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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.
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Here’s our TLI for Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022:
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EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: BROOKE MCGOWIN
2027 OF/MIF prospect Brooke McGowin recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2027-Alford, team workouts, speed and explosiveness, PGF Nationals, Lady Magic, USSSA Select 30 National Training Camp, nursing field, Josie Muffley, country music, “Manifest” and “snake hunting.”
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Brooke McGowin
Hometown: Bay Minette, AL
High School: Baldwin County High
Club Team: Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2027-Alford
Graduation Year: 2027
Height: 5-foot-1
Position: OF/MIF
Nickname: Brookie
Twitter: @brooke_mcgowin
Honors: National Junior Beta Club; 2019 SY All-American tournament MVP (2019); Legacy and Legends July 2022 National 2027 Player of the Month; Varsity Letter in 6A Alabama high school softball; 6A AHSAA Area and Regional champions and finished in the Elite 8.
Travel Ball Highlights/Summer Stats: PGF stats — .625 BA (15 of 24), .667 OBP, 4 doubles, 10 RBIs and three putouts from RF.
High School Highlights/Stats: Earned a varsity letter at Baldwin County High while in 7th grade. Also, played in the Alabama 6A softball state championship tournament.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? I play for the Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2027-Alford. I absolutely love playing for my coaches and with my teammates! I first began playing for them while in 10U for one season. I was asked to join as a pickup player during that spring of 2019 and joined permanently soon after. I recently returned to the Thunderbolts during the summer of 2022 (my last season of 12U). I absolutely love the instruction that my teammates and I get at clinics and practices. We get coached very hard, but that makes us mentally strong and ready to take on any game situation.
What are some of your training methods/training routine? I try to work out every chance I get with our busy schedule. On the weekends, we normally have team workouts or clinics in Birmingham. (Rocky (Thompson) clinics are the best!) I am a member at the local wellness center, and I work out with my high school softball team and Coach Anthony Cox too. I also go to speed and agility training one time a week with my speed coach, Mike Valarezo. My Dad also built a softball field and batting cage in our yard, so I try to get out there and get reps in all I can at home.
What areas are you focusing on/trying to improve this fall? I would have to say I want to focus on my speed and explosiveness during the fall and offseason. I also want to work on improving my flyball reads and taking better angles to the ball.
Can you tell us about your experience at PGF Nationals this summer? Yes sir. I’ve heard about his tournament for a couple of years now because my cousin, Madilyn Byrd, has won two (back-to-back) national championships with Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2025-Kemp and I couldn’t wait to play in this tournament. It was everything I expected. The talent and competition were the best in the country. This was only second tournament playing with the Thunderbolts this summer, but I knew right off we had something special. We started out hot and dropped a close one, 1-0, to Hotshots National 09 in pool play. From then on out, we won seven straight to reach the national championship TV game vs. Lady Magic.
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? Our toughest opponent was Lady Magic, hands down. They were all very fundamentally sound and made all the plays when it counted. Congratulations to them on an amazing tournament!
Can you tell us about getting invited to the USSSA Select 30 National Training camp and what you hope to accomplish at the event? I’m not sure how exactly I was nominated, although, I think my coach may have nominated me, which I’m very thankful for. I received the email and was very excited to have the honor to go train and compete with some of the best softball players in the country. I hope to receive a lot of feedback while I’m there to be able to bring home and improve my overall game.
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? Somewhere possibly in the nursing field. I like to help others.
Who is your sports hero and why? (Florida State shortstop) Josie Muffley. She inspires me and is a great person. I met her at a summer camp and she’s been a mentor for me ever since.
What’s the best hype song and why? I don’t have a certain “hype” song, but I love listening to country music.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? “Manifest” because it’s fun to watch.
Do you have a secret talent/skill? One of my secret talents is that I can braid hair. I started braiding hair when I was 4 years old. My best secret talent is that I love to go “snake hunting” on my four-wheeler with my 410.
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