The Arizona Storm softball program is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and despite all of the changes youth softball has undergone in the past two decades, the Storm continues to produce college-ready players at an impressive rate.

Since its inaugural season in 1990, the Storm has sent roughly 120-130 players into college programs, said Storm founder Rick Beach. This year alone, 12 current and former Storm players signed letters of intent with D-I and D-II schools (see previous ATH here).

Although the Storm has consistently graduated players to college programs over the past 20 years, the recruiting environment has changed dramatically in the past three to four years, said Beach.

Gone are the days when a high school senior would make five or so visits to their top schools’ softball camps before making a commitment. Following the lead of some of the top programs, colleges and universities around the country are now receiving verbal commitments from players as young as freshmen in high school.

In order to keep its players’ college opportunities open, Beach and the rest of the Storm coaching staff have had to adapt to these changes and prepare players to make decisions at a younger age.

This change also affects how much focus is put on 16u teams in youth softball, said Beach. Whereas college coaches used to only scout players at the 18u level, they are now deciding to evaluate the 16u talent and see if any players are capable of making the leap to college ball when the time comes.

This type of early recruiting has puts all sorts of new pressures on young players and Beach, his coaching staff, and players' parents must work hard to help the players make decisions that are the healthiest and most beneficial to them athletically and academically.

“I tell my players to find 10 schools that match what they want both academically and athletically,” said Beach. “Then they send out emails and videos out the coaches so they know who you are.”

Players are encouraged to keep in constant contact with their top 10 institutions so that these schools know of their interest.

But Beach says that emails and videos are generally not enough to get a player recruited, and that is where he and the Storm program step in. Because of his time in softball and the Storm’s stellar reputation, Beach has many contacts within the college softball community and can help his girls get recognized.

Another added bonus is the fact that several former Storm players, including Beach’s daughter Erica, now coach at the college level.

Another problem that arises with the change in recruiting habits has to do with the effect it can have on a young player’s psyche.

With players entering the realm of college recruiting at a younger age, parents and coaches are forced to emphasize the importance of choosing schools that match the player’s ability level, which can be a difficult situation with a teenage girl. The elite softball schools like Arizona State and the University of Arizona only have so many scholarships to give out, so a player may have to choose another university if they hope to receive a scholarship.

“Growing up, all of these girls want to go to ASU or U of A,” said Beach. “It is a delicate discussion with the player and their parents to find out where their child is in the process without squashing their dreams.”

Ultimately, though, it comes down to finding the school that best fits with the player, said Beach. Parents and players have to weigh many aspects outside of softball in choosing a school including the academic programs a school offers and how much scholarship money a player can get.

Additionally, Beach says he and the other Storm coaches always stress the importance of academics to their players. Many players hope to attend universities with rigid academic requirements such as Stanford, so a great high school track record is always important.

Players need to develop good habits in school early on because it helps prepare them to succeed in the future.

“I always tell them that a higher GPA allows more schools to recruit them,” said Beach.

ATH for Tuesday:

With one week left in 5A-II softball regular season, four bubble teams are battling to secure the final two-playoff spots in the division.

Number-15 Betty Fairfax and number-16 Ironwood Ridge currently hold the qualifying spots, but number-17 La Joya Community and number-18 Horizon are not far behind. Just about two and a half power points separate Betty Fairfax and Horizon in the AIA rankings.

Both Betty Fairfax and Ironwood Ridge should be favored to keep the spots based on the strength of their competition in the final week. Betty Fairfax plays its final two games against 5A-I teams (number-eight Maryvale and number-25 Trevor Browne) and will probably have to win at least one of them in order to keep its spot.

Ironwood Ridge will face a tough opponent in number-four ranked Sunnyside on Tuesday before playing an easier matchup against number-29 Rincon on Wednesday.

La Joya's chance to make a splash and jump into the playoff picture also will come Tuesday when the team faces number-one ranked Centennial. With an upset win, La Joya should be able to crack the top-16.

Horizon has the toughest road out of the four, facing three top-16 opponents in the next week, starting with number-six Ironwood on Monday. The Huskies will then have to battle number-12 Desert Mountain on Tuesday before facing off against number-11 Pinnacle on Wednesday.

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