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Here’s our TLI for Friday, Dec. 10, 2021…
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EXTRA SPOTLIGHT: ABRYANNA NEWCOMB
Abryanna “Abby” Newcomb, a junior C/1B/3B for Arbor View High in Las Vegas, NV, played for the Lil Rebels and Firecrackers Brashear organizations before joining Bruch Richardson’s So Cal Athletics team and challenging herself in the top tournaments against the top pitchers in the nation in her first year of 18U this fall.
EXTRA SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: ABRYANNA NEWCOMB
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
High School: Arbor View High
Club Team: So Cal Athletics-Richardson 18U
Graduation Year: 2023
Height: 5-foot-6
Position: C/1B/3B
Nickname: Abby
Twitter: @AbryannaNewcomb
Honors: USA All American team catcher for the state of Nevada (2018); 2nd Team All-Conference for 5A Southern Region (2020); and 5A Mountain Region Catcher of the Year (2020).
Travel Ball Highlights/Fall Stats:
This fall I made the jump from 16U to 18U. Not just to any 18U, but to one of the top teams in the nation, and with that came the ability to face some of the best hitters, base runners and pitchers I’ve ever seen. To say that I was at my best hitting this fall would be a misrepresentation. I will admit, I struggled a bit, but have been working very hard every day to come back strong this spring. I do feel though based upon what I faced, I did very well. I played approximately 20 games this fall, as me and the other catcher switch every other game. In those 20 games, my fielding percentage was .975 with 72 putouts in 79 chances. I had two total errors and was able to assist my pitchers very well.
High School Highlights:
Between 2019 and 2020, my team only played 16 total games due to Covid. I made Varsity my freshman year and sophomore year and was the starting catcher for both seasons. In my sophomore year, I was named class 5A Mountain League All-League Honors catcher of the year. Combined between the two seasons, I had a .984 fielding percentage with 52 putouts in 61 chances with eight assists and only one error. In those 16 games, I had 7 RBIs with three doubles and one home run.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them?
My travel ball team is like a family to me. No matter what is going on we always all have smiles on our faces and we are always laughing and having fun. There is so much talent that surrounds me on the team that it constantly pushes me and makes me want to be better. We have several seniors that are committed to SEC, ACC and other Power 5 schools that I really look up too. They are all really nice and help out a lot. I also really like all of the coaches as they are very supportive and are very knowledgeable about the game. I was introduced to the So Cal A’s by a family friend of ours, Denise Morris. She introduced me to Coach Bruce and we started talking and texting over the phone. Once my 2021 summer season ended, I got an offer by Coach Bruce Richardson to join his 18U So Cal A’s team and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity that he offered me.
How did your club team do this past summer and in the fall?
Although I was not on the team over the summer, I know they did well in PGF as they had a 9th place finish at PGF Nationals. Over the fall, my team did very well for having a bunch of new girls on the team. We won the PGF September Startup Tournament against some very talented teams. Playing in all PGF Surf City Tournaments, we went 16-10-5 playing some of the best 18U teams in the nation. One of the tournament/showcases that I was looking forward to was the PGF Ultimate Challenge in Salinas, California. We were all looking forward to that but were unable to attend due to weather. I think we could have been very competitive in that one.
What should we expect from your club team this summer?
You should expect to see us dominate this summer season. As a team, we are a very strong group of girls, able to handle any team that steps in our path. You will see a very competitive and talented team at Boulder IDT where we will place very high, and you should expect us to place very high if not win PGF Nationals.
What should we expect from your high school team this spring?
This high school season, you should expect to see us win the state championship for the entire state of Nevada. We are such a strong team that as long as everybody is doing their part, we can take down any team.
Do you have a secret talent/skill?
My secret talent is makeup. I am very good at doing makeup and a lot of people don’t know that about me. It is something I enjoy doing in my free time.
What’s your most memorable softball story?
My most memorable softball story would be when I was in rec ball and I was playing in 8U, I was up to bat and I was wearing batting gloves, my shoe was untied, but I couldn’t tie it myself with my gloves on, so the umpire ended up tying it for me and somebody took a picture of it. To this day, it is still a very funny and iconic picture in the local softball community and is still up on the website.
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