The New Era Diamond Girls participated in the first annual Blue Chip College Showcase held at Sunshine Park in West Seneca.

The girls played five games against some very good teams from NY & Canada.

On Saturday the team was missing 5 players from their team and with some help from teams in and out of the Diamond Girls they were able to field a team to get the games in as many of the girls had HS athletic competitions already scheduled. On Sunday they went to bat with the 2010-2011 team.

In their first game back after a lengthy break from softball, the team responded well earning a 5-4 victory over the CNY Wildcats in the bottom of the 7th. It was a good battle defensively. New Era had strung together some late game hits when they needed them to come out on top. In game 2 vs. the EC Bombers, they couldn't pull off the win this time and lost 3-2.

On Sunday the team was scheduled to play some tough Canadian teams, the Scarborough Rays, The Mississauga Tigers and the Guelph Gators. The Gators had to leave and the Battery Lightning Elite hopped into their spot to take on the Diamond Girls.

Game one was against the Mississauga Tigers. They were a big team and jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning. By the fourth inning the Diamond Girls launched an offensive display of speed and finesse and put up 7 runs and chased their starting pitcher. The fans watching the game were in amazement as the team executed each play with precision and solid base running. During the handshake the Tigers coach said "I ain't seen anything like that before in all my coaching days, hats off to you guys". Final score 9-4!

Game two vs. the Scarborough Rays, another solid team from Canada at the tournament, also the 2010 18U Aunt Rosies Runnerup! New Era was on fire for this one and again displayed some finesse with their team speed and the always timely hit to earn the victory 6-4.

Game Three vs. the highly skilled Battery Lightning Elite from Rochester, NY was just as exciting and the girls wanted to head into the off season with a victory. Well they did just that! New Era had a lead 3-1 after 3 innings and the Lightning Elite put that to bed with some shots in the 4th to go ahead 4-3. That didn't sit well with the girls, and they busted open the game in the fifth Inning to go ahead and win 7-4 over a very well coached and talented team.  Great Job New Era!

Some comments we received from the coaches in attendance were:

"I love watching your team",  "You Guys have done a great job with these kids", This is the most exciting team I've seen play the game, your never out of a game with that type of execution. WOW!", "Your kids play with passion and desire", "I'll bet they look forward to playing together", "Your team is well coached", " I wish they would all come over and play for my school" " I could watch your team all day"!

Ladies hats off to your preparation and execution this year!

New Era Diamond Girls finish the season with a tournament win at the New Era Showcase in Lockport. The Diamond Girls went undefeated in the showcase tournament. They were able to get a rematch with the WNY Sting in the championship game and came out on top with an exciting win in the bottom of the seventh. Jen Mikolajek had the sacrifice fly to give the team a 5-4 victory.

Congratulations ladies on a fine season! Season record forthcoming!

New Era Diamond Girls finish second at ASA Eastern Nationals!The New Era Diamond Girls Gold 16U Girls Fast Pitch Softball team headed to York, PA last week to attend the ASA Eastern Nationals.

The tournament included several pool games in a double elimination format. The girls played their hearts out in a 13 inning heavy weight battle vs. the Pittsburgh Power and came out on top 6-2 to move on to the winners bracket championship game. They lost the bracket championship game to the Tigerlillies of Ohio and went on to win the losers bracket game to get a rematch and beat them the first time 5-3. The stage was set for the championship game and it came down to extra innings were a 4-3 loss ended the tournament in a hard fought battle by both teams. The Diamond Girls went 9-2 overall in the National tournament.

Members of the team include Nikki Attea, Caitlin Colucci, Michelle DelPrince, Ashley Fillmore, Yanava Hawkins, Courtney Kadish, Robin Kennery, Ashley McCormick, Jen Mikolajek, Kyle Plimpton and Taylor Swiatek. The team is coached by Larry Colucci, Mitch DelPrince and Chris Swiatek.

