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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]. You can also send items/story ideas to Carlos Arias via email at [email protected] or via Twitter @Los_Stuff.
Here’s our TLI for Friday, Jan. 17, 2020…
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EXTRA INNING SCOUTING REPORT
With the 2020 high school softball season approaching, TLI will be taking a look at some of the top teams in the country with the Extra Inning Scouting Report.
TLI talked to Lakewood Ranch High of Bradenton, FL, coach TJ Goelz about his Mustangs, who had the national championship within their grasp before falling to Winter Springs, FL, 3-0, in the FHSAA 8A state championship game in 2019. Lakewood Ranch ended up 30-1 and ranked #3 in the nation in the Extra Elite Eighty High School Rankings.
Let’s get to the Extra Inning Scouting Report of …
LAKEWOOD RANCH
Top Returners:
- Avery Goelz (2020, 1B, .543 avg, .619 OBP, 50 H, 16 2B, 6 3B, 9 HR, 47 RBIs, 47 Runs, 14 SB)
- Claire Davidson (2020, P/OF, .439, .477 OBP, 43 H, 12 2B, 13 HR, 47 RBIs, 23 Runs; Pitching: 10-0, 62 IP, 30 H, 71 Ks, 4 BB, 0.567 ERA)
- McKenzie Clark (2020, C, .398 avg, .483 OBP, 39 H, 11 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 23 RBIs, 40 Runs, 15 SB)
- Kali Reis (2020, SS, .358 avg, .435 OBP, 34 H, 7 2B, 6 HR, 26 RBIs, 33 runs , 11 SB)
- Payton Kinney (2020, P, 6-0. 43 IP, 32 H, 53 Ks, 11 BB, 1.81 ERA)
- Brooklyn Lucero (2020, P, 9-1, 51 IP, 30 H, 52 Ks, 5 BB, 0.68 ERA)
- Taylor Woodring (2020, OF, .328 avg, .446 OBP, 5 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBIs)
- Emma Anthony (2020, 3B, injured in 2019)
- Jillian Herbst (2021, 2B/OF, .380 avg, .456 OBP, 30 H, 6 2B, 3 3B, 13 RBIs, 21 Runs, 8 SB)
Top Newcomers:
- Cassidy McLellan (2023, CF, Note: Could be the next phenom player at LR. Plays for Tennessee Mojo-Fisher and being highly recruited by Florida, FSU, etc.)
What will it take for your team to be successful this season? Quite simply, we have to win one more game. We won’t be focused on being undefeated, we will be focused on winning one more game than we did last year … the last one. If we do what we have been doing the last three years, and then use all that experience and hunger for a championship as a team, we will be very, very happy at the end of the season. A state and national title is our goal.
Who is your No. 1 pitcher and what can you tell me about her skills? Who else could see some time in the circle? We are very fortunate to have a No. 1 staff. Three Division I signees are 1A, 1B, 1C — all are No. 1 pitchers on any given day. They have competed for states two years in a a row and have finished in the top five at PGF Premier (Nationals) three of the past four years. They are battle-tested and even stronger than they were a year ago. They are:
- Claire Davidson, a LHP who throws 63-66 mph with an excellent change-up and curveball. She was the 2019 Florida State Pitcher of the Year.
- Payton Kinney, a RHP who throws 62-65 mph and can dominate a game with a multi-level riseball and now has a very good change-up as well.
- Brooklyn Lucero, a RHP who can throw 63-67 mph, is a big strong power “down pitcher” with an excellent dropball and curveball.
What can we expect from your offense? Our offense should be one of the best in the country. Our offense will once again be led by the three-time Florida State Offensive Player of the Year, Avery Goelz. (We have) six other all-state players in the lineup with McKenzie Clark, Claire Davidson, Kali Reis, Jillian Herbst, Taylor Woodring and Emma Anthony. We will also have a couple young studs that are very very strong offensively with Cassidy McLellan and Kelsey Vogel. I expect this team to have the highest offensive output ever at Lakewood Ranch and possibly the state.
Did you pick up any impact transfers or did you lose any players to transfers? No transfers in or transfers out.
Who are the potential All-Section/All-District/All-State players on your team? Avery Goelz, three-time All-State, three-time All-American and finalist for Gatorade Player of the Year; Claire Davidson, three-time all-state (twice in Virginia), All-American and finalist for Gatorade Player of the Year; McKenzie Clark, three-time All-State; Kali Reis, three-time All-State; Payton Kinney, two-time All-State; Brooklyn Lucero, two-time All-State; Taylor Woodring, former All-State; Emma Anthony, former All-State; Jillian Herbst, two-time All-State; and Cassidy McLellan.
Signed and Committed Players: Avery Goelz, Florida; Claire Davidson, Duke; McKenzie Clark, Clemson; Kali Reis, Florida; Payton Kinney, UConn; Brooklyn Lucero, North Carolina State; Taylor Woodring, East Carolina; Emma Anthony, EastCarolina; Jillian Herbst, Colgate; Rachel Monroe, Murray State; and Marissa Addison, SCG Manatee-Sarasota.
ALYSSA NAKKEN MAKES MLB HISTORY
Alyssa Nakken became the first female coach on a major league staff in baseball history when she was named an assistant by San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler on Thursday afternoon.
The former Sacramento State softball star joined the Giants in 2014 as an intern in baseball operations. As an assistant, she will work to promote high performance along with a close-knit team atmosphere, Kapler told ESPN. Kapler said Nakken will travel full time with the team, will be in uniform before games and will throw batting practice and hit fungoes.
Story on former @SacStSoftball star Alyssa Nakken being hired by the @SFGiants as assistant coach. Nakken becomes the first woman to hold a coaching position on an @MLB staff. #StingersUp https://t.co/U7n7rst3VK pic.twitter.com/qBUZkhokH7
— Hornet Athletics (@hornetsports) January 17, 2020
“Simply, I think she’s going to be a great coach,” Kapler said. “Merit and the ability to be a great coach trumps all.”
Nakken was a three-time All-Big Sky Conference selection and four-time Academic All-American at Sacramento State from 2009-12.
Congratulations to Alyssa Nakken who has made history as the 1st full-time female coach hired in #MLB.
She’s a 3x All-Conference softball player who has worked in baseball ops with the #SFGiants, and she holds a master’s in sports mgmt. 👏#trailblazer https://t.co/9Q2vwGL8gt
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) January 17, 2020
*** To read the rest of today’s The Last Inning, scroll down below…