Georgia Thunder 16U Class A: My Site News

2008 Battle in Dublin 1st place
view full size
Wednesday, June 13
2007 Queen of Diamonds Champs
view full size

 

 

 

2009 16U Tournaments

Mar 21-22nd    Macon            Impact Friendly                         - 1 & 3 
May 28              Gutron             SandHill tournament               - won 3 games before rain out
Apr 11               Atlanta          Viper Friendly                              - 1 & 3
Apr 18-19           Marietta              ASA Qualifier                       -  9th Place of 36
May 2-3        Savannah      ASA Diamond Duster                   -  1st Place
May 15-17    Columbus      ASA Queen of the Hill                  -  5th Place of 34 

Jun 5-7     Savannah Southernstars Showcase             - 5 wins - 0 loses

 
Jun 11-14    Chattanooga  Gold Diamond Showcase      -  7 wins - 0 loses
Jun 19-21    Spartanburg   ASA Qualifier                                - 9th place of 22
Jun 26-28    Jacksonville  ASA Qualifier                                 -3rd place of 15
July 10-12    Marietta          Georgia State ASA Qualifier      -  5th Place of 22
July 17-19    Ft. Lauderdale Rising Stars Showcase           -  3 wins - 0 loses 

 

2008 16U Tournaments

Feb 23         Cordele            UFA Early Season Bash         -  1st Place
Mar 15         Milledgeville    UFA Lucky Leprechaun         -  1st Place
Mar 28-30    Covington         Camfast King of the Mountain - Rain Out
Apr 12-13    Statesboro         ASA    April Fools                    -  1st Place
Apr 19-20    Dublin               ASA     Battle in Dublin           -  1st Place
May 2-4       Columbus        USA / ASA Qualifier                -  7th Place
May 10-11   Statesboro         ASA 18U Queen of Diamonds -  3rd Place
May 30-1    Lakeland FL      USA / ASA Qualifier               -  7th Place
Jun 6-8       Burlington NC     USA / ASA Qualifier               -  9th Place
Jun 13-15    Marietta GA        USA / ASA Qualifier
July 11-13   Woodstock GA    ASA State                             -  9th Place
Oct 31       Savannah GA Southern Stars                     - Showcase          Dec 6-7       Hilton Head SC   WFC Winter Nationals           -  1st Place


 

2007 14U Tournaments

Mar 23-25th    Covington     CAM Fast     King of the Hill
Apr 14th          Savannah      WFC  World Series Qualifier
May 5-6th      Statesboro     ASA  Queen of Diamonds          -  1st Place
June 2-3rd    Millidgeville    WFC   Georgia State                  -   Rain Out
June 8-10th   McDonough   ISA STATE A CLASS
June 23rd     Cordele           WFC  Watermelon Bat Busters -  1st Place
June 30-1st   Brunswick      WFC 16U Battle of the Border  -  3rd Place
July 8-13th    Myrtle Beach ISA  World Series                       -  1st Place
July 18-22nd Savannah     WFC      World Series                -  1st Place
Dec 1-2nd      Hilton Head     WFC Winter Nationals               -  1st Place  
 

 

2006 12U Tournaments
Mar 11th             Savannah       WFC                 1st place of 4
Apr 1st-2nd        Milledgeville   USFA                3rd place of 9
Apr 8th                 Dublin             USFA                2nd place of 5 
Apr 29-30th     Statesboro      NSA 14U           4th Gold of 10
May  6th         Brunswick      USSSA              1st place of 4
May 13th        Savannah       WFC 14U           5th place of 11
Jun 3-4th       Statesboro      NSA                   2nd place of 5 
Jun 9-11th     Dublin State    USFA                 2nd place of 18
June29-1st    Statesboro      OPEN 14U         5th place of 9
July 8th           Savannah       USSSA 14U       4th place of 8
July 20-21st  Augusta        WFC World Series   1st place of 5
Nov 4th           Dublin          ASA 14U  State       1st place of 4
Nov 17-19th   Myrtle Beach      WFC                10th place of 28

 

 

 Georgia Thunder win 2007 WFC Winter National (Dec 1-2).

