Get on board with Extra Inning Softball’s regular feature, The Last Inning!
We are scouring the Internet and Social Media and keeping our ears to the street for the latest going on in the softball community.
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Here’s our TLI for Thursday, April 27, 2023:
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EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: AMANDA BENITES
Uncommitted 2B/OF Amanda Benites, #84 in the 2026 Extra Elite 100, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Arizona Storm National-Appel, Hamilton High, PGF Nationals, Triple Crown Zoom Into June, Triple Crown Colorado Sparkler and Easton Rawlings Invite, tough challenges, future college, physical therapy, Sis Bates, Soulja Boy, “All American” and tumbling.
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Amanda Benites
Hometown: Chandler, AZ
High School: Hamilton High
Club Team: Arizona Storm 16U National-Appel
Graduation Year: 2026
Height: 5-foot-7
Position: 2B/OF
Nickname: Manda Panda
Twitter: @Amanda13Benites
Honors: #84 in the 2026 Extra Elite 100 and 14U All Summer Team by Extra Inning Softball (2022).
Travel Ball Fall Stats: .444 AVG, .484 OBP, 52 hits, .980 OPS, 36 runs scored and 34 stolen bases
High School Highlights/Stats: .551 AVG, .585 OBP, 27 hits, 1.238 OPS and 3rd-place finish at Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? I started playing club at 8 years old and joined a newly formed AZ Killer Bees 10U team. After two years as Killer Bees, our whole team decided to move over to a larger organization and joined the AZ Storm. I have been with five of my teammates for the last six years. Our coach, Steve Appel, pushes us to be the best always and we all work hard and have so much fun together. We are family and want the best for each other always.
Tell us about your high school team and how you are doing? I play for Hamilton High School, the largest high school in AZ. I am one of two freshman that made Varsity. We are ranked 5th in the state. I am the leadoff hitter and we are working hard to make it to the 6A state championship for the second year in a row. I am so lucky to be able to play with two of my best friends and one of them being my club teammate as well.
Can you tell us about your experience at PGF Nationals last summer? We played (PGF) 14U Premier last summer. We lost our first bracket game and took the hard way and had to play seven games in two days to stay alive. We finished 5th place. PGF Nationals is always so much fun. We get to stay together all week, have fun playing ball every day and get to go to the beach/hang out together.
What tournament/showcase/event are you looking forward to this summer and why? This summer, I am excited to go to (Triple Crown) Zoom Into June, (Triple Crown) Sparkler in CO and the Easton Rawlings Invite in Chicago. We are always looking to play the best competition. I love playing new teams from all over the United States and traveling to new cities.
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? Every team we play is tough. We are always looking for a challenge and to compete with the best.
What are you looking for in a future college? I look forward to playing in college with coaches and teammates that believe in each other and always work toward getting better each and every day. I would love to be able to have fun with teammates and coaches on and off the field and have the same goals of winning a championship.
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I would like to study nutrition and/or physical therapy. I love to work out and stay in shape and want to help others stay healthy and live their best life.
Who is your sports hero and why? I really admire Sis Bates from University of Washington. We are both slappers and she is one of the best that I have always loved to watch play. She is amazing on defense as well and I hope to be able to compete like her and find a program that I can contribute to.
What’s the best hype song and why? Right now, I am really loving “Turn My Swag On” by Soulja Boy and that is my high school walk-up song. I also really like “Fancy” by Drake.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? One of my favorite TV shows that I binged was “All American.” I loved that it was sports related and how Spencer, the main character, always worked hard toward his goals.
Do you have a secret talent/skill? I used to do tumbling when I was younger and recently I found out that I can still do an aerial, a cartwheel with no hands.
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