by Sergio Santistevan

There is truly no offseason in softball, and as Triple Crown summer fastpitch individual events prove, recruiting is a 24/7 job.

“Triple Crown, in my experience, I know (has) extremely good tournaments to go to,” said team manager Michele Waters of the Arctic Heat 18u, who credits these events for helping many of her players get recruited. 

The first recruiting event of the year, Zoom into June, will take place on June 4-8 in West Covina, Riverside and Hemet, CA. Entering its 10th year, Zoom into June is the largest recruiting showcase on the West Coast and is widely viewed as the best early recruiting showcase on the calendar.

Zoom into June offers five days of jam-packed action for players to get noticed by various college coaches. The event provides a plethora of showcase games, such as Organizational Workouts, Uncommitted 2020 and 2021 Workout, OnDeck Camp, All-Star and All-Academic games.

On top of all the individual showcase action, teams get the opportunity to compete in a five-game guarantee format, so college programs get to see players in real-game situations.

In 2019, more than 200 college coaches attended Zoom Into June and recruited plenty of talent as over 400 teams competed in the games and over 450 individuals attended extra showcase and camp opportunities.

If Zoom into June doesn’t fit into the calendar, workouts at the Valley Invite on June 19 in Portland marks another opportunity for players to get noticed by college programs.

In previous years, college representatives from major DI colleges were in attendance along with JUCO and NAIA representatives. Last year, over 200 teams registered in the five-game guarantee tournament; this year, the Valley Invite format will be different than in previous years, but coaches and players can still expect a high-level tournament, individual events and college coaches with recruiting on their mind.

One of Triple Crown signature fastpitch events lights up Colorado through June 28- July 5. Teams throughout the United States will participate in the annual Colorado 4th of July Sparkler & Fireworks. The tournament consists of a six-game guarantee and modified elimination formats.

“The Colorado Sparkler & Fireworks have been around for a very long time. They are extremely organized and extremely beneficial. If anybody can get their teams to those tournaments, we would recommend it,” said Waters. “That’s where the girls get the scholarships from. Ninety percent of our girls get our scholarships from those tournaments.” 

This year the 2020 Power Pool playoff system will be enhanced, as the top teams in the U.S. Club Rankings and certain at-large teams will be invited to participate.

All the action kicks off on June 28 with College Camp Sunday, which provides high-tempo workouts and drills from college coaches at the Aurora Sports Park.

On Elite College Camp Monday, nationally recognized college coaching staffs will host workouts for a small group of 40 participants to help refine skills and develop a deeper understanding of the game. Programs that have been confirmed for their camp so far include the University of Oregon,  Notre Dame and Texas A&M.

On Tuesday, June 30, uncommitted junior and seniors will run through specific skill stations administered by TCS staff. This event is open to any unsigned graduates in the 2020 or 2021 class and JUCO players. Over the years, this event has hosted over 100 college coaches and had over 50 participants, so it presents a great chance for players to be recruited.

Hundreds of college colleges are attending Colorado 4th of July Sparkler & Fireworks event this year, ranging from DI’s University of New Mexico and the University of Hawaii to NAIA’s Bethel University.

Don’t miss out on getting noticed by college coaches at any of these TCS fastpitch opportunities this summer!

Carving your own space in one of the most competitive softball environments in the nation requires some strong tools, and since its debut in 2015, Diamond Fury Elite Fastpitch has shown a steady handle on the task.

Founded by Mitch Stamper, the Diamond Fury Elite (DFE) program now features nine teams ranging from 10u to 14u and has become one of greater Houston’s toughest challenges for more well-established competition. As a first-year 10u team, Diamond Fury Elite claimed a 2016 USFA National Championship in Panama City, FL., and there’s every indication the learning curve for each roster is bending in the right direction.

Triple Crown had a chance to talk with Stamper in our first Fastpitch Profile of 2020. He grew up in the Northwest and actually got started as a coach with volleyball, working with the 16s and 18s at Club Catalyst in Seattle. He attended the University of Montana where he studied business and later went back to school earning a Mechanical Engineering degree from University of North Dakota.  Mitch and his wife Kristy moved to Houston in 1999 for work in the oil and gas industry.

