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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Fastpitch Johnny. November 15, 2006: On Letter of Intent Day across the nation, five area fastpitch softball stars from the Northeast officially signed their Letters of Intent to accept fastpitch softball scholarships at five different college programs – including three Division I NCAA schools in a ceremony at Frozen Ropes last night The “Money Hitters” say they owe their college success to the 18-and-under Hudson River Panthers Travel Softball Team and local White Plains Frozen Ropes Hitting Guru, Rob Crews for turning dreams into dollars.
Money Hitters: Left Foul Line to Right Foul line: White Plains High Tiger Dena Frederick (Concordia, Bronxville), Murray Bergtraum High’s Brijette Martin (Stony Brook University), Pitching/Hitting leaders from New Rochelle High, the elite windmilker, Jillian Schonberg(Villanova), and Erica Koehler (Central Connecticut State) and Poughkeepsie’s Taryn LaColla (University of Albany) – good enough to dream and achieve that dream. The Sluggerettes signed their Letters of Intent at their “hitting institute,” Frozen Ropes in White Plains last night. Photo by WPCNR Sports
The growing expertise of fastpitch softball in the northeast was in evidence last night at Frozen Ropes. Five young women signed Letters of Intent for big time college softball scholarships showing that California and the South are not the only the only places where great fastpitch softball players are made. Each of the young women credited the work ethic of training intensely with the right coaches and playing the best competition at the 18-and-under softball level as the keys to their hitting their way into a softball scholarships.
Dena Frederick, senior at White Plains High School who plays for Ted O’Donnell’s White Plains Tigers, and her father, Ray Frederick, Coach of the Hudson River Panthers (founded by Mr. Frederick in 2004) sign Dena’s Letter of Intent with Dena’s Mom to play for Concordia at “The Ropes” last night. Photo, WPCNR Sports.
Dena said she chose Concordia, because. “I know someone who goes there, who always spoke highly of the coach and of the school. So I went there and checked it out. When I talk to the coach, the coach makes me feel so comfortable. Juliana Labella always spoke highly of it.” She liked it and says the coach is looking at her for possibly second base – and Dena is hoping to get in the line up by her sophomore year. She believes at this time she’ll major in education, but is not sure. She had this to say about the Travel ball experience: “I love it. It was fun. I did it for six years traveling around the East Coast, and I would never take it back. It was so much fun.”
WPCNR asked about the advantages of playing at the 18-Under “Showcase Tournaments,” and Dena described the pressure: “The showcase is really nice, because you have to play 110%. If you don’t play as hard as you can, you just get overlooked and then you’re not going to college and that’s what everyone wants to do. I think it’s more difficult because fastpitch is a big team sport, you have to rely on your team members but you still have to do what you have to do. There’s no one to back you up if you mess up on hitting. No one else can get the ball for you then. There’s more pressure on you because eight other players are relying on you.”
I think he did a real good job. He’s got six kids going to college on his team so he must be doing something right.”
Asked how it is playing for your father, Ms. Frederick noted, “There’s a lot more pressure. I mean you have to do everything right. Because if something goes wrong, you’re going to be the example for everything. It’ll be harder on you. It was tough for me, he usually used me as an example every time and you don’t want anyone to be like coach’s favorite because you’re the daughter. That was never the case. He never treated me like that. He did a good job.”
Asked about Panther success, she said, besides the good players, “We’ve all been playing together for awhile and we all get along so great so we really click.”
Three of the players winning scholarships, Dena Frederick, White Plains Tigers High second baser, Erica Koehler, New Rochelle’s power hitting outfielder, Poughkeepsie’s Our Lady of Lords Taryn LaColla (University of Albany) played for the Hudson River Panthers, founded and managed by White Plains own Ray Frederick. New Rochelle’s elite windmiller, Jillian Shonberg and New York’s Brijette Martin who also train with Rob Crews of Frozen Ropes credited Mr. Crews’ hitting focus and Mr. Frederick’s coaching with building their skills, showcasing them before coaches in prestigious tournaments and getting them noticed by the colleges they signed with.
New Rochelle’s elite windmill pitcher, Jillian Schonberg with her mother, credited Rob Crews for turning Jillian’s swing around. Jillian said that her “travel” with the Morris County Belles attracted Villanova interest. She plans to major in Communications at Villanova and getting people out.Photo, WPCNR Sports
Ms. Shonberg credited her Morris County Belles travel team with her being noticed by the Villanova softball coach. She said her Villanova Coach was attracted to her at a tournament, when Shonberg noticed the Villanova coach radar gunning Shonberg’s pitching for the Morris County Belles, a travel team in New Jersey. Shonberg credited Mr. Crews for streamlining her swing and making her a hitter to the point where Villanova’s coach is considering Ms. Shonberg as a hitter, not just a pitcher. (Usually pitchers on the Division I softball level do not hit.)
