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Softball

Ole Miss’ Tenly Grisham wants to put her name, tribe on the map

November 17, 2022 by Tara S

BY: Scott Procter | BVM Sports

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. (BVM) – Tenly Grisham first stepped into the batter’s box for one of the most accomplished high school softball programs in the country as a seventh grader. There was some initial fear as she looked across the infield at the pitcher’s mound to see athletes four or five years older than her, but Grisham believes it was one of the best things to ever happen to her.

“It was nerve-wracking for sure,” Grisham said of leading off for Neshoba Central High School in the seventh grade. “I was coming in a seventh grader and I didn’t know what to expect. I was kind of thrown into the fire with going in as the leadoff (hitter) but I knew I had eight other players behind me that would help me out so I knew as long as I tried to do my part as best as I could, they had my back.

“My coach giving me that opportunity was the best thing I could’ve asked for.”

The decision to throw Grisham directly into the fire has resulted in nothing but success for Mississippi’s most dominant softball program.

After a 31-3 record this past season, Grisham helped lead the Rockets to their ninth-straight MHSAA Class 5A state title. Grisham has been Nashoba Central’s leadoff hitter for the last six years and has five championship rings to show for it. The only year without a championship came in 2020 when the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Rockets have gone an eye-popping 96-5 over the last three seasons and although Grisham is a major reason why, the opportunity she’s been afforded throughout her prep career is not lost on her.

“It’s been amazing,” Grisham said of the Rockets’ dynasty. “Not everyone has the opportunity to play for such an outstanding high school program and I thank God everyday for blessing me with that opportunity. Just playing with them shows how much I love softball.

“Every player, whether they’re the nine-hole batter or the leadoff, cheers from the side like they love the game so much and want to win and I could not thank them enough for having my back.”

Perhaps the only thing more impressive than Neshoba’s 8-1 record in the playoffs this season and dominant sweep of East Central (7-0, 14-4) in the state finals is what Grisham accomplished during her senior campaign.

The 5-foot-4 senior batted .531 with 23 RBIs, 55 runs scored and 45 stolen bases. She was walked 15 times and struck out just once all season in 111 plate appearances. The elite play led to Grisham becoming just the third Gatorade Mississippi Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Neshoba Central.

“I was very shocked because there are several talented players in Mississippi, especially in softball,” Grisham said of the Gatorade honor. “Being named Gatorade Player of the Year, I’m speechless about it and I didn’t know how to react when my mom told me. I’m honored.”

Neshoba Central swept New Hope (9-0, 7-1) to punch its ticket to the MHSAA State Championship Series, and the Trojans’ head coach knows just how important the Rockets’ leadoff hitter was to their success in every facet of the game.

“Tenly is a triple-threat on offense,” New Hope head coach Casey Finch said in a Gatorade press release. “She can slap for power, place the short ball and her speed and knowledge on the basepaths is incredible. She’s also an exceptional defensive player.”

Ranked as the nation’s No. 42 recruit (No. 28 among infielders) in the Class of 2022 by Extra Inning Softball, Grisham is on the doorstep of a dream she’s had since a child: playing collegiate softball.

The Gatorade Mississippi Softball POY will stay close to home and headline the Ole Miss Rebels’ No. 3-ranked recruiting class. Much like being thrown into the fire as a seventh-grade leadoff hitter for a state championship-caliber squad, Grisham feels like she has an opportunity in Oxford that she can’t pass up.

“They gave me a really big opportunity to come play for them and they were so welcoming and loving,” Grisham said of Ole Miss softball. “They knew me, I wasn’t just another number, I was a player and person to them. They made Oxford feel like home.”

Grisham is a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the only federally recognized American Indian tribe living within the state of Mississippi. As one of the United States’ original first nations, the tribe is more than 11,000 members strong and Grisham hopes to be an inspiration to her community.

The future Rebel will certainly work to elevate her status within the softball world, but more important than that is showing other young ladies like her what hard work can do.

“I want to prove that any Choctaw little girl that plays softball can do it; they can make it to the big stage,” Grisham said. “I just want to make a name for myself but as well as my tribe and let them know like, “she grew up playing on the rec ball fields and she made it there.’ I just want them to know that they can make it. That’s the main thing.”

