Four King Crazy

Sounds like an awesome complex! What a great experience for the young ladies.

District Tournament starts May 18th so counting today you have 53 Days to play games which is going to be cut short with April showers! This is just my opinion coming from a parent of a young lady who has graduated and we both miss the game! The season is too short already so buy a couple heaters for dugout and bundle up, do whatever you can to make them comfortable, break out the older bats and put away the $300 bats and play ball. Now if you want to add a fall season or make it a fall sport which makes more sense I would be all for that! That topic has been beat to death! Could you imagine how much better teams would be coming in off summer ball or being able to practice on dirt before games actually start!

Snap! Only thing I remember from last year was the last 20 some games even that is a blur!

I don't know how pools were determined but luckily Highlands pool includes 3 good teams in pool play! Friday 27th at 5:30 vs Boone Co. which is ranked 4th in Northern Kentucky Poll Saturday 28th at 9:00 vs Franklin Co. which is 32nd in state ranking receiving 39 votes in top 25. Saturday 28th at 10:30 vs St. Henry which is ranked 8th in Northern Kentucky poll. Those 3 games will be good warm ups for the competition the birds will see on the tour of the bluegrass over Spring break!

The KHSAA should strive to improve the product on the field! - The umpire training should be free and travel expenses reimbursed! Especially after the fiasco at the state tourney last year! Not to mention what a great opportunity to work with the umpires. Maybe even develop some new guys! MOST OF ALL SHOULD THE KHSAA SHOULD WORK ON IMPROVING PLAYING CONDITIONS AT THE STATE TOURNAMENT FOR FAST PITCH SOFTBALL! Absolutely a shame that these young ladies work as hard as any other sport yet there state championship is played on a beer leauge slow pitch softball complex converted for the weekend! Dirt infield extends out to where outfielders are often standing on the dirt. A temporary fence is absurd!

That's funny: If you were chasing championships in softball at the High School level and were going to transfer into the 9th region where would you go before the 2014 season? I doubt Highlands was in that discussion if so it was likely a short discussion: Highlands Fastpich Softball Program (pre 2014) - an occasional district championships - had never won a regional championship - 1 young lady playing in college - games are played in the valley which was one of the worst home fields in the region. Not a great resume IF you were looking to transfer to a "Top Softball School" you would end up in Boone County or a catholic school not at Highlands! Although if you were looking for a school where you are guaranteed the opportunity to get a great education getting you ready for college while having an awesome high school experience, HHS is a pretty good option! Let's face it before this year Highlands Fast Pitch softball team was never part of the discussion of the top teams in the 9th region in fact was glad to be in the discussion of the second tier teams in the region! Even last year it was there is all kinds of poetntial but until they prove they are able to play with the big 3! I have heard a couple of the girls that graduated last year are trying to question there transcripts wanting to come back and play with one more year of eligibility.

The 9th Region is going to be fun again this year! The tournament should be another good old good one. Yes I am a Bird Fan and obviously know more about the birds (which isn't much) than the other teams. I will let the fans of the others fill in the details on there reply: For years it has been said if you want to be in the discussion with the best you need to beat the best! 1. Highlands- Since Highlands is the defending champion and only graduated a couple ole outfielders they will be tough to beat again this year with 2 returning seniors that have tons of experience in Whitney Quillen and Payton Leighty both very excellent all around players with so much experience to share with the younger girls! Then they have a great Junior Class with Shelby Graybill and Brenna Dutcher (both sluggers that had over 50 RBI each last year) along with Haley Coffey a great defensive player that should have a break out season offensively, and don't forget about Bailey Spencer in the circle that when healthy is among the best pitchers in the 9th region, then you have 8th grader Rachael Gabbard who was the new comer at 2nd base last year as a 7th grader and turned many heads with her solid play in the field and with her bat. The big question is who will step up this year will it be Miranda Mason who threw a perfect game in the tournament last year or will it be Josie Daley or Brooke Dill who have both been playing year around or Morgan Coffey, Chloe Jansen or maybe the Fornasch girl who can absolutely fly or will it be a new comer like the Barth girl who is an amazing athlete! Bottom line is there are 2 open spots from last years 9 th region championship lineup which is going to make for an interesting competition between at least 4 or 5 girls! 2. Notre Dame - they graduated like 6 starters but when you have 2 of the best 3 pitchers in the Region and all of Northern Kentucky you can not forget about them not to mention several other girls that were major contributors. 3. Conner- they have been in the top of the 9th region talk for as long as I can remember, and they have a great pitcher coming back as well so I expect them to reload and be in the hunt all season! 4. Boone Co. - It's hard to replace your best player and leader, but you better believe Boone will Hit the ball. 5. Newport Catholic- pitching is a big part of the top 3 in my poll so I have to include NCC in my top 5 they have one of the best batteries with Schrieber catching and that pitcher who had 4 or 5 no hitters last year. If they can get everyone to show up they could make a run in the All A classic and could make some noise in the 9th Region Tournament.

