It's official, Anna's with Rawlings now!

[NYC]

Im curious to how she's accustoming to the pro200 pattern. Does she use a double or single break point? I love the single break point but like the deeper pocket you get with a double hinge break or a middle heel break, thankfully I found the pro3028 pattern which still goes thumb to ring even with a single break point.

 

[Wally Gator]

Congratulations Johnny! Sounds like you needed someone following you two on that very busy visit with a video camera with so much happening. Whatta trip!!

 

[ANNASDAD]

Congratulations Johnny! Sounds like you needed someone following you two on that very busy visit with a video camera with so much happening. Whatta trip!!

Thanks Wally, it was a packed day that I almost missed......I was just going to let my wife take her and I was just going to go to work. One of my buddies who I've coached with, and his DD is a player, looked at me and said "are you stupid, work will be there Monday!" And he was right, Now, I couldn't have imagined missing that! I just wish I could remember every little detail.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Im curious to how she's accustoming to the pro200 pattern. Does she use a double or single break point? I love the single break point but like the deeper pocket you get with a double hinge break or a middle heel break, thankfully I found the pro3028 pattern which still goes thumb to ring even with a single break point.

Sorry so long to get back to you NYC, the heel on her 206 is just naturally wider/larger than her 12” Vinci. Her 206 would be a perfect candidate for TIP. But that ain’t happening with her...she wears it traditional with her index finger in. It’s way more bowl shaped and just a tad shorter in length than the Vinci. Right now she’s constantly working the fingers as she’s wearing it to keep that bowl shape. Even wearing it traditional, right now it’s closing thumb to ring, but I’m sure that’ll change the more broken in it gets, it’ll eventually end up thumb to index.

 

[MaverickAH]

Sorry so long to get back to you NYC, the heel on her 206 is just naturally wider/larger than her 12” Vinci. Her 206 would be a perfect candidate for TIP. But that ain’t happening with her...she wears it traditional with her index finger in. It’s way more bowl shaped and just a tad shorter in length than the Vinci. Right now she’s constantly working the fingers as she’s wearing it to keep that bowl shape. Even wearing it traditional, right now it’s closing thumb to ring, but I’m sure that’ll change the more broken in it gets, it’ll eventually end up thumb to index.

I don't know why I'm so happy for you, but I am! This has got to be one of my favorite threads of 2017!

Hopefully your daughter will continue to improve & perhaps attract the attention of some D1 schools (knock on wood!). With 2 years of H.S. left, you're only beginning the process! It's nice to start off with an ace in the hole though!

One of my grandsons is going through the same process. He's a 2 sport athlete (baseball/football). Unfortunately, I think that he's going to stick with football. If he was closer to me (he's in TX, I'm in NY), his focus & decision would definitely be different! Anyway, the recruitment craze has already begun!

Anyway, sending you a PM in a little bit.......

 

[NYC]

I don't know why I'm so happy for you, but I am! This has got to be one of my favorite threads of 2017!

Hopefully your daughter will continue to improve & perhaps attract the attention of some D1 schools (knock on wood!). With 2 years of H.S. left, you're only beginning the process! It's nice to start off with an ace in the hole though!

One of my grandsons is going through the same process. He's a 2 sport athlete (baseball/football). Unfortunately, I think that he's going to stick with football. If he was closer to me (he's in TX, I'm in NY), his focus & decision would definitely be different! Anyway, the recruitment craze has already begun!

Anyway, sending you a PM in a little bit.......

I would SO push him towards baseball.

 

[MaverickAH]

Kind of tough to do when you're 2k miles away & he lives in football country. Baseball would also be my preference & he knows it. He actually started with baseball because of me. He's ~6'3" (Takes after my wife's side. Her father was 6'8") & will probably wind up being a DB/S or WR in college. I've got 4 grandsons. All are over 6' (6'2" to 6'5"). 1 in the Navy....... 1 still "finding" himself (there's always one)....... 2 are still in H.S. with 1 being the athletic stud & the other a tech nerd (He might just be the next Steve Jobs! He can tear apart & rebuild an iPhone or Mac like nobody's business & actually already has a little side enterprise.)

