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Happy Monday everyone!

Just a reminder that we have practice tonight (Monday) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. If we have a good focused week, I will give the young ladies off from practice on Thursday, since Friday is graduation day for some. I have not heard yet about our schedule for this weekend. Hopefully, the tournament coordinator will e-mail me back before I leave for practice.

I also learned today that, due to graduation conflicts, we will not have a scrimmage with the 14U team. We will reschedule it for next week. Thus, practice will be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with the option left open for Thursday (but most likely no practice).

As a footnote, the Irvine Gold team that beat us 10-6 battled back to play for the championship of the 12U division. This shows what a team can do when they continue to believe in themselves. We had a lot of great plays this weekend but the young ladies need to learn how to close out an opponent. (And how to be ready for an 8 a.m. game would help, too).

Players who impressed me this weekend include Meisenhelder, who was flawless in the outfield and is working hard to contribute on the offensive side; Calsbeek, who is a great hitter when she is under control; Filips' play on Saturday; and Reyes' clutch hitting.

This is an important week for our team. We need to improve on specific fundamentals and continue to gain our confidence in our offensive skills. I see the team improving and progressing where we need. As I stressed to the players, these warm-up tournaments are where we use game conditions to try out our new skills and improve our techniques. The only tournament I really want to win is the district qualifier. I see this team as having the ability, the talent and, if they continue to improve, the focus and intensity to win a championship.

See everybody tonight!

Coach Dennis