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As we near the top of the 14U Club Rankings, one team you can look to see coming up is the Tampa Mustangs – Seymour team, which began six years when the late Ray Seymour found a way to be with his daughter and granddaughter at the same time—through softball!
Today, Jon Pierce’s group of athletes continues to grow and impress… here’s a closer look at this Sunshine State team and how it has become one of the best travel ball squads in the country…
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Ray Seymour started the Mustang team that bears his name in 2015 with a 10U team that included his daughter Sherrie Steeper as a coach and his granddaughter, Lilly Steeper, as a player
It was a two-for-one special: Ray had the opportunity to help his daughter coach a team while watching his granddaughter play the game he loved and developed.
The team took his name, after his passing, during the 12U season.
“We wanted to honor the founder, coach, husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to many young ladies across the organization and the state of Florida,” explains current Mustangs’ coach Jon Pierce.
Today, the Tampa Mustangs organization has 13 teams competing at various age levels and, in a program that has tasted success across the country—including the winning of National Championships—the Seymour team became even more nationally relevant last season going 38-6 in the Fall.
“We realized we could win on the big stage but needed to be more consistent,” adds Coach Pierce. “We added some new players to the team to help with our overall goal of consistency.”
Because of the additions and the strong core of returners, the young team from Florida has been offered berths for many of the top events of the summer including USA Nationals, USA JO Cup, WFC Nationals, and the PGF Premier Nationals.
Taking the squad from very good to great, the coaching staff believes, was the addition several new players from top organizations including some within the organization: a trio of Tampa Mustangs – Green players in Caiden Oliva, Reese Green, and Presley Harrison.
“This gives us great depth up the middle, a dominant pitcher in the circle, and a 5-tool athlete,” Pierce continues. “We also added two players from the Bombers organization in Bella Ruggiero and Sarah Breaux who both hit for power and average while playing behind the plate and anchoring the corners.”
The final piece, the coach believes, was the pickup of Hailey Vassalotti who came over from the TNT 16U National Team.
“She is another 5-tool player who catches and can play anywhere on the diamond,” Pierce says.
It’s not just about the game between the lines, however, that is important to the leads of the Mustangs organization; the coaches stress the importance of having a diverse diametric— from the culture from which they live to where they live inside and outside of Florida.
“This is a more realistic view of the next step for the girls in college and in life,” the coach explains. “We want young women to grow and contribute to their community … to become the next leaders in society. I think Ray would be proud of these young ladies and excited to see how they mold the future. He would also be very proud of the 13 teams, coaches, and families that carry on the Mustang name.”
“The goals for our team moving into the summer will be play the best competition, work on the fundamentals of the game, work on SAT/ACT, becoming a better teammate in a very competitive environment. We will be able to work more with the girls individually with the additional coaches. This allows us to spend more time molding individual skill sets towards their ultimate goals.
The Impressive History–& Successes–of the Tampa Mustangs
The first Tampa Mustangs team was formed in the summer of 1981 when “we became aware that counties across Florida formed and supported travel teams out of their respective recreational leagues to play competitive ball after their recreational season ended,” Pierce explains.
“Our county Leaguerette and Little League programs did not support such a program so our first team was slow-pitch formed with players from the North Tampa Leaguerettes. The Tampa Mustangs were the first travel ball team on the West Coast of Florida. The interest was there, and our ‘team’ grew to the organization we are today with representation from all over Florida.”
Over the past 35 seasons, Mustangs teams have represented Florida in numerous National Championship Tournaments and has won at least one national title in each age group from 10U to 18U allowing the program to gain recognition on a national level.
The following championships were accomplished since 1995 when the Mustangs converted to fastpitch; these championships include all softball organizations (ASA, PGF, USSSA, ISF, AAU, NSA, Pony, ISA).
- 26 National Championships
- 11 National Runner Up Titles
- 19 State Championship Titles
- 2015 PGF 16U National Championship
- 2014 ASA/USA 18U National Championship
- 2009 ASA/USA 18U National Championship
- 2015 ASA/USA 18U National Runner Up
- 2014 ASA/USA 16U National Runner Up
- 2013 ASA/USA 14U National Runner Up
- 1999 ASA/USA 14U National Runner Up
- 2001 International 16U ISF Junior World Cup Championship
- 2008 ASA/USA 18U Hall of Fame Championship
- 6 ASA/USA Southern National Championships
- 3 “Amateur Team of the Year” Awarded by Tampa Sports Club
*** Scroll down to learn more about the Mustangs – Seymour team including player-by-player scouting reports…