Welcome to the 2008 12u Diamonds team page!

  

   Our motto..."PLAY HARD, PLAY FAIR, GET DIRTY and HAVE FUN!"

 

   We've added several new players this year and we are looking forward to a fun and exciting season. Practices are going great and the players are really showin' their stuff. One thing has already become obvious....this team has the desire and determination required to make this a very memorable season. Our first tournament is Memorial Day weekend, at PQ, and we hope to "BRING IT!" from day one!

 

5/24  PQ Tournament:   Well....the PQ tournament didn't go exactly as planned :-(  It was one of those weekends when the team was hot or cold and, unfortunately, it was mostly cold..."I'm talking South Pole kinda cold!" We did play two great games in which we were able to see just what the team was capable of doing. In both of those games our offense matched our defense and we pretty much dominated. Now all we have to do is to work on our consistency and we'll be fine. Hey...the good news is, "we're not peaking early!" We're off to Camarillo next weekend and looking forward to some dryer weather.

 

5/31   Camarillo Tournament:   After a three hour drive, the Camarillo Tournament started off just "OK"...we played just good enough to win our first game. Then the team kicked it into gear and we were off! Our next game was against the San Dieguito Tournament Champions...Moorpark. From the first inning on we built momentum and confidence. We executed almost flawlessly, on offense as well as defense, and handed them the first loss of their season 5-1. After that game there was no looking back and, end result...we were TOURNAMENT  CHAMPIONS!  (undefeated 4-0) This definitely made the long trip home much more enjoyable :-)

 

6/05 Mira Mesa Tournament:   The Diamonds started off on the right foot and went through pool play without a hitch. It was "ditto" for the first game in bracket play and then we kinda lost focus. The error bug bit in the semi-final game and, after 3 innings, we were already down 6-1 against Vista. We gave the team some verbal bug repellent and they really lit up. Although the team only showed up for the last two innings, we still only lost by one run...6-5. On a positive note, those last two innings showed the ability to go into "overdrive!" This was a tough loss for the kids and they feel they really gave one away. All I know is that, when we get this consistency issue resolved....WHATCH OUT!!!! 

 

6/12 Poway Tournament: We ended up in almost a three way tie, at the end of pool play, and were moved onto bracket play after a close tie breaker. We went up against a tough Bonita team in the semi-finals and went down early, and then the team got a couple of good hits...and it was like a light went on. We came back hard and really lit things up...but it was a little late. Once again, we have shown that we can hang with the best of them...but we still haven't put it all together. I will say that, for those games in which we do turn it on, we are improving every time.

 

6/20 Vista Tournament:  After a VERY disappointing first game, we had a major "pow-wow" with the girls and reminded them of the little extra things that needed to show up with more consistency. This was a definite challenge and...there was also an ice cream incentive thrown in! I didn't realize how important ice cream was...and how much it could influence their play. Anyways, that first game had put us into the losers bracket and we knew we had a tough one ahead of us. On top of everything else, it was sooooo HOT! We had to play 2 games on Saturday and made it through those looking pretty good. Sunday started early and we started building momentum. Did I mention how miserably HOT it was!!!!  After 3 games, we found ourselves in the championship game against Santee. This team has had our number for the entire season...but we were on a roll and were up to the challenge. Again, this game would be our fourth...while it was only their second, and....it was SOOOOOO HOT!!!!. Anyways, we came out on fire and played almost flawlessly for several innings. The heat, and number of games, started to really take it's toll and our lead started to dwindle. We stayed up for most of the game...but gave it up in the end. Although we did lose the game, this was probably one of the best ways to tune up for the District Tournament next week. The girls left there tired but not down...they put together one amazing comeback show! This may have been just exactly what we needed....confidence is up and the kids are feeling pretty good about their accomplishment this weekend....WHATCH OUT!!!

 

6/27 District Tournament:  The last tournament seemed to really get the girls fired up. Practices were sharp and you could really tell that the players were ready to turn and burn! The confidence had carried over and, from the beginning, you could tell this could be big. We came out absolutely on fire and simply never cooled of. We dominated every team we faced and literally mercy ruled every game. We outscored our opponents 58-8 and hit everything they could throw at us. I've been saying all along..."Watch out," and at the end of this tournament, all I was saying was..."OH BABY!" This team put together an incredibly dominating run and we are now....DISTRICT CHAMPIONS!!!! The greatest thing about this was that it was such a team effort. The hitting was explosive, the defense was spectacular and the enthusiasm was overwhelming! We are now qualified for the State Tournament and hoping to keep this going.  Almost forgot...we did have to make another run the the ice cream shop :-) IT WAS WORTH EVERY SCOOP!!! And I couldn't end without noting the dedication of some of our parents. Most of all Mark...he's the one that offered to let the girls shave his head if we won. Please say HI to "Shiny" if you see him at the fields. Ya can't miss him...he's the one that has the tan line that starts just above his ears :-)

GREAT JOB GIRLS!!!!