Picture, bottom row L-R Nikki Attea, (East Amherst), Courtney Kadish, (East Amherst), Michelle DelPrince, (Lancaster), Ashley McCormick, (West Seneca), Ashley Fillmore, (Getzville),Top row:Coach Chris Swiatek, Jen Mikolajek, (Cheektowaga), Yanava Hawkins, (Buffalo), Caitlyn Colucci, (Lancaster), Robin Kennery, (Williamsville), Taylor Swiatek, (Orchard Park), Kyle Plimpton, (East Amherst), Coaches Larry Colucci & Mitch DelPrince

The New Era Diamond Girls played at the 18U Clarence Girls fast pitch softball tournament this weekend and won the 18U Division!

They did it with solid defensive play and the execution of the offense. The team had solid pitching from Kyle Plimpton who pitched a couple of shutouts and Jessica Banning who continues to baffle opposing teams. Defensively the team turned 6 double plays during the weekend. They beat the Rochester Lady Lions twice, once in pool play 4-3 and then for the championship in a 5-0 victory to earn the title!

The competition was fierce as usual but the girls responded as they prepare to enter the ASA Eastern Nationals at York, PA this week. 

Michelle DelPrince earned tournament MVP for her play this weekend!

Members of the team include, Jessica Banning, Caitlyn Colucci, Michelle DelPrince, Ashley Fillmore, Yanava Hawkins, Courtney Kadish, Robin Kennery, Ashley McCormick, Jennifer Mikolajek, Kyle Plimpton, Taylor Swiatek.

Good Luck at Nationals ladies!

The New Era Diamond Girls traveled to Binghamton to compete at BAGSAI and were able to go 7-0 to win the summer sizzler.

As the day warmed up, the Diamond Girls bats got hot! They played teams from Pennsylvania, the Gravediggers, the Tremors Elite, STPS Ponies, Diamond Dusters, Lady Bombers and the BC Breakers all from NY.

Congratulations to the team for a hard fought weekend of softball and the character they displayed in the semi final game!

New Era does well at 18U College Showcase at Ohio State University. The girls played at the upper level and went 3-1 in the rain shortened tournament.

The team played the OFC Orange and won the first game 3-0. The second game was against the Ohio Wolfpack Black, one of the best teams in the state. New Era was ahead going into the 7th and couldn't hang on to a 5-3 lead. The strong bats of this team finished the job for them, 6-5. New Era bounced back for the third game vs. the Pittsburgh Predators and won that game 7-4 which was the featured game under the lights.

On Sunday the team played a tough game vs. the Wisconsin Elite that went seven innings in under 75 minutes. The Diamond Girls Caitlyn Colucci hit a single to get on and a rare pass ball moved her to second. Robin Kennery singled and moved Colucci to scoring position. Jen Mikolajek came up with one out and squeezed Caitlyn home for the winning run in a great game!

The Diamond Girls finished first at the ASA National Qualifier held at West Seneca's Sunshine Park.

The team went 2-0 in pool play and then had an outstanding Saturday beating it's opponents to earn the top seed in the winners bracket. The girls carried that momentum into Sunday with the goal to come out of the winners bracket and be in the driver seat. They played tough teams from West Seneca, Amherst Lightning and the San Diego Legacy team, all the way from California.

The first game on Sunday determined the winner bracket champion and they were determined to come out on top. They had the much awaited rematch vs. the San Diego team they had beat in pool play 7-3.  Strong pitching by Kyle Plimpton & Nikki Attea gave the Legacy different looks they couldn't keep up with. Game one the Diamond Girls won in a tight battle 3-2. Game two however went to the ITB and New Era came out on top on a bases loaded Sacrifice fly by Yanava Hawkins to score Robin Kennery and the Game winner 5-4.

New Era won a berth to ASA Nationals with their win on Sunday and brought their season record to 29-3.

More details to follow!

