This season will be a learning experience for many on the team.
By TERRY JONES
Published June 11, 2004
VALRICO - Like many successful travel ball teams, the Lady Knights have roots in a little league program. Though a couple of the players are just 15, the team plays in the 18-and-under competition.
With several good coaches and many supportive parents, the Bloomingdale Little League has produced championship softball teams for almost three decades.
This is the 14th season the Lady Knights have been together as a team and not part of the Bloomingdale Little League. Many of the players this year are young and new to the team, but coach Glenn Rodriguez has hopes for the season.
Rodriguez, also coach of the East Bay Indians, has been with the Lady Knights from the beginning. He helped coach many of the players from the original team.
"Because we have such a young group of players this year, we got off to a slow start," Rodriguez said.
"But we have some talented players and they will come together in a few weeks. We won't be trying to qualify for any national tournaments or national championships, but we will have a good summer."
Over the Memorial Day weekend, the team played in its first tournament of the season, going 1-5.
Crystal Hill, Teresa Noriega, Jennifer Steadham and Kristin Maas are the graduated high school seniors on the team and all have received college scholarships.
Hill and Noriega, both East Bay players, signed to play with Hillsborough Community College.
Steadham, who played for Brandon High last year, will play for Werner College in Lake Wales.
Maas played for Bloomingdale, which qualified for the final four this year. She signed to play for North Alabama University next season.
Steadham and Maas play outfield for the Lady Knights, Hill is an infielder and Noriega catches.
In the pitching rotation are East Bay's Ashley Cole, 17, Kayla Dupree, 16, Laura Schiffmacher, 16, and Ashley Schiffmacher, 15.
When not on the mound, the Schiffmacher sisters help as infielders. Dupree, a strong hitter, helps out at second base when not pitching and Cole is a speedy outfielder.
Megan Cott, a junior at Academy of the Holy Names next year, plays sometimes at third base and as an outfielder. This is her first season playing travel ball and Rodriguez said she has a lot of potential.
Brittany Bell, a freshman at Riverview last season, is the leadoff hitter and possibly the fastest player in the Lady Knights' lineup. She plays shortstop.
Ashley Craver and Samantha O'Shea, both sophomores at Tampa Bay Tech last year play infield and and outfield, respectively.
Rachel Catlin, a junior at East Bay last season, is relatively new to softball, but Rodriguez said she continues to improve and should be a contributor to the team this summer and next year for East Bay. She plays outfield.
Completing the lineup are a pair of players from Pasco County.
Andrea Hay, 16, was the catcher for Land O Lakes and plays in the same spot for the Lady Knights. Naya Black will be a freshman at Zephyrhills and still is learning to play the game.
"We won't be going to any national championship tournament this summer because it costs too much," Rodriguez said.
"Our primary objectives will be to teach the girls as much as we can about softball and get them as much exposure to college scouts as we can. All our seniors from last year signed scholarships and we hope the rest will get enough exposure to at least get a chance."
