeast showcases with the goal to make it to PGF Nationals. The younger pipeline is strong too behind a trio of 2021's to watch in IF Sydney Stewart, who has great power at the plate; OF/IF Alaina Smith, a five-tool leadoff hitter and C Morgan Hall, who is a double-digit home run threat.

21--Carolina Elite

Josh Fisher's Carolina Elite team out of South Carolina has emerged as one of the top young teams on the East Coast and after attending PGF Nationals last as a first-year team went 39-7 in the fall. Based on the team's talent and strong recent success, the Elite has been invited to the Colorado Sparklers Power Pool 48 and will also play at Scenic City, Atlanta Legacy, Thunderbolts 5-Star and will play against 18U teams at the Diamond Classic while shooting for a return trip to PGF Nationals. The team's success starts with the pitching staff led by Michigan State commit Jaia Wright, who is rated as the #73 player in the 2020 Hot 100. She is throwing in the mid-60's with a great change-up that helped her compile a 1.18 ERA last fall. Also dominating in the circle is 5-foot-10 hurler Allie Light (2020) who throws 61-62 mph with excellent spin rates and has ACC and SEC interest after earning USA Elite Select 30 honors last summer and producing a 0.89 ERA this fall. Two other dual threats to watch are 5-foot-8 P/IF Gabby Holloway (2020), who has two offers currently and is a dangerous power hitter, and 6-foot LHP/1B Jillian Hewes, who is a great defensive infielder who could be committing to an SEC or ACC school before the start of summer ball.

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