 

[ANNASDAD]

I don't know why I'm so happy for you, but I am! This has got to be one of my favorite threads of 2017!

Hopefully your daughter will continue to improve & perhaps attract the attention of some D1 schools (knock on wood!). With 2 years of H.S. left, you're only beginning the process! It's nice to start off with an ace in the hole though!

One of my grandsons is going through the same process. He's a 2 sport athlete (baseball/football). Unfortunately, I think that he's going to stick with football. If he was closer to me (he's in TX, I'm in NY), his focus & decision would definitely be different! Anyway, the recruitment craze has already begun!

Anyway, sending you a PM in a little bit.......

Thanks Maverick, I really appreciate that!

 

[ANNASDAD]

I don't know why I'm so happy for you, but I am! This has got to be one of my favorite threads of 2017!

Hopefully your daughter will continue to improve & perhaps attract the attention of some D1 schools (knock on wood!). With 2 years of H.S. left, you're only beginning the process! It's nice to start off with an ace in the hole though!

One of my grandsons is going through the same process. He's a 2 sport athlete (baseball/football). Unfortunately, I think that he's going to stick with football. If he was closer to me (he's in TX, I'm in NY), his focus & decision would definitely be different! Anyway, the recruitment craze has already begun!

Anyway, sending you a PM in a little bit.......

Maverick, you must be some kind of a mind reader.......yesterday I told my wife and Anna both that now that this has happened, I bet they'll be a few offers sent our way shortly. And guess what?? Received an email wanting her to attend an invite only prospect camp at a D1 school. She's been to one of this schools camps before and did better than average, but didn't kill it. That was awhile ago, at a showcase a couple months back, this schools AC who does 90% of the recruiting saw Anna hit a HR and follow it up with a triple. She went to the dugout fence and pulled Anna's profile sheet and started writing notes on it!

This goes back to what I was saying about taking advantage of that sliver of opportunity, you never know who's watching......and someone's ALWAYS watching!

 

[etnstudios]

i don't know about anyone else, but i'm finding i want to know the names of these schools lol. we're invested now

 

[ANNASDAD]

i don't know about anyone else, but i'm finding i want to know the names of these schools lol. we're invested now

It's North Greenville University. It's a small D2 Christian college just outside Greenville, SC. Beautiful campus with a strong softball program and strong emphasis on elementary education, which is what she's been interested in for a couple of years now. Spilled beans.......

 

[Rous]

Kind of tough to do when you're 2k miles away & he lives in football country. Baseball would also be my preference & he knows it. He actually started with baseball because of me. He's ~6'3" (Takes after my wife's side. Her father was 6'8") & will probably wind up being a DB/S or WR in college. I've got 4 grandsons. All are over 6' (6'2" to 6'5"). 1 in the Navy....... 1 still "finding" himself (there's always one)....... 2 are still in H.S. with 1 being the athletic stud & the other a tech nerd (He might just be the next Steve Jobs! He can tear apart & rebuild an iPhone or Mac like nobody's business & actually already has a little side enterprise.)

The degree to which Texas is football country is hard to overestimate. One suburb of Dallas has a $62m stadium and Katy Texas just opened up its $72m stadium.

http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/high...cle_1aa2067a-87c5-11e7-b84d-07d364c5bbed.html

My son pitches on the baseball team, but he knows there is more social prestige from being a fourth-string linebacker than being the opening day starter on the baseball team! Except the men's basketball coach, every other coach at my son's school is on the football coaching staff. The baseball team gets one head coach and one assistant coach and the assistant is, first and foremost, a football coach -- no baseball experience necessary.

