14U Softball Rankings: Week of February 8

Kicking off our new season of fastpitch rankings, are the DeMarini Zephyrs at No.25. Hailing out of Olathe, Kansas, the World Series qualified girls already have a 1^st place finish under their belts stemming from a championship win at the Fall Classic (6-1). Managed by Bret Mason, the DeMarini Zephyrs are well on their way to a successful tournament season and sit at 9-2 overall thus far. The 2013 roster includes:
 

The X-Girls out of Gray, Georgia are off to a great 2013 season. The girls are currently 10-2 overall in USSSA sanctioned play, have a power rating of 1,234 and are already World Series qualified. The team also picked up a 1^st place finish earlier in the fall at the USSSA Fall Opener (5-0), where they produced 40 runs collectively while allowing just 11 runs against them. Looking to lead his team to victory this year is manager Guy Mosteller.

At No.23 are the girls of Team Xplosion. These New York girls are currently 10-2 overall, are World Series Qualified, and have a power rating of 1120. The team picked up a 1^st place finish earlier in the fall at the 6^th Annual Halloween Havoc (5-1), and more recently a 2nd place finish at the 6^th Annual September Shootout (5-1). Team Xplosion is managed by Ken Burns.

The Blue Valley Mountain Lions currently sit at 9-0 on the season in USSSA play. The Pennsylvania girls have already punched their tickets to the 2013 World Series, and have a power rating of 1238. Managed by Dennis Suranofsky, the Mountain Lions have already picked up a 1^st place finish at the USSSA 2012 October Fest (6-0), and a 2^nd place finish at the USSSA 2012 Glow in the Park tournament (3-0). The Mountain Lions look for a successful tournament run this season. 
 

The always powerful Dutchess Debs 14U currently sits at 13-2 overall. With a power rating of 1160, manager Kevin Casey has high hopes for his squad. The Debs picked up a 1^st place finish at the Xtreme Benefit Tournament (5-0) earlier in the fall, and most recently a 2^nd place finish at Cupids Classic I (3-1) last weekend. During their performance, the team executed well on both spectrums, producing 37 runs collectively and allowing just five runs against them.

Another always powerful organization, Jacksonville Storm 98 enters our countdown at No.20. The 14-2 squad which includes being 6-0 vs. 16U teams and 2-2 vs. 18U teams, has a power rating of 1210 and picked up two 1^st place finishes earlier this season at the Extreme Boarder War (5-1), and at the Children’s Healthcare Classic (6-0). Manager Derald Sweatt is looking towards a bright season.

Hailing out of Cumming, Georgia, the Lady Wolverines-Clawson are already World Series qualified, and sit at 14-3 overall. Managed by Daniel Sherlock, the Wolverines picked up a championship win at the 7GG Thanksgiving Thunder (7-1) earlier in the fall, and look to pick up more championship finishes this season.

The girls of Dolphins of Lee’s Summit are no stranger to our rankings, as the Dolphins currently sit at 16-9-4, with a 1,174 power rating. The World Series qualified team finished 1^st at the Fall Fiasco (5-1), and 2^nd at the Fall Shootout (5-1-1). The girls collectively produced 72 runs between both tournaments. 
 

Another organization that needs no introduction is the Eastern Iowa Barracudas 98 squad, out of Muscatine, Iowa. This World Series qualified team is 17-6 overall which includes being 4-4 vs. 18U teams and 6-1 vs. 16U teams. Manager Bryan Butler looks to lead his team to a successful season, as the team looks to use momentum gained from a 1^st place victory at the FPOS Nationals (7-0) earlier in the fall, where they went on to defeat Team Iowa Force (8-0) in championship play. 
 

The NWA Knockouts 14U squad sits at 18-4 overall with a 1,131 power rating. After two 1^st place finishes earlier in the season at the Fall Frenzy (5-0), and at Monster Mash (7-1), manager Jason Wildeman will look towards the same success this spring and summer. 
 

Diamond State Swoop 14U Green currently sits at 14-1 overall and is already World Series Qualified, with two 1^st place finishes under their belts. Those victories came at both Fear the Fastpitch (6-0), and at Save 2^nd Base for Breast Cancer (6-0). Looking to lead Swoop to victory, is manager Dana James. 

At No.14 are the girls of Gold Coast Hurricanes 14U-Rod, out of Plantation, Florida. At 15-4 overall, the Hurricanes look towards the new season with a 1^st place win under their belts from victory at the November Knockout (5-0), where the team produced 30 runs collectively while allowing just six runs against them. Most recently, the team finished 3^rd at the 2012 Snowball Classic (4-3) back in December. The Hurricanes are led by manager Jorge Rodriguez. 

Nebraska Fury-Glatter is 12-0 thus far, picked up their World Series bid with three 1^st place finishes earlier this fall, and has a power rating of 1122. The team, managed by Dan Alm, picked up those championship wins at the Husker Tailgate Invite (3-0), Remember the Heroes (3-0), and at The Fall Freeze Out (6-0). The team produced 133 runs collectively between all three tournaments, and allowed just 19 runs against combined. 
 

The Carolina Diamond Divas are 21-9 overall, have a 1080 power rating, and already have two 1^st place finishes under their belts coming from School Day Blues (5-0), and Halloween Bash-Trunk or Treat (6-1). The Divas are managed by Bruce Edwards. 
 

At 12-1-1 overall, the Firecrackers AZ 14U squad has a power rating of 1,149 and is 4-1 vs. 16U teams. The team also picked up two 1^st place finishes earlier in the season, at both Ready to Rumble (6-0), and at The Rip-It College Exposure tournament (6-1-1), playing up a division, where the team would ultimately go on to defeat the always strong AZ HOTSHOTS-UNDERWOOD (4-1) in the championship. 
 