The Georgia Thunder 14U softball team closed out the 2007 fast-pitch travel ball season during the first weekend of December with an impressive victory.  The tournament, WFC Winter Nationals 2008 POINTS TOURNAMENT, was held at Hilton Head Island.  This tournament was a Qualifier for the 2008 WFC World Series that will be held in Savannah next summer. With only three of the thirteen girls having  to move up to the 16 and under age group next year, the team chose to stay intact and move up to the 16U division.  The team having won the 12U WFC World Series in 2006 and the 14U WFC World Series in 2007, found the 16U WFC World Series title in 2008 just too irresistible of a challenge to pass up.   The World Fast pitch Connection and Decker Sports put on a terrific tournament hosted at the very scenic Crossings Park on the south end of Hilton Head Island.  Because of prior commitments with high school basketball and illness, Georgia Thunder was only able to carry eight Thunder players and one pick-up player for the weekend. These young ladies dominated the tournament from the first pitch.  In November, most of the team attended a hitting camp hosted by Coach Ted Evans from AASU softball.  The results were astounding.  With the bats blazing and only one defensive error, Georgia Thunder out scored their opponents 52 to 2 in the course of five games.  The dominating pitchers included Kendall Usher and Whitney Smith of Effingham County, Marla Thompson of Screven County, and one of coach Rainwater’s long time pitching students, Shelby Duff  (a heavily recruited college prospect ), also from Effingham county.  The win in Hilton Head is the team’s 5th championship of the year. Of these first place finishes, two were World Series tournaments.  Thunder also placed 3rd in their first 16U tournament earlier this year.  In all, one would have to say that this was a great rebuilding year for a young 14U Georgia Thunder.  Looking forward to 2008, Georgia Thunder will be growing with two new Georgia Thunder teams that made their debut in the Hilton Head tournament.  These teams are a 10U Georgia Thunder team coached by Bill Denny of Effingham County and a new 14U Georgia Thunder team coached by Terry Stewart from Screven County.   In addition to players from Effingham, Screven, and Bulloch counties, the new Georgia Thunder teams will include girls from both Chatham and Bryan counties.  Mark your calendars.  The WFC World Series will be held at Paulson Park in Savannah for the second year in a row on July 16-20th.  See you at the ball park. 

2007
Georgia Thunder Fastpitch Softball team wins WFC World Series  (July 18-22nd)

The Georgia Thunder 14 and under Fastpitch Softball team, based out of Effingham County, won their 2nd World Series in as many weeks, going undefeated to win the 14U WFC World Series Tournament this week in Savannah.  After winning the ISA World Series Championship in Myrtle Beach, the Georgia Thunder girls returned home to defend their 2006 WFC World Series title that they won in the 12U division.  Twenty four teams from eight states participated in the 14 and under division of this tournament.  Opening Ceremonies, held Tuesday afternoon, allowed the girls from the different teams to meet each other followed by  a pin exchange, games and fun competitions.

On Wednesday, Georgia Thunder won their 1st pool (warm-up) game against the Ohio Viking Elite 11-0 and defeated the Alabama Insanity 6-5 in their second game.  On Thursday, Georgia Thunder toppled the NC Mountain Fury (last year’s 12U WFC World Series runners up), followed by a victory over the NC Bandits 8-3, which had to be finished Friday morning due to rain.  Based on games won and points given up, Georgia Thunder emerged from pool play as the 2nd seed.

On Friday, Georgia Thunder won their 1st Bracket game against the Effingham Angels (White) 6-1and then won their 2nd bracket game against Georgia Impact 6-3.  On Saturday morning, the Red Storm from Oaklandon, Indiana was beaten 7-1 featuring a Bridget Devlin out of the park homer run. Next Thunder beat the Carolina Starz 8-0.

The Starz came back from the losers' bracket to give Georgia Thunder an exciting championship game, taking the lead twice in the early innings.  Ultimately, Georgia Thunder won the game and the 2007 WFC World Series 1st Place trophy with a 5-2 win. The Thunder only gave up 7 runs in bracket play against some very hard hitting teams, which says a lot for the Thunder defense and the super pitching from Melissa Kennedy, Tansi Rudder and Kendall Usher.  The WFC World Series 1st place Team Trophy is on display at Teezers (a team sponsor) in Springfield.

The Georgia Thunder coaches are Jeff & Missy Rainwater and their daughter Revana who played for Thomas University.  The players are Bridget Devlin, Maddie Evans, Chelsea Horne, Melissa Kennedy, Kalin Martin, Alexis Mercer, Kacee Page, Tansi Rudder, Ansley Rushing, Rochelle Shuman, Hannah Thornton and Kendall Usher.  The girls on the Georgia Thunder team are from Effingham, Bulloch and Screven Counties and will be attending six different High Schools and two Middle Schools this fall.  Jeff and Missy Rainwater, along with their two daughters, have done a remarkable job of developing this extraordinary group of girls.  The Rainwater family has devoted countless hours over the last 4 years building and developing this team and even built a softball diamond in their backyard, affectionately known as Thunder Field.  Jeff Rainwaters, who is a well known pitching coach in this area, also works with 2 of the pitchers from the 16U Georgia Heat Elite and the 18U Lady Outlaws who also won the WFC World Series championship in their respective age groups.

With the last tournament of the year played, the Thunder Girls will be taking the rest of the summer off.  Most of the girls will be playing softball for their respective schools this fall.

http://www.playwfc.org/whofinal.asp
http://www.wfcfastpitch.com/bwsbrkt.htm


 