 

[moren025]

It's North Greenville University. It's a small D2 Christian college just outside Greenville, SC. Beautiful campus with a strong softball program and strong emphasis on elementary education, which is what she's been interested in for a couple of years now. Spilled beans.......

Enjoy these times! Recall when my boy was in the process from showcases to major tournaments with his travel club. It was a good feeling when you receive letters and emails from Top 25 schools and scouts are at the games (his public high school team was also pretty good winning a state American Legion championship and a Regional championship in California where private schools dominate).

 

[ANNASDAD]

Enjoy these times! Recall when my boy was in the process from showcases to major tournaments with his travel club. It was a good feeling when you receive letters and emails from Top 25 schools and scouts are at the games (his public high school team was also pretty good winning a state American Legion championship and a Regional championship in California where private schools dominate).

Thanks moren025, I feel like there's about 50 questions I'd like some answers to! We've got her SAT scheduled, we'll just have to be patient and let the process happen.

How old is your son now? Really, private schools dominate? That's absolutely not the case here, big 4A and 5A public schools dominate in fastpitch. Anna's little private school (2A) just has no pool to pull from, actually school ball is a setback to me, at least when her school ball starts, she's in tournament shape/form having just finished Fall ball. Her and another girl, a 10th grader this year who also plays TB, that's it!! The rest of them can't find their glove from last year

Talking about big school programs......this past April during Easter break, one of the AC's got us in a benefit tournament for a girl, a player who was killed in a car crash several years back. Now he's from Virginia, this tournament was in Chesapeake, VA. We played all day on Friday, since we drove so far they gave us an extra game on Saturday. We played a HS named Grassfield, the 2015 VA 5A state champions!! I swear they looked like a straight up D1 college program, I'm not playing and heck, I'm nervous!

You have to understand, we have a 7th grader and two 8th graders starting......on varsity, and they're terrible. Hope they're not members on this site! And of course it's Anna's turn to pitch....I don't think I've ever been more proud to watch her play. They beat us 1-0 on two hits. Hitters 1 thru 4 never reached base the entire game, the #5 hitter golfed a drop ball with some crazy spin just over the 1B head and spun into foul territory and ran down the fence, she got a double and eventually scored, that was the game!

This team was loud and brash and very full of themselves, after the 3rd inning they were very quite! The reason being is, they had this 6'0" stud pitcher who's already committed to Michigan (pretty sure it was Michigan?) and we couldn't touch her! And then there's my 5'0" Anna, they all but laughed at her! If I remember right they scored that run in the 5th?

One of the players dad came down on the field and shook our HC's hand, he said that was his favorite game of the year, and that he's so tired of seeing that team just run rule and walk over every team they play. He said it was hilarious to see that little pitcher shut their mouth! We lost, but me and the coaches chalked that up as a win in our minds, we were very proud of the girls that day!

 

[ANNASDAD]

My son’s 22 now. A football injury derailed his

Sorry to hear that, he sounds like he was solid athlete!

 

[moren025]

Thanks moren025, I feel like there's about 50 questions I'd like some answers to! We've got her SAT scheduled, we'll just have to be patient and let the process happen.

How old is your son now? Really, private schools dominate? That's absolutely not the case here, big 4A and 5A public schools dominate in fastpitch. Anna's little private school (2A) just has no pool to pull from, actually school ball is a setback to me, at least when her school ball starts, she's in tournament shape/form having just finished Fall ball. Her and another girl, a 10th grader this year who also plays TB, that's it!! The rest of them can't find their glove from last year

Talking about big school programs......this past April during Easter break, one of the AC's got us in a benefit tournament for a girl, a player who was killed in a car crash several years back. Now he's from Virginia, this tournament was in Chesapeake, VA. We played all day on Friday, since we drove so far they gave us an extra game on Saturday. We played a HS named Grassfield, the 2015 VA 5A state champions!! I swear they looked like a straight up D1 college program, I'm not playing and heck, I'm nervous!

