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