RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
It’s not too often that you see one of the top West Coast players travel all the way to the other side of the nation to play club ball, but that situation is just right for talented 2025 outfielder Kai Minor, considered one of the best in the grass in her class.
Kai, a two-way player who also is a successful pitcher, was in the Top 50 of the initial 2025 Extra Elite 100 published last year and has a good shot to move higher after her making the switch to the Lady Dukes 14U team based in the Carolinas.
Her father, Marshall, explains how the coast-to-coast switch came about:
“With the COVID restrictions in Cali,” he begins, “there have only been a handful of meaningful tournaments on the West Coast—a few tournaments here and there in Arizona and Utah (Las Vegas and Cali have been shut down). We were playing the same teams and competition in friendlies for months and for Kai to grow as a player, she would need to travel East.”
The athlete’s father says family ties to the East Coast helped them in their decision.
“Teams in the Southeast and Texas were still going strong during the pandemic, so we figured we would pursue opportunities with the best organization in the East and we picked Lady Dukes,” he continues.
“My wife and I are originally from the East Coast and we have lots of family in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia so traveling on planes was never an issue for us. And it gives us the opportunity to see family and for family to see Kai play. We feel that Kai is exposed to different competition, pitching, and coaching and we have actually met a couple of other SoCal girls that are doing the same thing as well. The competition level on the East Coast is something that we need to see to become a more complete player.”
The opportunity to grab one of the West’s best was readily embraced by the Dukes organization.
“We fell in love with the speed and athletic ability of Kai instantly,” says James Lamar, the program’s head man. “She is a game changer for our 14U team and the cherry on top is that she is a pitcher with great movement and throws in the low 60’s. I can’t think of anything not to like about Kai, she is fast and a student of the game who loves to be challenged. She is a leader on the field, she asserted herself in the front of every conditioning drill in practice from day one. I can’t wait to see how well she plays this upcoming season on both the 14U and 16U teams.”
It doesn’t hurt that the 5-foot-8 lefty has a great work ethic and trains every day with some of the top softball coaches in California: hitting with Ken Briggs; outfield with Ken’s wife Roseanne (their daughter, Ciara Briggs, is currently leading LSU in hitting); slapping with legendary Batbusters coach Doug Meyers, speed training with Emmanuel Moody, a former NFL player, infield clinics with club coach Tony Medina and pitching lessons with Alexandria Beltran, who played on the Puerto Rican national team.
Additionally, says Marshall Minor: “When we lived in Las Vegas, her pitching coach was Lori Harrigan, a three-time Olympian.”
So far, so good with the East Coast club, agrees father and daughter.
“The Lady Dukes has been amazing and they have West Coast ties,” continues Kai’s father. “Many of Kai’s instructors coached with or know Robert and Marissa Young (the Duke head coach) so the transition to this team has been seamless.”
Kai, though new to the Dukes, agrees.
“I’m loving it so far,” she says. “I just did a one-on-one with our coach and we discussed my interests and goals. I really feel like they are trying to get to know me and keep me involved with the team, despite my distance. They are encouraging the girls to bond off the field as well so that when we do come together we play as a team. They are also exposing me to new experiences and competition that I’m not able to see being on the West Coast at my age.”
For more from Kai, including how she wants to be remembered when her playing days are done and why she’s so in love with Chipotle, continue reading below!