Final Call: What Are the Top 15 Softball Stories of 2018? Submit Picks by Sat. 5 pm EST!

Starting on Monday, December 17^th, Extra Inning Softball will begin a countdown of the top 15 softball stories of 2018 starting with story #15 and end up on Monday, December 31^st (New Year’s Eve) with the top story of the year.

What do you think is the No. 1 story in softball this year?

We would love to get YOUR opinion: what do you think has been the most impactful, surprising, shocking, inspiring, funny and/or interesting stories going back to January 1 in fastpitch softball?

E-mail your opinions and ideas–especially ones we may have missed–to: [email protected]. Deadline is 5 pm. EST December 15, 2018.

We will consider all submissions, but to jog your memory and give you some ideas, here are 20 of the many that will be looked at (in no particular order):

•  Early Recruiting Rules changes recruiting landscape, including early verbals
•  Southern Dominance: Georgia Impact-Lewis becomes first team from South to win PGF 18U Premiers and East Cobb Bullets-Schnute wins TC/USA Nationals
•  Mississippi State’s Alex Wilcox dies of ovarian cancer, but leaves lasting impact
•  Florida State wins Div. I Women’s College World Series
•  College coaching carousel impacts schools from Texas and Oregon to Oklahoma and Florida
•  College transfer-mania: dozens of players including All-Americans switch universities
•  NFCA’s StrikeOut Cancer initiative raised over half-million dollars for cancer research
•  Alexia Carrasquillo became youngest verbal ever when she committed at age 11
•  Ashley Rogers from Tennessee overcomes loss of her father to become National High School Player of the Year
•  Team USA’s dominating year including winning Japan Cup and WSBC World Championship (and qualifies for 2020 Olympics)
•  USA Softball announces Women’s National & Jr. National Team tryout invites
•  High school senior and Northwestern signee Sydney Supple raises over $100,000 to build softball field in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
•  Former Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Michael Lotief and former players file lawsuit against university after coach’s firing
•  Scrap Yard Fast Pitch in Conroe, Texas fields 40+ pro players, competes against Team USA and goes on national tour
•  First Empowering Girls for Life Convention brings together accomplished roster of speakers
•  Mike Stith coaches club (OC Batbusters) and pro team (USSSA Pride) to championships
•  Safety issues include facemasks and concussion concerns
•  SpySoftball founder and influential softball voice Rayburn Hesse passes away
•  Baylee Klingler wins MVP at Louisville Slugger Hit Club
• Carol Bruggeman gets five-year extension as NFCA Executive Director

Any good stories we missed? Even if yours doesn’t make our Top 15 list, we could still do a feature on it! Send any ideas to: [email protected].