TRYOUTS DAY ONE

 

Tryouts for the 2003 USA Junior Women’s National Team began early Tuesday with conditioning and individual exercises, followed by skills tests monitored by the national team selection committee, and concluding with games.

 

The games follow the same structure used for selecting the women’s national team – and the Junior World team which competed in Mexico .  Players are divided into four teams.  Every player on Team A, for example, will bat once against the pitcher for Team B; then, the pitchers and catchers change dugouts and every player on Team A bats against the pitcher who started for their team.  The “game” ends when every player has batted once against both pitchers.

 

Two games were played Tuesday; four are scheduled for Wednesday; and one or perhaps two games will be played Thursday before the tryout camp concludes.

 

The pitcher pairings for each game were announced as:

Monica Abbott v Candice Baker

Brittany Detwiler v Megan Denny

Lisa Dodd v Laura Ferreira

Brianne McGowan v Michelle Grinage

Stephanie Van Brakle v Desiree Williams

 

Forty-four of the 55 invited players are in camp, including 10 of the 17 players who were on the Junior World team; 17 of the 18 players chosen through regional competition; and 17 of the 20 players chosen at-large from the regional competitions.  A number of players are not attending because of injury, notably among the Junior World absentees.  Others simply declined.  The Committee has the discretion to choose from among players previously evaluated, eg, those who participated in the Junior World competition but could not compete in Salem due to injury.

 

The players from the Junior World team:

Monica Abbott

Anna Beardman

Norelle Dickson

Lisa Dodd

Laura Ferreira

Kristi Fox

Jodie Legaspi

Caitlin Lowe

Stephanie Van Brakle

Emily Zaplatosch

 

Players chosen in regional competition:

Andrea Duran

Tara Henry

Chanel Roehner

Jessica Gilmore

Michelle Grinage

BettiJoMcGonigle

Desiree Williams

Brittany Detwiler

Courtney Bures

Brittany Vanderink

Katie Rashid

Krista Colburn

Holly Krzan

Jackie Rinehart

Brianne McGowan

Megan Denny

Kaci Gaskin

 

At-large players:

Chelsi Lake

Dominique LaStrapes

Alex Sutton

Caitlin Benyi

Mindi Cowles

Ashlee Ackerman

Courtney Lewis

Danielle Soule

DaQueta Johnson

Elana Myers

Dani Sidoti

Lindsay Schutzler

Lashaun Davis

Sara Mason

Jaisa Creps

Callista Balko

Candice Baker

 

Game One

Hitters struggled against Monica Abbott who struck out 20 of the 29 batters, without yielding a hit.  Two batters walked (Dickson and Williams) and Henry reached on an error.  Candice Baker struck out six, three on each team, but was also stingy in the hit department – until Williams crushed a pitch over the fence.  Sidoti also scored, reaching on a dropped third strike and coming home on a double by Soule who was out at home.  McGowan and Krzan also collected hits. Lake hit a ball deep to right but it didn’t carry and was caught.  Two defensive plays stood out.  Bures, with a well-timed leap, snagged a Duran line drive.  Legaspi, alternating between shortstop and right field, made strong throws from both positions but was very noticeable in racing back to the fence to catch a deep fly.  As one parent put it, “You can’t learn much about the hitters with that big kid (Abbott) striking everybody out.”  Team Two: 1-0.

 

Game Two

Brittany Detwiler pitched for Team 3 while Megan Denny pitched for Team 4.  This game also ended 1-0, on the very last play when Cowles, pinch running for Ferreira who had singled, scored on fly ball by Sutton.  Team 3 hits included: Rinehart; Duran; Ferreria, and Bures (double).  Team 4 hits included: Lewis (double); Lake ; Mason; Gaskin; and Krzan.  Denny can rachet her fast ball up to 70 mph, and on more than one occasion simply blew the pitch past batters.  Cowles initiated a double play on a line drive.  Sutton triggered a double play, tagging the runner going to 2nd and throwing to 1st for the second out.  Colburn (deep fly), Lake , Ferreira, Soule and Bures hit the ball hard.  Team Three 1-0.

 

In fact, many balls were hit hard, but plays were made.  We counted only three errors.  At this level, one expects even the hardest grounders to be turned into outs; indeed, very good plays by these talented youngsters seem almost routine.

 

end

 

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