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Members of the Lemont Rockers pay silent tribute to their late head coach, Jim "Didi" DiGregorio.

Lemont Rockers Win ASA Nationals
Dedicate Emotional Victory to Late Head Coach
8.4.08
Moline, Illinois
When head coach Jim �Didi� DiGregorio passed away from a heart attack last Wednesday, the Lemont Rockers travel softball team was faced with a tough question: �Should we play or go home?� The team not only decided to stay, they won the Amateur Softball Association 18-Under National Championship yesterday afternoon with a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Sting Elite. On the backs of their jerseys was the simple phrase, �Do if for Didi.� After the game, an emotional Rockers team and their family and friends filled the diamonds and agreed that they'd put the championship trophy and the jerseys they wore to win the tournament in the casket with their coach. Read more.

Travel Softball Suffers Huge Loss
Renowned Illinois Coach Dies Of Heart Attack
7.31.08
Moline, Illinois
For over 14 years, the Lemont Rockers travel softball teams were led by a man with more passion, drive, commitment and dedication than anyone in the world of softball. He inspired kids with more than sports knowledge�he taught them how to succeed in the tough situations in life.

Late yesterday afternoon, Jim �Didi� DiGregorio suffered a heart attack and passed away on the softball field during the Lemont Rockers game at the ASA Nationals Tournament in Moline, Illinois.

In 1994, the Rockers were founded by three competitive, softball loving fathers�Jim DiGregorio, Bill Sokolis and Jim Ross�that loved kids and wanted something better than a 12-game recreational softball season. In DiGregorio�s kitchen, with little experience and lots of ambition, the Lemont Rockers were created. Today, the Rockers have developed into a nationally known softball program with many of the members having moved on to college programs with the help of DiGregorio.

DiGregorio�s teams were not only known for their talent, but also for their bright fluorescent and neon uniforms with a batman logo. Flashy uniforms aside, the Lemont Rockers became a staple in the tradition of Illinois Softball. Hundreds of girls played for DiGregorio over the years.

�Didi was one of my best friends. He was the true definition of the word coach,� said Bill Sokolis, co-owner of the NPF Chicago Bandits. The Bandits will be honoring Jim DiGregorio with a memorial ceremony before the start of their game against the New England Riptide at 6:30 PM on August 11th at their Judson University field in Elgin, Illinois. Read more.

Stealth Bats Explode in Santa Maria
Finish Third in Triple Crown World Series Qualifier
2.10.08
Santa Maria, California
The So Cal Stealth offense came alive this weekend in the Triple Crown World Series Qualifier, held at the Hagerman Sports Complex in Santa Maria, California. The Stealth tallied 33 runs in five games, tying for third in the tournament with So Cal 3D (Bustos). Strikkers Gold from San Jose, California, won the Championship, and Synergy Gold from Santa Clarita, California, took the runner-up spot.

Sunday's second round elimination game between Stealth and the Champion Strikkers was the game of the weekend. The close-fought contest went nine innings (including two international tie-breaker innings) before the Strikkers emerged victorious 4-2.

Game #1 So Cal Stealth 6 Ridge Meadow Pride (B.C. Canada) 1
Game #2 So Cal Stealth 14 Bakersfield Babes 4
Game #3 So Cal Stealth 0 So Cal 3D (Bustos) 3
Game #4 So Cal Stealth 11 VC Misfits 1
Game #5 So Cal Stealth 2 Strikkers Gold 4 (9 innings)

Player of the weekend: Ikea Mauldin 7-for-15 (home run, 3 doubles, 6 RBI's).

Other notables:
Vanessa House 5-for-10 (home run, triple, double, BB, sac, 4 RBI's).
Heather Sandberg 5-for-12 (all singles, 2 BB, 2 RBI's).

Players of the Weekend Ikea Mauldin (top left), Heather Sandberg (middle left) and Karissa Hartwig (lower left).

Stealth Excels at Soboba Oaks
Gold Squad Clashes at NSC College Showcase
1.21.08
San Jacinto, California
The So Cal Stealth 18U Gold travel team played this past weekend at one of the finest softball complexes in Southern California, The Oaks at Soboba. The Oaks is owned and operated by the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians and consists of 480 acres, including four brand new fully lighted NCAA and ASA standard softball fields with artificial turf. Every game was on time, the fields were prepped after every game, the snack bar was excellent, the weather was excellent, and the overall showcase was very well run.

Players of the weekend:

Ikea Mauldin 5-for-9 (3 RBI), Heather Sandberg 4-for-11 (4 RBI) & Karissa Hartwig (Pitching).

The So Cal Stealth Gold went 2-2-1.

