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 info@extrainningsoftball.com and also los.extrainningsoftball@gmail.com.
Here’s our TLI for Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022…
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EXTRA SPOTLIGHT: MAREN ROBINSON
Maren Robinson, a 2025 P/1B/3B for Granite State Elite 16U Blue, talked about her experience with the Softball Youth Elite Grey Team this past week at the SY New Year’s Softball Fest in Panama Beach. FL.
EXTRA SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: MAREN ROBINSON
Hometown: Berwick, ME
Graduation Year: 2025
Position: RHP/1B/3B
Twitter: @2025Maren
Club Team: Granite State Elite 16U Blue
School: Noble High
Honors: Highest Honor Roll 4.3 GPA, National History Day State Competition (Third Place Documentary). Spanish Honors Society, Daughters of American Revolution Essay Competition (2020 Runner-up), USA Softball High Performance ME-NH-VT Regional Team, Softball Youth All American Silver Slugger Award, Softball Youth Elite and Seacoast Showdown MVP.
Tell us about your SY Elite Grey 14U team… Who were some of your teammates?
My Softball Youth Elite team was compiled of players from across the country, who were in the classes of 2025 and 2026.
There was Kayla Johnson and Emma Hartung, a pitcher-catcher duo from North Carolina. From Pennsylvania, we had Kindal Rice and Haley Reynolds, who were both utility players.
Avery Perez was a catcher from California and Lyla Baxter was a center fielder from Nevada. Shelbi Sellers was an infielder from Kentucky and Summer Stearns was a shortstop from Florida. Last but not least was Taylor Morgan, a pitcher and infielder from Wyoming.
Our team had great chemistry. Even though we only started playing together on Monday, Dec. 27, we understood each other well. We knew that if the catcher stood up and pointed at a few places, everyone knew what was about to go down without having to discuss it. We also were very supportive of each other. In the dugout, we were a group that cheered for each other and we all fed off that energy to make us better players.
What did you learn from your teammates?
I learned that no matter where we live, whether we train indoors for part of the year or whether we play outdoors all the time, our love for the game of softball was the same. We all stepped on the field ready to compete, play our best and cheer on our teammates. It didn’t matter if we played a hundred games together or we just met for the first time. Our love for the game of softball bonded us!
How did your SY Elite Grey team do?
We lost in the semifinals of the silver bracket.
What were some of your accomplishments?
I had a very strong tournament at the plate, hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run. I hit my first out-of-the-park home run! I batted .571 and finished with three RBIs. I also had a strong tournament on the field, playing both first base and third base (I haven’t played third in a while, so it was fun to see things from the other side of the diamond!) I also made the most of my pitching opportunities, working hard on showcasing all my pitches and consistently hitting my spots and throwing hard.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them?
I currently play for the Granite State Elite 16U Blue team based out of Epsom, NH. I played in a tournament against this team in the summer of 2021 when they played in the 14U division and instantly noticed how well they played as a team and how well-coached they were. I was impressed. In early August of 2021, I attended a tryout for the Granite State Elite program and was offered a spot on the same team and felt it was the perfect fit. I am one of only three new players added to this team this year and have felt welcome from Day 1! We push each other to always give it 100 percent and leave it all out on the field. We also have a lot of fun together both on the field and off the field!
Do you have a secret talent/skill?
I love to paint landscapes on canvases.
What’s your most memorable softball story?
It was my second year of 12U when the pandemic hit. After losing out on three months of softball, my team was excited to play again. We had a game scheduled, but when we showed up to the field it was completely underwater. We wanted to play so bad that we took off our cleats and socks, rolled up our pants and worked together with our parents and siblings to clear the field off of all the water using rakes, shovels and digging ditches. We got the field dry, dragged and ready to play within an hour!
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NEWS & NOTES
The first James T. Birkenstock Strikeout Diabetes Classic was called a “storybook” ending as his daughter, @KalistaBirkens1 team won the championship.
Even without the same success, Nov. 20 was another special day of softball.https://t.co/OKn8gw0RGC
— Mike Zummo – MZ Media (@SportsZummo) December 1, 2021
*** Scroll down to read about players making a difference…