The 9th Region is going to be fun again this year! The tournament should be another good old good one. Yes I am a Bird Fan and obviously know more about the birds than the other teams. I will let the fans of the others fill in the details on there reply: For years it has been said if you want to be in the discussion with the best you need to beat the best! 1. Highlands- Since Highlands is the defending champion and only graduated a couple ole outfielders they will be tough to beat again this year with 2 returning seniors that have tons of experience in Whitney Quillen and Payton Leighty both very excellent all around players with so much experience to share with the younger girls! Then they have a great Junior Class with Shelby Graybill and Brenna Dutcher (both sluggers that had over 50 RBI each last year) along with Haley Coffey a great defensive player that should have a break out season offensively, and don't forget about Bailey Spencer in the circle that when healthy is among the best pitchers in the 9th region, then you have 8th grader Rachael Gabbard who was the new comer at 2nd base last year as a 7th grader and turned many heads with her solid play in the field and with her bat. The big question is who will step up this year will it be Miranda Mason who threw a perfect game in the tournament last year or will it be Josie Daley or Brooke Dill who have both been playing year around or Morgan Coffey, Chloe Jansen or maybe the Fornasch girl who can absolutely fly or will it be a new comer like the Barth girl who is an amazing athlete! Bottom line is there are 2 open spots from last years 9 th region championship lineup which is going to make for an interesting competition between at least 4 or 5 girls! 2. Notre Dame - they graduated like 6 starters but when you have 2 of the best 3 pitchers in the Region and all of Northern Kentucky you can not forget about them not to mention several other girls that were major contributors. 3. Conner- they have been in the top of the 9th region talk for as long as I can remember, and they have a great pitcher coming back as well so I expect them to reload and be in the hunt all season! 4. Boone Co. - It's hard to replace your best player and leader, but you better believe Boone will Hit the ball. 5. Newport Catholic- pitching is a big part of the top 3 in my poll so I have to include NCC in my top 5 they have one of the best batteries with Schrieber catching and that pitcher who had 4 or 5 no hitters last year. If they can get everyone to show up they could make a run in the All A classic and could make some noise in the 9th Region Tournament.

What softball field is wedding at? Congrats

Did you all vote for player of year awards at this meeting? :-)

I would discuss it with her travel coach that handles the hitting. If they don't have one find a hitting instructor. I would bet her travel team will have a variety of weight and length of bats. 32/22 is a pretty big bat. If she can swing it that's great. I would guess a young girl like that needs a lighter bat. That is a totally different topic.

How many High School teams are enjoying this great weather and getting the girls outside on the dirt working out? I was driving by the "Birdcage" the other day and saw a group of 30 or so girls on the field. As an Alumni Parent had to stop by and see what was going on. I was impressed with how many girls was at Voluntary workouts! It's an exciting time for girls softball with so many girls playing the game!

