The Texas Travelers are coming off of a powerful weekend scoring 75 runs which was the most in the ASA Texas Challenge Series only giving up 13 in this ASA National Qualifier. The bats are hot, the arms are strong, and the Travelers softball fans cheer for the teams showing complete class. It’s an exciting time when the Texas Travelers play as they have the top rated players in Texas at several fielding positions in addition to their strong sticks! Fans will be delighted to see great plays, the best pitching, and excellent hitting.
There are 16 girls’ softball teams that have entered the tournament which is a MoneyBall Qualifier Tournament. The tournament will consist of two Pool Play Games and Bracket Play will be Double Elimination with the championship game scheduled for 2 PM on Sunday afternoon. Currently, the teams that are registered are Central Texas Buzz, Havoc, Sneaky Cleats 04, Black Widows, Texas Elite, Texas Glory, Sneaky Cleats 05, Waco Heat, MoJo Ultimate, Inferno, Zebra Crush, Texas Havok, 2022 Texas Glory, Ennis Cyclones, and the Batbusters in addition to your Texas Travelers. The Texas Travelers will be playing the Black Widows at 8 AM and then the Batbusters at 9:30 on Saturday. From there, they will be seeded accordingly for Bracket Play which will begin on Saturday and finish Sunday afternoon.
Elizabeth Schaefer is the Texas Travelers starting pitcher and one of the strongest pitchers in the country for girls select softball. She currently has 112 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched. Even more impressive is she has only walked 13 batters and has a WHIP (Walks, Hits per innings pitched) of less than 1. Elizabeth threw two no-hitters last week and has combined with the other pitchers (Kelsie Adams and Kylie Morton) for two others. Elizabeth has struck out a total of 818 batters since she started pitching in 2012 up to last weekend.
Catching Elizabeth is Emily “Moose” Forrester. Emily is a proven winner having won first place in the USSSA World Series and first place in Star Drill at USSSA World Series. She boast a 2.4 pop-time and throws out over 30% of the runners trying to steal. Moose plays like she is 7 feet tall, and helps captain the defense on the field. Her 74% on base percentage leads the team and contributes to the Texas Travelers high power scoring offense.
Kaydee Bennett is known as the best shortstop when it comes to tournament play. However, she is also the best leadoff hitter in Texas. Kaydee leads the team in RBI’s, Homeruns, Batting Average, and any other hitting category you can think of. The most interesting thing about this is that she does it from the one-hole position for the Travelers. There is not a pitcher she has faced that has been able to control her from getting on base.
Jessa McDonald has one of the strongest softball IQ’s on the field. She has spent time at third base, second base, catcher, outfield and recently first base. She is a coach’s dream when it comes to being able to put her in a place to help the Travelers win. Jessa puts the ball in play almost 70% of the time and is one of the team’s leaders in RBI’s.
Kelsie Adams is a utility player for the Texas Travelers. She has played every position on the field except for catcher; however, she would play that position if asked. When Kelsie is on the mound, she has struck out 24 batters in 13 innings and has an 80% winning percentage. She is a speedster on the bases and that is tremendous as she puts the ball in play almost 70% of the time.
Holding down the hottest corner in all of softball is third baseman, Kaycee Bock. Bock is known as “The Tank” for the Texas Travelers because of her cannon of an arm. She has power from the plate getting an RBI for almost every hit she makes.
Olivia Bauerschlag is one of the quietest girls on the field, but one of the most solid hitters on the team. Her bat certainly speaks volumes as she has put the ball in play almost 70% of the time with authority. Olivia or “O” to her teammates is a solid fielder playing 2nd base, third base and outfield for the Travelers.
When big hitters come up to the plate, the first place they look is to see who is in centerfield. They become deflated when the see Hayeli Acosta. Hayeli makes Sports Center worthy plays when fly balls travel her way, and isn’t afraid to dive every chance she gets. She also plays catcher, second and first base.
Zariah London is one of the fastest players in select softball. She plays outfield for the Texas Travelers, but her primary role for the Travelers is to become a scoring machine. Anytime, the Travelers can get her on base; they are assured multiple stolen bases and very likely a run across home.
Payton Smythe plays one of the corner outfield position as is quickly becoming a power hitter for the Texas Travelers. She is the youngest player on the team, but fans can’t tell. She finds a way to get on base by being patient at the plate. Her quality at bats are one of the highest on the team.
Kylie Morton is one of the hardest working ballplayers in softball. There is never a time she can be seen sitting. Her positive attitude is effectively contagious and she is always ready to spell her teammates. Kylie is one of the pitchers for the Texas Travelers and pitched a No-Hitter against the Texas Glory on just 50 pitches.
Madison McClarity is one of the Texas Travelers part-time players, but an important player when she is in Texas. She currently splits time between her Arkansas team and the Travelers; however, when she is with the Travelers she is a dominating pitcher and hitter for her North Texas Club.
The 04 Texas Travelers will be playing in the 2015 ASA Nationals in Normal, Illinois and have the goal to win the championship. On their path, the North Texas Select Softball Team will be competing in Turf Wars in Birmingham, Alabama, Dallas ASA Preview, Stage 1-3 Texas Challenge Series (in DFW, College Station, and Houston), Hall of Fame Qualifier (Fort Worth), and the Hall of Fame Series in Oklahoma City in addition to numerous other softball tournaments in North and East Texas.
The Texas Travelers would like to wish all teams’ good luck and have a safe tournament. We look forward to competing with you on the field.
For more information about the 04 Texas Travelers contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702 or follow The Texas Travelers on Facebook. The Texas Travelers are a 10 U 2004 team that plays ASA competitive softball. To follow particular players, games, practices or see any other information about the North Texas Select Softball team visit: 04 Texas Travelers News Site.
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