Q: How did moving into softball come to pass?

A: Our oldest daughter was 5 and said she wanted to play soccer. She then realized all the running was not very interesting. It was too early for volleyball, so she decided to try softball and fell in love. The other dads around it weren’t as experienced, so I got involved.

In 2008 we branched out, took a few kids and started a select team.  That year we went on to finish 5th at the USFA World Series.. That’s what really triggered it.

Q: What drove you to start your own club?

A: We put together a business plan in 2014, when a lot of organizations were blowing up. I wasn’t aligned with their model of 15 teams per age group. I thought it looked like quantity vs. quality, more for profit. In 2015, we brought DFE to life, and we wanted to start an organization that was about quality. Our mission statement is -- “The vision of Diamond Fury Elite fastpitch is to be the most highly regarded select softball program in the nation, by developing long-term, low-attrition relationships with highly motivated players in our program while providing top in class structured programmatic coaching.”

We have small numbers, but our teams are extremely competitive. Every year, we’ve added one or two teams.  Justin Abke came on board in our second year and has been a big part of the program’s growth and now coaches one of the best teams in the state of Texas and certainly will be a national contender this year.

Q: What are some guiding philosophies and practices that help make Diamond Fury unique?

A: The answer is two parts, one that focuses internally and one externally. The internal piece of Diamond Fury Elite is we are a behavior-based program. Everything we do, all our drills and processes, are to drive a behavior in the athlete. An example: have the player chart the pitches they saw in an at-bat. Prior to your next at bat, you then consult the chart, see how you were pitched, flip up and back a couple spots to see if there’s something similar happening with other hitters. At the end of tournament, these notes get tossed as coaches maintain official pitch charts, but what we are instilling in the athlete is being aware of your approach at the plate. You have to know how you are pitched from your first at-bat to your last at bat. By taking the time to review these charts, you might see you’ve chased two or three pitches off the plate. So your approach should be different.

In 2020 we will roll out player handbooks; they fill it out after each game, make notes on anything from that game that you want to work on. It can be good or bad. It drives the behavior; we ask them to, before the next practice, summarize their tournament and send the coach an email saying, these are the things I did well, and what I didn’t do well. We may use that to put a practice plan together if we see a consistency and other girls with similar issues, or maybe we can drive a behavior that says, when you show up for practice, we want you thinking about the tournament that happened a few days ago, and we want you working on the things you need to work on, that you yourself said.

Being a behavioral based program you start to have success with wins vs. losses and your national finishes … parents start to see that there’s value in our program. We’re very selective with our coaches; we could be at 50 teams if we wanted to, but it doesn’t fit our model of “Quality vs Quantity.  We want our recruiting classes small so that when asked about a player we can honestly and on the spot rattle off that players strengths and weaknesses to perspective college coaches.; If it’s not a good set of coaches, parents and kids, then we don’t want to exert the effort into that team. It’s being mindful of the amount of time we have and making sure we are devoting time to those kids who are going to excel and move on, and the coaches that have the same passion.

The program was fortunate in 2019 as we brought on three former players to coach in our 14U division.  The addition of Sloan Walker, Thomasina Garza and Sarah Huey have had a significant impact on their respective teams.  They bring energy, passion, discipline and an ultra-competitive mindset to the field for each practice and game played.  DFE feels that we landed three of the best coaches that Houston has to offer.  Our other coaching staff also consists of former college baseball and football players who have played at the next level. 

Q: What’s the route you take in the search for players?

A: Externally, we look for good families, and probably focus more on the family first before the player. Once you check that box, we also tend to look at the person before the player, which is probably the opposite of all the big organizations. If the person has the demeanor that fits within our culture, we know they will succeed. We’re a little timid to bring someone who doesn’t fit the culture … then we have to end up cutting them, or exiting them, well, we don’t like attrition. We value keeping our players here, and the longer they are here, the smarter and sharper they are, and they get the longevity of being in the same program when college coaches are looking.

