The Tennessee Thunderbolts Premier 2027 – West, just recently earned the Premier name, given by the Thunderbolts owner, Richard Shea.
This team is one of 11 Thunderbolts franchise ones that operate independently with support from longtime Bolts head coach Jay Roberson in areas such as recruiting and scheduling
“We currently have over 60 franchise teams in 15 states,” Shea says. “We are very selective on who we bring on board and we’re not interested in bringing on more teams than we can assist.”
Most of the “franchise teams” play local schedules due to the costs and expenses to go nationwide and usually don’t travel extensively like the national teams do.
However, Head Coach David West’s 2027 team has increasingly impressed since it started roughly two years ago after transferring from another organization and kept a core group of players together.
For the Spring/Summer seasons this year, the young Bolts squad compiled a 42-13 record at the 14U level, including a 3rd place finish in the Colorado Junior Sparkler tournament.
There, the young team led by missed making the championship game by just one run, losing to a talented Batbusters team, and they were also one of just a few 14U programs at the event that was followed and featured by Triple Crown Sports in its media coverage of the tournament.
On the field, the Bolts had six home runs in one game against a nationally ranked team from Texas while playing in Colorado. They have placed in the Top 5 of nearly all select tournaments played, including PGF Super Select and Triple Crown events.
The Nashville-based team is expected to be one to watch in the Summer of 2024.
Head Coach David West explains:
“The primary focus of the Tennessee Thunderbolts Premier 2027 team is to prepare these young athletes for softball at the college level, both mentally and physically, as well as teach them life lessons both on and off the field.”
“Perhaps the greatest strength this team has is the bond that the core group of players have,” West continues, “allowing them to rally behind each other and ‘play for each other’ so to speak. This creates a positive team culture where the athletes are focused on each other as a whole, not simply an individual or personal stats or goals.”
Coach West says he’s proud to wear the purple and gold colors and organization’s Bolts logo on his girls’ jerseys.
“What makes the Thunderbolts organization unique, specifically for the ‘Premier’ named teams is the exclusivity this provides at showcase events and the attention it draws from college coaches.”
“When you see the words ‘Thunderbolts’ and ‘Premier’ together,” he adds, “you know you are about to see a great team with loads of talent.”
One recently big change the Tennessee Thunderbolts team has made is the addition of a new assistant coach, Lori Lindsey. She is an experienced softball coach at the collegiate level and formerly a head coach for an NJCAA school for seven years.
Lindsey has also had a successful softball career herself—she was honored as an All-Tennessee Junior College Athletic Association 1st team selection and was named to the TJCAA All-Western Division Team while serving as team captain her sophomore year.
She was also a team captain as a senior, a two-time All-TranSouth Conference performer and earned All-NAIA Region XI 1st team recognition as well as NFCA 2nd team All-Region honors.
“Lindsey will be a great addition as an assistant coach for us,” West adds. “She is a great role model for our athletes, and we believe this team keeps doing all the right things, getting stronger and stronger both with talent and coaching each season.”
Looking ahead, the young squad looks to attend several college camps as a team both in the Fall of ’23 and Summer of 2024.
“We plan to do all we can to make sure our athletes are placed in the best possible situations to have their dreams of being a college softball athlete come true if that is what they choose to do,” the head coach concludes.”
“This team is all about our athletes, and that plays a major role in why it has been so successful.”
TN Bolts 27 Team Basics:
- Team Name: Tennessee Thunderbolts Premier 2027 – West
- Head Coach: David West
- Assistant Coach: Lori Lindsey
- Club Affiliation: Thunderbolts
- Location of team: based out of Nashville, Tennessee area
- Website: TennesseeThunderbolts.com
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