I am pro summer ball! There is a level to challenge EVERY ability and develop skills by playing games! IMO The key is too get as many innings between the lines as they can! It helps the hitter to face as many different quality pitchers and how to handle the different pitches! Same with base running and Defensively to have a better grasp of the game! What coach wouldn't want kids that have worked to get better and refine fundamentals while gaining a better grasp of the game by playing 30-40 games over the summer. I am not saying there hasn't been great high school players that didn't play summer ball but could they of been better if they had played 40 more games over the summer. I bet you they would have! As far as expense it's not cheap but it's not expensive either. My Daughter played on summer ball team that was made up of girls from around the 275 loop likewise that's where most of the tournaments they played were (we did play in showcase tournaments in Dayton and Columbus each year which were overnight stays). The fees ranged from 300-500 per summer and they played typically 8-10 tournaments! For kids that may struggle with those fees I believe the RBI Team affiliated with the Reds don't charge a fee. Our personal experience: My daughter was told by a youth coach about the 7th grade she should stick with dance that she would never be a good high school fastpitch player! She started working with (Chipp Gregg) the next week for lessons and clinics! In fact the first lesson she puked on him! The comment by that coach has always been a chip on her shoulder along with hard work and a love for the game and some great coaching over the years she became a decent High School Player who just had a DREAM SENIOR YEAR that she will remember the rest of her life! So will I!! It is a long story that I would love to go into with all of you some day under a different thread! The important part of my post is thanks to the life lessons she learnt from playing a game and the friendships she developed playing the game she loves she has developed a great work ethic that will follow her the rest of her life! It has been my pleasure to watch her develop into a fine young lady that ran on and off the field every time, and if you can't tell I am very proud of her! This Young Lady wanted to play college ball, but chose to forgo the dream of playing at a smaller college (possibly Bellarmine or Mount St. Joe) to attend Evansville University where she has received a 6 year academic scholarship which includes direct entry into the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program! Long story short is the life lessons taught and the life long friendships developed by playing a game while developing a solid work ethic were all benefits my daughter got from playing a High School sport while spending 3 summers playing a game she loved while she worked to improve was priceless! When one of these young ladies gets her college paid for its simply bonus action in the big game of LIFE!

I could care less who is in the final 4 every year that may be the dumbest argument for where to host the state tournament that I have ever heard! Somebody is lining somebodies pocket is the general consensus by everyone outside of Owensboro and the Western Part of the state! Why else would they play on a sub par fields that are been rigged to accommodate fast pitch softball. This isn't just a 16u tournament it's supposed to be the High School State Championship! Yes they have a nice press box, and air conditioned toilets but half the parking is in a field. It should be played at a complex with fast pitch softball fields whether the last 6 state champions has to spend the money for hotel rooms. Anybody know a title IX attorney this would be an easy case!

2014-2015 Cincinnati Static Tryouts for 8U - 23U Wed 8/6 from 6:00 to Dark Sat 8/9 rain date 8/10 Sat 8/16 rain date 8/17 8U & 12U 9am - 12:00 13U - 23U 1:00 - 4:00 Groesbeck Park 8296 Clara Ave Cincinnati, Ohio 45239 A great organazation

KHSAA- Is that parent or Guardian that wants someone else to tell there kid they have to wear a mask!

The number 1 criteria is to have the facilities! It must have 4 fast pitch fields. It must have a central concession/ Media Building like Jack C Fischer! Parking seems to be a major concern as well. Although in Owensboro the plan was to bus people from a church if grass was too wet. I don't care where the facility is in Kentucky that's where the tournament should be. No matter where it's at travel and overnight stays are an inconvenience for more than half the regions. If there is 2 facilities rotate it. Just say NO to temporary fences and 125 foot skinned infields!

Is it more important for the KHSAA to make money or play on fields designed to accommodate the sport? I don't care what part of the state the games are played BUT PLAY them on Fast Pitch Fields! Temporary Fencing is a JOKE! I like the Idea of the Super Regions! Play Districts (1 and out) with top 2 teams advancing to Regionals (16) Play Regionals (1 and out) with top 2 teams advancing to Super Regionals Play Super Regionals (1 and out) with top 2 teams advancing to State Play State tournament (1 and out) and determine a state champion This would allow you to play the games on College Fields or at least the best fields in the state!