If the person fits the culture, we’ll take a chance on an athlete who isn’t where she needs to be, because we can get her skills caught back up. Big organizations routinely come after our kids, because of how fast they develop and how good they get in our program.  The irony here, is that these were the same kids that were in front of them all along We constantly fight that fight, but it has gotten much better as we continue to have success in all age divisions.

We tell our parents that if you stay the course, your kid keeps doing what she’s doing and stepping up her skill level, she will play college ball and DFE will be the conduit for her.  In 2019, our hard work paid off as several colleges started to recognize our program and our players.  Through multiple discussions with coaches, it was very rewarding to receive positive feedback on our program and athletes.. We don’t have 16s and 18s by design, so there’s not a long list of commits, so parents have to take us at our word. They are entrusting us to take their kids to the next level, and in September of 2022, we’ll have that list and that proof. That will be a huge day for the organization and for the parents in our program; I’m sure there will be many tears and celebrations.

Effective January 1, 2020, Triple Crown Fastpitch will be using National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Softball rules with a few modifications.

PITCHING MODIFICATION:
While the pitcher takes the signal, her stride foot may be on or behind the pitcher’s plate as far back as desired.  Once the pitcher initially sets the toe of her stride foot, she CANNOT move it to increase the distance behind the pitcher’s plate. In addition, the pitcher must take or appear to take a signal while in the pitching and signal-taking positions.

INTENTIONAL WALKS:
All pitches including a pitchout must be legally pitched to the catcher and ball is live.

LINEUP MODIFICATIONS:
Any option listed below may be used:
Option 1: Straight nine – Those nine can play any position on defense without reporting to the umpire.
Option 2: DP/Flex – 10 players are listed on the lineup, but only nine bat. The DP can bat for any player that you designate prior to the start of the game. That player is designated as the Flex and should be listed in the 10th spot on the lineup card. Any of the 10 players can play on defense.
Option 3: EH/EP – The option to bat 10 players and any nine can play defense. This player can be placed anywhere in the lineup.
Option 4: DP/Flex and the EP/EH – This allows you to have 11 players listed on the lineup; only 10 will bat and any nine of these players can play defensively. The Flex is listed at the bottom of the lineup.

RUN RULES and GAME TIMES: 
Run rules and game times used will be per the Event Director’s discretion. The run rules and game times being used will be listed for each event under the rules section of the event website.

If you would like to order a NFHS Softball rule book, go to https://nfhs.com and select the 2020 Softball Rules Book. Triple Crown Sports DOES NOT receive any portion of the cost of the NFHS rule book; all proceeds go to NFHS.

​Triple Crown Fastpitch is fortunate enough to connect with intriguing personalities from all reaches of the sport – we’ll be sitting down with some of these people and sharing their history in softball and their thoughts on important topics in the game.

As the heart, soul and engine behind the Justin’s World of Softball website, Justin McLeod has turned a personal passion into a thriving media enterprise. His site is one of the true go-to destinations for news about Division I softball – during the season his day is spent churning through the facts, figures and first-hand knowledge he pulls in from multiple sources. The site averages 55,000 unique views monthly, a number that spikes up significantly during the NCAA season and when coaching-change news is percolating.

Based in northeast Louisiana, McLeod can hop in his car on a given morning and be at sites in six different states before first pitch. He’s restless, with a deep well of contacts and informed opinions that make him a powerful and relevant voice in the ever-intriguing world of fastpitch that expands outside of NCAA developments.

Q: Gameday responsibilities certainly take up your time; how else do you juggle your workload?

A: On non-game days, I check scoreboards, feeds, getting the full scope of everything that’s happening, because there are only so many games I can watch. I head from SIDs, coaches, and I compile it all, and I have to have hard-written notes on a legal pad. As an Internet writer that sounds odd to say, but I can’t go without my legal pad.

I always try to put out two articles a day, even during the season, always some kind of writing. Weekend previews and reviews … I don’t like to write about anybody I haven’t seen, or gone back to watch (on video). During the week, I have at least one or two calls a day of interviews, or talking with coaches, staying as up to date as I can.

