After six successful seasons with All American Sports Academy (AASA) based out of Tracy, Calif., the former AASA – Pikas team will be sporting new colors in the summer.
With the support of Mojo organization leader Brooks Cherry and 18U Coach Michael Danley, Coach Charlie Pikas felt it was a great time to expand the Mojo family to the West Coast.
AASA Pikas has been a team ranked by Extra Inning Softball over the past few years and has been a winning presence on the national travel ball stage including winning a PGF National title at 16U, finishing 5th at PGF Nationals last summer and in the Top 20 at the Colorado Fireworks Power Pool.
After serving as President of All American Sports Academy teams for four years, Coach Pikas stepped down after the 2022 summer season. During his time as leader of the organization, he helped create the AASA Scholarship program awarding graduating seniors from the organization with scholarship funds, brought in a Wilson/DeMarini partnership and helped grow the program to 19 teams at one point.
Once out of the leadership role, Pikas began to consider potential moves with other organizations. The connection built from when his daughter, Abi (who signed on Wednesday with Tennessee Chattanooga), played for Danley’s 10U and 12U National title teams drew him to looking at the Mojo program.
With no other Mojo teams on the West Coast, he felt it was a great opportunity to be a part of a strong organization and help lead the growth out West.
Welcome to Chattanooga, @abipikas #GoMocs pic.twitter.com/jdwlqBUvUw
— Chattanooga Softball (@GoMocsSB) November 9, 2022
Pictured above: Abi Pikas, who will play on the new Mojo – Pikas team out of California, signed on Wednesday with Tennessee-Chattanooga
“When we decided it was the right time to look at a new organization for our team,” Coach Pikas explains, “and possibly others in California that may want to follow our lead and reach out to me about it, I felt bringing that powerful brand here was a no brainer.”
“Mojo brings with it a national reputation for putting quality teams on the field,” he continues. “From Brooks’ 2021 group to the Danley and the Fisher teams and now with the Danley/Fisher combined squad, when you hear ‘Mojo,’ you recognize you’re going to be facing a quality opponent.”
Next summer will be the second that Pikas’ team will be at 18’s and includes nine committed players with “a few more who are going to be committing soon,” he adds.
“We have a strong core of 2023’s as well as a good group of 24’s that we will build around after next summer.”
Some of the recent standout players Pikas has worked who are now freshmen in college include 2022 grads Sydney Groves (infielder at Boise St), Katelyn Bridgeman (catcher/infielder with Utah Valley) and Brooklyn Heffernan (pitcher/outfielder attending San Francisco State).
The relationship between the Danley and Pikas families goes back six years ago to when the daughters of the two coaches first took the field together.
“I met Charlie in 2016 when we went to play in PGF,” Coach Danley recalls. “Abi picked up with us to add some depth to the team. We won and the friendship was started. Charlie and I kept in contact over the years and have become good friends. Abi once again picked up with us in 2018 at PGF and once again we won so she now had become our good luck charm!”
“Over the years as Charlie learned how we do things, it became a natural fit with who Charlie Pikas is and how we do things in the Mojo organization. We are lucky to add his knowledge and character to this organization and can’t wait to see California in the blue and orange!”
Coach Brooks is equally optimistic and looks forward to seeing the “Mojo” name being worn on players from the Golden State.
“We are so happy to add Coach Charlie Pikas and his staff to Mojo,” the org head says. “Charlie is a great coach and even better leader and builder of young women. He brings a wealth of knowledge, passion and winning to the Mojo brand and it’s a no brainer to be able to add such a coach and team.”
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
