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 Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021 …
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EXTRA ELITE EIGHTY 18U CLUB RANKINGS SPOTLIGHT
TLI will be taking a look at some of the top teams in the country that made the Extra Elite Eighty 18U Club Rankings. Today the spotlight is on …
LIL REBELS RC
Extra Elite Eighty 18U Club Ranking: #59
Head Coach: RICK CHRISTOPHER
2020 Summer Record: The Las Vegas-based Lil Rebels were only able to play 15 games and no major tournaments due to the Covid pandemic.
2020 Fall Record: “This fall was not based on wins or loses for the team, but our main focus was creating an environment with some type of normalcy for our student-athletes, while keeping their safety on the forefront,” Christopher said. “Like many, our student-athletes had their 2021 high school season canceled, they haven’t seen the inside of a classroom since March of last year and they are now currently on the verge of losing a second year of high school ball; furthermore, many of our families were affected financially due to the continued shutdown by the Nevada Governor.
“With that, we played a limited schedule in Utah, AZ and Texas and fared well against some top teams in California, while stressing the importance of family, sisterhood, teamwork and always being there for each other no matter how hard times may get on and off the field. The student-athletes embraced our team’s philosophy and the chemistry on the team has proven to be electric.”
Has your team received an invite to PGF Nationals or qualified for the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series? They have an invite to PGF 18U Platinum Nationals.
The Roster:
- Friends University-bound Taylor Day (2021, 1B, a gap hitter with natural power that can pick with the best of them at 1B)
- Carroll College-bound Alyssa Lybbert (2021, C/3B, an exceptional blocker and her frame work is just as good behind the plate where she is very vocal and manages the defense. She hits for high average, but can go deep as well)
- Savannah Stanley (2021, P, a 4.5 GPA student, a hidden gem, she works hard in the circle and throws in the low 60s with a change-up to compliment her fastball and a curveball with some bite)
- Montana-commit Makena Strong (2022, SS/2B, constantly improving at MIF, she’s a gap hitter that hits for high average and can hit the long ball)
- Brown-commit Annie Finch (2022, P/1B, a crafty spin pitcher with great command and a change-up that keeps batters off balance)
- Morgan “Mo” Smetana (2022, P/1B/OF, consistently throws in the low 60s and has a curveball, a dirty drop curve and a riseball. She also has some power in her bat)
- Brei Bonkavich (2022, 3B/OF, a strong athlete with a lot of pop in her bat and a very strong arm)
- Brooke Ventrelle (2022, 3B/SS, a competitive athlete that plays up the middle and on the hot corner. She’s a gap-to-gap hitter that hits for high average)
- Paige Kellogg (2022, 3B/2B/1B, she has great size and strength, a natural 3B with the ability to play multiple positions and she’s an aggressive hitter with a big stick)
- Sydney Schafer (2022, OF, reads the ball off the bat extremely well and has the speed to control CF. A track athlete, she uses her speed to wreak havoc on the bases)
- Olivia “Liv” Millsop (2022, OF, a speedy slapper that covers a ton of ground in the OF)
- Jayla Gamboa (2022, P/3B, has a variety of pitches and great control on her movement pitches. She can also play 3B and swing it a little bit too)
- Destinee Lopez (2023, C/3B, a solid catcher with great qualities behind the plate, she can also play the corners, but her ability to drive the ball stands out the most)
- Jill Halas (2023, OF, a slapper with size and speed that continues to improve all her skills in the OF)
- Elayna “Layni” Quigley (2023, OF, a converted right-handed hitter to slapper with great bat control)
- Macy Magdaleno (2023, P/OF, primarily a pitcher with a lot of upside, she can also play in the OF too)
- Michelle Ann De La Cruz (2024, C/UT, her athletic ability allows her to move behind the plate and play multiple positions and she has a lot of juice in her bat)
What will it take for the team to be successful? “
We are returning eight starters from last summer’s team as we lost our starting shortstop Shelby Carvalho to Coach Johnston at Binghamton University in New York; however, 2022 Makena Strong, who is committed to Montana, and newcomer 2022 Brooke Ventrelle from Northern California/Universal Fastpitch are plugging that void nicely.
“We will just need to get back to the grind of playing games on a regular basis while getting healthy as Savannah and Annie were pitching with injuries this past fall that required some major downtime that they are currently getting.”
Can you describe the pitching staff?
“Our pitching staff, when healthy, will be one to be reckoned with. We have a lot of speed with 2021 Savannah Stanley and 2022 Morgan Smetana as they are consistently throwing in the low 60s. We can then change it up with a lot of movement with 2022 Annie Finch, who is committed to Brown University. We recently added two additional pitchers to our staff and both of them have a lot of upside to their craft in the circle.”
Can you describe the team’s offense?
“Our offense is comprised of speed and power throughout the lineup, but we can play small ball when needed to move runners as needed.”
Can you describe the team’s defense? “Though our defense is mainly comprised of juniors, they have shown signs of greatness in the limited games we have played over the past summer and fall. They communicate well between each other and getting continued reps on the dirt together will only make them stronger as the summer nears.”
*** Scroll down to see when Southern California high school softball ball could resume plus national qualifier dates and more…