Q: You web presence began in 2012; your popularity as a media source is right in line with the spike in growth of appreciation for NCAA softball. That turned out nicely, didn’t it?

A: I started it by chance, at what turned out to be the perfect time. The way the game has grown … you’ve always had people into softball and an audience there, but what is new, people want information and not just what their kid is doing on their team, but also finding out what is going at a school across the country, because it’s softball. You see it in so many other sports. It just worked out, when I started it was at the beginning of that. When I started, there wasn’t much softball media.

Q: Another chance in the recent past – the news cycle in softball can be almost volatile, with coaching changes and player transfers. Is that good or bad for the game?

A: I think those things drive interest – coaching changes, without a doubt that drives a lot of my traffic. When I started, I said I’d track that, but for everybody, not just Power 5 and big schools. People want to keep up with that stuff, and I know a lot of coaches who want to keep up, because they might have a protégé they’re looking out for, or they may be looking themselves. At the same time, you’ve got the transfers … it’s a good thing for the kids to be able to transfer without a lot of regulation, but there should be some. With the transfer portal, it’s gone too far. It’s the same with the recruiting rules … it needed to be fixed, because there were people sitting on the doorstep of 7th and 8th graders, and they needed some breathing room. But now, I think it’s too strict.

The beauty of it is, being in the softball media world, and that world having grown to the level it is now, we play a role in that. Maybe we don’t need to write about every transfer like it’s the greatest thing ever; maybe we don’t write about 2024 prospects right now, maybe we don’t bring that attention to it and maybe that helps affect chance a bit. Even if it’s there, maybe we ease off the sensationalism … nobody wants to see an 8th grader picking her college!

Q: For all the terrific NCAA softball we see, a viable and thriving professional scene for the sport feels elusive, made tougher because there’s not a steady Olympics presence for softball to help generate excitement. Is there a route for pro softball in this country?

A: I do see something there. There are a lot of people who may not realize just what softball has to offer, but when they see it, they really enjoy it, they see the positive traits and it holds their interest. I think pro softball is a viable product; the current makeup of the pro softball league is almost set up to fail, though. There obviously needs to be changes, there needs to be adaptations, and there may need to be, straightforwardly, different people in charge. In and of itself, the product that is pro softball is very viable and can engage people and can build a fan base.
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We have technology and all kinds of avenues that can be utilized, if they’re done right, to help something like this blossom. You’re not seeing those things taken advantage of. Things need to happen approach-wise, marketing-wise, but I think pro softball presented the right way can be very good at bringing in people that wouldn’t normally watch it. It’s exciting and engaging. It’s something that could succeed and very likely will if the right people are in place and the right changes are made. It could and should succeed.

from left, Emily Allard, Carol Bruggeman, TC event director Stephanie Klaviter

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association began as a way to help college softball coaches assemble best practices when the sport was catching serious momentum in the mid-1980s, and it’s obvious how the solid roots of the past have led to a flowering and productive organization today.

With more than 5,700 members and representation from all 50 states and 11 foreign countries, the NFCA presses on with a relentless itch to share information and insight. It’s the kind of thoughtful conversation that helps inform coaches and excite players regardless of age and experience; if there’s a strategy or scheme or theory worth considering, the NFCA has tools to help you build a plan.

Triple Crown Sports was lucky enough to have the NFCA swing through the office in late March, and we sat down with Carol Bruggeman (Executive Director) and Emily Allard (Marketing and Sponsorship Specialist, Travel Ball Coordinator) to talk about the sport as it stands in 2019.

Q: In what was a surprise to many people, the softball community seemed to broadly agree that the days of getting college commitments from 13-years-olds had to end. How did you feel after the NCAA banned active recruiting of players before the start of the junior year of high school? 

