Topic: LIs Best Travel Teams : Who is rejuvenated with talent and who is abandoned?

I've never seen the cards (players) shuffled so much as they were in these days of August 08. It will take a tournament or two to figure out who's on what new team. It seems a couple of teams are folding, especially in 16u.  It seems one well know organization is not fielding a 16u. Most agree that the talent pool is being spread too thin. From what I hear, competition for the best 18u's was pretty fierce.I don't think there were any really new new team formed like last years Team Titan. Enjoy Labor Day (there are no tournaments, correct?) and come out playing in Sept.  Tryouts are always so stressful,  I'm really happy to be watching summer practice for fall sports.

 18U TEAMS

1.BANDITS

2.SUDDEN IMPACT

3.TEAM LONG ISLAND

4.CHARGERS-( COULD DROP A FEW SPOTS, LOTS O PROBLEMS OVER THERE I HEAR)

5.SPARTANS

6.B.P. ALLSTARS

7. FIRE & ICE

8. EXPRESS

9.EXPRESS

10.HEAT

11.REBELS GOLD L.O.L

12.EXPRESS

13.SILVER BULLETS

14. HURRICANES

Paaaleeze:  How come your repeat of Laxman5 quote is not what is set out right above it?  Did you get that quote from somewhere else?  Just curious.

How can there be a ranking of teams when we are not sure who is on which team?  Players are notorious for saying they are with one team and then switching teams a week later.  This will be a very interesting and fun Post once the teams settle their rosters and let others know who is on that roster.  Some teams have posted rosters but most have not.

Several teams were disbanding due to aging out and too many players now in college.  I don't think I know of any new teams so maybe we'll see more concentrating of better players this year.

 I also wrote Newsday asking that we have a year round Softball Forum as we have Travel teams that go all year.  Maybe if a few others wrote it might be helpful.  The convoluted way to get to this Forum has probably lost a few followers.

It looks like Laxman edited his post when paleeze wondered where Team LI was. I have to disagree with the majority of his list. The Spartans are substantially weaker than they were even as a 16 team, asLiz Weber is not returning (she's going to the Sudden Impact). That puts all the pressure on the rest of that pitching staff, which may prove to be good, but who knows?

Also, has anyone seen who exactly is on the Bandits? You can sort of tell from their website, but it looks like the Flint sisters are not on the team and if Nicole Flint isn't pitching for them, well then things don't look all that promising in all areas of the game.

I'm hearing major problems are occuring with the Chargers (apparently their second 18U team busted up completely), but they always seem to put a good team together solely on reputation, so that should straighten out, but who knows. I mean most of their pitching is gone, so well see who they get to step in and step up.

The B.P. All-Stars were a decent to good 16 team (depending on when you caught them), and as far as I can tell, that's pretty much the same team they're putting out as an 18 team. If it is the 16 team, I wouldn't put them nearly as high up on that list as they are.

The Silver Bullets looked like they've improved in general, especially in the pitching arena.

I'm assuming when you listed Fire and Ice, that you were talking about their Pride team, which looks good at first glance and will probably be around the same competitive level they played last season.

The Express teams look solid, but if you check out some of their newer additions, especially on the "Elite" team, you scratch your head and say, "Umm...okay..."

The rest of the teams mentioned are pretty much carbon copies (with a couple of shifts here and there) of their 18 or 16 teams from last year and I expect we should expect similar showings from last season.

Here's my list:

1. Sudden Impact (all around, the best team on Long Island, easily, although if you check their updated roster, some of the kids they took this year, well it's not likely they'll play all that much, with the exception of Weber)

2. Team Long Island (great #1 starter, very good everywhere else)

3. Chargers (depending on how their pitching situation works out)

4. Fire and Ice - Pride (good depth, complimentary additions/replacements from last years squad)

5. Express - Elite (very good pitching, could move up or down depending on their offensive production, mostly 2010s)

6 tie. Spartans/Heat (similar team make up and most of their players have played together for a long time, many of their players are 2010s & 11s, so look for both teams this Fall, Summer and next Fall as well)

7. Express 18 (from what I can tell, the 2009s who were part of the Express program last year, mushed together on one team...they should compete well, but again PITCHING)

8. Bandits (from what you can see on their website, they could either mesh well and be greater than the sum of its parts, but probably not...again PITCHING!?!?)

9. tie Silver Bullets & Rebels (odds are that these websites havn't been updated yet, so the jury is still out)

10. BP All Stars (as usual, it all comes down to pitching...)

11. Hurricanes (not that strong last year, won't be that strong this year)

I agree that the talent is just spread way too thin around here, and that being the case there are only a few teams out there which are actual TEAMS from year to year and therefore perhaps play better than their talent level would suggest at first glance. This year there was so much shifting around and there is still so much movement that even the Fall season probably won't be an adequate gage as to the best teams around. Odds are there'll be another major migration around Nov. 3rd, after the last Fall tournaments are completed. But it's all speculation really right now. It's all just one bit, "We'll see." with a healthy dose of "PITCHING!?!?!"

That seems to be the deal with the Sudden Impact. While name recognition will get the college coaches to come and watch, if you're not playing, what's the point? Now, I don't know the coaches personally and therefore won't make any judgments, I just can't imagine trying to get six different pitchers enough time to get seriously looked at. I suppose the younger girls will have to wait their turns, but is that really what these kids want to do? Wait a year or two until the girls ahead of them graduate? I've seen both Dell'Orto and Schmahl pitch and while they're okay, they certainly are no where NEAR the level of the first four pitchers on that team. It's a shame as there are a bunch of teams out there desperate for pitching. 

Stop fishing. Everyone knows who went down to Inferno tryouts and everyone knows who made it. If they don't they will soon enough.

Also, has anyone seen who exactly is on the Bandits? You can sort of tell from their website, but it looks like the Flint sisters are not on the team and if Nicole Flint isn't pitching for them, well then things don't look all that promising in all areas of the game

I did not know the flints are gone, where did they go?

They aren't on the roster right now on the 18s website and their initials don't seem to be on the list of girls who made the team on the Bandits homepage. No idea where they went, or maybe it's just an oversite, but it's a big oversite if it is one and would have a huge effect on that team. 

I need clarification:

When teams list their players as "committed" on their website such as the chargers, bandits, sudden impact does is an indication that they are going to play ball there? Or simply attend the school?

It should mean that they have intent to play ball at the school (or really that they have signed a National Letter of Intent), but it isn't always the case. 

I found out last night that they were not asked back to the bandits. I was told they were at tiltons charger tryout and they made the "B" team, also were at the express elite tryouts where they were also cut. Dont know if its true but was told about some off the field problems with one of the sisters that was killing the team.

1. Sudden I.

2. Team LI

3.  Spartans

4. Fire Ice

5.  Express

6. Chargers

7. Bandits

8.  Heat

9. BP Allstars

10. Silver Bullets

11.  Titans

12. Rebels

14.  Hurricanes

I will give me  reasons later...

I agree with the fact that 6 pitchers on a team is way too much.  Last two will probably be looking for new teams after the fall.  Many 16U programs are looking for pitching.  

Who does the Spartans have now that Weber is gone?   Mc Gowen's daughter is very good, but who else pitches for this team? 

My Rankings:

Team LI

Sudden Impact

Spartans

Express

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!, I know for a fact they told their coach from the Bandits THEY were not coming back as they were looking for better coaching.  Wrong about Chargers as well, and for your info LI Express did not take any new pitchers, Heather Loughran is coming back to pitch even though she graduated.