Our Extra Inning Softball National Club Player & National Club Team of the Week series kicks off for the 2021 summer season with today’s edition.
The Club Player/Team of the Week features great individual and team accomplishments from the past weekend along with those who were Runners-Up with similarly strong performances.
This week’s honorees are from games and tournaments in the week of Monday, June 7 through Sunday June 13, 2021.
Scroll to the bottom for details to submit info for future candidates.
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National Club Player of the Week:
Jayden Heavener (Birmingham Thunderbolts – Burns)
The Bolts 14U team isn’t exactly sneaking up on anyone—ranked #2 in the 14U Club Rankings just released on Extra Inning Softball this month and a powerhouse that won Scenic City in 2020 and other events over the past few years.
One of the reasons why is the outstanding pitching which includes lefty Jayden Heavener, ranked #11 in her 2024 class because of her ability to throw in the mid-60’s with movement as well as do some damage at the plate with her power.
At the PGF Show Me the Money last weekend in Florida, Jayden went 5-0 including a no-hitter against Aces DeMarini, a top 15-ranked team, and in 41 innings pitched only gave up six hits and limited opponents to a .104 batting average while she herself hit .333 and had a .429 on-base percentage.
Most importantly, though, she led the Bolts to the title game where she pitched seven innings against another Top 5 team, Beverly Bandits-Chow, and struck out 7 while giving up just two hits for the championship win.
“This is the first tournament we have played together as a team since last Fall,” Jayden said, “but we still all felt like we came prepared. We knew there would be a lot of good competition. I felt confident on the mound, but I was facing some great hitters. I had to make a few minor adjustments with my pitches to keep them swinging.”
Runners-Up / National Player of the Week
* Kayla Ramirez, a 2024 outfielder/utility player for Bill Leach’s Firecrackers NCSD 16U team, went 9-for-11 (.818) with three doubles, three runs scored and three RBIs last week in action on the West Coast
Teammate Liliana Gonzales, a 2026 outfielder/second baseman ranked #85 in her class, also had a big week going 7-for-10 with three RBIs, four doubles, seven runs scored and a perfect 3-for-3 in steals.
* Eric Jaramillo’s Tulsa Elite Arkansas 22/23 16U team had a nice run last week finished 3rd at the Elite Invitational with a quartet of players putting up big numbers:
- 2022 C Regan Dillon, a Southern Arkansas commit, batted .409 with three home runs and 11 RBIs
- 2023 OF Allie Furr, who batted .736 her first weekend with the team at the HFL Memorial Day tournament and followed that up batting .500 at the Tulsa Elite Invite with 10 runs scored and seven stolen bases
- 2022 P/IF Mackenzie Childers, a North Texas commit, pitched 33.2 innings and had 58 strikeouts on the weekend
*** Scroll down to read about the team standouts who impressed last week!
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How to Submit Information:
Each week during the summer, Extra Inning Softball will recognize a National Club Player & 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 9 pm EST/6 pm PST.
Next week’s candidates will include play from Monday, June 14, 2021 through Sunday, June 20, 2021.
* 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 2021 or Incoming 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
* Teams to be considered should include info such as record, key wins, standout performances and more for the week.
Email your info and photos (1-4 as available) by the cutoff of Mondays at 9 pm EST/6 pm PST to: info@extrainningsoftball.com.
