The Arizona Fastpitch Showcase July 19-21 at Victory Lane Sports Park from will give high school softball players a chance to improve their skills and show off for some college coaches.

The event, which is in its second year, is a joint project between Victory Lane and API Sports, said Victory Lane owner Mike Krueger. Krueger decided to move forward with the project last year after talking with softball coaches around the Valley that were frustrated with the lack of showcases taking place within the state.

“A lot of coaches I talked to were interested in coming to a local showcase instead of having to travel,” said Krueger.

The Showcase will offer a plethora of beneficial activities for the girls involved, said Krueger. There will be a skills day, where the girls are evaluated and rated for the attending college coaches. Each coach will receive an academic and athletic profile for every player.

In addition to the skills day, the girls will have an opportunity to showcase their in-game play during a tournament. Each girl will be assigned to a team by the Showcase operators prior to the tournament.

The Showcase also will include a question and answer session with professional players. Last year’s participants had the opportunity to speak with former University of Arizona star and 2007 Women’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player Taryne Mowatt and former Virginia Tech ace and 2008 NCAA Player of the Year Angela Tincher.

All of the local junior colleges and Grand Canyon University will be represented at the Showcase, said Krueger. Some out of state programs such as Texas A&M will also be in attendance.

About 70 girls attended last year’s Showcase and Victory Lane is expecting over 100 girls this year, said Krueger.

ATH for Monday:

Despite losing 7-2 in the 18u Open TCS State Championship final to the Hotshots Gold-Davis, the Desert Ice received an excellent defensive performance from third baseman Krysta Buntrock.

The Hotshots did not score after the second inning, thanks in part to Buntrock’s play at the hot corner. From the third inning on, it seemed like the athletic infielder was taking away one or two hits an inning.

Buntrock assisted on five putouts in the final four innings of Sunday’s game, and the majority of the plays she made were anything but routine. She backhanded two sharp ground balls down the line in the third before sending laser throws to first base to beat the runners.

Buntrock also made two of the three outs in the fifth. She made the first out by jumping about a foot into the air to snag a hard hit chopper before firing over to first. Buntrock then closed out the inning by charging a slow moving grounder and beating the baserunner with a strong throw.

While losing isn’t fun, at least Buntrock gave the Ice and their fans a couple of excellent plays to be proud of.

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