Land O’ Lakes Hornets 10u

🐝 🥎

The girls were on fire this Championship weekend with an impressive 5-0 record! It was a true team effort from players 1 through 11. Among the major highlights were new in-game personal bests in MPH for all four pitchers. Keep grinding! The team also set a new high in hits with 41. We've been emphasizing the importance of reducing strikeouts and putting the ball in play, and the girls delivered with a season-low in strikeouts. Additionally, they reached a season high in sacrifices with 7. Great job, team! We couldn’t be more proud of the effort all have put in outside of practice! Keep working as we finish the season strong! Gold Championship weekend!!!

The Hornets putting in the work before the SFP RIP-IT Series in Ocala this weekend. Keep working hard!

Here's a toast to Mother’s Day 2024! We express our profound gratitude to all the moms and parents who supported us during the high-speed turbo event on Mother's Day. In case you're wondering, a Turbo event is a thrilling, all-day marathon consisting of five games!

So, how did our Hornets perform? The girls keep astonishing us with their tenacity under stress and their consistent progress and improvement every week. They progressed to their third Spring Championship game, but unfortunately, they were beaten 4-2 by the highly competitive Clearwater Bullets team. Regardless of the defeat, it was an outstanding weekend with an overall record of 3-2.

Let’s recognize some outstanding performances-

Our pitchers, Ari and Annie, were nothing short of extraordinary, steering the team to a third seed with a combined 65% strike rate and 11 strikeouts in the morning seeding games. They adhered to the coaches' advice - throw strikes and let the defense handle the rest, which they executed brilliantly!

Their hard work allowed Taylor and Brooklyn some rest. They came back to the field, unfazed by the scorching 95+ heat, and gave extraordinary performances in the Quarters, Semis, and Finals, achieving a total of 21 strikeouts and 60% strikes against formidable opponents.

What complements effective pitching? Exceptional catching- Claire caught 4 out of the 5 games and gave a splendid performance, minimizing passed ball, calling a fantastic game, battling the heat and reducing stolen bases with powerful throws to all bases.

Kudos to Madison for supporting Claire and intimidating all the teams from attempting to steal with a powerful throw and catching out a runner in a close 2-1 game.

An effective offensive game, particularly evident in the Quarters and Semis, propelled the team into the finals. They scored an impressive total of 35 runs and made 20 hits.

Let's give a hand to our 3-6 hitters - Emma, Madison, Claire, and Annie. These girls were stars this weekend with an average of .590, OBP of .725, 18 hits, 14 RBI, and 23 runs scored.

In every triumphant team, the significance of a well-rounded lineup is crucial, and the back and top of the lineup often go unrecognized. They rose to the occasion this weekend, allowing the middle of the lineup to shine. The tail end of the lineup, including Taylor, Analiese, Emme, and Ari, achieved a .400 OBP, 6 hits, 4 RBIs, 5 runs, 8 walks, and 5 stolen bases, while the top of the lineup, Brooklyn and Luciana, contributed 6 walks, 4 runs, and a .400 OBP.

A special shout out to Paisley, who, despite her injury and inability to play this weekend, still made a significant contribution. She served as an inspirational leader, boosting the team's confidence, cheering them on, and possibly leading the most enthusiastic Hornets cheer we've seen this year!

Let's roll out the red carpet for the Hornets offensive stars of the weekend!

Emma- .778 Avg, .818 OBP, 7 hits, 7 runs scored, 5RBIs and 1HR

Annie- .600 Avg, .778 OBP, 3 hits, 1 Triple, 2RBI, 4 Runs and 4 Walks

Well done, Hornets! Keep maintaining the momentum, and continue to push forward..

Fourteen days ago, the Hornets faced their biggest challenge since the fall of 2023. They lost a key player to injury, followed by a tough five-game losing streak. However, over the past two weeks, they showed resilience and determination to turn things around. They welcomed guest players to be able to even compete in tournaments and put in the hard work needed to succeed. The team's efforts paid off with an impressive 7-3 record in the last 10 games, including a stellar 4-1 weekend. Despite a heartbreaking loss in the championship game, where they fell 3-1, the Hornets can be proud of their comeback and never-give-up attitude.

This past weekend showcased the Hornets' resilience and determination in the face of adversity. They found themselves trailing 5-0 in the quarterfinals but staged an incredible comeback, led by the bottom of the order Emme, Paisley, and Analiese, to secure a thrilling 8-7 victory.

The team's bats were on fire in an impressive 11-0 win, demonstrating their offensive prowess in the Semi’s. In the Championship game, they faced a tough opponent with a standout pitcher, and despite a promising rally in the 4th inning with hits from Emma, Claire, Annie, and Ari, they fell just short of breaking through.

Special shoutouts are in order for the back of the order Emme, Analiese, Paisley, Ari who played a crucial role this weekend, contributing 14 walks, 10 RBIs, and 14 runs collectively.

The pitchers, Brooklyn and Taylor, deserve A TON of recognition for their outstanding performance, throwing over 300 pitches with a combined ERA of 2.80 and 47 strikeouts and 2 wins apiece.

Furthermore, the 3-6 hitters, Madison, Emma, Annie, and Claire, were instrumental in the team's success, tallying 15 hits, a combined average of .494, 18 runs scored, and 18 RBIs.

The Hornets are urged to keep up the hard work and dedication, as brighter days are surely ahead for this resilient and talented team!

How they really feel about taking pictures. 🥎 These Hornets would rather be playing ball. 🥎😆

Hope everyone has a great week!

🎉🥎 Hey everyone! If you happened to tune into ESPN earlier today, you would have seen some of our very own Land O Lakes Hornets in the spotlight! 💪

Hornets having a blast supporting the country's best softball teams at the ClearWater Invitational, but they also had the incredible opportunity to interact with today's top players. It was truly inspiring to see these sports stars taking the time to chat with our young athletes, sharing their experiences, and serving as fantastic mentors and role models.

Let's take a moment to appreciate what this means for the sport of softball.

📣 The Land O Lakes Hornets 10U continue to amaze with their drive and hunger for success! 🏆🐝 In their second tournament of the year, they finished with an impressive 3-1 record, coming extremely close to victory in a nail-biting and thrilling 1-run loss in the Championship game. These girls never quit and fought till the very end, only losing on a great defensive play by the talented Warriors 10U team from Riverview. 🥎

Despite falling short of the ultimate goal, the Hornets accomplished many of the objectives we set for them heading into the tournament. We asked them to triple their hits from the prior tournament, and this group of girls went above and beyond, going from 10 hits to an outstanding 31 hits! 🙌

We also challenged them to cut down the number of strikeouts, and they delivered in a big way. They reduced their strikeouts from 29 to an impressive 17. This improvement is nothing short of incredible! ⚡️

Additionally, we pushed them to become better base runners, and boy, did they step up to the challenge! They increased their stolen bases from 8 to a remarkable 22 stolen bases. 🏃‍♀️💨

We want to give a special shout-out to two outstanding Hornets who were unstoppable at the plate this weekend. Taylor had an impressive .500 batting average, 5 hits, 2 RBIs, and scored 5 runs! 🌟 Emma was on fire with a phenomenal .625 batting average, 2 home runs, 7 RBIs, 4 runs, and 5 hits!

A shout out to the Land O Lakes Hornets 12U amazing run to the Championship game as well this weekend!!

Keep driving for success, Hornets! Your determination and hard work are truly great! Let's continue to support these incredible young athletes as they strive for greatness in all aspects of life! Go Hornets! 🙌💪