Game #1 So Cal Stealth 2   Cal Pirettes Gold 1
It was a pitcher's dual between the Pirettes pitcher Barcea and Stealth's Karissa Hartwig. Ikea Mauldin and Heather Sandberg provided the offense for Stealth. Ikea Mauldin went 2-for-2 (2 doubles) and Heather Sandberg knocked in a run off the Pirette's pitcher's leg for the lone RBI of the game.

Game #2 So Cal Stealth 0   So Cal Crunch 4
The Stealth was shut down offensively by the So Cal Crunch Gold pitcher. Ikea Mauldin, Heather Sandberg, and Kaci Kelly each had hits. The Stealth took the loss 4-0 but only 1 run was earned.

Game #3 So Cal Stealth 5   Cruisers 5
After being down 5-0 to the Cruisers Gold team after 4 innings, the Stealth exploded for 5 runs in the 5th inning. Rhea Murphy led off the 5th with a single, Alena Murgatroyd singled, Ikea Mauldin singled, Heather Sandberg tripled down the left field line, Cree Pleasant walked, Caitlin Raskopf walked, Vanessa House laid down a sac bunt, and then Megan Hutnick doubled to tie the game 5-5. Time ran out so the game ended in a tie 5-5.

Game #4 So Cal Stealth 0   So Cal Crunch 1
In a very competitive game, the Stealth took a narrow 1-0 loss to another solid So Cal Crunch team. Heather Sandberg and Karissa Hartwig rotated innings on the mound for the Stealth and put in a phenomenal performance.

Game #5    So Cal Stealth 5   Central Coast Express 2
The Stealth scored 2 runs in the first inning on a walk and an error from the opposing pitcher. In the second inning the Stealth scored two more runs on a couple of walks and miscues from the Express. The Stealth scored one run in the fourth, with a home run to left off the bat of Vanessa House and another run in the sixth. Alena Murgatroyd drew a walk and stole second, and Heather Sandberg hit a single to right scoring Murgatroyd. Hurlers Hartwig & Sandberg were once again exceptional from the circle for the Stealth.

Stealth Earns AFA Gold Nationals Berth
Places Second in Dynasty Toys for Tots Tourney
12.16.07
Riverside, California
Picking up where they left off last weekend, the Antelope Valley�s Southern Cal Stealth 18U Gold fastpitch team won two of its three games yesterday�good enough for a second place finish in the Dynasty Toys for Tots Tournament, and qualifying the ball club for the American Fastpitch Association "Gold" Nationals being held next year in Beaumont, Texas, July 28th - August 2nd.

So Cal Stealth's record in the tournament was 4-1. They outscored their opponents 24-8.

So Cal Stealth 9   SB Stars 0
So Cal Stealth 5   So Cal Dynasty 0
So Cal Stealth 5   X Factor 3
So Cal Stealth 3   3rd Degree 1
So Cal Stealth 2   Dynasty Gold 4

So Cal Stealth: Ikea Mauldin, Shelbi Garcia, Heather Sandberg, Vanessa House, Marissa Urbanski, Shannon Barnhill, Cree Pleasant, Alena Murgatroyd, Karissa Hartwig, Kory Cascarella, Rhea Murphy, Laura Borland, Heather Black, Candice Miller, Megan Hutnick.

Stealth Player of the Weekend Candice Miller (left) and Pitcher of the Weekend Karissa Hartwig (center, right).

Stealth Shines at Toys 4 Tots Tourney�
Sun Doesn't
Offense Explodes 14-0 Before Rain Halts Event
12.13.07
Riverside, California
The rain drenched the fields this past weekend in the Toys for Tots Tournament at La Sierra Park, eventually making the fields unplayable and giving new meaning to the term �pool games.� But that didn�t stop the So Cal Stealth 18U Gold team from winning both of their match-ups, and in a dominating fashion�scoring a total of 14 runs in twin shutout victories. Sunday's single elimination round was canceled due to poor the field conditions, and has been rescheduled for Saturday, December 15th.

Game #1: So Cal Stealth faced the San Bernadino Stars in their 1st game of pool play. Stealth came out hitting the ball hard. Lead off batter Shelbi Garcia flew out hard to center, Alena Murgatroyd got on with a base with a hit to right and Candice Miller then greeted the Stars pitcher with a 2-run homer to dead center field. Ikea Mauldin then reached base on an error, Adriana Perez singled, Kory Cascarella reached on an error, and Shannon Barnhill singled making the score 4-to-0 Stealth after only one inning. Stealth got things going again in the third with back-to-back singles by Mauldin and Perez, followed by a double to the right field gap by Stephanie Gutierrez. Shannon Barnhill and Laura Borland then singled, making the score 8-0. The Stealth scored one more time in the fourth with walks to Vanessa House and Ikea Mauldin. Perez then hit in House with another single. Shannon Barnhill got the win with Karissa Hartwig closing out the game on the mound for the Stealth in their impressive 9-0 shutout victory.

