The two-day tournament was small, but included some quality talent. Here are five players who had noteworthy performances.

Maddie Nichols, D1vision 18U (2022)

Nichols didn’t play on Saturday, but in her one day of action on the weekend, she looked sharp. Her team played three games on the day – in the first, she knocked a long home run to almost dead center and later started in the circle for the final game of the day. A couple of batters was all that it took for Nichols to settle in in the circle and her pitching was solid; she also made solid contact in most of her at-bats on the day. She’ll head to Louisiana-Monroe next fall.

Abagail Creighton, LA Thunderbolts (2025)

Small in stature but a large presence on the field, Creighton looked really good in the circle for her team. Even as she was running out of gas at the end of the weekend, Creighton was still locating her pitches well. In her team’s first game of the weekend, Creighton was zipping and zinging the ball well and also provided a spark for her team on offense, reaching base and creating havoc on the basepaths. She made good contact at the plate all weekend.

Emma Bethel, D1vision 18U (2022)

Another D1vision player with an eye-catching performance was Bethel, whose best endeavor of the weekend came on Sunday when she threw a perfect game. An Eastern Kentucky commit, Bethel was up-and-down at times on the weekend, but saved her best performance for Day 2 of the tournament. When she was “on”, she was really on, locating pitches well and overpowering hitters. Not every day you throw a perfect game, either…

Christina Lambert, Voodoo Allen (2024)

Lambert looked sharp in the circle against the Marucci Patriots, mowing down opposing hitters while her offense put together an offensive onslaught on the other side of the ball. Lambert, a Tioga High School sophomore, also plays on both sides of the ball and took her hacks at the plate while she was performing well in the circle.

Mya Clark, D1vision 16U (2023)

On Saturday, Clark officially announced her commitment to Iowa and later appeared both at the plate and in the circle for her own D1vision squad. While it took her a bit to find her rhythm in the circle, once she found it, she was rolling. Her stroke at the plate also looked really solid, and the athleticism she possess was impressive. As one coach put it, Clark is one of those players that a college team wants because she’s just a top athlete.

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The game, between Muskogee, Oklahoma and Chesterfield, Virginia brought in a crowd of 409,000 viewers, according to ShowBuzzDaily.com. While that number is down from the 2019 Championship game, Oklahoma’s 9-1 win is the 3rd-most-watched Little League Softball championship game ever.

Also worthy of note: the 2021 title game started at 5 pm Eastern time, compared to a 10 pm Eastern start in 2019 when the LLSWS was held in Portland, Oregon and the Pacific time zone. These was no game in 2020 due to COVID-19 and this year’s event was held in Greenville, North Carolina.

Muskogee’s championship victory was the 2nd-most-watched program of the day on any ESPN channel and any cable sports channel, finishing behind only Red Sox/Yankees which aired directly following the LLSWS title game.

Interestingly, the championship game between Oklahoma and Virginia was not the most popular LLSWS game on television this year; that title went to the semifinal game between Robinson, Texas and Chesterfield, Virginia, which drew 413,000 on ESPN2. That semifinal game finished 3rd in total viewership on its day of airing, behind popular opinion show Pardon the Interruption and the NBA Summer League Championship Game, both of which aired on ESPN.

TV Audience Numbers for the last five Little League Softball Championship Games: 

2016-  Championship Game  193,000  on ESPN 2
2017-  Championship Game  360,000 on ESPN 2
2018- Championship Game 535,000 on ESPN
2019- Championship Game  473,000 on ESPN
2021-  Championship Game 409,000 on ESPN

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The post Colorado Watch: Clara Ansley Wyatt, 2022 P/OF appeared first on Justin's World of Softball.

JWOS is excited to feature uncommitted 2021s and 2022s who are competing in Colorado this weekend. If you know a talented athlete looking to compete at the next level please contact us at general@justinsworldsb.com with the information listed below. We are happy to include anyone who reaches out.

Full name
Hometown
Grad Year
Position(s)
GPA
Active email address
Club information
Link to recruiting video/profile/etc.
Colorado schedule
Twitter handle if applicable

If coaches are submitting and athlete a small blurb about your athlete for context is great, too!

Each name is hyperlinked to a page with more information on the listed athlete:

Name	Grad Year	Position(s)	GPA	Club Team
Avery Relph	2022	LHP	3.8	Cali Cruisers Caouette/Sievers 16U
Julianna Verni	2022	P/OF	4.0	Top Gun 16U National
Sarah Gordon	2022	C/3B	4.8	Stars National Belfield
Kennedy Hobson	2022	P/OF	3.6	Cali Cruisers Caouette/Sievers 16U
Clara Ansley Wyatt	2022	P/OF	4.0	Georgia Impact 2022 -Schroyer
Ashley Gruner	2022	MIF/OF	4.2	18U Explosion Hagberg/Flores

The post Colorado Watch: Master List appeared first on Justin's World of Softball.

COLORADO SCHEDULE WILL HOPEFULLY BE UPDATED FURTHER SHORTLY
Tuesday June 29th
12pm Aurora Sports Park(field A1)
2pm Aurora Sports Park (field A1 or A2)

The post Colorado Watch: Avery Relph, 2022 LHP appeared first on Justin's World of Softball.

