The pop Marlie Giles’ bat made as it connected with a pitch about belt-high had forecasted the inevitable. With a single swing, Giles mashed a two-run homer over the left-field wall, sealing the Birmingham Thunderbolts PGF 18U Premier national championship.

Select Fastpitch and the Birmingham Thunderbolts have emerged from the bevy of outstanding clubs in the PGF National Championships 18U Premier division.

Larissa Preuitt doesn’t recall how old she was when she attended her first Alabama Crimson Tide softball game. But the Hartselle, Alabama native and outfielder for Birmingham Thunderbolts 18U does remember sitting in the outfield seats at Rhoads Stadium with a group of softball friends and seeing four-time All-American Haylie McCleney hit a home run.

What does it mean to be a Birmingham Thunderbolt?

Give us the ocean cool breeze, the fruit lady, and late nights of amazing softball. Premier Girls Fastpitch Nationals is finally here. FloSoftball will be streaming all eight fields from Huntington Beach Sports Complex from July 27-30 and from July 30-31 we will stream the Platinum Championships. Below we take a look at some of the top teams that will be playing over the weekend.

During a one-week span beginning at the end of June and finishing up on the 4th of July, over 800 softball teams will arrive in the greater Denver area. This year the Colorado 4th of July tournament is celebrating its 52nd anniversary, and as always, will feature some of the top club softball teams from across the country.

Alabama's sophomore infielder Skylar Wallace is on the move as she entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Mojo 04 Coach Josh Fisher announced the formation of a new league called the Conference of the South following the launch of the Texas Fastpitch League and the Heart Of America Elite Faspitch League. 

A new theme that you will see this week is a day dedicated to NCAA softball teams. Over the years we covered the athletes, told their stories, and broadcasted their games. What better way to showcase these programs than to have a whole day dedicated to them. We will be dripping out exclusive videos and articles pertaining to that team all day long. By the end of the day, you'll know honestly know that program on a personal level. Alabama, you're up.

When Jay Roberson took over as head coach for the Birmingham Thunderbolts 16U squad this season, he inherited a team loaded with power. Through the first 20 games this fall, the Bolts have already hit 32 home runs.

When athletes first join Jay Roberson’s Birmingham Bolts, intimidation comes to mind. The Bolts are one of the premier softball clubs in the nation. Brooke Burback, a power hitter, from nearby Chelsea, Alabama, had the opposite reaction.

Sam Roe is a 13-year-old player from Destin, Florida, who has the X-factor coaches are looking for. She has been heavily recruited since she stepped on the field for an exposure event. She holds down the primary catching job for the Birmingham Thunderbolts 2022 team. Her head coach, Ted Flannery, can't even quantify how many college teams have inquired about her.

From the heart of Georgia is a softball star -- sophomore Riley Blampied -- who hopes to make a big impact on Alabama's championship-level program.

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Fueled by the energy of a standing-room only crowd of 787, No. 17 UCF Softball capped off the second day of the season with one of the biggest wins in program history. The Knights topped No. 5 Alabama 8-1 at the UCF Softball Complex. "What a great day with two great wins,” head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said.

As club organizations across the nation look to expand—oftentimes starting teams in different states from where they’re based—it seems some are getting creative in coming up with ways to attract new talent.