You have to understand, we have a 7th grader and two 8th graders starting......on varsity, and they're terrible. Hope they're not members on this site! And of course it's Anna's turn to pitch....I don't think I've ever been more proud to watch her play. They beat us 1-0 on two hits. Hitters 1 thru 4 never reached base the entire game, the #5 hitter golfed a drop ball with some crazy spin just over the 1B head and spun into foul territory and ran down the fence, she got a double and eventually scored, that was the game!

This team was loud and brash and very full of themselves, after the 3rd inning they were very quite! The reason being is, they had this 6'0" stud pitcher who's already committed to Michigan (pretty sure it was Michigan?) and we couldn't touch her! And then there's my 5'0" Anna, they all but laughed at her! If I remember right they scored that run in the 5th?

One of the players dad came down on the field and shook our HC's hand, he said that was his favorite game of the year, and that he's so tired of seeing that team just run rule and walk over every team they play. He said it was hilarious to see that little pitcher shut their mouth! We lost, but me and the coaches chalked that up as a win in our minds, we were very proud of the girls that day!

Working on my iPhone so it's a little funky. Here's a little more of the story.
My boy is going to be 23 early next year. He took over left field on his high school squad mid-sophomore year on a team that started all juniors (that team was stacked with all 14 of those juniors going on to play college ball, 7 of them at D1 schools). His travel team was majority private school kids (I'm in So. Cal. with national powers Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran. J. Serra, St. John Bosco, Servite, Rancho Sta. Margarita which are all in the Trinity League. A lot of these schools get invited to the National high school Invitational every year in N. C. They are also football powerhouses nationally ranked. Also have a couple of perpetual powerhouse teams like Huntington Beach and El Toro which were on the squad).
A football injury derailed his baseball career (rotator issue) and surgery was the last resort being an primary outfielder so shut him down early junior year. He ended up going to a smaller school too (an NAIA school which was in process of getting promoted to D2). This story is for a different time.

Now girls softball is cutthroat out here. Public and private, it's extremely competitive. The high school where my son went has been nationally ranked (the coach has won major championships with his travel clubs Batbusters and Mizuno). It seems if you're starting on varsity for him, you are already committed to a college. Even girls on the bench are getting scholarships! But then again, his reputation and success does the recruiting for him. My wife is a teacher at the school so she'll get a lot of "new students who play softball" their sophomore and junior years.
I see these girls practicing and it reminds me of a major college program with how quickly and efficiently they do their drills. No horse play or knuckle head chatter like the boys.
I totally understand about school programs not being as strong as others. The local high school is the "sports school" in the district so parents figure out ways to get their kids here. Sad to say, if you haven't played "club/travel" prior, you won't see to much playing time. Maybe when they play the weak schools it in their league but by that time the mercy rules are close to taking effect. In those situations where the team isn't having the best day, hopefully Anna can take a leadership role and maintain positive motivation for the squad.
Like a few others, I'm enjoying the adventure and living vicariously through you again.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Thanks moren, that was a great read and you sound like someone who has definitely been there and knows the ins & outs of school ball..............i.e., politics! Funny, you say your wife would get "new" students who "happen" to play softball, I need to get that coach to teach me that trick! I'm not sure how true this is, I read an article that said the Batbusters charge a non-refundable $2000.00 fee just to try out for their organization, and once in, that they're an automatic gateway to a D1 scholarship.

So. Cal. Your right smack in the middle of the fastpitch capitol, some of the best names in softball come from there! As far as Anna taking that leadership role, it's hers whether she wants it or not, last year her seniors looked to her as a 10th grader.

Sorry your son got injured, I'm sure watching your son play and being surrounded by all that talent must have been great, sounds like he made you a proud dad. Thanks for the kind words!

