It was a perfect weekend for softball in the Birmingham, Alabama area over the Nov 21-22, 2020 weekend at the Birmingham Bolts 5-Star Exposure showcase and I was excited to be there in person, enjoying not just great softball but also the beautiful environment provided by the fall in the South.
The weather was in the mid-70’s, the drives between complexes were gorgeous and the softball first-rate as teams came from all other the nation—from California to Rhode Island, Michigan to Florida—to compete against other top teams in the 18U, 16U and 14U age divisions.
And there was a lot of them.
More than one person commented that the caliber of teams was comparable to a PGF Nationals late in the week of bracket play.
There’s no denying that the South has become a hotbed for top talent, individually and team-wise, and that was apparent as Tournament Director Jay Roberson of the Birmingham pulled in championship-winning programs nationwide such as Athletics – Mercado from California, the Mojo from Tennessee, the Beverly Bandits from Illinois, the Georgia Impact from the Peach State, Rhode Island Thunder from the Northeast, the host Birmingham Thunderbolts from the beautiful state of Alabama and many more.
What was fun is that many of the top teams got to play each other and, though it was a showcase consisting of 80-minute games, the atmosphere was relaxed yet focused with the goal being to get players experience and reps.
There was still a nicely competitive feel because, after all, there were rivalries in play and bragging rights at stake!
Below are some of my thoughts from a personal perspective as I find the best way to soak in a showcase is to walk around talking to coaches, players and parents renewing existing friendships and making new ones.
Sorry I didn’t get to see everyone and every team I wanted to—hopefully, that will be the next time!
Here are just some random thoughts as I spent time Saturday at the 18 and 16U complexes and Sunday at 14.
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
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After leaving my home in Boise on Friday at 6 am with a brisk 30-degree frost covering the neighborhood cars, it was nice to spend the weekend in shorts and a short-sleeve shirt once I got to my hotel that evening.
Getting there was an adventure: I found out my flight on Delta was the first-ever by the company from Boise to Atlanta and there were balloons, speeches, cookies and free hats. There was also an hour delay with mechanical problems with made me miss my connector in Atlanta so the weekend got off to a delayed start, but… it was worth it once Saturday rolled around!
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020 – 18U @ Alabaster Veterans Park
The morning and early afternoon was spent checking out the 18U teams and the 8 am round kicked off with a bang as I watched the A’s-Mercado/Smith team battle the Mojo 2021 – Cherry team.
The standout in the game I saw was pitcher Emily Leavitt, the outstanding pitcher signed with Minnesota. She was sharp and throwing strikes for the A’s and along with Oregon- bound pitcher Stevie Hansen, give Dave Mercado’s So Cal team great pitching heading into 2021.
Leavitt was ranked in the Top 25 of the 2021 Extra Elite 100 and showed why, as she was throwing in the 60’s and hitting her spots with a good changeup.
Here’s an interview I did with her after her morning game:
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Next, I walked around the complex to see the 9:30 am games including the Lady Dukes vs. Top Gun Academy.
Allison Benning, the tall pitcher who also wrote a nice Inside Pitch recently for Extra Inning Softball about the increase in softball success in the Midwest, showed why she’s a Top 15 player in the 2021 class as she was throwing hard, in the upper 60’s and led her team to a win as she compiled 7K’s in four innings of work.
The Lady Dukes pitcher, Olivia Duncan, was hampered by a stiff lower back but still was impressive, although looking uncomfortable. Olivia is a Top 10 player in the 2023 class and watching her in-person she looks the part.
The Dukes offense was sparked by one of the best players I saw all weekend, Aminah Vega, the 2022 shortstop who hits leadoff but also has smashed nine home runs in the two weekend tournaments prior to this weekend.
Aminah wasn’t in the top 100 of the last ’22 rankings but she will be when the next round is released; she is excellent in the field and at the plate. She committed to Central Florida in the 8th grade and also plays for the Puerto Rican 19U team, but don’t be surprised if she competes for the PR National team before too long.