The New Era Diamond Girls went to the Horseheads showcase with one thing in mind, showcase their talents! That they did, they scored 48 runs in 5 games and only gave up 4. Outstanding Pitching by Kyle Plimpton and Robin Kennery along with the solid defensive play by the team earned them many honors and praise from coaches around the diamonds. The girls performance had drawn attention from the other diamonds as they lit up the scoreboard with solid hitting from Jen Mikolajek, Caitlyn Colucci, Ashley McCormick, Michelle DelPrince, Ashley Fillmore, Yanava Hawkins, Taylor Swiatek and Courtney Kadish. "The execution we had today was unbelievable" said coach Larry Colucci. "When we play our game, it's tough to defend"

The Diamond Girls finished 5-0 and earned themselves a top many coaches short lists!

Jessica Banning

Caitlyn Colucci

Michelle DelPrince

Ashley Fillmore

Katelyn Gruarin

Yanava Hawkins 

Courtney Kadish

Robin Kennery 

Ashley McCormick

Jennifer Mikolajek 

Kyle Plimpton

Taylor Swiatek

2009 Fall Tournaments

October 3-4-2009 New Era Showcase- Buffalo, NY-Won The tournament

October 10-11-2009 Newtown Rocks Gold Showcase-Yardley, PA- 4 & 1

October 23-25-2009 Rising Stars Showcase-Davie, Fl-5 & 1

2010 Spring-Summer Tournaments

	

		

			
Date
			
 
			
 
			
 
		
		

			
5/30
			
6-8 Team Round Robin-Won All Games 
			
18U
			
Lockport, NY
		
		

			

			

			6/11-6/13 
			
			
			

			

			 
			
			

			Lady Raiders College Showcase-Won Bracket 5 wins-0 Losses 
			
			

			 
			
			
			

			

			18U 
			
			
			

			

			Horseheads, NY 
			
			
		
		

			
6/19-6/21
			

			

			 
			
			

			ASA State Championship-Lost in Semi Finals 7-5 
			
			

			 
			
			
			
18U
			
West Seneca, NY
		
		

			
6/25-6/28
			

			

			 
			
			

			Aunt Rosies Invitational-Showcase-Lost in Semi Finals ITB 6-5 
			
			

			 
			
			
			
16U
			
Amherst, NY
		
		

			

			

			7/2-7/4 
			
			
			

			

			 
			
			

			 ASA National Qualifier- Won the Qualifier over SanDiego Legacy. beat the Legacy three times. 
			
			

			 
			
			
			

			

			 
			
			

			16U 
			
			
			

			

			 
			
			

			West Seneca, NY 
			
			
		
		

			
7/8-7/11
			

			

			 
			
			

			Ohio Stingrays College Showcase-Went 3-1 in rain shortened event 
			
			

			 
			
			
			
18U
			
Columbus, OH
		
		

			
7/17-7/18
			

			

			 
			
			

			BAGSAI-Summer Sizzler-went 7-0 and won the prestigous BAGSAI Tournament! 
			
			

			 
			
			
			
16U
			
Binghamton, NY
		
		

			
7/31-8/1
			

			

			 
			
			

			Clarence Tournament-Won Clarence 18U-Over Rochester Lady Lions 
			
			

			 
			
			
			
18U
			
Clarence, NY
		
		

			

			

			8/4-8/8 
			
			
			

			

			 
			
			

			ASA Eastern Nationals- 2nd Place Finish at Nationals! 
			
			

			 
			
			
			

			

			 
			
			

			16U 
			
			
			

			

			 
			
			

			York, PA 
			
			
		
		

			
8/13-8/15
			

			

			 
			
			

			New Era Showcase-Won Tournament, Went 6-0, Girls showcased well! 
			
