When the call was made for a South Atlantic Conference softball team to step up and be a conference champion last weekend, the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears answered the call.

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.

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.

COLUMBUS, GA. – Sixty-three teams battled all throughout the week, narrowing the playing field to two final teams per division on the final day of the 2021 USA Softball Junior Olympic (JO) Cup. After three thrilling Championship matchups, a 14-Under, 16-Under and 18-Under Champion raised their trophies at South Commons Complex. The Championship games kicked off this morning with the 14-Under finalists taking the field. Atlanta Vipers 14U Harris took the trophy with a 3-0 shutout win over Florida Impact Gold Ladd 06. In the 16-Under division, Hotshots Premier 2022 Alabama got down early but fought back to defeat Ohio Hawks 16U National, 5-3. The final game of the week ended in dramatic fashion as LLG DPS Corn rallied from behind to clinch a 6-5 victory over Atlanta Vipers 18U-Holbrook, securing their second consecutive USA Softball JO Cup Championship. 14-Under: Atlanta Vipers 14U Harris vs. Impact Gold Ladd 06  Atlanta Vipers 14U Gold Harris struck first and never looked back. After a dropped third strike, Jordan Williams (Atlanta Vipers 14U Gold Harris) took off and reached first base before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt from Avery Callaway (Atlanta Vipers 14U Gold Harris). Williams scored the first run of the game on a single from Desiree Trudel (Atlanta Vipers 14U Gold Harris). Both teams were quiet in the second inning as solid defense retired each side in order. Kaitlyn Everson (Florida Impact Gold Ladd 06) singled in the top of the third, but Hannah Cole (Atlanta Vipers 14U Gold Harris) took care of business in the circle and worked out of the inning without allowing a run. Izzy Carlyle (Atlanta Vipers 14U Gold Harris) drew a walk to start off the bottom of the frame for Atlanta Vipers and advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Williams. A single from Trudel plated Carlyle, extending the Vipers lead to 2-0. Florida Impact got on base after Neveah Hayes (Florida Impact Gold Ladd 06) singled to left field to start the fourth. A sacrifice bunt and a single moved Hayes to third before Makenna Sturgis (Florida Impact Gold Ladd 06) was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Once again, Cole took back control and found a way out of the jam, leaving the inning unscathed. The Vipers put two on with no outs in the bottom of the fifth after a single from Carlyle and Williams reaching on an error. In the circle for Florida Impact, Reese Gill (Florida Impact Gold Ladd 06) fired back with a strikeout and a fly out to end the inning. A no-doubt, leadoff home run from Cadence Alberty (Atlanta Vipers 14U Gold Harris) gave the Vipers a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Cole retired Florida Impact in order to secure the Vipers 3-0 victory and the coveted title of 2021 USA Softball JO Cup 14-Under Champion.16-Under: Ohio Hawks 16U National vs. Hotshots Premier 2022 AlabamaOhio Hawks 16U National started the game hot, getting an early 2-0 lead on Hotshots Premier 2022 Alabama in the second inning. Hotshots Premier fired back in the third with a rally that was sparked by back-to-back base knocks. Emmorie Burke (Hotshots Premier) crushed a double that one-hopped the left field fence, resulting in two runs to tie the contest. Hotshots Premier continued to chip away at the Ohio Hawks defense, tacking on two more runs in the fourth when Tenly Grisham (Hotshots Premier) laced a double to the outfield. The Ohio Hawks put up a run in the bottom of the sixth to bring the score to 5-3, but were unable to produce anything else. Hotshots Premier's defense once again shut down Ohio Hawks in the seventh to win the game and the title of the 2021 USA Softball JO Cup 16-Under Champion. 18-Under: Atlanta Vipers 18U - Holbrook vs. LLG DPS Corn 18UTyesha Williams (LLG DPS Corn) drew a walk to start the game for LLG before advancing to third on a ground ball hit by Malaka Lanette (LLG DPS Corn) followed by an error. A single from Elisa Smith (LLG DPS Corn) brought both Williams and Lanette in to score, putting LLG up early, 2-0. Jaydyn Goodwin (Atlanta Vipers 18U-Holbrook) knocked a single in her first at-bat for Atlanta Vipers 18U-Holbrook as did Makenna Segal (Atlanta Vipers 18U-Holbrook), but Lauren Wills (LLG DPS Corn) ended their rally by forcing a groundout to get out of the inning without a run scored. LLG posted another run in the top of the second when Reagan Hartley (LLG DPS Corn) scored on a passed ball, extending their lead to 3-0. The Vipers answered back in a hurry, forcing two LLG errors in the bottom of the fifth that led to one run. The Vipers continued their tear, tying things up two plays later when Goodwin reached on an error to score two more runs. The rally was ended by a groundout, but not before the Vipers took the lead 5-3. In the top of the sixth, LLG found their stride and put runners on base. LLG put even more pressure on the defense when Karlee Mae (LLG DPS Corn) stole home to bring her team within one run. A walk and a wild pitch to follow would put LLG up 6-5 going into the final inning. The Vipers wouldn’t go down without a fight as Lauren Flanders (Atlanta Vipers 18U-Holbrook) singled in the bottom of the seventh to put a runner on base. However, Lauren Wiles (LLG DPS Corn) remained calm under pressure and forced a fly out to end the game and secure LLG’s second consecutive USA Softball JO Cup title.

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.

Find the 2021 Tulsa Elite Summer Invite softball photo gallery. Photos by Rob Ferguson of USA TODAY Sports.

Every year since 2011, the weekend following the NCAA Division I Women’s College World Series marks the pilgrimage of some of the top travel softball teams in the country converging in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to compete in the Annual Tulsa Elite Summer Invite. That first year, 16 teams took to four fields, and today the event has grown to become one of the nation’s top recruiting events of the year. From Wednesday-Sunday, well over 100 college coaches attend the tournament held at Arrowhead Park, offering a single 12-field complex allowing for maximum exposure.

When Kevin Shelton established Texas Glory Fastpitch in May 2000, the club was an informal structure consisting of a few teams. It wasn’t until 2007 that their full vision began to take shape.

Jayda Coleman can’t pinpoint the exact day, year, and event where it was when a much older fan approached her after one of her games and adamantly stated his doubts about Coleman being successful as a left-handed shortstop. All she knows is that his words and others like those have fueled a fire inside Coleman that has been growing for years since she first picked up a glove at an early age.

Haidyn Sokoloski was nine years old when she hit her first home run, a high fly ball that just managed to clear the fence on a field designed more for baseball than softball. That was seven years ago, but she remembers the scene like it was yesterday.

Things are changing fast and there are so many questions surrounding the Division I Council’s decision to extend dead period and eligibility for those student-athletes affected by COVID-19 season cancellations.

It seems no sport is off limits to Bri Evans. At one time or another, the Texas Glory infielder/outfielder has participated in softball, football, basketball, and track.

When Margaret Tobias was about five years old, she would often chase foul balls during her older siblings’ baseball and softball games. Even then, fans in the bleachers often commented on how fast she was, and that she would be a great athlete.

Freshman pitcher, Emmy Guthrie is geared up to join the Oklahoma dynasty. The Oklahoma native joins an all-star group of recruits who will likely see a championship in their future. We catch up with Guthrie and get her insight into her recruiting experience.