Obviously Thunderbird was fed up with the way the league is run and in his eyes has been run the last couple of years so he voiced his displeasure on his way out! Nothing wrong with that! It is his opinion and I am sure he is not alone! Heck people have complained about the way things have been run for years! People complained about him 5 or 6 years ago when he took the league over! Is he perfect heck no! Would it be where it is today without him probably not! I give him credit for his efforts but that doesn't mean he is always right and it sure doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement! Thunderbird is an intelligent man who is very supportive of youth sports and has a good grasp of the way they should be run! As always there are at least 2 sides to every opinion!

She definitely learned everything from Highlands Coaches which is why Highlands is the best! Yes I am joking the Homer in me came out! The key to that young ladies success is she is a HARD WORKER and has very supportive parents that travels all over with her, along with some great coaching over the years! I don't remember Shelby ever playing in the Campbell County league she has been playing tournament ball for as long as I can remember. Good luck in California this week kid!

WOW! What great conversation about girls fast pitch softball in JULY!!!! Woohoo I am just glad to see a debate involving what is happening in Girls Fast Pitch Softball! First the conversation about cities and schools is silly until Feb 14th or so and the High School Season runs through Memorial Day there is a LOT more to girls FAST PITCH softball than High School ball. In fact High School ball is great to represent your school and maybe WIN THE 9th REGION but Travel Ball is a step above High School ball when it comes to competition and exposure! It really comes down to your level of commitment! If she loves the game get out there and play tournaments! There should be a team, a league, a tournament for every level of ability and commitment! Instructional Leagues what does that mean- They should all be instructional they should all be learning the art of Hitting! They should all be learning to play multiple positions! They should all be learning how to run the bases! They should all playing as many innings as possible which is where the level of commitment comes in. Recreational Leagues hopefully is anybody and everybody plays. Typically they play maybe one game a week and if your lucky its a double header and practice another day a week which leaves the weekends open for whatever people do on the weekends that do not play travel softball. In my opinion if you want to be the best you have to play the best! I think Recreational leagues are great to develop kids, and at some point (IMO) as those kids become more competitive its time to move to a travel team. If you have a good rec team enter them in a tournament at Milford or Mid American tell the director what your talent base is and get your feet wet. Its a different world! In Recreational leagues you are going to have more daddy ball and my way or the highway guys running things. Where that doesn't fly with Tournament teams. Tournament Ball- It comes down to your level of commitment and ability! Obviously there are different levels of Tournament teams and Tournaments! Travel teams typically play 6-8 weekends a summer some within a 100 mile radius and may have 11 or 12 girls on the teams (IMO find a team with 11 committed girls for more playing time) you would be surprised how many are within the 275 loop! My DD played a lot tournaments at Milford, Mid American (my favorite), or Beaver Creek which is a nice complex an hour away or travel down to Georgetown, Versailles and they are playing coach pitch tournaments at 10U along side 12U, 14U and 16U Tournaments every weekend then there are some big tournaments in Columbus at Berliner they have college showcases where 100s of teams come on 1 weekend. Last year in Columbus my DDs team played a team from Nova Scotia which was interesting on how they defended the bunt with a runner on first. Then there are teams that will travel Chicago or Atlanta to play or obviously the big weeklong tournaments in Colorado or California Don't be intimidated! One of the great things about Tourney Ball is you play pool play which typically will seed you into a tournament play according to your record in pool play. Many will have a Gold Bracket, Silver Bracket and a Bronze Bracket for the tournament. So you may go 0-2 in pool play and Win the Bronze Bracket! Most IMPORTANTLY on travel teams you typically have a mix from different schools so its not CCHS vs Brossart or Highlands vs NCC. They meet and develop friendships with girls from other communities different schools whether they are on the same team or see each other multiple times over the summer. Its very common for good friendships to develop amongst the girls and the families because you spend so much time together! It is Fun to see the girls interact when they play against each other in High School Ball! I can tell you from personal experience my DD had a great experience playing in the Campbell County League and moved onto summer ball where she had some great coaching and improved to where she had a GREAT HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE and had a few chances to play college ball but chose to hang them up and get on with her career! If you are interested tryouts are coming up soon so teams get together in the fall so they have their teams ready as soon as High School ball is over its straight to Tourney Ball!

