Texas Travelers invited to Texas Tech Softball Team Camp

The Texas Travelers Gold team was invited to attend a three game guarantee to play in front of the Texas Tech Softball Coaching staff November 12^th and 13^th in Lubbock, Texas.

The Travelers have already qualified for the USSSA World Series in Kansas City over the summer and are looking to earn bids for PGF and ASA Nationals.  They have won the ASA Hall of Fame, Triple Crown and recently finished 3^rd in the Ronald McDonald Elite Softball Tournament.  The team boast some of the top players in the country and look forward to showcasing their talent in front of college coaches.

Saturday and Sunday’s matchup will feature the Travelers who are all 2022 or 2023 graduates playing against 2020 graduates from the Firecrackers, Texas Outlaws and Impact Gold teams.  However, this isn’t the first time the Texas Travelers will be playing up a division as they play 14u tournaments quite often.

The 04 Texas Travelers are a very competitive select softball team and part of a rich tradition of success.  Each team at each age group is hand selected.  The organization as a whole is small in nature, but has the success and great reputation as the larger organization giving its girls the highest advantage when it comes to their future having sent over 175 girls to play college softball.

The coaches, led by Coach Kyle Bennett prepare the girls to be strong independent young women.  They are getting their players ready to be able to start as a freshman on their high school varsity teams, and with the organizations connection and strong alumni support; the Texas Travelers girls will be able to attract the attention of some of the top softball programs in the country.  As a matter of fact, Jordan Strickland, Baylor Bears history making shortstop, is on the coaching staff of the 04 Texas Travelers.

The 04 Texas Travelers is also a fully funded team.  This is a plus in today’s select softball world where playing for teams require you to pay for their uniforms, coaches, team lessons on top of the travel expense to play at a high level.  The softball players that play for the Texas Travelers save thousands of dollars for their parents because of the support they receive from the continued donations.

For more information about the 04 Texas Travelers or their players, contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702 or follow the team on Facebook.

Elizabeth Schaefer Strikeouts 1500 Batters

Pitching can be a lonely place on the field.  All eyes focus to the mound on every single pitch.  Half of the stadium is hoping for failure and the other half is praying for perfection.  A pitcher has to have the skill to pitch and execute each throw with precision.  In addition to a strong arm, a pitcher must be very tough mentally to endure the constant pressures the game presents.

On July 2, 2016 during the ASA Hall of Fame Championship game against Impact Gold DFW 03, Elizabeth Schaefer accomplished something few others her age has, and sent her 1500^th batter back to the dugout with an outside fastball on a full count.  The 04 Texas Travelers ended up winning the championship game 8-0.

Elizabeth who turned 12 in March has been pitching since she was 9 years old.  Her pitching coach, Rick Lee has helped her develop a Fastball, Drop Ball, Curve, Rise and nasty Flip Change.  Schaefer has been clocked recently in games as well as a college showcase camp with a Fastball that reaches 59 mph and can come back with her flip change as slow as 37 mph leaving batters scratching their heads as they take the slow walk back to the dugout.  She has logged 20 no-hitters including a complete perfect game where she struck out every batter she faced in the game against one of the 03 Glory teams.

During last year’s 2015 ASA/USA National Championship in Normal, Illinois; Schaefer pitched a nine inning game striking out an ASA National Record 18 batters helping the 04 Texas Travelers to a 3^rd place finish in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country.  When you add her WHIP (Walks plus Hits given up per inning pitched) she has a state best of .83 and batters are hitting less than .148 against her.  Even more impressive is she rarely walks a batter averaging 1 base on balls for every 25 batters she strikes out, and she is striking out 1.25 batters an inning.

Schaefer was dominate in 10u softball where you can get away with having a great fastball.  However, where most pitchers struggle their first year of 12u Softball; Elizabeth continues to excel with the extra movement on her pitches changing speeds quite effectively.  She has had to learn to really pitch and understand the mental part of the game.  “In 12u, we have asked Elizabeth to utilize her drop ball which produces a lot of groundball outs.  This has cut into her strikeout totals.  However, she does this without hesitation and that is one of the things that makes her a great teammate” states, Head Coach of the Travelers, Kyle Bennett.

E, as she is known to her teammates and fans, also plays for the Sunnyvale High School team which plays other high school softball teams around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  This soon to be 7^th grader enjoys the challenge facing older girls who are used to facing strong pitching.  “I don’t really look at a batter at being tough.  I just pitch to where the pitch is called and try to do what the coach ask me to do” shares Elizabeth Schaefer.

