Help Support the Lady Raider Softball Team

Dear Supporter,

The Lady Raider Softball team has an exciting year planned.  We are asking for donations to raise funds that are necessary for the Lady Raider Softball program to operate. We depend on businesses as well as individuals in the community to support our team in order for us to not only compete but also represent the City of Cleveland. I am hoping that you will consider sponsoring us with a donation of $25 or more that will assist us with important team expenses.  Our expenses for the 2012-2013 season consists of umpire fees, tournament fees, travel, team apparel, field maintenance, as well as new equipment for the team's progression.

Our goal is to acquire sufficient funds from sponsors to strengthen the foundation of our team and to ensure the future success of the program.  Your donation serves as an excellent way to give back to your community. We graciously accept any assistance you can offer and thank you in advance for your support for our team and Cleveland High School.

Donors will be presented with a letter of thanks as well as an autographed team photo.  Any donor that gives over $100 will receive sponsor status which will be recognized on our team sponsor board located at the Lady Raider Softball Stadium as well as name recognition over the P. A. system during our home games.

Please help support our softball program and our outstanding student-athletes. All funds will be used for the promotion of a quality softball program at Cleveland High School.  We hope to see you at our games this spring! Please print and complete the form below.

Thank You for Your Support,


Connie Stobert
Head Softball Coach
Cleveland High School
423.478.1113 x8568
cstobert@clevelandschools.org

Donor Information:

Business Name/Organization: ________________________________________________________________

Owner/Contact Person: ______________________________________________________________

Mailing Address: ___________________________ City: _____________ Zip:  _________________

Business Phone: _______________________ OR Contact Person Phone: ______________________

Email Address: ____________________________________________________________________
Name as you wish for it to appear on the 2012-2013 Cleveland Lady Raider Sponsor Board (if you donate $100 or more)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________
**Please attach or email a business logo or business card that you would like to appear on the sponsor board.

Lady Raider Asking for Your Support: __________________________________________________________________

Please Mail Completed Form and Donation to:

CHS Lady Raider Softball

c/o Connie Stobert

850 Raider Drive

Cleveland, TN  37312

 

*Make checks payable to CHS Softball

 

Thank You for Your Support!

Please direct any questions to cstobert@clevelandschools.org

 

Proof of Our Success

Here's a comparison of this year's stats versus last year's stats.  For some teams a winning record may suggest success although the following may suggest otherwise. 

                          2011         vs.        2012

Hits                    97                          191
Singles               74                          139
Doubles             17                          40
Triples                5                            7
HR                     1                            5
RBI                    30                          92
BB                     34                          64
Runs                  56                         113
Batting Avg        .203                      .250
Slugging             .265                      .338
On Base Avg     .270                      .311
Fielding %         .799                      .846
ERA                  4.53                      2.99
Team Record     5-23                     14-21

We may have fallen short of a winning record but our proof of success is simply a huge improvement.  We are building a foundation for success and what's to come.

Not only are we achieving on the diamond but check out what other accomplishments our girls have made:

• Team GPA:  3.56
• 4.0 GPA:  Jasmine Martin, Abi Dye, Hannah Holland, Haley Hodgson
• 14 out of 17 girls kept a GPA of 3.5 or higher all year.
• Jasmine Martin elected Student Representative for the Cleveland City Schools Board of Education for the upcoming school year.
• Seniors Yoshi Hooks, Jacora Parker, and Karli Bledsoe awarded Raider Scholar for 3 or more honors classes and a GPA of 3.5 or higher, Highest Distinction Honors for 10 honors courses and also members of the National Honor Society.
• Karli Bledsoe awarded the Holocaust English Literature Award and Biology 2 Award.
• Yoshi Hooks awarded Tennessee Scholar by the Chamber of Commerce.
• Brittany Arnold and Abi Dye awarded by the Cleveland Daily Banner as softball Player of the Week this season.

Congrats ladies on a good year! I am very proud of your accomplishments!

Another Player of the Week

Congrats to Brittany, freshmen softball Player of the Week.  http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/18560519/article-Player-of-the-Week?

