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When we profiled the Elite 50 14U Teams in April, one of the Top 10 teams was Corey Mathis’s Mizuno Storm squad.
As we noted in the team profile, “Since Head Coach Corey Mathis joined the Mizuno Storm four years ago and took over as the organization’s President last year overseeing all teams, the Phoenix-based program has become one of the best in the West and stood its ground against many of the premier programs that have dominated California for years.”
Last week at the Triple Crown Sports’ produced Sparkler Juniors Power Pool, the Arizona team went 9-1-1 overall.
To start off pool play, the pitching was superb with three straight shutouts recorded including a 0-0 tie with Suncats-Jimenez, a 12-0 win over Monarchs Gold and a 3-0 blanking of Texas Blaze-Bonola.
Overall, the offense scored 15 runs in the three games and the pitching gave up none. Mathis says a key pick-up before the tournament made a team strength even stronger.
“As we prepared for our run at Colorado,” he began, “we added the 4A State champion freshman pitcher from Tucson, Arizona, Alyssa Aguilar, who is a 2021 with great spin and movement.”
“Her joining us really complimented our already talented pitching staff of McKenna (Bub) Feringa (2021), Maddy Youngblood (2021) and Riley Lauffer (2022). These girls can compete and beat anyone at any given time. You add our athletic defense and our potent offense to the pitching and you create a championship-caliber team.”
The first-game tie–though not a loss–nevertheless, put the pressure on the Storm.
“Our first game out we tied Suncats Jimenez 0-0 in seven innings–what a game!–so going into Games 2 and 3 of pool play we knew that we could only give up one run to qualify for the TV bracket. We gave up zero runs all through pool play, earning the #1 seed.”
Mathis’s team then moved to the Power Pool Bracket C and the offense came to live, scoring no less than six runs in the four games as Mizuno Storm won 10-2 over ACES Ashley/Cramer, 7-5 over the West Bay Warriors, 7-6 over Tennessee Mojo 2021 and 6-0 over the Texas Bombers.
That put the Arizona team in the TV Bracket but it lost to another Elite 50 program in the age division, the Diamond Sports Hotshots, coached by Nate Nelson.
Says Mathis, “In the first game of the TV bracket we lost in extra innings by one run to the defending PGF Champion Diamond Sports Hotshots-Nelson. I thought we had that game, but just couldn’t finish it.”
Still, the coach feels that loss helped set his team on a winning path.
“That was the turning point I feel going throughout the rest of the weekend,” Mathis continues. “We were on a mission to win the whole thing. I knew we had all the tools to accomplish our goal of a Power Pool championship.”
In the Power Pool Championship Bracket, Mathis’s team had two one-run games to advance to the title game–a 3-2 victory over Georgia Impact Premier 04 – Fisher and a 1-0 win over American Pastime Blue 04–before winning it all with a 10-2 victory over the Lady Lightning Gold Futures.
“Our pitching was on fire and offensively we kept finding ways to get it done,” states the Storm head man. “Defensively it was better than ever and as you go through a high-level tournament like this, there is some luck involved at different points of the tournament.”
Mathis, who is the President of the Mizuno Storm organization, is quick to point out that the title was a group effort… and not just the players.
“Ronnie Holtorf and Victor Martinez are two of the most amazing coaches that make this dynamic really work,” he believes. “None of us make this process about us! We guide the girls to greatness and that’s what they keep doing time and time again. The teams we beat this week are top-level teams that were a class act each and every game.”
After a well-deserved break this weekend, the Storm heads off to Kansas City next Monday and then comes back to Phoenix for a week off before competing at PGF Nationals at the end of July.
“The sky is the limit for this group and obviously I couldn’t be more proud of where we are heading into the remaining national events this summer,” Mathis concludes.
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BONUS COVERAGE:
Here’s the team profile of Mizuno Storm – Mathis/Holtorff we did in March called “Corey Mathis’ Mizuno Storm Team ‘Goes Yard'” which talks about the team’s history and profiles each player includes ones going to the Big Ten and Pac-12….
You know you’re hardcore into softball when you build a regulation size infield in the backyard of your new home!
That’s what Corey Mathis, the head coach of Mizuno Storm—one of the top 14U candidates for the Extra Inning Softball Elite Club 50 rankings—when landscaping his Waddell, Arizona one acre home.
Nothing like being able to work on some infield drills under the lights just outside your back door!
The “Field of Dreams” concept typifies the coach’s passion for the sport and demonstrates the lengths Mathis will go to get the extra reps needed to give his team the edge when it comes to national competition.
Extra Inning Softball caught up with the Arizona-based coach to learn more about this year’s team and the background of the program… here’s a closer look at this desert-based “Storm”…
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When did the current 14U Mizuno team start and what was the idea behind its creation?
This team started when they were 7-8 years old. Only one player is still with me since that time (Hannah Lindsay), but all have been playing since then. We started as the AZ Cougars and I joined Mizuno Storm four years ago. I officially took over the program in 2017 as the President over all teams.
Where do your athletes come from primarily?
All our Storm athletes are local (Phoenix), but two on my team come from Tucson.
What was the primary reason for developing the team? Was it to showcase players, win titles, develop skills, or something else?
This team was created to win a national championship with the best players in the age group. We feel the recruiting will follow if you chase the right competition.
What are you most proud of in terms of doing well on the national stage?
Our biggest accomplishment early on was winning the USSSA 10U National Championship in California, then two years later winning the Pre-Thanksgiving 12U tournament in California. That same year we were the first Arizona team to go to California for the PGF 12U Qualifier and we took one of the four berths. I feel that really opened some eyes on my team as we were a contender on a national stage and we went 3-2 that year at Nationals. Last year as a young 14u team we earned a Platinum Berth in Albuquerque and then went to Las Vegas the next week and earned a Premier berth for PGF. This year, PGF gave us a Premier invitee to Nationals.
What makes the organization unique, in your opinion?
The fact that we stick with our players all year makes us unique. All of our teams share the same philosophy of developing our players to the highest level. Also, we preach the importance of class on and off the field. You won’t find our coaches acting like idiots as we teach young ladies the right ways to act in life.
