The 2018 Louisville Slugger Hit wrapped up on Monday after kicking off Saturday and included everything hearing from Sue Enquist and developing team bonding at a ropes course to doing fun activities like going to Disneyland and watching the Los Angeles Angels play the Seattle Mariners.
This year’s crop of talented hitters also worked out in the batting cages under the eye of Amanda Freed and Crystl Bustos, both former Olympic Gold Medalists, who gave them tips and pointers before finishing the three-day event by being honored at the PGF Opening Ceremony for the PGF Nationals for the 16U and 14U divisions.
Below, you’ll learn what the players thought of their peers and who the MVP of the event was…
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HIT CLUB PLAYER EVALUATIONS:
On the last day of the Hit Club, the players got in a workout in the PGF batting cages and were evaluated by Freed and Bustos who had the following comments on each player:
Brittany Allen (infielder, Florida):
“Very quiet approach. Good power of out of little movement. Quiet head and quick hands.”
Rachel Cid (infielder, Oregon):
“Nice strong, high hands. Good quick hands to up-and-down pitches.”
Charla Echols (third baseman, Michigan State):
“Strong legs. Great Acceleration to and through. Tries to hit ball hard every time. Plus fast hands.”
Kelli Godin (outfielder/third baseman, UCLA):
“Smooth power swing for slapper. Smooth transfer of weight. Excellent athleticism.”
Baylee Klingler (third baseman, Texas A&M):
“Good base. Great strength. Focused and consistent. Explosive swing.”
Kassidy Krupit (infielder/pitcher, Baylor):
“Strong leads. Quiet head. Good base with quick acceleration with hands.”
Jazmyn Rollin (infielder, Missouri):
“Great power and acceleration. Very quick hands. Could toy with a slight top hand release for extension.”
Skyler Shellmyer (shortstop, Northwestern):
“Good consistently with swing. Goes up the middle really well. Very versatile.”
Ally Shipman (catcher, Tennessee):
“Great strength and quickness to ball. Long levers, could try to stand up a little more into a relaxed state.”
Anna Vines (infielder/outfielder, UCLA):
“Good bat lag. Excellent hand-eye coordination. Controls body movement well.”
Skylar Wallace (shortstop, Alabama):
“Good leverage and power. Smooth swing when head is quiet. Good command and control of athletic process.”
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Based on feedback from coaches and players, here is this year’s 2018 Louisville Slugger Hit Club MVP (in 2017 it was Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma); 2016: Sis Bates (Washington); 2015: Alex Sobczak (Michigan):
2018 MVP: Baylee Klingler
2018 Best Teammate: Charla Echols