Filed Under: AOTM, Softball, Women in Sports, Women's Sports, Youth Sports Tagged With: Tenly Grisham

Grisham capped off decorated career with title, Gatorade Player of the Year honors

November 17, 2022 by Tara S

  • By Drew Kerekes dkerekes@themeridianstar.com

By the time she was a senior this past spring, Neshoba Central’s Tenly Grisham was a well-known player in the Mississippi prep softball scene.

An Ole Miss signee, Grisham had been starting for the Lady Rockets since middle school and has won a state championship with the team every year she’s played varsity fast-pitch. That was capped off in 2022 with the school’s ninth straight fast-pitch title in MHSAA Class 5A.

Grisham hit .531 this past season with a .612 on-base percentage, 45 stolen bases, eight doubles, two triples, one home run, 23 RBIs and 55 runs scored from the leadoff position while manning shortstop for the Lady Rockets. She was named the 2021-22 Gatorade Mississippi Softball Player of the Year and was also a first-team All-State and first-team All-Region 3-5A selection.

Because of her dynamic senior season, Grisham was named the 2022 Premier Preps Softball Player of the Year.

“It’s truly a blessing and an honor,” Grisham said of earning Premier Preps recognition in addition to Gatorade Player of the Year. “I am grateful for both, and I’m glad to represent my tribe (the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians) and school with these prestigious awards.”

In 2017, Grisham took over at third base for Neshoba Central when she was only a seventh grader. At the time, Trae Embry was head coach of the Lady Rockets, and current head coach Zach Sanders was an assistant. Even back then, Sanders said Grisham stood out as an athlete.

“We knew something was special about her the first time we saw her walk onto the field,” Sanders recalled. “You’re talking about a small-statured seventh-grade girl who the ball came off the bat of differently. She was able to play positions unlike any seventh grader you’d ever seen. You really just had to be there to understand.”

Sanders said Grisham was second-team All-State in her seventh-grade season, which showed just how much potential she had.

“She was really good as a young player, and she didn’t stop at that,” Sanders said. “She grew and continued to make it to where she was Gatorade Player of the Year, which is one of the top honors you can get as a softball player in the state of Mississippi.”

Even after six years of starting for the Lady Rockets, Grisham said it doesn’t feel like six years have gone by.

“If I could go back, I would tell myself to take it all in, have fun and just enjoy every moment because it goes by super fast,” Grisham said.

The 2022 Class 5A state championship was the school’s ninth in a row (the 2020 spring season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and the pressure was always on Neshoba Central every season to keep repeating as state champions. 

“We learned to take it one pitch and one game at a time,” Grisham explained. “We had to have fun or the pressure was overwhelming. When you have a team that is able to connect with each other, then it’s easy to play with no pressure.”

As a youth softball player, Grisham looked up to former standout shortstop Hailey Lunderman, a 2015 graduate of Neshoba Central and fellow member of the MBCI. Like Lunderman, Grisham signed with Ole Miss to continue her softball career, and Grisham said she’s honored to follow a similar career path to someone she idolized.

“I definitely looked up to her,” Grisham said. “She played with so much grit and passion, how could you not want to be like her? It was nerve-wracking at first (batting leadoff like Lunderman did) because she was the greatest to be in that leadoff spot, so I knew I had big shoes to fill. But watching her play year after year, to take the torch was the best honor and feeling.”

Now, Grisham will have the chance to represent the MBCI and Neshoba Central at the SEC level, and it’s an opportunity she doesn’t take lightly.

“Playing collegiate softball has always been a goal of mine,” Grisham said. “It’s a blessing. Now I get to be a role model to all the young Native girls (who watch me) as well as represent the tribe that has cheered for me all of these years.”

Seeing Grisham have so much success is no surprise to Sanders, and he only expects that success to continue at Ole Miss.

“Looking back all the way to when she was in seventh grade, she was just an exceptional athlete,” Sanders said. “I would say you wouldn’t find a better kid overall athletic-wise, and she’s also just a great young lady.”

Filed Under: AOTM, Softball, Women's Sports, Youth Sports Tagged With: Tenly Grisham

Little League Softball World Series: Meet the 12 Teams

August 12, 2022 by Tara S

By: Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

The Little League Softball World Series begins Tuesday, marking the second year in a row that the event has graced the fields of Greenville, N.C.

