The future of softball in the Verde Valley is in very good hands.
The summer club softball season is in full swing, and girls from the ages of 8 on up through high school are working on their fundamentals with local coaches, competing against teams from Phoenix to Winslow, and from as far away as California and Nevada.
The Juggernauts are a club team from Camp Verde that plays in the 16 and under division and contains players from Camp Verde, Sedona and Flagstaff.
The team essentially began its summer season by winning a tournament in Winslow on July 6 in which it beat both the host club and a club from Show Low.
The Juggernaut’s coach Henry Smith, who is an assistant for the Cowboys softball team during the high school season, said the focus of the summer season is just keeping the girls busy.
“The main thing in summer ball is to give them something to do, … keep them in shape,” Smith said. “We have a few of them that want to go to college, so [we] focus on trying to educate them on what it takes to go to college as far as grades and being a part of the community.
“And then of course we’re getting them ready for the high school season.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, July 17 issue of the Camp Verde Journal or Cottonwood Journal Extra.