The I-CLUB Rebels out of Des Moines, Iowa sit at 19-7 overall with a 1,271 power rating. The World Series qualified team, managed by Greg Dickel, picked up a 1^st place finish earlier in the fall at the 5^th Annual Fall Shootout (6-0), and look for the same success this season.
 

Cal. Crossfire is yet another strong organization with a lot of momentum heading into the spring and summer. The Lafayette, California based squad is an impressive 16-1 overall with a 1,073 power rating. Managed by Bill Mouat, Cal. Crossfire already picked up two 1^st place finishes at both the 14/15U Aussie Sparks Pool Play Challenge (5-0), and at the 14/15U Monster Bash Classic (6-0). 
 

LI Crush 99 always brings the heat when they play, and continue to make a name for themselves in competitive play as the team is already World Series qualified. LI Crush 99 has three 1^st place finishes under their belts, including their most recent victory at Cupids Classic I (4-0) last weekend, ultimately defeating the Dutchess Debs 14U (3-2) in championship play. Manager Terry Ulmer looks to lead the team towards another successful season. 

AZ Wildfire Blue sits at an impressive 23-13-1 overall, has a power rating of 1,196, and is 3-0 vs. 16U teams. Manager Matt Wiley looks to lead his teams towards a successful spring and summer season, as the team already picked up a 1^st place finish at Miss October (6-1) earlier in the fall. 

 The girls of Next Level Academy currently sit at 20-8 on the season. The team has a power rating of 1,247, and manager Lisa Williams has already lead the team to 1^st place finishes at the RiverCity ROUND-UP (5-1), and at the Duval BRAWL 6 Games (8-2). Most recently, the team took home a 2^nd place finish at the N Florida State Championships (4-2). 
 

The Southern Slammers out of Goldsboro, North Carolina currently sit at an impressive 20-4 on the season, which includes being 4-1 vs. 18U teams, and 2-0 vs. 16U teams. Manager Brent Marriner has already led his team to four 1^st place finishes including victories at Summer’s End (3-0), Fall Smackdown (3-0), and at the Fall Blast (5-0). The team boasts a 1,239 power rating and looks towards continued success this season. 

Scottsdale Impact comes in at No.4 after picking up a 1^st place finish at Super Bowl Saturday last weekend. The team went 5-0 in tournament play, produced 41 runs collectively, and allowed just four runs against them. The team would ultimately go on to defeat LEGIT 10-0 in the finals. Impact is 22-4-2 overall thus far, and is led by manager Michael Stephenson.

The Carolina LookOuts 98 squad out of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina is well on their way to a successful season. The team has a power rating of 1,130 and sits at 27-10 overall. The team’s record includes being 6-3 vs. 18U teams, and 5-1 vs. 16U teams. The team also has already collected two 1^st place finishes thus far, including wins at School Day Blues (3-1), and at the Halloween Bash (Trunk or Treat) (6-1). The Carolina LookOuts is managed by Michael Hearp. 
 

Coming in at No.2 are the girls of Topeka Zone, out of Topeka, Kansas. With a 1,289 power rating, the 24-5 squad already has a 1^st place finish under their belts with a championship win at the Fall Classic (6-1). During their victory, the team produced 56 runs collectively.  Topeka Zone is managed by Dan Lafferty.
 

Earning the top spot this week at No.1 are the girls of the Ashburn Shooting Stars Gold, who are 23-3 on the season thus far. With a 1,119 power rating and a bid to the 2013 World Series secured, there certainly is no stopping this powerhouse of a squad. The team, managed by Rick McCarty, finished at an impressive 103-24-3 last season, and is currently the reigning 2012 USSSA Eastern World Series Champions in the 12U division. Now having moved up to 14U ball, the Shooting Stars have high expectations for this season. 
 

Louisiana Pride-Powered by Mizuno currently has an impressive USFA point total of 985 under their belts. The team picked up a 1^st place finish back in November at the 3^rd Annual Louisiana Pride Turkey Cup (4-0), and most recently finished 2^nd at the USFA Winter World Series. The team currently sits at the top spot in USFA point totals for the 14U age group. 
 

The girls of Houston Havoc currently have a USFA Point Total of 730, and wrapped up the fall with three 1^st place tournament wins. The team’s victories include taking home the 1^st place hardware at the USFA Fall Championship (Humble, Texas), back in November after battling back from the losers bracket to defeat the Firecrackers twice. Houston Havoc is led by coaches Tom Trammell, Chris Coerver, and David Brinley.

KaboomBA 99 out of Las Vegas, Nevada is 5-0-1 overall and already World Series qualified after a 1^st place finish at the 7^th Annual Tourney by the Sea. The team produced 37 runs collectively while averaging 6.16 runs per game, and allowed just 13 runs against. Led by manager Jennifer Snelling, the team ultimately defeated Combat Panthers Fastpitch (7-5) for the 1^st place victory. 
 

The GA Titans out of Marietta, Georgia currently sit at 9-4 overall with a power rating of 1,234. Led by manager Kurt Stone, the team had strong outings at both the Titans Fall Brawl (3-2), and at the Children’s Healthcare Classic (6-2), showing the power that they have. 

We’re tipping our hats to the Carolina Diamonds out of Greenville, North Carolina, who are currently 8-0 after two 1^st place finishes at both the Queen of the Hill (4-0), and at the November Classic (4-0). Between both tournaments, the team collectively produced an impressive 76 runs collectively. The Carolina Diamonds is managed by Charlie Rose.