Extra Inning Softball’s National Club Player & National Club Team of the Week – July 30, 2019

Our Extra Inning Softball National Club Player & National Club Team of the Week features outstanding performances from last week’s 18U and 16U PGF Nationals.

Next week will be our final club awards of the summer so be sure to send us THIS week’s top player and team info by Monday night!

*****

National Club Player of the Week:

* Sometimes when a pitcher is seen over several games in a top event like PGF Nationals, opposing teams are able to scout her and find chinks in the armor.

That sure wasn’t the case this week with Allison Royalty, the 2020 Arizona State commit, who was almost untouchable for the entire week at PGF 18U Premier Nationals last week as she led her Athletics – Mercado/Smith to the championship.

Royalty saved her best for last as she gave up just one hit in the title game, a 1-0 win over the defending 18U champion Georgia Impact – Lewis squad, while striking out 14.

Teaming with fellow standout Ryleigh White (2020, Tennessee), who throws upwards of 70 mph, Royalty and White were nearly untouchable.

Note: White was equally spectacular as she went 18 1/3rd innings with a 3-0 record and alternated games with Royalty. From New Jersey, White had 19 K’s and didn’t give up a run in any of the bracket games, finishing with a 0.00 ERA. The two pitchers alternated games and as White pitched the semi-final, Royalty got the final. Together the pair combined to pitch shutouts in six of the seven games.

In the bracket game against the Birmingham Thunderbolts, Royalty threw a five-inning shutout, giving up just two hits while striking out 10. In both of her final games, Royalty averaged two K’s per inning against two of the top programs in the country.

For her week at PGF (bracket play), Royalty was 4-0 and pitched 23 2/3^rd innings, giving up just four hits and one run while striking out 48.

Not surprisingly, she was chosen as the Extra Inning Softball PGF 18U Tournament MVP and both she and White will be All-Tourney picks when they come out soono.

Runner-Up National Players of the Week

* Pitcher Regan Krause (2020, Illinois) led the Beverly Bandits-Conroy to the 16U championship and was the PGF 16U Tournament MVP after her stellar week in the circle that saw her go undefeated at 7-0.

Heading into the championship game she had thrown four shutouts in a row, one of them being a no-hitter, and overall five of her wins were shutouts.

In the championship game, a 5-4 win, Krause gave up three earned runs but struck out 11 and, mostly importantly, when the game was on the line with bases loaded, two outs and the count full, she induced a game-ending groundout that gave the Bandits its fourth 16U PGF National title in 10 years.

* When we ask for nominations for National Player of the Week, we get recommendations of all age groups from all over the country and, to honor the future stars in the game, we’re going to recognize Kira Bailey, also of the Beverly Bandits organization who has played at the 10U level for three years now.

And being a 2027 grad, it’s an age we’ve never covered before but for her accomplishments on the field, Kira deserves the recognition!

She is a pitcher/shortstop/centerfielder for the Bandits 09 DeMarini team out of Columbus, Ohio and last week at the Ohio Stingray College Showcase and the USSSA 9U Nationals in Gulf Shores, Alabama, she went 6-0 with a 1.09 ERA and recorded 33 K’s in 25 2/3^rd innings while batting .630 with nine steals and 13 runs scored.

Kira has two older sisters who play—Kirnan (Beverly Bandits DeMarini 14U – Richards) and Mattie (So Cal A’s OH 06)—and plays for her father, Matt, in what is very much a dedicated softball family!

*****

National Club Team of the Week:

* Two obvious choices, the A’s – Mercado-Smith and Beverly Bandits-Conroy teams, as both won PGF Premier National Championships.

Both could easily make a case for being the Team of the Week as each came through the Winner’s Bracket undefeated and took the title without losing a single bracket game and each, as noted above, had dominating pitchers who overpowered the opposition.

Both organizations have a history of prior success, too, winning multiple PGF titles including the Bandits in 2017 being the first organization to ever take 18U and 16U Premier trophies in the same year.

The A’s team, however, has been built on the core of several players who’ve moved up each age division from 10U and, as we noted Saturday in the PGF 18U Nationals Championship article,  “The So Cal-based team has finished an amazing first or second at each (PGF Nationals) age division: 2^nd at 10U, 1^st at 12U and 14U, 2^nd at 16U and 1^st in 18U today.”

For that impressive accomplishment and winning at the highest level in the most prestigious event of the summer, we give the award to Dave Mercado’s team with the Bandits being a very close Runner-up!

*****

2019 Extra Inning Softball Club Players of the Week

• July 30: P Allison Royalty (Athletics – Mercado/Smith)
• July 23: SS Atalyia Rijo (Team NC – Easton)
• July 16: 3B/2B Stormy Kotzelnick (Beverly Bandits 18U – Tyrrell/Kelley)
• July 9: IF Lauren Nett (East Cobb Bullets CA 2020)
• July 2: IF Erika Andal (Jersey Intensity 18U – KOD)
• June 25: IF Haidyn Sokoloski (Texas Glory 14U – Naudin)
• June 18: P Maddie Penta (PA Chaos 18U – Spina)

2019 Extra Inning Softball Club Teams of the Week

• July 30: Athletics 18U – Mercado/Smith
• July 23: Texas Bombers HTX 14U – James Burgess
• July 16: Carolina Cardinals 16U – John Garner/Monte Sherrill
• July 9: Aces Fastpitch 18U – Ryan Taylor
• July 2: OC Batbusters 18U – Mike Stith
• June 25: Tennessee Mojo 14U – Josh Fisher
• June 18: PA Chaos 18U – Joe Spina

*****

How to Submit Information:

Each week during the summer, Extra Inning Softball will recognize a National Club Player & National Club Team of the Week.

Those honored will typically be announced on Tuesdays.

The cutoff for submitting the nominations for Player & Team of the Week will be Mondays at 10 pm EST/7 pm PST.

NOTE: the player submitted does NOT have to be on the team submitted.

*****

National Club Player of the Week Criteria

Individually, we’re looking for standouts who excelled in the circle, at the plate or in the field so be sure to nominate your favorite performance(s) by submitting the following:

• Player Name
• Grad Year (example: Class of 2019 or Senior)
• Position(s)
• Club team name with city/state
• Stats for the week (be as detailed as possible!)
• Up-to-date season stats if possible
• Recruiting information if applicable
• Any interesting background on the player
• Action and/or head shots
• If possible, contact info if we’d like more info or quotes

National Club Team of the Week Criteria

Teams of all divisions–18U down to 10U–to be considered should include the following:

• Team name
• Age division
• Head coach
• Week’s record
• Where played (event/tournament)
• Key wins (championship win, for example)
• Standout player performances as applicable
• Team or key player photo (if available)

Email your info and photos (1-4 as available) by the cutoff of Mondays at 10 pm EST/ 7 pm PST to: [email protected].