Full Name: Kennedy Hobson (Twitter)
Hometown:  Mission Viejo, CA
Grad Year: 2022
Position(s): RHP (primary), OF
GPA: 3.6
Email: kennedyyhobsonn@icloud.com
Club Info: California Cruisers Caouette/Sievers
Recruiting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=GOYGpsznnVI

COLORADO SCHEDULE AS OF 6/29
Tuesday June 29
12pm Aurora Sports Park (field A)
2pm Aurora Sports Park (Field A)

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To submit a talented uncommitted 2021 or 2022 looking to compete at the next level please contact us! Email address and requested information can be found here.

Coach Philip Belfield’s thoughts on Gordon: “Sarah is the only player on our roster not committed yet. But not because of a talent deficiency. She is a prime example of the challenges that 2022s have faced.

Sarah is ranked the #24 catcher in the 2022 class, but I believe she is as good of a third baseman as she is a catcher.  I just think she is a slam dunk, when it comes to being a softball prospect. Her floor is so high, meaning she can do so many things to help a team win. She runs well, high IQ, great student, great family and she’s a dynamic offensive player. She generally hits anywhere from first to fourth for our team. She is one of our most consistent players.”

Gordon has been recruited by Power 5 schools, in the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 though the COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-changing situation regarding roster sizes and scholarship allotments has slowed those conversation. Gordon is interested in exploring all interested programs, regardless of “size”.

Full Name: Sarah Gordon (Twitter; @sarahgordon008. Many game and practice clips on her account)
Hometown:  Lexington, SC
Grad Year: 2022
Position(s): Catcher, 3B
GPA: 4.8
ACT: 26
Club Info: Stars National Belfield 18U
Coach: Philip Belfield, pbelfield@rocabymca.org

*Sarah will also play in the ALL Star Game for 2022s!

The post Colorado Watch: Sarah Gordon, 2022 C/UTL appeared first on Justin's World of Softball.

To submit a talented uncommitted 2021 or 2022 looking to compete at the next level please contact us! Email address and requested information can be found here.

Uncommitted 2022, Julianna Verni is a pitcher and outfielder for Top Gun 16U National. She will be competing in Colorado Power Pool play. Coach Bob Turner shared, “Julianna is an outstanding uncommitted 2022 with velo(city) verified at 64 and works the zone up & down (rise, drop, change).” Good luck this week Julianna!

Full Name: Julianna Verni (Twitter)
Hometown:  Buffalo, NY
Grad Year: 2022
Position(s): RHP (primary), OF
GPA: 4.0
Email: juliannaverni@gmail.com
Club Info: Top Gun 16U National based out of Lee’s Summit, MO
Coaches: Bob Turner, Shannon Purvis (bturner_12@hotmail.com, doublezips00@gmail.com)
Recruiting Page with Videos: sportsrecruits.com/julianna_verni

COLORADO SCHEDULE AS OF 6/28 5:45PM CT

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TRENDING NOW: NCAA TRANSFER TRACKER / TOP TEN TIPS FOR SPENDING 4TH OF JULY IN COLORADO / TEAM 1 PHOTOS (FREE)

If you’re competing this weekend, chances are you’ll be taking photos and making memories. Here are our top four phone photography tips to help you snap the perfect picture.

1. Clean off your lens
Have you ever taken a photo that had a weird haze to it? It’s likely your camera is dirty. Make sure to give it a quick clean often and especially right before you go to take a photo. Ideally, carry a microfiber cloth you can use. If you don’t have one, use soft materials like cotton to gently clean the lens. Do not use rough or textured fabrics as you could leave scratches. You should see a huge improvement to the clarity of your phone photos after cleaning the lens.

2. Not all “zooms” are created equal
Whenever possible, physically move your body toward your subject instead of zooming in on your phone. Most phone cameras use “digital zoom” which is basically glorified enlargement. The camera lens itself does not get any close to the subject, the photo is simply being digitally enlarged. This is why there is such a drastic loss in quality.

When a camera lens moves and physically gets closer to the subject it’s called “optical zoom”. Companies are implementing optical zoom into devices and it’s becoming more common but if you have an older model device it is likely you’re still using digital zoom.

*Bonus note: make sure to leave some empty space around the subjects in the photo! It helps the image look a bit better as well as provides padding for natural cropping that occurs if the photo is ever printed.

3. Make team photos more efficient
No tournament is complete without a group shot! To make sure everyone gets the best picture, line up in one or two lines, depending on how many people want photos, and cycle through. This helps keep everyone’s eyes looking in the same direction, gives the group a natural moment to blink and rest their smiles, and allows everyone the best angle for the shot.

4. Stabilize yourself when taking the photo
There are simple steps you can take to stabilize your body while taking photos to eliminate shaking and blurred images.

– Spread your legs apart slightly to create a strong base.

– Don’t over extend your arms. Keep your elbows bent a bit, it’s more stable.

– Don’t forget to breathe! You may be surprised to find you hold your breathe when you take a photo, especially if you’re focused on getting the shot sent. Make sure you’re breathing, it will help you keep the camera still.

Good luck out there and happy snapping!

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