For the first time, the competition features 12 teams in a brand-new expanded bracket. A total of eight U.S. teams and four international teams are going for the title.

LLSWS TEAMS

Central: Daniel Boone Little League (Columbia, Mo.)

For the second straight year, Daniel Boone represents the Central Region. The team placed third last year and looks this year to become the first team from Missouri to win the tournament.

Mid-Atlantic: Delmar (Md.) Little League

A newcomer, Delmar recorded 48 runs across four games in the the first-ever Mid-Atlantic Region tournament. The defending state champion is the only team from Maryland to make it to the LLSWS.

Northwest: Issaquah (Wash.) Little League

Issaquah features a one-two punch in star pitchers Shaelyn Erickson and London White. The team went undefeated in its regional tournament to reach the LLSWS for the seventh time.

Southwest: Midway Little League (Hewitt, Texas)

A three-time LLSWS champion from Texas, Midway nearly missed the tournament after losing to Louisiana early in the Southwest Region tournament. The team rebounded in the championship game and aims to win the World Series once again.

North Carolina (Host): Pitt County Girls Softball Little League

Pitt County beat two-time LLWS champions Rowan to claim the first spot in Greenville in early July.

New England: Milford (Conn.) Little League

Another team with a dominant pitching duo, Milford went 4-0 in the first-ever New England Regional softball tournament. With 18 strikeouts over four victories, the team allowed just three earned runs.

Southeast: Chesterfield (Va.) Little League

This year’s appearance from Chesterfield marks the seventh time a team from Virginia will make the tournament. It’s the second-straight trip to the LLSWS for Chesterfield, which went 3-0 in the regional tournament, including a 4-3 against Rowan (N.C.) in the championship game.

West: La Verne (Calif.) Little League

The 22nd team from California to make the tournament, La Verne scored 30 runs in the West Region tournament and allowed just one. Pitcher Katie Coldiron has been outstanding in the circle, recording 44 strikeouts since the start of district tournament play.

Asia-Pacific: Negros Occidental Little League (Philippines)

The Asia-Pacific champion is trying to become the first team from its region to win the LLSWS.

Latin America: Guayama (Puerto Rico) Softball Little League

Guayama makes its first-ever appearance at the LLSWS and is the first Puerto Rican team to represent the Latin American Region since 2017.

Canada: St. Albert Softball Little League

The Canadian team did not drop a game in its regional championship run and has won 38 total gamest this season compared to just six losses. St. Albert logged two double-digit run games in the regional tournament.

Europe and Africa: Emilia Romagna Little League (Italy)

Emilia Romagna becomes the first Italian team in the tournament since 2019. The group is looking to be the first international team to win the tournament since 2001.

[Read more…] about Little League Softball World Series: Meet the 12 Teams

Filed Under: Athlete Spotlight, Softball, Women's Sports, Youth Sports

BOB ADAMS APPOINTED AS COMMISSIONER FOR USA SOFTBALL OF ILLINOIS

January 5, 2022 by Tara S

Bob Adams USA Softball Commissioner

OKLAHOMA CITY – USA Softball, a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization announced today that Bob Adams (Peoria, Ill.) has been appointed as Commissioner for USA Softball of Illinois. Adams will assume the role following the retirement of Commissioner Don Brewer. 

“I’m honored to be selected as the Commissioner for USA Softball of Illinois and I appreciate the leadership Commissioner Don Brewer has provided during his tenure,” said Adams. “I’m looking forward to working with this talented and dedicated staff to continue to build the USA Softball of Illinois program while giving our adult and youth teams the experience they deserve.”

Adams steps into the role of Commissioner for USA Softball of Illinois after holding the title of Junior Olympic (JO) Commissioner for the last 21 years, having previously served as both District and Deputy JO Commissioner for the state of Illinois. Adams has been a member of the USA Softball National Council since 2000 and has assisted in running 13 National Championships for the organization. A recipient of the Team Registration Award in 2001, Adams has played a huge part in the growth of softball in his home state and looks forward to increasing participation across all levels of the sport in Illinois.

Before diving deeper into the administrative side of the game, Adams got his start as a player in men’s fast pitch and slow pitch with a career that spanned 15 years. He then transitioned into a coaching role where he also sponsored his teams through his company, Melton Electric Co. Inc. Under his direction, the Melton Outlaws girls’ fast pitch team won 11 Illinois USA Softball State Championships, seven Region 10 Championships and participated in 23 USA Softball National Championships. In 1997, Adams was inducted into the USA Softball of Illinois Hall of Fame as a Manager/Sponsor/Commissioner.

