Summer Thoughts

July 28, 2011

 

We got back from a great trip to Chicago where we came away very impressed with the DeMarini Invitational and the Midwest talent.  The DeMarini Invitational was a top-tier event that featured some of the best 18 Gold and 16U teams in the country.  A very talented and deep Texas Glory team emerged as the champion of the event and will certainly be a team capable of making a deep run in the Premier Nationals to be held next week.  The tournament was very well run and certainly offered a different feel than the traditional West Coast tournaments or the mega-Colorado events that we are so very used to.   But even more of interest was the talent we observed.  While the depth of talent might not be quite as deep from a skill standpoint, the top-tier talent was equally as impressive as their West Coast counterparts.  The New Lenox Lightning has a great young hitter in Kelly Christner, 2013 OF.  Kelly first caught our eye in Colorado, and she did not disappoint us in the slightest here in Chicago.  The kid is athletic and legit; she could play for any program in the country.  Emily Griggs, 2014 OF for the Wichita Mustangs, continued her torrid play.  Emily can really swing the bat and competes with the best of them.  She is a solid hitter who will only improve with time.  Brittany Gray, 2014 P for the Southern Force 16U, was very impressive.  She hails from Indiana and is the real deal in the circle.  She gets it up to 64/65 on the gun, and can spin it.  Brittany is easily one of the most talented young pitchers in the nation.  And finally, uncommitted 2012 MI/3B Kelsey Susalla put on a show with the stick.  The girl is tall, lanky, and can really run.  She is a legit prospect who will make some team very proud in the near future.   Any of these kids could star on any travel program in the country, so it was refreshing to see these bright, young talents emerge from the Midwest.

Yesterday, we spent the day in San Diego watching ASA Gold Nationals.  Obviously, the event was missing some great programs that will be competing in Premier next week, but several teams had an impressive day.  The vaunted Corona Angels looked every bit as good as we expected.  Their lineup is loaded with high level Division 1 hitters.  If you start at the top of the order with Nebraska  bound Marjani Knighten and end it all with uncommitted 2013 OF Delynn Rippy, well rest assured that everyone else can really swing the bat.  Rippy is simply one of the best OF talents around and proved herself to be one of San Diego’s best young talents throughout her sophomore high school season.  Throw in 2013 P Jade Vecvanags and blossoming 2014 superstar, Alexis Osario, and Marty has a dynamic, young group capable of winning the entire event.  Vecvanags simply wins games and Osario is one of the best talents in the country.  Gold Coast Hurricanes looked good, but Leslie Jury will need some help in the circle at some point in time if they want to survive.    Team North Florida, All American Sports Academy, and Texas Impact Gold all appeared to be ready to make a deep run into the weekend.

Finally, Chicago pizza and Chicago-style hotdogs certainly lived up to their reputations.  The pizza at Giordano’s and hot dogs at Portello’s were awesome.  We will be back for more in the next 12 months for sure.  For now, we will finish out ASA Gold Nationals and then head up to Premier on Sunday.  Hope to see you out at the park.