I hope time doesn't change my impression of what went down that day! I will always be critical of the way that coach handled that opportunity to teach a life lesson to not only his team but a entire fan base. Maybe to WIN at any cost is the way they coach in different parts of the state, but I am proud to say I think our coach would of said its been a great season hold your heads up high you have nothing to be ashamed of WOW What a great game to be a part of. I will also continue to criticize the KHSAA for not treating the Boys and the Girls spring sports the same! Simply look at the Boys state format and where they play and compare it to the girls! Mandating them to play on a field that does not meet the correct dimensions for Fast Pitch Softball, and at a state championship level even! Really, with the dirt extending out 120 feet and then the temporary fencing is a slap in the face of the girls that work just as hard as the boys making a mockery of title IX at the state level! Obviously I am thankful those umpires are not from the 9th or 10th region because I would have to criticize them too and tell what I saw every time I saw them. The good news is I was just watching and waiting for the next game and wasn't emotionally involved other than witnessing something I cant explain and still shake my head at. Thankfully! I am sure I would not of set a very good example, and the life lesson would of been expensive not to mention embarassing.

Wow! I have NO previous experience with the coach from Ashland, and he could be the greatest game coach ever, but after what I saw that day in Owensboro it did not give a very good first impression of a coach that emphasizes the life lessons taught by the game especially those taught through sportsmanship!

Isnt the coach from Ashland the one who knew his team had lost to Johnson Central on a walk off homerun in the state tournament and made an appeal to the umpires and got it overturned?

