Event Recap: Batbusters/Firecrackers Organizational Workout… Tony Rico, Mike Stith Shake Up Showcase Format

Many softball players and college coaches expect to see the same thing at workouts and showcases, Firecrackers coach Tony Rico and OC Batbusters coach Mike Stith wanted to think outside the box.

The Batbusters and Firecrackers (BBFC) Organizational Workout was a way to give the control to the teams and the players and to give college coaches a new look at the game.

Rico and Stith brought teams from their respective organizations to showcase their gameplan at the BBFC Organizational Workout on Saturday at Rosetta Canyon Sports Park in Lake Elsinore, California.

“We are trying to stay ahead of the current trends,” Rico said. “The trend is a lot of players on the field at one time with a lot going on. We want to give the power back to the teams. We give each team a 12-minute window. It is similar to what you see in baseball. This way each team can specialize more. Plus, it is a little more diversity for college coaches that see a lot of the same thing.”

Interview with Tony Rico of the Firecrackers as I asked the goal of this new idea at the Batbusters and Firecrackers Organizational Workout.#BBFCOrganizationalWorkout @ExtraInningSB @firecrackerrico @ocbatbusters @Firecrackersinc @Los_Stuff pic.twitter.com/ZqnSAtjXcF

— Manny Alvarez (@MAlvarez02) November 2, 2019

This new approach to training wasn’t an idea that both coaches came up with alone. It was a group conscious from coaches within the Firecrackers and Batbusters organizations and the idea seems to be working.

“The system of the classic camp where there are multiple hitting stations and fielding, sometimes it doesn’t do players justice,” Stith said. “The teams’ response after last year’s camp was to get more game time in.”

Interview with Mike Stith as he talks about the approach to this new idea at the Batbusters and Firecrackers Organizational Workout.

#BBFCOrganizationalWorkout @ExtraInningSB @firecrackerrico @ocbatbusters @Firecrackersinc @Los_Stuff pic.twitter.com/KMXb9n1h4u

— Manny Alvarez (@MAlvarez02) November 2, 2019

Fittingly, both Rico and Stith faced off with their premier 18U squads in the morning.

*** To read about the results of the event and see interviews with key players, scroll below…

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