The 16U Georgia Thunder Softball team won the ASA Grand Slam Battle in Dublin on April 20th.
The team is composed of girls from Effingham, Bulloch and Screven County. Thunder went undefeated in the tournament, but the Championship game was an exciting come from behind win for Georgia Thunder.
The go ahead run was driven in by Marla Thompson with a hard hit line drive deep into right field in the 2nd inning of international tie breakers play. Alexis Mercer was the tournament MVP and owned the team’s only out of the park home run in the tournament. This was the 4th tournament that Thunder completed and the 4th tournament they have won in 2008. Earlier this year, the Thunder won the UFA Early Season Bash in Cordele on Feb 23, the UFA Lucky Leprechaun in Milledgeville on Mar 16, and the WFC South GA World Series Qualifier in Savannah on Apr 12.
The CAMFAST King of the Mountain in Covington was rained out on March 30th, but not before the Georgia Thunder girls won three straight games while out scoring their opposition 26 to 2. Coach Jeff and Missy Rainwater said that the win in Dublin marked the end of the first phase of the 2008 season. Jeff said that he viewed the first four tournaments as a warm up phase for the team’s ultimate goal.
At the Georgia Thunder player/parent meeting in January, Jeff Rainwater announced his grand plan for the 2008 season, which was to take the 16U Georgia Thunder team to the USA/ASA National Championship in Owensboro, Kentucky. It is a lofty goal which caught most of the parents off guard.
Georgia Thunder is a young 16U team with 8 of the 12 girls still young enough to play another year in the 14 and under age group. After a patented Rainwater pep talk, the parents and players warmed up to the idea. The only thing standing in the way of the trip to Kentucky is the requirement to win a USA/ASA Qualifier. The second phase of Georgia Thunder’s season is now under way.
Georgia Thunder 16U will make a series of out-of -town weekend trips with the focus being to win a USA/ASA Qualifier tournament and thus qualify for the Nationals. The first chance to qualify will be in Columbus on May 2-4th where Thunder will face 32 of the toughest “Class A” 16U teams in the state. After Columbus, Thunder will play in other USA/ASA Qualifiers held in Lakeland FL, Burlington NC, Marietta GA, and Chattanooga TN.
The 16U Georgia Thunder team moved up from the 14U division this year after a very successful 2007 season that featured World Series titles in both the World Fastpitch Conference and the Independent Softball Association. Jeff and Missy Rainwater have once again set the bar very high for Georgia Thunder, but believe that in doing so the girls will once again step up to the challenge. The team’s goal is “To work hard as a group to build a team that is competitive, respected and enjoyable to be a part of.”
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