RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
If you’ve been around the club softball scene for a few years, you’ve likely heard of the Lil Rebels out of Las Vegas.
Rick Christopher started a 14U team in 2014 that would finish 3rd n the Colorado Fireworks 14U Pool and top 25 at PGF Nationals and then move up to 16U where it would finish 17th at PGF and then take 9th at PGF 18U Nationals in 2017.
The team’s players graduated in 2017-18 with players going to the Big Ten (Giana Carosone, Michigan and Taylor Askland, Indiana); SEC (Tatum Spangler, Kentucky) and ACC (Grace Chavez, Virginia Tech) among others.
Marshall Askland was the pitching coach and Assistant Coach with Coach Christopher and today both coaches are now focusing on duplicating the success that this original team had with Coach Christopher leading the 16U team and Coach Askland leading the 14U team with Assistant Coach Kyle Bell.
The Rebels qualified for PGF Platinum, winning a berth in June despite being less than a year old and will compete later today in the first round of bracket games.
Here’s a closer look at the team with info and answers provided by Coach Askland…
*****
When did the team/program start and how/why did it come to be?
The foundation of the team was assembled at the end of August 2018 with a core of selected players along with a tryout. The team looks to follow in the footsteps of a successful Lil Rebels RC team that graduated in 2018.
Where are you based?
The team is based in Las Vegas with all the players coming from the area.
What was the purpose of creating the team, was it to showcase players? Win titles? Develop skills?
The team was put together for the sole purpose of qualifying for PGF Nationals, competing against the best talent in the nation and to carry on the success the Lil Rebel RC organization has created.
What have been some of your successes in terms of winning or placing at events?
The team was able to qualify for PGF in the beginning of June in Albuquerque, New Mexico – 10 months after inception.
What makes the organization unique?
The team prides itself on out working other teams to become better. The girls and the coaching staff including me, Kyle Bell and Dave Beatty put in a ton of work per week to improve.
A typical week of practice consists of 12-plus hours of team practice along with pitchers and catchers coming to practice early each day to improve their skills. These practices include all facets of the game including fielding, hitting and pitching. Marshall keeps a close eye on the mechanics of our pitchers and simultaneously works on the receiving nuances with our catchers.
Our typical Saturday practice is from 6-to-11 am to beat the incessant heat in the Las Vegas Valley. Also, in order to compete with the best you need to play the best consistently and the team focuses on playing an aggressive schedule.
What’s your softball background and how did you get to the point of leading the team?
I became involved in coaching during youth softball with my daughter Taylor (Indiana University commit).
How many teams are there in the organization overall?
Lil Rebels RC has four teams currently:
- Lil Rebels RC 16U
- Lil Rebels RC/Marshall 14U
- Lil Rebels RC/DJ -12U
- Lil Rebels RC/Young – 12U
Has there been a key moment or defining experience in the team’s history?
Watching the team gel and battle to achieve a PGF berth on June – 10 months after inception at the PGF Qualifier in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One win was against a Mercado A’s team and another was against a current Premier team.
What is the primary focus or goal with this team?
To become one of the premier teams in the nation.
What do you think are the strengths of the team?
It’s a highly competitive and motivated group of girls that all work hard outside of our practices. They show up early or stay after to get in extra reps either fielding or pitching. I believe defensively up the middle we are well on our way to developing something special that will keep us in every game. Our middle infield could be the best in the country.
If there is one thing you would say that separates you from other club programs, what would it be?
There are a lot of excellent programs out there that are highly successful, and we acknowledge that. The Lil Rebels motto is Respect All Fear None and that is something I want all the girls to understand, adopt and believe in when they take the field.
It’s a philosophy I want them to take with them for the rest of their lives. Nothing replaces hard work and preparation whether it’s softball, their academics or their future careers. Outwork the competition.
It’s important to find the right group of girls that adopt a team philosophy and are willing to put the work in and play for the person next to them. We have that group.
How are the other teams looking?
In addition to this team playing competitively, the 16U team (Lil Rebels RC 16U/Rick Christopher) is on its way to being very competitive at their age level. After Rick and I graduated the ’00 class we both decided to drop down to the lower ages and begin to develop two new teams as we did the ’00 team.
*****
Here’s a closer look at each player on the team with comments from Coach Askland…