Her goals are pretty straight forward.  She wants to help her Texas Travelers win Nationals where they will be playing in Branson, Missouri this year.  When she enters Rockwall High School, she would like to win a State Championship or two.  Of course, she has two more years before entering high school.

She would like to be recruited and play for a D1 College helping them to a National Championship.  Then her ultimate goal is to be chosen as one of the top 18 girls to represent the United States playing for Team USA.  To accomplish these goals; Elizabeth knows there is a lot of work that still has to be done.  She knows she will have to increase her velocity into the upper 60’s and continue to understand how and what pitch she should deliver to tough batters.  At 5’8” and a young 12 year old, Elizabeth is still growing which will allow her to increase her strength helping her achieve this criteria.  She has yet maximized her leap, but once she masters this, her velocity will increase even more.  In addition to her physical abilities; Elizabeth also makes the grades in school recently finishing in the top five of her class while playing club volleyball, select softball, and league basketball and participating in band and choir.

Elizabeth is a pretty special player and sure to be seen at a higher level in the future if she continues to put in the work.  Elizabeth loves everything that comes with pitching on the mound and enjoys her team looking to her to deliver excellent results.

For more information about Elizabeth Schaefer, her teammates, or the Texas Travelers you can follow them on Facebook or follow the Texas Travelers News Network Site.  Coach Kyle Bennett can be reached at 972.679.7702.

Texas Travelers play Triple Crown in Oklahoma City

From June 4th to June 6^th softball in Oklahoma and the world for that matter doesn’t get any better.  The College World Series is taking place during that time, but the Triple Crown OKC will also feature some of the top teams around the United States as well.

In addition to the 04 Texas Travelers, last year’s lone Texas representative to ASA National Championship; TCR Blue (Conifer, Colorado), LA Gators (Branch, Louisiana), NM Express (Carlsbad, New Mexico), American Freedom Taylor (N. Richland Hills), Buckaroos (Ft. Collins, Colorado), Sidekicks (Perry, Kansas), Insanity (Mohave Valley, Arizona), Indiana Gators (Whiteland, Indiana), KC Threat (Independence, Missouri), Colorado Stars (Lafayette, Colorado), Impact Gold Lampl (Tomball), Heartland Havoc 03 (Moline, Illinois), NWA Knockouts 03 (Centerton, Arkansas), NM Lady Titans (Gallup, New Mexico), Texas Bombers CC (Corpus Christi), Firecrackers CO (Thorton, Colorado), Tulsa Elite (Shawnee Oklahoma), Ft. Worth Batbusters (Bedford), Texas Rage 03 (Sequin), Texas Fusion (Frisco),  Oklahoma A’s (Yukon, Oklahoma), NC Xplosion (Windsor, Colorado),  Team Elite (Lake Charles, Louisiana), Vipers 03 (Texarkana, Texas), TCR 12 Blake (Centennial, Colorado), SA Boom (San Antonio), Texas Stealth (Pasadena), Warriors (Broomfield, Colorado), Texas Sudden Impact (Woodlands), Blue Angels (Southhaven, Mississippi), STX Lightning 03 (San Juan), Texas Fusion 03 (Ft. Worth), Prodigy (Highland Ranch, Colorado), Esprit 03 (Fenton, Missouri), Texas Legends (Spring), Sizzle Elite (Omaha, Nebraska), Adrenaline Black (Castle Rock, Colorado), Texas Bomber CTX (Kyle), Impact Gold DFW 03 (Haslet), Pueblo Sharks Ministry (Pueblo, Colorado), West U Ice (Houston), Firecrackers ETX (Honey Grove), QC Patriots (Bettendorf, Iowa), RGV Thunder Gray (Edinburg), Rocky MTN Thunder (Highlands Ranch, Colorado) will be competing in this prestigious tournament.  Most of these teams are preparing for their World Series or National Tournaments for the end of their year as the Texas Travelers are utilizing the tournament as they get ready to compete in the National Championships in Branson, Missouri.

The Texas Travelers are one of the few pure 04 teams comprised of 11 and 12 year olds who were born in the year 2004.  Most teams have a combination of 03 & 04’s or are all 03’s.  Even though the Texas Travelers are one of the youngest teams, they are one of the most talked about teams in the country.