 

[moren025]

Thanks moren, that was a great read and you sound like someone who has definitely been there and knows the ins & outs of school ball..............i.e., politics! Funny, you say your wife would get "new" students who "happen" to play softball, I need to get that coach to teach me that trick! I'm not sure how true this is, I read an article that said the Batbusters charge a non-refundable $2000.00 fee just to try out for their organization, and once in, that they're an automatic gateway to a D1 scholarship.

So. Cal. Your right smack in the middle of the fastpitch capitol, some of the best names in softball come from there! As far as Anna taking that leadership role, it's hers whether she wants it or not, last year her seniors looked to her as a 10th grader.

Sorry your son got injured, I'm sure watching your son play and being surrounded by all that talent must have been great, sounds like he made you a proud dad. Thanks for the kind words!

I don't know what tryout fees were but I do recall one time taking my son to a new speed & agility trainer to work out at the facility where they where also doing there S&A. Saw a parent I knew who's son was on the high school baseball team (they relocated the son's final year so the daughter who was going to be an incoming freshman could be on the team) and we started talking. We began to talk about our monthly investments. I mentioned "I should be driving a new Silverado (averaging a payment about $500 a month) between club dues, tourney fees, extra trainers- hitting, S&A, weights. She then tells me, "I should be driving an S class Mercedes then." I just kept quiet. Inside my mind I'm thinking $800 to $1000 a month. Thankfully though, her daughter got a full ride to Northwestern so it worked out. BTW, we both drove older Accords.

As per the injury, it sucked but he loved the camaraderie, the brotherhood of football (he was an only child till last year but that's another story too). He knew he should have given it up prior to his junior year but he had been playing with half the starting squad since 4th grade. He figured it would be his swan song and wanted one last crack against their rival which they hadn't beaten his previous two years. I knew better but I didn't want him to have any "what ifs" in life. I wanted the decision to be on his terms. Arm was never the same after therapy and rehab...
Bit us both in the ass.

He still keeps in touch with a few of the guys he played with or played against regularly that became friends through Snapchat and IG. He sees their adventures in college, the minors and for a select few that have made it to "the show" but thankfully, he's come to terms with that aspect of life. Now, he's working on becoming law enforcement.

As for school booster politics, we could be here all night with our experiences :-0
LOL

 

[johnnykane0147]

Law Enforcement huh? U should dm me my Department is hiring.

I don't know what tryout fees were but I do recall one time taking my son to a new speed & agility trainer to work out at the facility where they where also doing there S&A. Saw a parent I knew who's son was on the high school baseball team (they relocated the son's final year so the daughter who was going to be an incoming freshman could be on the team) and we started talking. We began to talk about our monthly investments. I mentioned "I should be driving a new Silverado (averaging a payment about $500 a month) between club dues, tourney fees, extra trainers- hitting, S&A, weights. She then tells me, "I should be driving an S class Mercedes then." I just kept quiet. Inside my mind I'm thinking $800 to $1000 a month. Thankfully though, her daughter got a full ride to Northwestern so it worked out. BTW, we both drove older Accords.

As per the injury, it sucked but he loved the camaraderie, the brotherhood of football (he was an only child till last year but that's another story too). He knew he should have given it up his junior year but he had been playing with half the starting squad since 4th grade. He figured it would be his swan song and wanted one last crack against their rival which they hadn't beaten his previous two years. I knew better but I didn't want him to have any "what ifs" in life. I wanted the decision to be on his terms. Arm was never the same after therapy and rehab...
Bit us both in the ass.

He still keeps in touch with a few of the guys he played with or played against regularly that became friends through Snapchat and IG. He sees their adventures in college, the minors and for a select few that have made it to "the show" but thankfully, he's come to terms with that aspect of life. Now, he's working on becoming law enforcement.

As for school booster politics, we could be here all night with our experiences :-0
LOL

 

[ANNASDAD]

He sounds like a fine young man moren! We drive Camrys Anna went to a two day class trip a couple weeks ago. The junior girls play the senior girls in flag football on this trip every year. Her team voted her to be quarterback, I told her if she got hurt......I’d absolutely kill her!! And I could see it happening.