Taryn Lacolla of Poughkeepsie (third from left) and her parents, signing her “L of I” last night. She told WPCNR hit her way with the Panthers to a 4 year full ride at the University of Albany and says of Coach Frederick, “Ray saved my softball career. My confidence was shot. He gave me the best summer of my life, turned my swing around. He believed in me. He brought my best game out of me and taught me to never quit.” Photo, WPCNR Sports
Brijette Martin, in the Red Stony Brook jersey, with her mother and father. Brijette of Murray Bergtraum High in New York City, will be attending Stony Brook on a full four year softball scholarship. She played with the New Jersey Breakers 18-under Gold Team, credited Rob Crews with “taking me to that level in softball. He encouraged me to go that extra mile by building up my strength training, getting me to swing level. He’s great!” With Ms. Martin is her high school coach, Ed Diaz of Murray Bergtraum High. Photo, WPCNR Sports
Erica Koehler of New Ro — signing up for Central Connecticut State last night with her parents and Coach Frederick looking on. Photo, WPCNR Sports.
Ms Koehler said Central Connecticut State got interested in her watching her play in Panther tournaments, which she alerted the CCS coach to come and see her. Of her Panther ball experience, she said, “I made a lot of friends. It’s highly competitive. Everybody is trying their best. It makes you a better player.”
Hudson River Panthers Founder and Head Coach: White Plains Ray “Make It Work” Frederick. Photo, WPCNR Sports
Mr. Frederick founded the Panthers in 2004, said of the Travel Team Experience: “The toughest thing at the travel team level is trying to make sure all the girls are feeling good before the first game, if they’ve been well-rested and there there ready to play. It’s getting the girls prepared for those first three games of the day, probably the hardest thing. Once they get past that first and second inning, everything seems to go well.”
Frederick talked about the commitment Erica, Dena, and Taryn had to make to play the 18-Under Gold Circuit: “The Panthers practice ten months of the year. We keep it going. We work at Frozen Ropes during the winter Tuesdays and Thursdays. We give individual hitting to the players on Sunday mornings. We rent the armory in Peekskill during the winter, from 9 to 1 we’re up there for three months. At the high school season we stop. When it stops we pick up again. We practice on Sundays in the spring to get the girls back together in the spring prior to our summer season.”
Ray Frederick and his Panther Scholarship girls: L to R, Dena, Taryn LaColla and Erica Koehler. Photo WPCNR Sports.
Eight of Frederick’s eleven players that he had are signed for college scholarships: “I have Kristin Fiorio from Poughkeepsie, Katie Lynch from Briarcliff, Tara LaColla here, Erica Koehler, Dena, Samantha LaBella is now playing for Mercy College, Courtney Christie for Iona, I have a pitcher named Tanya Springer from Albany, signing for Mercy College also. My coaches are Mike Barone, Brian Lynch and I did have Juliana LaBella as pitching coach this last summer. That worked out well. It’s nice to have a woman in the dugout. The Panthers will be back in 07, no doubt. Now that the signings are over, I’m relaxed they’re relaxed and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking for a couple of good players a quality catcher right now.”
I asked Frederick the advantages of travel ball: “For the girls, it’s camaraderie. Meeting other players. Traveling the East Coast. The experience of traveling, staying in hotels like the professionals do, and they eat together, and share special times in their life. It’s a lot of commitment, learning what it takes to play as a team, and managing your time well. The cons – I don’t think there’s any bad experiences in travel ball.”
The Guru.
Rob Crews, Frozen Ropes hitting guru – swing coach for Maddy Coon (who is tearing up the PAC-10 for Stamford) and swing mentor to Brigette, Jillian, Erica, Taryn and Dena concurred with the players and Frederick on the value of travel ball:
“I believe that travel ball is most necessary. It’s definitely more competitive than high school. It puts them on a national platform most times and gets them in front of more college coaches.”
Rob Crews Swing Man to the Stars.
Photo, WPCNR Sports
I asked him about the value of instruction in turning players careers around: “When
Good genetics intersectswith proper instruction you have players able to reach their highest possible potential. It’s really a never ending process. It’s not something you play your high school season and my summer season and I sit down. It’s really year round training that gets these players geared for the next level. Every player if they’re working hard year round they’re going to be able to obtain their goals and maybe get scholarship dollars.”
I asked Crews the main weakness of hitters on the high school level: “Typical high school hitter it’s commitment and work ethic.”
How about mechanics? “I think mechanics are overrated. I think that strength. Girls getting stronger. Girls getting more flexible is really the key to success combined with mechanics.”
Why the emphasis on strength? “I think we’ve evolved to where the game has gone. More bat companies are making heavier end-loaded bats. You have to address the strength issue when you’re using 33 inch 30 ounce bats. So you have to get the kids stronger. I think safety is a factor and to properly evaluate the players. You can’t really get the real deal when they’re swinging the light Ping Bats…you can’t tell who’s a good hitter and who’s not.”
Where is the game going? “The game of softball is evolving into being a more offensive game. In years past, pitching was dominating. In Division I stats, there’s a lot of strikeouts. Look at Arizona, they had a .311 average but they struck out a lot. From what I see right now, with better pop on the bats, with stronger, more committed athletes, great instruction, a lot of softball people are crossing over to the baseball swing, where there is no such thing as a softball swing. Softball has taken a quantum leap.”
What is the hitters’ key weakness today? “I believe it’s pitch recognition and improving their tracking skills. They’re improving how they see the ball depth perception visual acuity. We spend a lot more time on how hitters see the ball in their visual mechanics than I believe most people who train do.”