The Texas Travelers will face the TCR Blue Saturday at 9:00 am on Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma.  On Sunday they will face LA Gators at 9:30 am and then New Mexico Express at 12:30 pm all at Buck Thomas field.  Depending how the Travelers compete those two days will determine who and when they will play on Sunday and Monday in single elimination bracket play.  The championship game scheduled for 3:00 pm Monday deciding who will be the Triple Crown OKC Champions.

The competition will be fierce, but the Texas Travelers support will be strong.  Good luck to all of the girls competing.

For more information on the Texas Travelers, players, coaches, or schedules visit the Texas Travelers News Network or follow the team on Facebook.  The Texas Travelers take pride in competing at the highest level possible for select softball. 

About ASA:

The Amateur Softball Association (ASA), a volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization based in Oklahoma City, OK, was founded in 1933 and has evolved into the strongest softball organization in the country. The growth and development of the association led the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to name the ASA the National Governing Body of Softball, pursuant to the Amateur Sports Act of 1978.

The ASA has many important responsibilities as the national governing body of softball in the United States, including regulating competition to insure fairness and equal opportunity to the millions of player who annually play the sport.  When the ASA entered the softball picture in 1933, the sport was in a state of confusion with no unified set of playing rules and no national governing body to provide guidance and stability. The ASA changed all that by adopting softball's first universally accepted rules of play and by organizing consistent and fair competition across the nation.

From this beginning, the ASA has become one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 74 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 200,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than four million.

Battle of DFW North Texas State Championship

There are certain tournaments across the country that live up to the hype, but this weekend is an exception.  The Texas Travelers will be competing in the Battle of DFW North Texas State Championship May 14^th and 15^th.  There will be over 40 teams across North Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma who will be battling on the softball diamonds for greatness.

The USSSA tournament will be featuring some of the top 12U teams in the country, and as a first year 12U softball team comprised of all 04’s; the Travelers continue to make headlines with their play on the field.  In fact, the Texas Travelers are one of the most talked about teams in the country with many head turning players.

Tournament play will be in three different locations across the Dallas and Ft. Worth area with the Texas Travelers playing at Denia Park located at 1001 Parvin Street in Denton, Texas on Saturday.  Their Pool Play games will be against EPIC Fastpitch, Dallas Tigers and Glory Adkins 03 which will determine their seeding for Bracket Play on Sunday.  Some of the notable teams in the tournament will be Firecrackers DFW, Oklahoma Angels, American Freedom, Impact Gold and Texas Glory 03.

The competition will be strong, the days will be long; but the Texas Travelers and their fans live for softball weekends.  Good luck to all of the teams and girls competing in the Battle of DFW North Texas State Championship Tournament.

For more information on the Texas Travelers, players, coaches, or schedules visit the Texas Travelers News Network or follow the team on Facebook.  The Texas Travelers take pride in competing at the highest level possible for select softball.  

Softball Clinic comes to Texas June 21st and 22nd

Wisconsin Softball Associate Head Coach Randy Schneider will be coming to North Texas teaching coaches and players alike offensive strategies, hitting and fielding.

Because of the popularity of this event and the special access players and coaches will be receiving with Coach Schneider, there will be a limited number of players accepted into the clinic.  The coach’s clinic will take place the evening of June 21^st and the players’ clinic will follow June 22^nd.  The players’ clinic will be split into 10U-12U from 8 AM until 11 AM and 14U thru 18U from 12 Noon until 2 PM located at the Mesquite Softball Complex.

Coach Schneider will also be talking with players and parents about recruiting and collegiate opportunities.

More about Coach Randy Schneider

After serving four seasons as an assistant coach at Wisconsin, Randy Schneider will begin his second season as associate head coach of the Badgers during the 2015-16 season.  Schneider speaks nationally for National Sports Clinics, NFCA and conducts 20-30 camps yearly from coast to coast.  He also has 3 videos completed through Championship Videos: Biomechanics of Hitting, Physics of Hitting and Effective Practice Planning and drills. 

Over the last five years, the team has posted an impressive 165-106 overall record and 58-52 conference record in the Big Ten.  In the last five seasons, Wisconsin has had four 30-plus win seasons after only previously having five 30-plus win campaigns in 15 seasons.

The 2015 senior class, led by walk-on Maria Van Abel (2015 All-Big Ten defensive team) along with Marissa Merch and Megan Tancill, went down as the second-winning class in school history.

