2019 S&C USA ELITE SELECT SUMMER SHOWCASE – 16Us
This past weekend Sean Hall of the Midwest Speed and S&C Sport Services hosted the 2019 S&C USA Elite Select Summer Showcase in Lakeville, MN. The showcase consisted of teams in the 18U, 16U, and 14U age ranges with a “gold” and an “open” division for each age. Games were hosted at the beautiful Aronson Park as well as other fields located nearby in Farmington, MN. There are eight fields with plenty of parking – including roads leading to each field – and the grounds crew did a superb job of preparing and maintain the fields, even when rain hit. There was also a showcase clinic that took place Thursday and was an all day affair full of hands-on developed, instruction from college coaches, and games later in the day.
This tournament pulled a number of strong teams, especially from the South Dakota Renegades and Iowa Premier programs, in addition to over 50 collegiate coaches from all different levels of play. Another unique element of this tournament is that it is not a “Stay to Play” event; a fan favorite among the teams from out of town. The event was well run with a number of standout teams and athletes; however that isn’t a surprise, as anytime Coach Hall is running an event it tends to be a success!
Let’s take a look at some of the 16U teams and athletes that caught our eye this last weekend!
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Midwest Speed 03 Gold – Loshek versus Impact Fastpitch 16U
Impact Fastpitch fell to the eventual 16U Gold Tier 1B Bracket champions, 9-2, but during their pool play matchup one particular player caught my eye: 2021 catcher, Sophie Wery, from Seymour, WI.
Wery was one of the best catchers I was able to watch this past weekend at the S&C Showcase. She had a strong arm with some good pop and a lot of energy and presence behind the plate. I found myself constantly being drawn back to watching her compete. Wery moved well and was smooth rather it was blocking, holding runners, or managing her field. She was also one of the better receiving catchers I came across during the tournament. You can tell she simply loves the game and being on the field and I’m not sure there was ever a time she wasn’t the first back on the dirt when the Impact’s defense took over.
Oh! She also blasted a two-run home run to dead center with a nice little swing. Wery’s a solid little player who I really enjoyed watching.
Shifting the the Midwest Speed. This group has a lot of complimentary pieces that make for a strong team who should be able to continue competing at a high level across the country. During their 9-2 victory the Speed saw production from the entire lineup who peppered all corners of the field and scored runs in a number of different ways. Madeline Ringen (2021), Genevieve Ovsak (2021), and Logan Anderson (2021) contributed home runs while a number of Speed athletes recorded RBI singles and doubles en route to the victory.
Dakota Legends versus Midwest Speed 16U Gold
A special shout out goes to Dakota Legends shortstop, Abbie Witt (2020). Not only did her defensive play catch my eye but, more importantly her vocal leadership and presence on the field. Witt made a nice, hyper athletic play on a ground ball to the 5-6 hole; she fielded the ball, check and held the runner at third, then fired over to first in time to secure the out. While that may sound “routine” what was impressive was all of the minor details she did right – the way she so smoothly fielded and transitioned the ball, kept herself under control, and continued to move her feet instead of freezing in place. It was just smooth and showed a high level of softball IQ.
As far as her vocal leadership went – during one part of the game tensions began to run a touch high, including off-field, and it was Witt who spoke up to get everyone calmed down and refocused. I was impressed and appreciated her leadership ability, something that will suit her well going forward.
Iowa Premier 16U Gold – JK
I was able to watch a bit of this Iowa Premier team throughout the entire weekend and they were fun to keep up with. As to be expected when you sit down to an Iowa Premier contest, they were well coached and well put together. They cleaned up in their pool, posting a 3-0 record while scoring 35 runs and only allowing two. Premier secured a spot in the 16U Gold Tier 1A bracket but fell in the semi-final round to eventual champion, Nebraska Premier 16U Gold. They finished T-3rd in the 16U age group.
I saw Emma Henderson (2021) throw against Fury – Roberts and she was extremely effective inducing a variety of ground and fly outs. The Iowa Premier defense played solidly behind her, making Premier virtually impossible to score against.
Midwest Speed 16U Gold versus Minnesota A’s – Maroon
This was a tight, competitive contest that took place late under the lights. First and foremost, the Speed’s Sydney Schwartz (2022) immediately commanded attention. I’ve had the pleasure of following her career as well as watching her compete at camps and all I can say is she just keeps getting better.
Schwartz was dominant in every game I watched her throw. Oh! And she can still swing it, big time. Verses the A’s she was hard to touch. Her off-speed is nasty and it appears she is throwing a multi-leveled rise with solid command. Schwartz does need to continue to work on limiting free passes but she is only getting better in the circle. Offensively, Schwartz helped her cause, blasting a moonshot to center that was a no-doubter instantly off the bat. She has a lot of power, and not only can you see it immediately in person but her testing numbers back it up. In June 2018 she was tested with AthPro360 and logged an exit velocity of 69 mph (good for the 95th percentile). There is no doubt that has increased with another year under her belt.
For the A’s, Taylor Braun’s (2020) speed was notable as she has the ability to put a lot of pressure on the defense and make them uncomfortable. She also handled the catching duties and had some great pop behind the plate, she could be a little wild but when online, Braun has a strong throw and is a threat to base runners. All around she was a solid little catcher who was fun to watch on both sides of the ball.
I would have liked to watch this A’s team play again as they seem to have a good group with some solid talent, but stringing hits together against Schwartz is a tall task for any opponent.
The Speed’s McKinley Malecha (2021) caught this contest and was fun to watch as well. She was calm and cool behind the dish, shook the umpires hand at the start of the matchup, appeared to call the entire game, and traded thrown out runners with the A’s Braun. The collective catching play may have been one of the best elements of this game!
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