 

[moren025]

He sounds like a fine young man moren! We drive Camrys Anna went to a two day class trip a couple weeks ago. The junior girls play the senior the senior girls in flag football on this trip every year. Her team voted her to be quarterback, I told her if she got hurt......I’d absolutely kill her!! And I could see it happening.

His last year of Pop Warner he ended up playing QB from RB (his BF who was QB that year messed up his hammy last scrimmage) but he liked being a shut down corner/safety who could hit more.
"Anna, they come close to you, throw it away!"

 

[moren025]

Law Enforcement huh? U should dm me my Department is hiring.

DM sent.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Hey guys, today was the day that made me a proud member of this forum! Several of you guys have committed on how you're enjoying hearing the progress of Anna and all that's happening in her recruiting process

Well we're playing in a showcase in Spartanburg, SC. I text my wife after our 2nd game to tell her it's over and we won huge, she ask me to call her, and I did.

She began to tell me there was a package delivered to Anna and I wouldn't believe it! She said I've got to read you this unbelievably well written letter from a board member at SBF. So she reads the letter, the anonymous author wrote how much he's enjoyed following Anna's progress and he'd love to give Anna a gift......My wife said Johnny, you won't believe it.....there's a new mesh backed Vinci glove in this box!!

Someone bought, boxed, and shipped Anna a new Vinci ball glove!!! I just want to say thank you from the bottom on my heart to whoever spent their time and money to do this for my daughter!! I've said before that I'm still fairly new here, but I absolutely love this forum and the board brothers who post here, this thread has made me feel really good and I want to thank everyone who has posted positive things here about Anna! And I really want to say thanks to the huge hearted board member here who shipped Anna a new Vinci, can't wait to get home and see it!! Thanks again!

And to top it off, Anna got surrounded and tag teamed by two college coaches after our last game, she was offered a spot at another D2 school tonight.

When we get home I'll post some pics of that Vinci

 

[NYC]

Awesome, but how did they get your address? Probably someone you dealt with in the past. Very generous. I hope she makes some great plays with it.

 

[Wally Gator]

What a moment in time - first colleges vying for her abilities, now glove companies vying for her hand. "Don't do it Anna, stick with Rawlings!"

 

[Rous]

As much as I have enjoyed this thread and take pride that my small part in keeping Anna's equipment in working order, you can cross me off the list as a potential Vinci supplier. I am going to guess your long time Vinci rep probably has something to do with it. Kudos to them!

 

[ANNASDAD]

As much as I have enjoyed this thread and take pride that my small part in keeping Anna's equipment in working order, you can cross me off the list as a potential Vinci supplier. I am going to guess your long time Vinci rep probably has something to do with it. Kudos to them!

Just walking in the door as the Diamond Classic Fall Showcase bracket champions! Been a two day grinder, we got our butts blistered in a late game last night, came back today and went undefeated to win our bracket. Anna hit a 2 run dinger to go ahead and eventually win the game to get into the championship game. Very fun moment! We had 5 different girls hit homers this weekend, Fun stuff.

Rous, that was actually a really good guess, but nope! It came from an active, daily posting board bro here! It’s a Vinci RCV-VM 12.5” Kip and mesh glove. Honestly it’s a glove that would probably not have been on my radar before today, but it’s a very cool glove, me and Anna both really like it!! Looks like a great fastpitch infield pattern! Still blown away by this!

 

[moren025]

Great looking glove and if I recall with the houndstooth interior, sharp looking ‘69.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Great looking glove and if I recall with the houndstooth interior, sharp looking ‘69.

Thanks, it screams at me every time I walk by it, “are you going to play with me?” Between work and softball, no time for the 69 lately.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Couple of pics from this weekend.