​TCS individual events offer top recruiting opportunities

by Sergio Santistevan

There is truly no offseason in softball, and as Triple Crown summer fastpitch individual events prove, recruiting is a 24/7 job.

“Triple Crown, in my experience, I know (has) extremely good tournaments to go to,” said team manager Michele Waters of the Arctic Heat 18u, who credits these events for helping many of her players get recruited. 

The first recruiting event of the year, Zoom into June, will take place on June 4-8 in West Covina, Riverside and Hemet, CA. Entering its 10th year, Zoom into June is the largest recruiting showcase on the West Coast and is widely viewed as the best early recruiting showcase on the calendar.

Zoom into June offers five days of jam-packed action for players to get noticed by various college coaches. The event provides a plethora of showcase games, such as Organizational Workouts, Uncommitted 2020 and 2021 Workout, OnDeck Camp, All-Star and All-Academic games.

On top of all the individual showcase action, teams get the opportunity to compete in a five-game guarantee format, so college programs get to see players in real-game situations.

In 2019, more than 200 college coaches attended Zoom Into June and recruited plenty of talent as over 400 teams competed in the games and over 450 individuals attended extra showcase and camp opportunities.

If Zoom into June doesn’t fit into the calendar, workouts at the Valley Invite on June 19 in Portland marks another opportunity for players to get noticed by college programs.

In previous years, college representatives from major DI colleges were in attendance along with JUCO and NAIA representatives. Last year, over 200 teams registered in the five-game guarantee tournament; this year, the Valley Invite format will be different than in previous years, but coaches and players can still expect a high-level tournament, individual events and college coaches with recruiting on their mind.

One of Triple Crown signature fastpitch events lights up Colorado through June 28- July 5. Teams throughout the United States will participate in the annual Colorado 4th of July Sparkler & Fireworks. The tournament consists of a six-game guarantee and modified elimination formats.

“The Colorado Sparkler & Fireworks have been around for a very long time. They are extremely organized and extremely beneficial. If anybody can get their teams to those tournaments, we would recommend it,” said Waters. “That’s where the girls get the scholarships from. Ninety percent of our girls get our scholarships from those tournaments.” 

This year the 2020 Power Pool playoff system will be enhanced, as the top teams in the U.S. Club Rankings and certain at-large teams will be invited to participate.

All the action kicks off on June 28 with College Camp Sunday, which provides high-tempo workouts and drills from college coaches at the Aurora Sports Park.

On Elite College Camp Monday, nationally recognized college coaching staffs will host workouts for a small group of 40 participants to help refine skills and develop a deeper understanding of the game. Programs that have been confirmed for their camp so far include the University of Oregon,  Notre Dame and Texas A&M.

On Tuesday, June 30, uncommitted junior and seniors will run through specific skill stations administered by TCS staff. This event is open to any unsigned graduates in the 2020 or 2021 class and JUCO players. Over the years, this event has hosted over 100 college coaches and had over 50 participants, so it presents a great chance for players to be recruited.

Hundreds of college colleges are attending Colorado 4th of July Sparkler & Fireworks event this year, ranging from DI’s University of New Mexico and the University of Hawaii to NAIA’s Bethel University.

Don’t miss out on getting noticed by college coaches at any of these TCS fastpitch opportunities this summer!