Best pitchers in the country

[anonlooker]

Hmmm... if it smells like troll...

[as the world turns]

Ok all of the teams from Virginia that go to Colorado never have any of there kids go to UCLA for softball. Why would parents want to spend a bunch of money when they know their kid does not have a great chance of getting into one of those schools? They end up playing close to home and actually have realistic goals.

IC- many coaches go to CO from the East to view West players(as well how East players against top West players)

Mmmm...what a load of hewey...

Most coaches from the East DO NOT travel to CO based upon my personal observations over the last two decades. A small handful with a budget to take a vacation on the school's dime maybe, but the vast majority find fertile recruiting grounds close to their own backyard.

And before you post the list to this year's Fireworks...keep in mind that fiction often outsells reality. Our teams have contacted many from the East...and on THE LIST. Quite a few replies came back saying they won't attend and never have...yet their schools still appear on the TCS website.

Hey Hewey, are you sure you are not playing in the Sparkler instead??

[jonriv]

For players in the East who want to improve their recruitment possibilities- playing in a tournament/showcase where they can play against top Western talent is a must. Colorado, Rising Stars etc allow that opportunity- even if they go as a guest player.

For players from the East who have already been recruited and signed/verballed with a major program- either having their team play some tournaments that play major programs or they find a team that does also makes sense- so they are not overwhelmed when they start playing at the college level. As mentioned before- Rachel Fico , who now plays for LSU- holds the HS record for No-hitters and perfect games(was also a Gatorade player of the year in CT) played her senior year summer with Gold Coast Hurricanes in Fl.(She is from CT) to play against major talent o prepare for the SEC. To her credit she still plays summer ball with the Brakettes.

[jonriv]

The real tuth:
CT Central Connecticut
CT Fairfield University
CT Quinnipiac University
CT Quinnipiac University
CT Sacred Heart Univeristy
CT U.S. Coast Guard Academy
CT Yale University
MA Amherst College
MA Boston College
MA Harvard University
MA MIT
MA Newbury College
MA Tufts
MA University of Massachusetts
MA Wellesley College
MA Williams College
NJ Fairleigh Dickinson University
NJ Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham
NJ Monmouth University
NJ Princeton University
NJ Rutgers University
NJ Seton Hall
NY Adelphi University
NY Binghamton University
NY Colgate University
NY College of Mount Saint Vincent
NY Columbia University
NY Finger Lakes Community College
NY Fordham
NY Iona College
NY Long Island U
NY Long Island University
NY Manhattan College
NY Pace University
NY Siena College
NY St. John''s University
NY Stony Brook University
NY Syracuse
NY Syracuse University
NY University of Buffalo
NY US Military Academy - West Point
NY Wagner
PA Bucknell University
PA Dickinson College
PA Drexel University
PA Holy Family University
PA Lafayette College
PA LaSalle University
PA Lehigh University
PA PITT
PA Saint Joseph''s University
PA Temple University
PA Temple University
PA University of Pittsburgh
PA Villanova University
RI Brown University
RI Bryant University
RI Providence College

[jonriv]

Her dad is not the coach of the Dixie Chicks. Also, why does she need to play in Colorado to get noticed? We are in a bad economy right now. I am assuming that she does not want to go to California and pitch and all that. She can hang with the best of them. She already has her ride at Virginia Tech. She wants to go there and pitch, and she played on the East Coast. So why would she need to go out there?

Here is a list of top finishers at the 2011 PONY Nationals:

1 Richmond Rampage, VA
2 Quebec Rebelles Performance, CAN
3 Cape Fear Storm Team Purple, NC
3 CT ELIMINATORS GOLD 1994, CT
5 Dixie Chicks, VA
5 Philipsburg Hurricanes, PA
5 TOTAL KAOS 18U, NY
5 TRADITION 18u North CT
9 Explosion 18u, PA
9 Nightmare Elite, MA
9 Original Slik Chix, NY
9 The Danes WI
13 KATMAN SPORTS, MA
13 MVSA Storm 18U Jacobs, MD
13 TRADITION 18u East, CT
13 WNY Sting NY
17 18U Raiders Gold,MA
17 Catonsville Chaos, MD
17 Doylestown Dragons, PA
17 NC Challengers 18U, NC
17 RIVER CITY RIPPERS 18U, MD
17 Sting 18U Gold, PA
17 Stratford Breakers, CT
17 WV Shockers 18U, WV


The teams in red are either part of my DD's organization(CT Tradition) or teams that her team(which did not go to Nationals) played against. Although these are all good teams(the one's I know), with the exception of the Eliminators, none are Elite. Most of the teams color coded my DD's better than average team has beaten-the others they played tight games with. Ironically-another team from Virginia one the whole thing, so I guess the Dixie Chicks are not the best in that State???

The problem with PONY Nationals is you wind up playing the same teams you play in your home state-so why make the trip? The suggestion that many of the posters were making is not that this pitcher is not good, merely that she has probably not seen the consistent level of competition she will see at VT. It just may be in her best interest to get that experience in the relatively safe confines of TB before being thrown to the wolves in College(JMO)

[MDSoftball]

I know of 2 recent State Gatorade POY from East Coast that can not make the starting lineup on their college team. So being Gatoade POY in the state of Virginia is the not the same as POY of Georgia, Alabama, Calif and Arizona ect.
They are Average at Best

Lauren Gibson says hi.

[brewtusplease]

Ok all of the teams from Virginia that go to Colorado never have any of there kids go to UCLA for softball. Why would parents want to spend a bunch of money when they know their kid does not have a great chance of getting into one of those schools? They end up playing close to home and actually have realistic goals.

Read Plato, the Allegory of the Cave.
PONY and NSA are shadows on the wall.
Free yourself. Go to Colorado, or PGF.
Reality awaits, bigger and scarier than you, yet in chains, can imagine.
Better now, Weedhopper, than when you get to Mewborn Field.

Classic...

[bruinfans]

Let me just end this debate now.

It may be a west coast bias, but there really is no question-

the best pitcher in the country is currently with Oogi's in Huntington Beach.

[ManitouDan]

was going to give the original poster the benefit of the doubt about not being a troll but then had to read about the big win over the WV Diamond Dusters. MD

[Hawk17]

Inthecircle88 said: "Ok all of the teams from Virginia that go to Colorado never have any of there kids go to UCLA for softball. Why would parents want to spend a bunch of money when they know their kid does not have a great chance of getting into one of those schools? They end up playing close to home and actually have realistic goals."

1. To allow their kids to challenge themselves and play against the best competition they can find.
2. To allow their daughters to get seen by a variety of schools from East, Midwest,Southern, and Western schools because they don't know who may be interested in them.
3. Because softball is more than just about softball. It can be a way to see different parts of the country.
4. And, just because you said it, there are some kids from Virginia who have been recruited by big schools, i.e. Meghan Elliott(ASU), Dorian Shaw ( Mich) are just two examples. I am sure those schools wanted to see them play against more competition than the local 18 U team.

My daughter was recruited by her school ( an East Coast school) while she was at the Fireworks tourney. I guess they liked the way she played against good competition.

It pays to get out in the world.