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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.
To contribute information, insights, thoughts or content ideas, email us at [email protected] and also [email protected].
Here’s our TLI for Friday, Dec. 31, 2021…
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EXTRA SPOTLIGHT: KELSIE DONALDSON
Kelsie Donaldson, a 2026 LHP/1B for Top Gun 07-Sciara, talked about the recruiting process for talented young players, who can’t talk to college coaches until Sept. 1 of their junior year.
Name: KELSIE DONALDSON
Hometown: Grain Valley, MO
High School: Blue Springs High
Club Team: Top Gun 07-Sciara 14U
Graduation Year: 2026
Height: 5-foot-7
Position: LHP/1B
Nickname: KD
Twitter: @KDLefty08_2026
Honors: 4.0 GPA; 14U All Summer Team (2021); runner-up National Player of the Week after performance at 14U PGF Nationals; and team finished 38th overall, going 54-17, in 14U final summer rankings, which was the second-highest ranked 07 team at 14U level.
Travel Ball Stats:
- Summer (Hitting) — .508 AVG, 34 doubles, eight triples, six HRs and 108 RBIs;
- Summer (Pitching) —146 Ks, 111 IP, and .117 BAA;
- PGF (Hitting) — 12 of 17, .706 AVG, seven RBIs, grand slam, two doubles and one triple;
- PGF (Pitching) — 12 IP, one ER, 10 Ks, and 0.75 ERA;
- Fall Stats (Hitting) — .482 AVG, 27 hits, 12 doubles, one triple and 14 RBIs;
- Fall Stats (Pitching) — 32 IP, 41 Ks, four BB and .228 BAA.
Tell us about Top Gun and how you became involved with them…
We had a very strong 10U team. Robb Behymer, who is the president of Top Gun Events, asked us to join his club. At 12U, Joe Sciara, the president of the organization, became our head coach. Steph Kim is the vice president, who came over from the Kansas City Dirt Devils when the two organizations merged. Dr. Randi Davis-Shanks is the organization’s pitching instructor. She is the head of all of the St. Louis teams. I have been with her for four years. Once to twice a month I make the three-hour drive to see her. She then comes to KC once a month (prior to that, my pitching coach was Paige Parker). Bob Turner is the Director of the National Clubs and Recruiting for Top Gun. Bob is also my private hitting coach. Top Gun has teams from 8U to 18U in multiple states across the Midwest with over 130 college commits.
How is the recruiting process, including going to schools and camps, going?
Currently I cannot be in contact with any teams until Sept 1 of my junior year. I have however been to multiple camps including Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, MO State and Kentucky in January. Our club provides us with a Sports Recruit Profile, which allows me to email coaches about upcoming tournaments, my stats, uploading video highlights, etc. I utilize Sports Recruits by sending out approximately 60 emails a week to different universities. I am also very active on Twitter.
What camps have you been to? What do you get out of them?
Arkansas, Mizzou (multiple times), Tennessee, MO State and Kentucky (Jan. 8-9th). New pitching drills, hitting drills, and skills. I learn about different coaches’ personalities and how they run their programs, the importance of academics, what coaches look for in an athlete. I have also learned why certain players choose to go to the schools they go to. I have learned about the different conferences. I get to meet other players from across the country. I try to soak up every part of the experience and take away as much as I can.
What should we expect from your club team this summer?
You should expect to see us play hard, first and foremost. You will see mental and physical toughness from our team. I believe our coach prepares us to be fundamentally sound and ready to compete and perform at the highest level possible locally, regionally and nationally. Including events such as Spring Showdown Series hosted by the Hotshots, Boulder IDT, WFC, Top Gun Invite and PGF Nationals to name a few.
Do you have a secret talent/skill?
I am a ventriloquist. Just kidding, but I actually can sing. I am in my school’s honors choir and I am excited to continue that in high school.
What’s your most memorable softball story?
When I hit a game-tying grand slam with time expired at the Boulder IDT. It helped us to win our pool as a first-year 14U team. It was a defining moment for me. It showed me all of my extra work pays off and that I want to be in pressure situations. To me, pressure is a privilege.
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PGF NATIONAL QUALIFIERS SCHEDULE
This is the time of year when club teams start focusing on qualifying for the PGF Nationals.
Here are the 2022 PGF National Qualifiers:
- 14U, 16U and 18U at Orlando, FL, on Jan. 15-16
- 14U, 16U and 18U at Duncan, SC, on Feb. 26-27
- 12U at Huntington Beach, CA, on March 18-20
- 12U at Stockton, CA, on March 26-27
- 12U at Las Vegas, NV, April 9-10
- 12U at Phoenix, AZ, April 16-17
- 12U at Salinas, CA, May 7-8
- 14U at Las Vegas, NV, May 21-22
- 16U at Phoenix, AZ, May 21-22
- 14U, 16U and 18U at Atlanta, GA, May 28-29
- 16U at Las Vegas, NV, May 28-29
- 14U and 18U at Phoenix, AZ, May 28-29
- 18U at Las Vegas, NV, June 3-5
- 14U, 16U and 18U at Conroe, TX, June 3-5
- 14U, 16U and 18U at Stockton, CA, June 4-5
- 16U and 18U at Longmont, CO, June 11-12
- 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U at Newtown, PA, June 11-12
- 14U, 16U and 18U at Crown Point, IN, June 11-13
- 14U, 16U and 18U at Peoria, IL, June 17-18
- 14U, 16U and 18U at Hemet/Irvine, CAm June 17-19
- 16U and 18U at Crown Point, IN, June 23-25
- 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U at Potland, OR, June 24-26
- 14U at Salinas, CA, June 24-26
- 12U at Lake Elsinore, CA, June 24-26
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*** Scroll down to read about players changing club teams plus our final commit report of the year (2021)!…