Carol: We’re very proud of that fact, and for not only the 14u group but the 12u group. The whole community knows; it wasn’t only a softball issue, but softball was on top of the list in terms of the youngest age of the earliest commits. It was exciting for us to see the softball community come together: high school coaches, travel ball coaches, colleges at all levels, parents and players. We had a lot of players come forward on video and say they were in favor. We tried to hit it from all angles. For years and years, people said there was no way to change it, no way to legislate it. But the powers that be took it as a challenge. I give credit to Samantha Eckstrand, our legal counsel, a lot of credit. And to Joanna Lane, our director of education and D-I liaison, who coordinated a lot of those efforts. The community came together and said, we have an issue. It’s not great for 12- and 13- and 14-year-olds to be making decisions about college. Nobody liked it, and it got done pretty quickly to be honest.

Emily: Everyone took a sigh of relief; a weight was lifted off most importantly from the kids’ shoulders, but also the coaches. A lot of them felt they were in this agent role between parent and players and college coaches. Everyone stepped back and remembered why they were in the game in the first place … to focus on teaching again as opposed to getting these young kids recruited. They can get back to coaching them and helping them be not just the best players they can be, but the best humans they can be as well.

Q: There’s plenty of competition for the attention of athletes; what’s the approach the NFCA has for the continued growth of the sport?

Emily: Our community in general is such big sharers; everybody loves the spot and is invested in it and in giving back. We talk in the office a lot how the legends in our game are still coaching; having this open forum where everyone is willing to share for the betterment of the game. We’re still pretty new; this association is just 35 years old, and it’s fun to see everyone come together, especially for the education. That’s what the NFCA is here for, making sure anyone involved with parents and players has the right knowledge, and the good x’s and o’s … to get them credible information so they are able to pass it along.

Carol: That’s our challenge every day, to make sure we are keeping softball out in front and being innovative. It starts with the players – they have to have fun with their first experience with softball, or they will go to another sport. How do you have fun, have a good time? You need a good coach. That coach makes it a great experience, and that’s where we come in. We want to educate the coaches; make sure they can show that passion and teach the game. As it moves along, our coaches can continue to grow with education. We have various touchpoints – podcasts, webinars, clinics, a convention, classes – I could go on and on. Depending on what level you are on, we have something for you. We’re always trying to innovate. One of the things we did this year for high school travel ball coaches is an exclusive Coaching Tools Package. It’s a practice plan, and that’s what these coaches want. How can I implement something, and how can I get my hands on it right now? Every year you are a member, you get a fresh set of plans and videos that are just for our grass-roots members. We also have a Charts Package – 25 charts that high school, travel ball, college coaches would love to use. That’s been very well received, and the cool thing is all those charts came from member coaches.

Q: Softball will be played in the 2020 Olympics in Japan, but it’s off the board again for the 2024 Games in Paris. It puts a real crimp in the hopes of pushing fastpitch further than the NCAA championships, agreed?

Emily: I remember growing up and watching the (2008) Olympics, and I wanted to be Jennie Finch and play at Arizona, and I saw it – it brought me to the pro league. Young girls having those roles models, who look and talk and act like them, it’s exactly what our sport needs. We have to what we can to help the game grow internationally so we’re not on the bubble every time, and finding a way to get the pro league to be where we all want it to be. It starts with us. If people want to see softball grow at the highest level, they have to support it.

Carol: A kick in the gut. For four different Olympiads we were in, with no issue. We were out, now we’re back in for 2020, and in 2024 we’re going to be out again. We’re hoping in 2028 we’ll be back in, since it’s in Los Angeles and we’ll be hosting. Unfortunately, as popular as softball is in the Americas, the Asian countries and Australia, in the European part of the world it’s not super popular. We have partnered with the European Softball Coaches Association to help them educate their coaches and grow the sport. The more we grow it in Europe, where there’s the majority of the voting power in the International Olympic Committee, the better. USA Softball is doing clinics all over the world, trying to make sure fastpitch softball is considered down the road. But it’s a kick in the gut; it affects people being able to play after college. Our pro league continues to battle and try to get on track and grow; this year there are a lot of international teams in the pro league which is great, but I do worry a bit about what that means for the pro league down the road when we aren’t in the Olympics. We support the pro league, of course. We have to keep doing what we can to educate coaches not only in this country but globally, so softball can sustain its success and make it a no-brainer to be in the Olympics.