			

			 
			
			
			
16U
			
Lockport, NY
		
	

Michelle DelPrince

Corrin Genovese Chooses Missouri

Williamsville North's super infielder Corrin Genovese has decided to play her college softball at the University of Missouri, beginning in 2012. Corrin was heavily recruited by Arizona, but decided against going there after her visit left her with the feeling that it "wasn't what (she) expected". She was also recruited by Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Louisville.

You'll remember we saw Corrin and North upset highly touted Clarence High in the Section VI Championship game this last spring. Corrin played travel ball with the New Era Diamond Girls.

Congratulations to Corrin!

New Era Diamond Girls Megan Smith Signs Letter of Intent with Mercyhurst!

Megan Smith holds virtually every pitching record at Immaculata Academy before even hurling that first softball of her senior season.

There is no doubt that the Hamburg resident will leave a legacy at the school, but before soaking in any of that glory, the three-year starter hopes first and foremost that her record-breaking career will be inspiration for future players at the school.
“It’s been an awesome experience to be the starter at Immaculata since being a freshman,” said Smith, who also carries a 91.03 overall grade point average. “I just hope what I’ve done pushes the younger girls to do better themselves.”
Smith will now also become an inspiration for those who hope to one day themselves play at the next level. She sparked the interest of prospective colleges with her school-record setting 52 wins and 525 strikeouts, to go along with four no-hitters. Smith has also shown plenty of ability to hit, racking up over the past three seasons a .491 average, 61 runs scored and 71 RBIs.

After making an official visit to Mercyhurst College this fall, Smith decided that the school in Erie, Pa. and its Division II softball program would be the best fit for her.

Available player skills videos are under roster and player name.

Kyle Plimpton

Courtney Kadish-Infielder

Lancaster High School (NY) star shortstop Ashley Snider has verbally committed to play softball at St. Bonaventure beginning with the 2011 season.

Ashley, who was named All-ECIC in 2009 (which BTW was a very talented group), enters her senior season at Lancaster this coming spring having been honored as an All-ECIC player since she was in 8th grade. She hits for high averages with plenty of doubles and triples. She has played for the WNY Sting, and is currently on the LaNova roster.

Once again, Bonnies Coach Mike Threehouse is building a talented squad down there in the southern tier.
Congratulations Ashley!

Softball Pitching Distance to Increase to 43 Feet in 2010-11
07/07/09 - NFCA Release INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 7, 2009/courtesy NFHS

Effective with the 2010-11 school year, the pitching distance for high school varsity softball pitchers will increase from 40 feet to 43 feet.

The new pitching distance was one of four rules revisions made by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Softball Rules Committee at its annual meeting June 8-10 in Indianapolis. The rules changes subsequently were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Although the new pitching distance is mandatory beginning with the 2010-11 school year, NFHS-member state high school associations may adopt the 43-feet distance in 2009-10, if desired.

After at least 10 years of debate by committee members, the NFHS has extended the fast-pitch pitching distance to 43 feet. The change to Rule 1-1-2b was made after two member state associations experimented with 43 feet – Florida for four years and Oregon for one year. Coaches surveyed within these states were overwhelmingly supportive of the change.

Creating a better balance between the offense and the defense was the major rationale for the rule change. Experimentation results from both states indicated more batted balls were hit into play.

“Our main thrust is getting the defense more involved,” said Mary Struckhoff, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the Softball Rules Committee. “When more balls are hit into play, the defense is more involved in the game, thus enhancing skill development.”

The second revision (Rule 1-5) concerned bat specifications. The majority of the text is simply reorganized from the current rules book.

“This is primarily an editorial change,“ Struckhoff said. “We just want to be more detailed in our specifications in order to give manufacturers, coaches, players and umpires guidance on what is and is not permissible.”

Another rule revision for next season affects hair devices. An exception was added to Rule 3-2-12, permitting “hard, unadorned devices, such as bobby pins, barrettes and hair clips, no longer than 2 inches, to be worn to control a player’s hair.” The rule was changed to allow players more options.

