RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
This is our final edition of the National Club Player & Club Team of the Week series for the 2021 summer travel ball season which honors great individual and team accomplishments.
Today we honor those from events, particularly Nationals, in the weeks of Monday, July 26 through Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, and especially highlight those who haven’t received the coverage that many others have through the course of the Summer.
Congratulations to all who were featured since we begin two months ago…
*****
National Club Team of the Week:
Virginia Unity 14U – Johnson/Ross
Putting aside the controversy of the “newly merged” team which saw the organization combine two talented 14U squads prior to the start of PGF Premier Nationals, what the team accomplished after falling in the first game of bracket play and then advancing with no margin of error through the loser’s bracket was impressive.
Especially because it wasn’t just the outside competition the team was dealing with; it was also the internal struggles of getting the team on the same page after that first game loss, 5-4, to the Ohio Hawks – Joseforsky.
“We arrived as a whole on the first day of the tournament and quickly learned that just showing up with quality players means nothing,” said Co-Head Coach Jay Ross, who had merged his TN Mojo team in with Josh Johnson’s Virginia Unity team.
“The players found themselves in unfamiliar territory by losing their very first game in bracket play and there was zero chemistry, too much insecurity, too much ‘me over we,’ too much animosity and too much drama among players and, more so, the parents.”
Immediately after the loss to the Hawks on the opening day of bracket player (Wednesday, Aug. 4), a team meeting was held and Coach Ross continues: “Let’s just say there was some strong love discussed about all the above. The responsibility of cohesiveness, putting aside ego and playing the game one pitch at a time was squarely placed on these kids’ shoulders.”
“The mission for making it to Championship Sunday was charted out day by day and when they showed up on Thursday, these kids went to work.”
Virginia Unity made its way to the final by winning the next 10 games and by “doing all the little things right and having the Softball Gods shine some love on them at times,” Ross adds.
During the 10-game grind, the Unity team weathered two ITB games, one-run games (three of the final four contests prior to the title game) and fought from behind to win games including the amazing IF game 4-3 win in ITB on Saturday over Georgia Impact – Sampson where, trailing 4-2 with two outs and a runner on first, a triple by Destiny Harris and an errant throw allowed the Unity to advance to Championship.
Think the team wasn’t excited?
Here’s video of the reaction after Harris crossed home plate:
“They grew as individuals and learned the value of what team means,” Ross explained of the journey it took to get to the nationally streamed and televised game on Sunday in Deanna Manning Stadium in Bill Barber Park.
On Championship Sunday, everything came together for the Unity which had gone from conflicting individuals to a cohesive team in the course of four days.
The pitchers— Lilly Parrish, Addisyn Linton and Kayden Camper—set the tone and never allowed the opposing team, Grapettes – McNair— to gain momentum. The offense jumped out in the first with Ramsey Walker and Destiny Harris jumpstarted the group to get the Unity on the scoreboard and the team never looked back as it would go on to win 7-0 and take home the PGF 14U Premier Nationals trophy.
It was a long journey that occurred in a short amount of time and Ross stressed that “This championship win isn’t just the name of the team entered, it also belongs to the Mojo organization and (head man) Brooks Cherry as eight of these 20 kids played under the Mojo banner all season before the combined group came together and are still proud Mojo alumni.”
The coach emphasizes that whatever colors they were wearing a month of two ago, the changes internally and the execution on the field are what made this team special.
He concluded: “The great Sue Enquist (legendary UCLA head coach) spoke at the coaches’ meeting a few years back and said there are three keys to a team winning this great tournament: get the bunt down, timely hits and play clean defense. These kids did it all and we were fortunate that every kid on this squad—all 20 of them—played and contributed in this championship game and on this championship team.”
*** Scroll down to read about more top teams and players who are honored for their outstanding club play to finish the 2021 Summer season…