The 2014 season was a break out season for the Lady Bluebirds from Highlands High school! Going 27-13 with a 19 game winning streak! Coach Coffey put together a challenging schedule in his words that would get them ready for the end of season tournaments! Mar 17th- at St. Henry Won 17- 3 Mar 20th- vs Newport Central Catholic Won 6- 0 Mar 21st- vs Ryle Lost 1- 5 Mar 24th- at Harrison, OH Lost 3- 8 Mar 27th- vs Bellevue Won 15- 0 *Uncle Pete Knoll Invitational at Softball City *Mar 28th- vs Knoch, PA. lost 6-5 *Mar 28th- vs Campbell County Won 11-1 *Mar 30th- vs Holy Cross Won 13 - 1 *Mar 30th- vs Boone County Lost 3- 6 *Mar 30th- vs St. Henry Won 3-2 Apr 9th- at Bishop Brossart Won 4- 3 **Jaguar Classic at East Jessamine **Apr 11th- vs Rockcastle County Won 4- 0 **Apr 12th- vs Ryle Lost 0- 12 **Apr 12th vs East Jessamine lost 5-14 Apr 16th- at Notre Dame Lost 3- 5 Apr 18th- Milford, OH Lost 0 - 10 Apr 18th- at Milford vs Lakota East Lost 2-5 Apr 21st- Boone County Lost 3- 10 Apr 22nd- at East Central, IN Lost 6- 8 Apr 23rd- Scott Won 11 - 1 Apr 29th- at Conner Won 8- 2 May 1st- Campbell County Won 13- 6 May 2nd- at Newport Central Catholic Won 4- 2 May 3rd- at Turpin, OH Won 1- 0 May 6th- Dayton Won 12-0 May 7th- at Newport Won10 - 0 May 8th- Holy Cross Won 11 - 0 May 9th- Lloyd Memorial Won 14- 0 May 12th- Bishop Brossart Won 11 - 1 May 13th- St. Henry Won 14- 4 May 15th- Beechwood Won 13- 4 May 17th- at Ryle Won 6 - 4 36th District Tournament May 21st- Dayton Won 16 - 1 May 22nd- Newport Central Catholic Won 2-1 36th District Champions 9th Region Tournament May 26th- Holy Cross Won 14- 0 (W) May 27th- Boone County Won 6 - 3 May 29th- Notre Dame Won 8- 7 9th Region Champions KHSAA State Tournament Jun 5th- Estill County Won 4- 1 Jun 6th- Apollo. Lost 2- 12 Jun 6th- Ashland Lost 0 - 12 At the beginning of each year I am sure every team sets goals! This team raised the bar for Highlands teams in the future! I think it's fair to say they wanted to be in the discussion with the Perineal powers in the 9 th region, as it has been said on this discussion board many time if you want to be in that group you have to beat the best, and until you do so you are part of the rest! Somewhere about April 20th the team had a major bridge to cross on a ugly losing streak where they were simply not getting it done! The team had a meeting where they voted to decide to make each player accountable. In other words focus on your job stop making mental mistakes don't worry about what so and so is doing that's the coaches job! Simply do your job! It is the first game at birdcage (the new field) on April 21st vs Boone County the girls are ready to kick in the door with a new field along with the zero tolerance policy. Just focus and do you job! OOPS, By the 2nd inning 4 or 5 starters had been pulled for missing signs or backing up throws or missing cut offs it was simply ugly and a trip to the wood shed losing to Boone County 3-10! I believe at the end of this game something clicked with the girls they either do their job or somebody else will! The next day they traveled to East Central Indiana and seemed to really come together, actually picking each other up even though they lost 6-8 from afar it seemed as if they were coming together as a team and coming to grips with the do your job concept! Over the next 13 games they went 13-0 out scoring there opponents 128-24 with a couple key wins over 9th region powerhouses Conner and Ryle somewhere along the way they truly started to BELIEVE they belonged in the discussion with the best teams in the 9th Region and were on a roll heading into Districts. We were at a Baseball tournament on Sunday the day after a big win vs Ryle to end the regular season when Kendall got a text that Bailey Spencer was rushed to the hospital and would be having surgery to have her appendix removed. Thankfully they later got good news that she is going to be OK but done for the year and obviously the girls would have to play without one of there teammates. The next girl up was 8th grader Miranda Mason who stepped in and pitched great in the District Tournament earning the tournament most valuable player only allowing 2 runs! The offense continued to role scoring 18 in two games along with near perfect D to make the streak 15 in a row heading into Regionals! In the first game of Regionals Miranda Mason threw the first perfect game in Highlands history without a strike out. The girls scored 14 runs and played flawless D extending the streak to 16 in a row! Word came out the day of the Boone County game that Bailey Spencer had thrown at home over the weekend and was pain free and had received medical clearance and she would pitch vs Boone! Not that Miranda hadn't pitched great over the last week, but it gave the girls new energy that the young lady who had given up less than a run per game (5 shut outs) over that end of season streak was back and going to pitch vs Boone County! The semi Final was a 6-3 win over Boone Co. Extending the streak to 17 in a row! Regional Championship Game vs Defending champion Notre Dame with a bunch of seniors and one of the best Pitchers in the state Haley Smith who had one hit the same Highlands Team last year in the Semi Finals of the Regional Tournament. The team believed they belonged on this stage yet in the top of the first inning ND scored 6 which seemed to take the girls breath away, but somehow they still believed. Coach Coffey told the girls to score 9 and let's see what happens! I told people around me this is just going to add to the story when they come back and Win this game! The rest is history and been discussed on previous threads! Highlands had won there first Regional Championship while extending that streak to 18 wins in a row! They had scored 28 runs in the regional tournament which turned out to be the highest 3 game total in Region history while allowing 10! The first game of the State tournament vs Estill County extended the streak to 19 wins in a row beating them 4-1! The winning streak ends at 19 when they ran into Owensboro Appollo who hit 6 Homeruns! The season ended with the next game vs an Ashland team that had just escaped elimination vs Johnson Central. The young lady from Ashland who was earlier in the week named The Gatorade player of the year Threw a1 hitter vs the Lady Bluebirds to end the season! It turned out to be a great season and my DD was lucky enough to have been a part of this team what a GREAT SENIOR year and I was lucky enough to have a birds eye view!