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Here’s our TLI for Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023:
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EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: LEXI MCDANIEL
MIF Lexi McDaniel, #5 in the 2025 Extra Elite 100, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Aces Fastpitch Club, HitTrax and Blast Motion, Alliance Nationals, Scenic City, many tough opponents, future college, pre-med, pre-law or business, Tom Brady, “The Lion King,” “All American” and juggling.
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Lexi McDaniel
Hometown: St. Joseph, MO
High School: St. Joseph Christian High
Club Team: Aces Fastpitch Club 18U National
Graduation Year: 2025
Height: 5-foot-8
Position: SS/2B
Nickname: Flex
Twitter: @LexiMcDaniel2
Honors: #5 in the 2025 Extra Elite 100; #2 MIF in the Class of 2025; All-Summer Team by Extra Inning Softball (2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022); and High Honor Roll Freshman and Sophomore.
Travel Ball Stats: Summer — .464 AVG, 248 plate appearances, .548 OBP and 20 HRs; Fall —.508 AVG, 70 plate appearances, .557 OBP, 1.000 SLG, 29 RBIs and 7 HRs.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? My travel organization (Aces Fastpitch) is an amazing organization. I was 11 (years old) when I first started on the 14U team. Throughout all six years, the organization helped shape me into the player and person I am today. I have played for both Ryan (Taylor) and Taylor (Taylor) and have enjoyed every moment. My teammates and Aces alumni are extremely great players and I learn from them every day. I have made great friendships with the people on my team and love being around them. The Aces display a very welcoming, caring and competitive organization and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of it.
Do you have any suggestions for training methods or apps and why? Ryan Taylor has been my hitting coach for a long time. He focuses on many aspects of my swings and can break it down thoroughly. He uses many reliable sources that help me improve. The Aces practices are very detailed. Our alumni consistently state their college practices are very similar to the Aces.
My top suggestion for hitting training apps would be HitTrax. I really enjoy using this when I hit because it is very visual and realistic in my hitting. It gives a multitude of different stats and opportunities to improve my game. Hittrax also gives me a visual of where my ball may have gone, along with exit velocity, swing path, replay of my swing and much more.
I also have used Blast Motion and benefited from that. The three main focus points are plane, connection and rotation. This training device gives feedback on my swing pattern and what areas I could improve on.
Can you tell us about your experience at Alliance Nationals this past summer? Alliance Nationals is always the best time. When my team arrived, we went to the opening day players’ experience, where we were treated very well. I had the opportunity to participate in the Home Run Derby and truly enjoyed every second of it. I was able to play one game at Alliance, but then became notified that I had lost my grandmother, therefore I was unable to finish the tournament. My coaches and teammates were very supportive during this difficult time and finished the tournament well.
What was your favorite fall tournament/event and why? My favorite fall tournament was the Scenic City Top 25 in Dalton, GA. This was our team trip where we all traveled together that weekend. We collectively played well and made it to the semifinals. The tournament was also filled with good competition, which was fun.
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? The Aces are a part of the Alliance, which is filled with many good teams. Also, Ryan and Tayor always put us in tournaments that will better prepare us and better improve, so we play many tough opponents, making it hard to pick just one.
What are you looking for in a future college? The things that I am looking for in a college is student-athlete support, player development and chance to be in the postseason. I would like to attend a place that makes me a better player and person. I would love to attend a college that has top notch facilities. Lastly, I would enjoy a college with a strong softball fan support. It would be super neat to consistently play in front of a full crowd.
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I am interested in a few different occupations. I am still trying to decipher exactly what I would like to do, but as of right now I am interested in pre-med, pre-law or business. All of these majors can lead to many opportunities.
Who is your sports hero and why? My sports hero is Tom Brady. I have always watched him and admire his desire for the game. He is a super competitive person who pushes to be the greatest version of himself that he can be. His grit and determination leads him to be a great player, which I desire to be.
What’s the best hype song and why? The best hype song is “In the Jungle the Mighty Jungle” from “The Lion King.” Although this does not sound like a hype song, my team always listens to this before our games. We have a special dance that we do to this song, along with singing every word.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? My favorite TV show to binge watch is “All American.” It tells the story of a young athlete’s life from his own perspective.
Do you have a secret talent/skill? My secret talent is that I can surprisingly juggle well.
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