Colorado Jamboree Monday

A short 17 hours after a very successful Colorado Sunday Jamboree, another group of outstanding players from across the country filed thru the gates of Complex A at the Aurora Sports Park. There was a buzz from the get-go as a highly anticipated group of pitchers checked-in and started getting ready for the day. And while the pitchers totally lived up to and even exceeded their reputations, there were many other great performances as well.

The pitchers cycled thru the hitting field first and displayed high level offensive potential. The catchers followed and didn’t disappoint. All were solid hitters while many displayed real power potential. Special mention needs to go to 2028 Maddy Bittman (Lady Magic), 2029 Ellie Rydberg (Mission 14U), and 2030 Savannah Taffolla (Explosion).  All three displayed solid defensive skill sets coupled with high level hitting potential. The catchers were an excellent group without question.

Next the position players. Shockingly, the very first player was an uncommitted OF/3B out of Crest Hill, Illinois. Emma Sommerfeld is a legit Power 4 prospect who swings it well, plays a solid 3B, and plays an excellent outfield. We are amazed she has not found her school quite yet, but expect that to happen soon. 

2028 Izianah Castillo put on a show, particularly at shortstop. There can be no one in this class with a quicker release on her throws than Izianah. She was unbelievable on defense and showed the talent to play at any school in the country. But she was just one of many in this camp who could defend and hit with the best of them. Rarely have we had such a deep pool of talented all-around players. 2029 middle infielders Ijeoma Hardaway (Grapettes), Abby Stenerson (CO Batbusters), and Tamiayh Ward (LTG) all were exceptional swinging it and playing defense. And 2030 middle infield twins Kennedy and Taylor Lugowski continued to show the progress that is pushing them up the charts of many schools across the country.

And now to the pitchers. Thirty-two of them graced the infield on Field 4 and put on a show. The 85+ college coaches in attendance were riveted as they watched the group work. Nate Walker, the pitching guru who works with both softball and MLB and is sparse with his compliments, simply said they were EXCELLENT. I cannot do justice to them all, so I will refrain from singling out any individuals. Suffice it to say that they all have a real chance to pitch at the highest level of the college game when all is said and done. All they need to do is keep working on their games.

We’d like to point out that we had several players in this Jamboree who play for organizations which are not really known nationally. R.O.I Fastpitch out of the Midwest is one such group; yet, they had three outstanding players attend this high level event. 2028 3B Reagan Brandt, 2028 P Maisey McCarty, and 2030 P/SS Gabriyella Kessler all are tremendous prospects who will be recruited at the highest levels. This is just one example of how exciting it is indeed to see how deep the talent level in this sport truly is. From the Batbusters and the Bombers to R.O.I and GenuWin Reign, we are seeing truly talented players across the country.

One last note. We are very thankful for the relationship we have with Triple Crown Sports, and more specifically Dave and Keri King, Kelly Salberg, and Krista Crawford. Their support of our endeavors is appreciated more than they can know.

And with the 25th anniversary of OnDeck Softball, we can’t fully convey the thanks we owe all the families, travel ball coaches, college coaches, and tournament directors who have helped us in our endeavors over the years.