Improvement

The Lady Raiders came up a bit short but played a great game. 

http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/18303927/article-Lady-Raiders-come-up-just-short-in-10?instance=main_article

District Win Over The Bradley Bears 4-2

Congrats ladies for defeating district hometown rival Bradley High School.  It was good to finally win a district game on our home turf.  Our lefty senior Yoshi Hooks pitched 7 innings with 6 K's and 1 walk.  She only gave up 3 hits and 1 earned run.   Yoshi was 3-4 with a double.  Jacora was 1-4 with a run scored and an RBI.  Hannah Holland came through as always with a SAC bunt.  Brittany Arnold was 2-2 with a line shot HOME RUN!  (Congrats BB!)  Jasmine Martin and Karli Bledsoe were both 1-3.  We had 9 hits collectively. 
Great job on keeping the lead and setting the tone for the game.  You have had many compliments on how much you are improving.  #ProudCoach.

Yoshi Hooks Pitches a No-No

After 7 months on the injury list, senior Yoshi Hooks is finally released to play.  Yoshi has only pitched a few games this season and didn't waste any time stepping in and bringing the heat to the mound.  She faced 17 batters with 8 strikeouts and only gave up one walk.  Way to step up to the challenge! That's a great way to start out your senior year. 

http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/18070541/article-Yoshi-Hooks-fires-no-no?

Player of the Week

Congratulations to Abi Dye, Player of the Week.  I am very proud of you!

http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/17982470/article-Player-of-the-Week?

Tournament Champions

I would first like to thank all of our parents for their hard work and dedication this past weekend.  This tournament would not have been a success without you! Thank you so much for your hard work and support of this team. 

Despite several hours of rain delays and grueling hours of preparing the fields, we were finally able to get things rolling on Saturday around noon.  After losing our first two pool play games, their girls turned it around and won 2 games against Red Bank which moved them into the semi finals of the bracket.  The semi final was a true test of mental strength and determination.  The first 6 innings were a pitcher's dual with no score from both offenses.  Our Freshmen pitcher Carly Frost pitched an amazing game with 9 strikeouts, 1 walk and only 3 hits.  After the 6th inning we went into a 3 inning, nail biting, tie breaker.  At this point it came down to mental toughness and which team would execute routine plays.  In the bottom of the 9th inning, with a runner at third base, and two strikes on our number 5 hitter, Nanea Haruo hit a bloop just over the third baseman's head for the game winning RBI!

This game moved the Lady Raiders into the championship game against Silverdale Baptist.  The game began at 12:45am Sunday morning.  The girls were so determined that they coasted through with a 4-1 win to take the championship trophy.  Kudos to Haley Hodgson for pitching a great game!  All of the girls did a great job displaying mental toughness, character and determination.  The Player of the Tournament goes to Abi Dye with a .857% fielding percentage, .333 batting average, on base % of .400, slugging .556%, 2 singles, 4 doubles and 6 RBI's. She is also going to be featured in the Cleveland Daily Banner as the Check into Cash Player of the Week. 

Great job Lady Raiders!  I am very proud of your performance and improvement. Current record is 4-5. 

New Batting Cages

With the help of our wonderful parents and players, we have constructed new batting cages and bullpens.  Thank you parents for your support and hard work.  It definitely doesn't go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated.  I would be very difficult to run a program without you. 



Gatlinburg Retreat

The Lady Raiders enjoyed a fun weekend filled with fellowship and team building activities.  It was a great way to kick off our season. 

After a few mins of complete chaos, the team managed to regroup and complete the human knot in less than five minutes.

The Freshmen and Sophomores got to show us their skills in the kitchen with a pancake breakfast.

The Juniors and Seniors showed off their skills as well.  We enjoyed a special alfredo recipe from Jacora and sweet cupcakes for dessert.

Team Challenge Winners:  Brittany, Abi, Carly and Karli

Winter Retreat

The retreat has been approved for February 10-12 in Gatlinburg, TN.  Deadline for money is February 2.  Looking forward to a great time of fellowship and team bonding. 

