Looking to make some noise on the national stage, the 12u AZ Heat will do whatever it takes to make it to the TCS Slumpbuster in Omaha this summer.

“We have an awesome team that is ready to go out and represent Arizona,” said team manager Dee Dee Daus.

While the economic climate may discourage some teams from going to out-of-state tournaments this summer, the Heat is pulling out all of the fundraising stops in order make it to Omaha.

“We’re just pouring all the money we can into the kids and the families that go to support them,” said Daus.

Two big fundraising events for the team are a 5k/10k walk and run at Thunderbird Park on April 10 and a poker tournament at the Daus’ home on April 16. Winners of each age group at the walk and run will receive gift cards, while a cash prize will be awarded to the champions of the poker tournament.

Other events include a team garage sale March 20 and several gold parties.

At the gold parties, anyone wishing to help send the Heat to the big tournament can sell any of their old or broken gold items, with a certain portion of the proceeds going to the team.

The Slumpbuster is the biggest youth baseball tournament planned for this year, with over 400 teams set to participate, said Daus.

ATH for Wednesday:

With the arrival of the ESPN Rise National Softball Championship, softball players and coaches from around the country may have a new date to mark on their calendars.

“The goal of the Championship is to provide an authentic experience for the athletes,” said Garland Cooper of ESPN Rise. “ESPN Rise wants to create events that celebrate the athletes themselves.”

The Championship will consist of two tournaments, one 16u and one 18u, which will take place August 9-14 in Southern California.

The 18u tournament will consist of 52 invited teams, two host teams and 20 teams that qualified from regional tournaments. The 16U tournament will be made up of 20 invited teams and 28 qualifiers, according to the ESPN Rise National Championship website.

Premier Girls Fastpitch Inc. will operate five regional qualifying tournaments across the country, said Cooper. Of the five, the three qualifiers closest to Arizona will be held in Fountain Valley/Hemet, California (June 4-6); Stockton, California (June 25-27), and Cypress, Texas (June 4-6).

As of now, there are no plans in place for ESPN television coverage of the events, said Cooper.

Check back with Around the Horn for more Arizona-based coverage of the ESPN Rise National Championship.

ATH for Tuesday:

Former Chandler Basha High School softball standout Sam Parlich is making an immediate impact in her first year with the Arizona State Sun Devils.

While the transition between the high school and college games may be difficult for some, Parlich is taking it in stride. She has been outstanding in her role as a third starter behind sophomore Hilary Bach and senior Megan Elliot. The freshman is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in four appearances this year, including two complete-game, two-hit shutouts against Southern Utah and Rutgers.

Parlich has earned playing time as a consistent batter and second baseman, too. She has played in all but two games at second base when not pitching, committing only two errors.

Going into Sunday, she carried a .405 batting average with six RBI and two doubles.

ATH for Monday:

Despite an up-and-down start, the Arcadia Titans varsity baseball team is likely to make some noise as the season progresses thanks to all of the developing, young talent on the roster. Already making an immediate impact is freshman DH and outfielder Max Schuman.

Schuman has provided great consistency in the middle of the Arcadia batting order, punching line drives and grounders through the right side of the infield with ease. Thus far, the freshman lefty has served as the Titans’ primary designated hitter while making a few starts in the corner outfield positions as well.

“He’s a very talented young man,” said Titan head coach Ken Rudolph. “He just loves to play and loves to hit.”

Through seven games, Schuman led the Titans in batting average (.476) and RBI (seven). He also was tied for the team lead in hits (10) with sophomore Brendan Satran and doubles (three) with junior Thomas Schellhardt.

Although he has looked green in the field at times, Schuman appears right at home in the batter’s box. Rudolph thinks Arcadia fans can only expect his production to increase as he gains more at-bats.

“He is very sound as a hitter and I don’t see that changing,” said Rudolph.

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