One of the new adds to our Signing/Verbal database is 2019 pitcher Kayla Howald who plays at Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton, Florida) High and who also had an impressive summer for the Tampa Mustangs-TJ team, before she committed to Campbell University.
We’ll let TJ Goelz, who coached Kayla for both teams this year, pick up the story from here…
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“This is a pretty cool story and a good read for kids showing that verbals can happen for kids the summer before their senior year too!”
“Kayla played high school for me on our heavily-stacked Lakewood Ranch High team. She was an uncommitted junior and had two sophomore pitchers in front of her who played on the Tampa Mustangs-TJ team and who played st the highest travel level, had pitched in the final four at PGF Nationals and were D1 verbally committed: Payton Kinney (UConn) and Brooklyn Lucero (North Carolina State).”
“After tryouts for high school, I told Kayla that she could pitch every game probably for JV or I would take her on Varsity, but with no promises and would try to get her mop up innings here and there.”
“She said she would do anything she needed to do to be on the Varsity team because she wanted to be part of our practices and around all the high-level players. She was an incredible teammate, did all we asked and never pouted or questioned her playing time.”
“We started giving her innings here and there and by the end of the season she was our closer and had over a 1-to-1 strikeout-to-innings pitched ratio. She also helped us get to the state Final Four.”
“One of the pitchers from my travel team, Claire Davidson, went down with a back injury and wasn’t able to play this summer, so based on Kayla’s great attitude and approach to getting opportunities and her skill and development, we invited her to play with us at Boulder IDT, the World Fastpitch Championship and PGF Nationals.”
“The very first game she pitched for us at IDT against the So Cal A’s, she threw three shutout innings with four strikeouts and immediately my phone is blowing up: ‘TJ! Who’s this 2019 uncommitted pitcher you have?’”
“By the next time she pitched the next day, there were six or seven schools there to watch her and she did very well, so well that she drew the interest of Sharonda McDonald, the new head coach at Campbell University.”
“That then turned in to a visit, an offer and an announcement that this was her dream school and she committed!”
“The opportunity knocked for Kayla and by going about it the right way in high school and Travel, she answered the door big-time!”
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You can also click on the link here to see all the current high school and club players who comprise the latest Extra Inning Softball Signing/Verbal list which covers the Classes of 2018 to 2024.