Split Allegiences
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see any of the action, but it was another one of those weekends where my nieces were playing in different cities on different schedules for their respective softball teams. Actually, things were quite different this year as now our oldest niece is not a player, but one of the coaches of a 16 and under team. Meanwhile, her younger sister is playing some summer ball with an 18 and under team they pulled together from some former team mates.
I've said this before, but college coaches usually like their players to find a summer league to play on. It keeps them conditioned and in shape for the coming fall season. I think the biggest difference is the fact that the ladies actually get to play for the fun of it versus playing because they are trying to get somewhere.
You see, the 16U girls are most likely playing hoping that a college scout sees them and gives them an offer to play on their team. It's all about putting your best foot forward, making a good impression, and looking good for the prospective coaches. In fact, I knew a coach once who went the extra mile to get his girls noticed. He would turn down tournaments where he knew they might have an easy path to the championship in favor of tournaments where he knew his ladies would get more eyes from potential coaches.
Also unfortunately, one sister had a much better weekend than the other one did when it comes to how their teams did.
I'll start with the younger sister. They had five games this past weekend with their ScarletHawks 18U team. They lost all of them. The first game they dropped 1 to 4 against a Thunder Elite team, the second they lost 2 to 3 against a Bombers Gold National team.
The next day on Saturday they lost their first game 3 to 4 against an Ohio Hawks team, and then the second they lost 2 to 8 against a Finesse team. Finally, on Sunday they played the Thunder Elite team again and lost to them 2 to 13 to end their weekend. It probably wasn't the outcome they had hoped for, but I think they were just all happy to be on the field together. My niece said the "vibe" on the team was really good between the ladies and they were having fun.
Meanwhile, the Revolution Elite 16U team started the weekend off strong winning their first two games with run rule victories. They took down WHIP Fastpitch 14 to 0, then Tealtown Storm 12 to 0. They lost the next game against a different WHIP Fastpitch team 1 to 5, but came back on Sunday and won their first game against Triple Crown Royals 5 to 1. Finally, they ended their weekend with a 5 to 6 loss to a Max Effort team.
My niece said the teams in this tournament were kind of "ass" and it was looking like they might have a good chance to come out of the tournament as champions before they took that last loss. Either way, I think it looks good for them to have some success this summer, especially with my niece as part of the coaching team! Those are some lucky ladies!
My Sports Account - @bozz.sports
Come hang out in The Pub