In 2015, thanks to offensive mastermind Coach Schneider, the Badgers clinched the highest season on-base percentage (.389) in school history and claimed the Wisconsin single-season walks record (176). The team shattered the single-season record for stolen bases (118 stolen bases), and acclaimed the highest single-season batting average (.296).

The move to associate head coach came following another record-breaking campaign for the Badgers in which they won 36 games, including 15 in Big Ten play--both tied for the second most in school history--and reached the conference semifinals and NCAA Regional Championships for the second-straight year.

In 2013, Schneider's hard work paid off at the plate for the Badgers as the team set single-season records in seven offensive categories -- slugging percentage (.443), OPS (.826), runs (283), hits (458), RBI (247), total bases (678) and walks (173). The team tied a program-best with a .300 team batting average and recorded the second-most doubles (67), home runs (47)hit by pitch (40), stolen bases (100) and stolen base percentage (.806) in school history.

Mary Massei set school records in batting average (.421), slugging percentage (.672), OPS (1.156), at bats (195), hits (82), runs (51), triples (6) and total bases (131), while Stephanie Peace recorded a school-record 35 walks.

The Badgers qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005, setting a school record with 44 wins and recording a program-best .772 winning percentage. UW's 16 Big Ten wins were the most in school history and its 28 non-conference wins and 24 neutral site wins also topped the list.

Wisconsin won the 2013 Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history, defeating Northwestern, No. 6 Michigan and Minnesota on its way to the title. The victory over Michigan marked the Badgers' first win over the Wolverines since the 2002 season.

Schneider's offensive coaching prowess was evident in 2012, as Whitney Massey was named first team NCFA All-Great Lakes Region. Massey had a record-breaking season, hitting 22 doubles for the Badgers. The team's batting average of .300 and on base percentage of .385 were school-bests since the program started in 1996.

With Schneider's help, the Badgers recorded 30 wins in 2011, hitting the 30 win total for just the sixth time in school history. Wisconsin set a new stolen base record with 107 on the year and new individual records were set by Jennifer Krueger for all-time stolen bases and Michelle Mueller for stolen bases in a season by a freshman. The team was one of the youngest in Wisconsin history, with 73 percent of the roster comprised of freshmen.

Before joining Wisconsin, Schneider served as the head coach at Valparaiso for seven seasons, leaving as the program's all-time winningest coach. The Crusaders enjoyed winning seasons in each of the past four years and won 20 or more games in six of Schneider's seven seasons after reaching the mark just three times in the program's first 22 years.

"I am thrilled to have Randy Schneider join the Wisconsin softball family," Healy said. "He is one of the most innovative, enthusiastic, and respected coaches in our game. His ability to teach and mentor young athletes has made him one of the top recruiters in the country. Randy is best known for identifying and attracting elite Gold players from the West Coast, to blossom and excel in a supportive Midwest, family environment.

"The program will immediately become more successful on the field, in the community and in the classroom under Randy's leadership. I'm thrilled to have a coach and person of his caliber join the Badger softball family."

Schneider was named the Horizon League Co-Coach of the Year in 2008 after his team, which was in its first year in the conference, finished in second place. In 2009, he led the Crusaders to a school-record 35 wins and a third-place finish at the Horizon League Championship. In addition, Schneider had 26 players awarded All-League honors and guided the program's first NFCA All-Region honoree in 2010.

"I'm really excited," Schneider said. "It's a wonderful opportunity to work for Wisconsin and to have the opportunity to work with Yvette. She is an outstanding softball coach and is poised to do great things. Obviously it's pretty exciting for myself and my family."

Off the field, Schneider's teams proved successful as well, boasting 36 NFCA Scholar-Athletes, eight CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees and the program's first Academic All-American in over 20 years. In the community, he helped the softball program start the "I Need a Hug" initiative, a program run by the softball student-athletes which in its six years of existence has grown exponentially and has placed many thousands of stuffed animals into local schools.

To reserve your spot, contact Kyle Bennett of the Texas Travelers at 972.679.7702.

Texas Travelers play First Stage of ASA Qualifier in San Marcus

The road to the 2016 ASA/USA National Championship starts this weekend in San Marcus, Texas with the First Stage Qualifier taking place at Gary Fastpitch Softball Complex located at 2600 Airport Highway 21. 