For more information on USA Softball of Illinois, please contact Bob Adams at rjadams1947@gmail.com.

Filed Under: Softball

CATARINA MACARIO, CHLOE KIM AND MORE: 20 FEMALE ATHLETES TO KNOW IN 2022

December 21, 2021 by Tara S

Top 22 Female Athletes of 2022

As 2021 comes to an end, it’s time to look forward to the year ahead in sports.

With the Winter Olympics in February, March Madness on the calendar and a landmark NWSL season to come, women’s sports fans are in store for an exciting year.

Here are the 20 athletes to know or get reacquainted with in 2022: 

[Read more…] about CATARINA MACARIO, CHLOE KIM AND MORE: 20 FEMALE ATHLETES TO KNOW IN 2022

Filed Under: Athlete Spotlight, Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lacrosse, Olympics, Paralympics, Racing, Running, Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Team USA, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball, Women in Sports, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Hockey, Women's Soccer, Women's Sports, Women's Tennis, Women's Wrestling

Catch Team USA Softball at The World Games 2022

August 11, 2021 by Tara S

USA Softball
THE WORLD GAMES 2022
SEE TEAM USA & ALABAMA’S HALEY McCLENEY GO FOR THE GOLD MEDAL

In July 2022, The World Games will be held in Alabama and the softball competition will take place at the Hoover Met. The silver medalists from this week’s Tokyo Olympics, Team USA, will compete next year for both a Gold Medal and a Softball World Championship.

Tickets are selling fast! You don’t want to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity.

BUY TICKETS

TICKET PACKAGES


[Read more…] about Catch Team USA Softball at The World Games 2022

Filed Under: Softball, Women's Sports, World Games

ODICCI ALEXANDER SIGNS WITH USSSA PRIDE

June 15, 2021 by Tara S

Odicci Alexander is going to the pros.

The former JMU pitcher and breakout WCWS star has been drafted to the USSSA Pride.

It makes her the third former Duke to sign with the team, including Jailyn Ford and Megan Good. 

Alexander helped lead the Dukes to their first Women’s College World Series appearance in program history, throwing 1,229 total pitches throughout the tournament. She amassed an 18-3 record in the circle with a 1.71 ERA, 204 strikeouts and was named to the all-tournament team. 

It’s not like this is the first year Alexander has been great at what she does. She was the 2017 Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year. In 2018 and 2019 she was the CAA Player of the Year, and this year was named Pitcher of the Year. 

[Read more…] about ODICCI ALEXANDER SIGNS WITH USSSA PRIDE

Filed Under: Athlete Spotlight, Softball, Women's Sports

Campbellsport Softball Player with Cancer Receives Help from Opposing Team

June 14, 2021 by Tara S

By Jason Zimmerman

WAUPUN, Wis. (WBAY) – Some much needed help for a Campbellsport teenager battling brain cancer.

Alexis Feucht plays high school girls softball and in a game Monday night the opposing team took action.

Before Feucht could take the field in Waupun, it was hard not to notice the bake sale and raffle being done, as an attempt to raise money in her fight against brain cancer.

Feucht, who plays shortstop, was diagnosed last fall after a series of bad headaches wouldn’t go away.

She said, “I had no idea what was going on. We thought it was sinuses, we thought it was just because I had a heavy case load for school.”

As Feucht undergoes treatment, she continues to play sports.

She also has friends in Waupun, on the opposing team, and they wanted to help and raise awareness.

“It was also a school project and it started like this could be a small little community event and just to like help as much as we can and it turned into something so much bigger and so much better than we could have imagined,” said friend and event organizer Makenya Potratz.

Dulcie Kind was also among the organizers.

She added, “I’ve known Alexis since we were young and she’s always been a good motivator for me and I played with her on the softball field and she always gives it her hardest and not once since this whole journey she’s been thru has she given up, nothing like that and she keep pushing forward.”

All of the money from the event will help cover the family’s medical expenses. The goal is to raise at least a thousand dollars, knowing that every little bit helps.

Feucht responded, “I am super thankful. It’s unbelievable how much the small towns have come together to just help me out and just makes be feel so much better about having what I have.”