“The exception allows players a practical way of dealing with their hair,” Struckhoff said. “The committee didn’t see that hair devices would be a nuisance or would pose undue risk to players.” The change also maintains consistency with NFHS volleyball rules regarding the same issue.

The final rules change concerns how a winning pitcher is determined. The committee altered Rule 9-6-6, changing the required number of innings pitched for a starting pitcher to be credited with a win to “half of the total number of innings played in the game.” The new language gives the starting pitcher the ability to earn a win even if she leaves the pitching position for another defensive position and returns as pitcher later in the game. It also allows greater clarity in determining the winning pitcher when a game is terminated due to the run-rule.

“Softball and baseball are different games and the requirements for a pitcher to be credited with a win should reflect those differences,” Struckhoff said. “In softball, it’s possible for the pitcher to pitch an inning, leave the position and then come back to pitch later in the same game. The change was made to reflect the culture of the sport.”

Softball is the fourth-most popular sport among girls at the high school level with 371,293 participants during the 2007-08 season, according to the High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the NFHS. It also ranks fourth in school sponsorship for girls across the nation with 14,846 participating schools.

The Diamond Girls gave up two runs in a rain shortened tournament. They executed well in all four games. Kyle Plimpton, Tori Nappo & Nikki Attea combined gave up two runs in the four games played, which included a no hitter.

Offensively the girls executed plays to a "T" and performed with timely two out hits to preserve their victories.

The Diamond Girls continue to improve there skills as they get ready for the meat of their schedule!

The Girls hit the ball hard this weekend and executed well! The team got great pitching from Kyle Plimpton and Nikki Attea.

The schedule will continue to get tougher and test the girls at higher levels of play. We begin this Friday at the NSA NY State Championship!

This is our final tournament schedule.

Remember we will be playing 18U league ball this year to continue the girls’ development to play at the next level and be highly competitive at our age group.

2009 Season

5/23-24           Evans Kickoff-16U Champions!

6/12-14           PONY National Qualifier - Lockport, NY-16U Champions!
6/19-21           NSA NYS Championship - West Seneca, NYState-16U Champions!
6/26-28           Aunt Rosie’s 16U - Amherst, NY-Lost Intensity!

7/3-7/5            18U ASA Qualifier - West Seneca-Competed Very Well
7/10-7/12        Central Ohio Stingrays Showcase @ The Ohio State University-ASA
7/17-7/19        ASA National Qualifier -Buffalo, NY-Semi Final Finish
7/26-8/2          PONY Nationals Akron, OH-17th of 70

8/7-8/9            New Era Fast Pitch Classic College Showcase-Buffalo-Finished #1
8/29-30           Strikeout for Cancer-Champions!

League Ball - Finished in Third Place out of 8 teams

2010 Season

10/09             New Era College Showcase, Newtown Rocks, Rising Stars

Here are the links to the local college softball home pages.

Canisius Schedule

University at Buffalo Schedule

Niagara University

St. Bonaventure

The NCAA Eligibility Center has recently adopted a new policy for high school student-athletes who have demonstrated a high level of academic achievement during their first six semesters of high school. Qualified student-athletes will receive an early certification waiver prior to high school graduation.

In order to qualify for an early certification waiver a student must meet the following criteria:

A minimum SAT (math and critical reading) score of 1000 or minimum sum score of 85 on the ACT;

For Division I:  Core-course GPA of 3.0 or higher in a minimum of 13 core courses:

• 3 English;
• 2 Math;
• 2 Science; and
• 6 additional core courses.

For Division II:  Core-course GPA of 3.0 or higher in a minimum of 12 core courses:

• 3 English;
• 2 Math;
• 2 Science; and
• 5 additional core courses.

During their senior year, the student-athlete will receive confirmation that he/she has met the academic certification requirements.

If you have any questions about early certification you may contact the NCAA Eligibility Center directly at 877-262-1492.