Crossroads District Park is one of our favorite fields to hold a tryout. It is a single field, but it is large and spacious while still feeling cozy. As with so many Arizona fields, the infield surface is very good. There is a reason so many players from Arizona know how to defend in the infield. They get real reps with true bounces. And that is a key to players development.
As Heather and I were watching the end of the tryout, we both agreed that Arizona is a softball hot bed. If I were a college coach at a smaller school, I would recruit Arizona like crazy. There are solid players who just fall thru the cracks. There are only 3 D1 schools - Arizona, Arizona State, and Grand Canyon. There are several other programs, along with a robust Community College league. There is no question that there are more good players than the schools in Arizona can handle.
A case in point is 2022 Middle Infielder Lauren Newlin from the Desert Thunder. Lauren is a very solid player. She has two offers on the table. However, she wants to study nursing, and feels the need to keep looking for that perfect fit. She is a solid lefty hitter. Defensively a good skill set and a good arm. There is no question that Lauren could play at various schools across the country. My gut feeling is there are other players slipping thru those cracks as well. We would encourage every college program to look into Arizona prospects each and every year.
We also need to mention 2025 C/UT Madison Sauni and 2024 Jordan McMahon. Both players showed a great combination athleticism and solid, developing skills sets. Jordan came to the 2020 Phoenix Tryout and since then has become quicker, faster, and stronger. Her skill set was on the right track, but needed to develop her athleticism some more. And it has had a huge impact on her overall game. We are excited to get both player, along with a few others in front of the college coaches this summer.
Finally, we want to thank Becca Lee and her father, Paul Lee, for their help with the tryout. Becca, who works with the Rogue organization, has now thrown BP for us a few times. It was great to see her again. As for Paul . . . we go way back. Paul was one of the best travel ball coaches in the West when he was coaching Victory and several other teams. He stepped away somewhere around 2009, we think, and went back to baseball. So, it was good to see him out there once again hitting great fungo.
We want to thank all the players and parents who joined us for this tryout, it was a lot of fun. Please keep us updated on your tournament and game schedules and email them to info@ondecksoftball.net
Listed below are the players selected and the invitations they are guaranteed. It is important to know that players were considered for Jamborees and Elite Camps. The Rosetta Canyon Jamboree invitations have been sent. The Colorado Jamboree invitations will be sent February 23rd. The Fall Jamboree invitations will be sent July 8th. All invitations are sent via email to the address provided in registration, unless otherwise requested. Please add info@ondecksoftball.net to your contacts to ensure you get the invitation.
- Jordan McMahon
- Madison Sauni
- Aubrie Burgos
- Lauren Newlin
- Quinn Salazar
- Charleigh Schuettler
- Kyndall Williams
Fall Jamboree (Nov 4th)
- Jordan Echtner
- Chloe Jackson
- Kendall Nevin
- Cian Noli
- Sammy Swords
- Palehua Silva
- Brianna Wunderle
Please remember that the ODM numbers, while growing increasingly important, are only a snapshot of a player’s evaluation and potential. They are also just a portion of the Tryout selection process, for more information read Your Tryout & ODM Numbers. Use these numbers as a tool and work at developing your athleticism, but constantly work on improving and refining your softball skill set – both offensively and defensively.
These numbers have also been posted to your profile. An Allister Index is not given with Tryout ODM numbers.
Player evaluations are available for purchase for the next two weeks ($35/player). Evaluations take 10 business days to be written, formatted and posted from the date of purchase. Evaluations are posted to the player's profile, but only viewable by the player when logged in.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE EVALUATION
All tryout evaluations must be purchased by March 9th
If you have any questions email us at info@ondecksoftball.net
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