Before the game, Feucht also addressed the crowd, saying she’s optimistic about her chances for a full recovery.

“I’m hoping that it goes within the year of chemo, but you know, I’m going to do what it takes to get rid of this crap,” she told the crowd.

Filed Under: Athlete Spotlight, Softball, Youth Sports

Bradford Softball Team Caps Historic Season with School’s First State Title

June 14, 2021 by Tara S

By Greg Billing, Contributing WriterRailroaders

AKRON – The texts started coming in the fifth inning. By the sixth and seventh innings Shon Schaffer’s phone was vibrating almost non-stop with congratulations and celebratory texts.

The Bradford Railroaders’ softball team was still nine outs away from the school’s first team state championship in any sport. But with standout hurler Skipp Miller dealing her 60 mph-plus fastball and a standout defense behind her, Schaffer’s team had Bradford buzzing with confidence.

“I wanted to play more,” said Maggie Manuel. “I was like please don’t end in a run rule.”

Three Bradford teams have reached the state semifinals. The 1982 football team lost 7-6 to Fostoria St. Wendelin. The 2018 softball team lost to Jeromesville Hillsdale, the eventual state champs, 1-0 in eight innings. And now the 2021 Railroaders, who broke through with a dominating tournament run.

Bradford (30-2) outscored their seven postseason opponents 64-1. The Railroaders, ranked No. 4 in the final Ohio High School Softball Coaches poll, knocked off No. 2 New Riegel, No. 3 Mechanicsburg and No. 6 Cuyahoga Heights along the way.

“She’s definitely the best pitcher in the state,” Cuyahoga Heights coach Kyle Manfredonia said. “That rise ball is hard when it’s coming from that low to where it’s ending. It’s like the Montana Fouts girl throwing for Alabama. It’s impossible to hit when it’s coming that fast. She kept it moving and her change-up was sick. She’s good. Really good.”

Miller threw her 12th no-hitter of the season in the state semifinals on Friday in a 11-0, 5-inning victory against New Riegel.

She finished this season with 414 strikeouts, which ranks third in OHSAA single-season history behind Batavia Clermont Northeastern’s Emily Anderson (432 in 2010) and Rocky River’s Leah Black (455 in 1999). Her 12 no-hitters are No. 2 in single-season history behind Richwood North Union’s Jessica Price (15 in 2000).

“Okay, yes, now that I look back and it’s the only hit of the game (it disappointed me),” said a smiling Miller in the postgame interview session. “I should have warmed up more.”

Miller said she battled her nerves through the early innings and felt almost panicked at times with the pressure to win. After that, it was vintage Miller.

“When I got to the fourth inning I finally got my nerves down I felt great. I felt unstoppable,” she said.

Bradford’s offense was, too. New Riegel surrendered a season-high 11 runs against Bradford (and the only team to score double digits). The eight against Cuyahoga Heights was one away from the most runs the Redskins allowed in a game this season.

Nine different Railroaders had hits in the championship game and seven different players scored.

Austy Miller and Abby Fike both had four hits in the state tournament, while Emma Canan and Samantha “Buzz” Brewer each had three. Rylee Canan knocked in three runs and both Millers and E. Canan had two RBI each. E. Canan scored four runs, A. Miller three and Nylani Beireis three and Brewer two.

On defense, third baseman Maggie Manuel had a pair of standout plays in the title game. She chased down a foul ball for one out and charged a slow grounder and threw to Beireis for another.

“(Friday) I was begging just hit me the ball, please,” Manuel said. “Me and Abby (at shortstop) always talk about how we have no action ever. That’s what happens when you have a good pitcher. … I’ve been caught off guard plenty of times. I just try to tell myself the ball could be hit to me at any time. It could happen so I try to keep my head in the game.”

Bradford graduates five seniors from the state championship team with Brewer, E. Canan, Manuel, S. Miller, and Courtney Monnin.

“I’ve got 19 of them that love this game of softball. It was really fun,” said Schaffer, who completed his eighth year as coach. “They make me look like a really good coach because they’re so talented. All 19 of them, all the way through, make my job pretty easy.

“I don’t want this to end. Once we get back home you’ll always have it but not together like this. You just want to savor it.”

Filed Under: Softball, Youth Sports

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