2007
ISA World Series 14U Champions


The 2007 ISA World Series tournament was held at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina July 9th thru 13th this year.  The first day for the Georgia Thunder 14 and Under Fast-pitch softball team at Myrtle Beach started out with a lot of real thunder and rain.  After hanging out at the Pepper Geddings Park for half a day during a severe storm with water running off the fields and though the dug outs several inches deep, the games were finally called for the day.  Tuesday morning brought the sun and high temperatures turning Pepper Geddings Park into a sweltering sauna.  But the Georgia Thunder girls came ready to play, putting away the New Jersey Flames 6-3 in their first warm-up game.  The Carolina Fire Red managed to slip by the Thunder in the second warm-up game of the day with a narrow 3-2 win.  On Wednesday, Ga Thunder defeated the North Georgia Bandits 6-5 with a 2 run homer by Rochelle Shuman.  The next foe to fall to the Thunder was the Sebring Storm out of Florida in a 9-0 game featuring a 3 run home run by Kacee Page.  Thursday was another hot one with thunder and lightning in the afternoon sky while the Georgia Thunder and Fort Lauderdale Lightning teams squared off on the field.  The Lightning team was a very impressive group of girls that were very well coached.  The semi-final game was a hard fought defensive battle that Thunder won thanks to a 2 run out of the park homerun by Kendall Usher.  Fort Lauderdale Lightning returned to face Georgia Thunder Friday morning after winning the losers bracket.  The ISA World Series 14U Championship game was certainly the hardest fought and most exciting game of the tournament featuring more offense than the prior game between the Thunder and Lightning teams.  In the end, Georgia Thunder won out with a heart stopping 6-5 victory.  Alexis Mercer contributed to the victory with a go ahead out of the park homerun.  Melissa Kennedy and Tensi Rudder did super job pitching though out the week.

The ISA (Independent Softball Association), presented the 1st Place Georgia Thunder team and coaches with ISA World Series Watches, Ball Caps, Tee Shirts, Patches and a Team Trophy.  The Thunder team moved up to 14 & Under age group this season from 12 & Under division and are having a terrific year as a young 14 & Under team.  This year, they won the ASA Queen of the Diamonds 14U tournament in Statesboro and the WFC Watermelon Bat Busters 14U tournament in Cordele, GA., and also placed 3rd in the 16U WFC Battle of the Border tournament in Brunswick.

The final tournament of the season for Georgia Thunder will be the WFC World Series on July 18-22 that is being held right here in Savannah, Georgia at Paulson Park and Minnick Park.  Georgia Thunder won the 2006 WFC World Series 12 & Under division last year.  If you want to see some quality Fast Pitch Softball, we will see you there.  The Georgia Thunder coaches are Jeff & Missy Rainwater and their daughter Revana who played for Thomas University.  The players are Bridget Devlin, Maddie Evans, Chelsea Horne, Melissa Kennedy, Kalin Martin, Alexis Mercer, Kacee Page, Tansi Rudder, Ansley Rushing, Rochelle Shuman, and Kendall Usher.  The girls on the Georgia Thunder team are from Effingham, Bulloch and Screven Counties and will be attending six different High Schools and two Middle Schools this fall. 

 

2006
  “Georgia Thunder” Rolled in Augusta

     Effingham’s Georgia Thunder 12 and under Girls Fast-pitch Softball team brought home the Gold from the World Fast-pitch Connection World Series B Class.  The World Series Tournament wrapped up the Spring/Summer season for the Thunder that started back in February.  This year the World Fast-pitch Connection World Series was held at the Diamond Lakes Sports Complex in Augusta, Ga.  The Opening Ceremonies began Wednesday with a Parade of Teams, Team Pin Exchange, Team Gift Exchange and many fun contests.  The Home Run Contest for Ages 12 and under was won by Effingham’s own Kalin Martin.  Georgia Thunder played a total of 8 games Thursday and Friday.  After contending with some very real thunder for nearly an hour Friday afternoon, Georgia Thunder manage to triumph over the North Carolina Mountain Fury in the Championship game around 1:00 AM Saturday morning.
     Georgia Thunder had a terrific season with three 1st place finishes, three 2nd place finishes and one 3rd place finish.  Back in June, the Thunder placed 2nd in the USFA State Tournament after losing the championship game to the South GA Boltz 7-6. That was their 5th game that day on a very hot day in Dublin, Ga.  I can only marvel at the resilience of youth.  The “12 and under” Georgia Thunder team participated in four “14 and under” tournaments this season and always placed in the top half of the field.
     The parents and grandparents of this group of girls are very proud of the effort and sacrifices these girls have made this summer.  A missed party due to a practice, the church youth trip you could not make, the summer family vacation you did not take because of a tournament can appear so important at their age, but this group stayed together through it all.  As a result of there hard work and commitment, the girl from Georgia Thunder got to see the team motto realized. “Those who work hard today will be the champions of tomorrow.”
    With the season at its conclusion, the girls can now prepare themselves for all the rigors of back to school, reading, writing and of coarse Middle School Fast-pitch Softball.  The girl will temporary become rivals since they will be attending 5 different schools in 3 different counties, Effingham, Bullock and Screven.  Georgia Thunder would like to thank Effingham County for supporting them this year and we are looking forward to getting back together for the Fall Season beginning in September.
Coaching Staff: Jeff Rainwater, Missy Rainwater, and Revana Rainwater.
Players:  Maddie Evans, Chelsea Horne, Melissa Kennedy, Kalin Martin, Alexis Mercer, Caroline Neidlinger, Ansley Rushing, Rochelle Shuman, Hannah Thornton, Kendall Usher, Rebekah Wallace.