The Texas Travelers will start their Pool Play competition against Texas Sudden Impact (9:40 AM), Texas Diamond Sports Hotshots (1 PM), Texas Bombers STX (2:40 PM) and a nightcap with Texas Glory 2k4 (7:40 PM).

Teams all over Texas will be competing to earn the right to qualify for the 2016 ASA/USA National Championships held in Salem, Virginia July 31 through August 7, 2016.  Last year, the Texas Travelers finished 3^rd in the Country in Normal, Illinois.  This year, the road becomes a lot harder for the Travelers as they are a first year 12U team competing against some of the top talent in the country.  In addition, to strong first year 12U teams such as the Hotshots; the softball club will face very good second year 12U organizations as they compete to become the best softball team in the country.

Each year since 1934, over 30,000 players and thousands of teams try to qualify for the ASA National Tournament.  Teams earning a berth to the United States most notorious event held for softball will have an opportunity to compete to be called the nation’s best softball team in the country.  Since each competitor must earn their berth into an ASA national through a network of qualifying tournaments conducted throughout the season, the champion goes home as the unchallenged best team in the nation for their respected division each year.  There are many tournaments each year, but only one tournament that is synonymous with Team USA and is the National Governing Body of Softball.

Pool Play will determine the seeding for the Travelers and the other 72 teams across Texas and Oklahoma.  Single Elimination Bracket Play will begin on Sunday.

Good Luck and safe travels to all of the teams.  The Texas Travelers look forward to healthy competition and building great memories for these young softball players.

For more information about the 04 Texas Travelers contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702 or follow The Texas Travelers on Facebook.  To follow particular players, games, practices or see any other information about the North Texas Select Softball team visit: 04 Texas Travelers News Site.

Texas Travelers start the 2016 Softball Season Playing Elite Teams

A couple of years ago, nobody gave the 04 Texas Travelers any thought when it comes to facing them on the field.  Today is a much different story as the Travelers are one of the top 04 Select Softball Teams in the country.  As a matter of fact, they will be testing their skills against some of the top 03 select teams this weekend in Houston, Texas at the Gene Campbell Sports Complex.

Starting out, the 1st Annual Start Spring With A BANG Tourney (a PGF sanction tournament) was an invitation only tournament.  The goal was to allow some of the most talked about teams in the country to face the elite softball competition around Texas preparing them for a long battle into becoming the National Champion for 2016.  The Texas Travelers were one of the first teams contacted to play.

This tournament will feature the best teams in the State of Texas.

In addition to the 04 Texas Travelers; Hotshots North (03 & 04), Texas Legends (03), GT Shockers (03), Hotshots South (04), Impact Gold (03), DirectTV Genies (03,04), Texas Bomb Squad (03), Hotshots Cryer (04), Sudden Impact (03), Texas Stealth (04), Impact Gold Barajas (03) will be playing in this early season warmup.  All of the teams are very strong with the Texas Travelers being the only North Texas Team making the trip down south to compete with the best of Texas.

Each of the teams compete at the highest level of select softball.  Last year the Hotshots teams finished first and second in the 10U PGF Nationals held in California while the 04 Texas Travelers finished 3^rd in the ASA/USA National Championships held in Normal, Illinois. 

This weekend, the Texas Travelers will find themselves in a Pool with the Hotshots North, Texas Legends, and GT Shockers and play a warmup game against the Texas Stealth.  Pool Play will determine Sunday’s bracket seeding with the championship game being played at 4 PM.  It will take a lot of perfect execution by the Travelers to make the championship game, but the girls are excited to show their talents on the field.

The Texas Travelers will look a lot different from last year’s squad that made a strong run in the National Championship Tournament.  In addition to Pitching Ace Elizabeth Schaefer, Hitting Phenom, Kaydee Bennett, and Speedsters Kelsie Adams and Zariah London; the Travelers have added Rylie Rumfield, Kenleigh Aguirre, Kennedy Chastant, Kailee Bautista, Emily Jonte, Kaycee Bock, Madison McClarity and Alyssa Stansbury.  These girls are very strong defensively and can hit too. 

Although the Travelers have only played one scrimmage together, the team has quickly become a strong unit with great parents, a strong fan base and the hardest working softball players around the diamond.  These girls will be fun to watch as each girl is one of the top players at their position in the country.

For more information about the Texas Travelers follow them on Facebook or contact Head Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702.