Lady Raiders Featured on the Web

The Lady Raiders are featured on the web using Nemo's Speed Training Bat.  This is a program developed by Dennis Nemo Tessicini, a well known hitting coach in Oregon.  Nemo's program has been featured in many national magazines and is used by several colleges including Lee University and the University of Tennessee. Lee University's softball coach Emily Moore Russell introduced our team to the Nemo Program while instructing our hitting lessons during this off-season.  The girls have been working diligently and have shown much improvement.  Big thanks to Emily for taking time out of your schedule to work with us!  We greatly appreciate your hard work and look forward to much improvement this season. 

http://www.speedbat.com/coachestwo.html

Hitting Lessons

Its that time again. The off-season is used as a time to develop as a player.  I have contacts to arrange individual hitting lessons with some of the Lee Softbal players.  Please contact me if you are interested.

"In the end, it's extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more that that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together, and even if you don't win, how can you lose?"- Jesse Owens

Winter Retreat

Parents,

We are planning a winter retreat Feb. 3-4 to Gatlinburg.  If any of you would like to come as chaperones we would love to have you.  The cost is approximately $75 per person.  I have room for about 5 parents.  Please contact me if you are interested.

Message Dog

Parents and Players: 
We have a messaging system called Message Dog designed to send out important messages such as game times, cancellations, and other announcements via text.  You can sign up for this service free of charge using the following directions:

1.  Text (directly as written) chsSoftball to the number 82672.
2.  You will receive a confirmation that will ask you to reply "Yes" to confirm your registration.
3.  Once you have completed step 2, you should be set.
4.  If you do not receive the confirmation then your registration is not complete. Let me know if you have any problems.
5.  FYI:  Once you are registered, you can NOT reply to any messages you receive through this system.  Any questions or concerns will have to be sent to my direct phone number.

UNIVERSITY OF TN SOFTBALL GAME

The University of TN will be hosting the NCAA regional tournament this weekend May 20-22.  We will be taking a trip to see the Lady Vols play this Saturday at 2:00.  There will be 3 games at 2:00, 4:30, and 7:00.  General admission for all 3 sessions will cost $15.  We will meet and depart from the CHS softball field at 12:00.  Please let me know if you plan to attend ASAP.  Hope to see you then! 

Final Thoughts of the Season

I want each of you to know how proud I am.  Despite the adversity you have been through this season and many seasons before, your attitude and dedication speaks volumes.  Not one time this year did I ever question your work ethic or attitude.  Each day you came to work and you did so without complaint and with a great attitude. You put in many grueling hours of hard work, sweat and yes, even tears.  You learned the definition of what it takes to be mentally tough and the dedication and commitment it takes to make a team work.  Now, we may not have seen a huge return but I am faithful that we will. In fact, you are already making returns that may not be visible now but are developing you into more than just a softball player.

Being a softball player is not "who you are" it is just something you do.  As you travel throughout your high school career you will find that this experience will add to the person you are and who you will become.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how many games we win. Our program is a program that entails more than just the game.  It is a program that possesses high character with students that are developing into great people.  When you look back at this experience you won't remember the scores, what you will remember is the relationships and the memory of being a part of something special that you can call your family. 

Ladies, I want nothing more than for you to become successful people in life. I hope this season was a learning experience for you and that you will come back ready to be contenders next year.  Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication.

Senior Night

Congratulations Katie!  We are so proud of you!  We appreciate the sacrifices and the dedication you have given for the program.  Good luck in all of your endeavors.  You will be greatly missed!

Keep On Keeping On

Ladies,
I just wanted to say that I am proud of each and every one of you for the hard work and sacrifices you have made to be a part of this program.  It's not always easy but you come out every day with the determination to get better and better.  I appreciate that because you do so without complaint. We may not reap the benefits immediately but your hard work will eventually pay off! We saw glimpses of that this weekend and soon we will see more and more...keep on, keeping on! You're doing great!

Freshmen

Many of you played positions yesterday that you had little or no experience.  Despite this fact, you stepped up to the challenge and got the job done.  You could have easily unraveled but instead you were calm, focused, and confident.  It takes a lot of maturity to handle the stresses of such change and I am proud of you for your ability to do so.  It is those qualities that make athletes great.

Congratulations to Hannah Holland, our player of the game. She showed off her ability by making several tough defensive plays and an RBI single to tie the game 1-1.  Great job Hannah! And great job team!  I am very proud of all of you for a game well-played.