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Next I moved over to check out a pair of Georgia teams, the Atlanta Premier and East Cobb Bullets. What’s great about a showcase like this is you can talk to the coaches who sometimes are not in the dugout but wandering outside.
I caught up with Steven Locke of AP and Bruno and Carrie Scarborough of the Bullets, who have a friendly rivalry, emphasis on the friendly.
They laughed that they came to Birmingham, about a three hour drive from Atlanta, to play each other while they get to see each other all the time back home.
“We could have played a Friendly Friday night,” Steven joked, “we are so close to each other at home.”
This will be the last year that the Scarboroughs coach as they’ll get to go on the road in the future to watch former players compete at the college level. Almost all of their players are committed and after having brought them up together, they’re ready to move on when this team does.
Well done, Bruno and Carrie, great career but go out with a bang in 2021!
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Great games in the 11 am hour, including one of the top rivalries in the South, the Mojo – Cherry team versus the Thunderbolts – Rocky team along with a game I focused on, Georgia Impact Premier versus the Beverly Bandits.
The Bandits are always well coached and disciplined as are Patrick Lewis’s team, the Impact which has one of the best hitting coaches in the country in the dugout with Lincoln Martin.
The hitting didn’t disappoint as Dallis Goodnight, ranked in the Top 5 of the 2022 Extra Elite 100 and an Alabama commit, looked strong and it was interesting to see two new players with the Impact, Mia Williams, the 2023 shortstop headed to Florida, and Mackenzie Nicholson, the 2022 utility player who can play infield but was in right field in the game I saw.
Makenzie committed to Mizzou on Signing Day two weeks ago (Wed. Nov. 11, 2020) and had other schools interested in her like ACC and SEC programs, but she will get to play at Missouri with her older sister, Taylor, who is a 2020 Missouri signee.
Interviewed her after her game and she is likable, well-spoken athletes and you can tell she’s experienced at talking about the game—after all, both her parents, Angie and Richard, are college coaches themselves (Hampton University and watch out for the youngest sister, Payton, who will be a talent too as she gets older. She also plays for the Impact.
Mia and Mackenzie are two youngsters injected youth into the Impact which will be good, as Lincoln Martin put it, “for years to come as we have a lot of young talent coming up through the program.”
Good talent that is well coached, for sure.
But the player who stood out in the game I saw was pitcher Taylor Tinsley, who the coaches told me has been great all summer and fall. She was ranked #4 in the 2022 Extra Elite 100. She has good spins, hit her spots and is the latest in a line of excellent pitching for the Impact that has included Alex Salter (Alabama) and Kelley Lynch (great freshman year at Washington).
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Speaking of the Impact, there’s the Georgia Impact (see above) and the Florida Impact based in, naturally enough, Florida (!), and then there’s the Florida Impact 18U – Page team that is actually based in Alabama, not too far from where we were playing.
Coach Page was very friendly and very grateful that he had two current college standouts to help him coach the team in Miranda Elish, the pitcher at Texas, and O’Neil Roberson, the infielder at Samford who is the daughter of Event Director Jay Roberson.
Miranda finished a test on Friday and drove 12 straight hours to get to the game to help coach the team.
“I love coaching,” she told me. “I love to learn the game and want to help the young players grow in the love for the game too.”
The Impact went 3-1 on the day and had the long ball working: Sophie Page (Alabama-Birmingham), Megan Hagge (Dartmouth), Madelyn Sheffield (Univ. of Mobile) and Dawn Autry (uncommitted) had home runs on the day.
Another player who was impressive: 2024 Macie Harter, a catcher/outfielder
After early afternoon games, I got in my nice rental car with a sunroof and enjoyed the beautiful 25-minute drive to Calera, Alabama winding through woods on two-lane roads to go see the 16U teams play…
*** Scroll down to read more about the talent, teams and top performances at Bolts 5-Star!