Game #2: This was the game the Stealth had been waiting for�a showdown with the tournament host team, the So Cal Dynasty. Adriana Perez led off the second inning with a single to left, and Ikea Mauldin followed with a double down the left field line scoring Perez. A passed ball allowed Mauldin to reach third, and Heather Sandberg hit one to the shortstop allowing Mauldin to score, making the score 2 -0. The Stealth scored again in the third. Rhea Murphy led off with a single, Alena Murgatroyd reached base on a fielder's choice, and Candice Miller then doubled over the left fielder�s head scoring Murgatroyd. Adriana Perez followed with a double to left scoring Miller, making the score 3-0. Shelbi Garcia led off the fifth with a hit, and Murgatroyd and Miller singled. Adriana Perez then doubled to left center clearing the bases. Karissa Hartwig pitched the win for the Stealth with Heather Sandberg closing out the final two innings in another shutout victory for the Stealth, this time by a final score of 5-0.

Players of the weekend: Candice Miller batted .500, went 3-for-6 (.500) with a 2-run home run bomb to dead center, a double and 3 RBI's. Candace is a 2007 grad, plays 3B/1B/DH, and currently attends Antelope Valley College. Adriana Perez, borrowed from the So Cal 3D, was also �on fire� going 5-for-6 with 4 RBI's.

Pitcher of the weekend: Junior Karissa Hartwig started both games and was impressive in each. She only allowed 1 hit and pitched 8 K�s in four innings, with an ERA of .000. Her screwball and change-up had the opposing batters baffled, and she had some extra heat on her drop ball this past weekend. This year Karissa was a Best of the West College Placement Showcase All-Star Team Selection, and she was an Antelope Valley AV Press "Athlete of the Week." She pitched a perfect game in 2006 as a freshman.

Southern Cal Stealth weekend stars Alena Murgatroyd (left) and Heather Sandberg (middle, right).

So Cal Stealth weekend stars Alena Murgatroyd (left) and Heather Sandberg (middle, right).

So Cal Stealth Finds the Magic
Goes Undefeated at So Cal Magic Friendly
11.21.07
Victorville, California
The So Cal Stealth 18U Gold fastpitch team played with plenty of intensity and heart this past Sunday at Liberty Park in Victorville, coming from behind in all three of its games to pick up 3 wins.

Game #1: So Cal Stealth defeated the Riverside Rookies 7-5. The Stealth used the small ball approach laying down sac bunts, a hit from Shelbi Garcia, walks to Kory Cascarella, Heather Sandberg who was hit by a pitch, and Stephanie Gutierrez's bases-loaded double to the foot of the right center fence, scoring 3 runs for the Stealth and putting the game away. Winning Pitcher: Karissa Hartwig (2009).

Game #2: So Cal Stealth faced off against the So Cal Stars from San Bernadino with Stealth picking up the win 5-1. After being down 1-0 in the 3rd inning, the Stealth got it going with a lead-off single from Megan Hutnick, a sac bunt from Rhea Murphy, a double to the left field wall from Karissa Hartwig, another sac bunt from Laura Borland, a base hit from Shelbi Garcia, and a towering home run to dead centerfield off the bat of catcher Alena Murgatroyd. The Stealth scored one more time in the 4th inning with a hit from shortstop Ikea Mauldin and an RBI single from second baseman Marissa Urbanski. Winning pitcher: Heather Sandberg (2008).

Game #3: This was a great match-up against the two undefeated teams in the Friendly, So Cal Stealth and the California Pirettes from San Bernadino. So Cal Stealth got the win 3-1. This game was a pitching duel between two of So Cal Stealth's pitchers Karissa Hartwig and Heather Sandberg, and the Pirette's very talented rise ball pitcher. After being down 1-0 in the 3rd inning, Alena Murgatroyd led off the 4th with a single; shortstop Ikea Mauldin blasted a double to the left field center fence scoring Murgatroyd; then Kory Cascarella and Heather Sandberg each hit run-scoring singles, making the score 3-1 in favor of the Stealth. Winning Pitchers: Hartwig and Sandberg combined for the win for So Cal Stealth.

Player of the weekend: Catcher Alena Murgatroyd caught all three games, did not allow a passed ball, threw out every runner who attempted to steal, laid down three sac bunts, and hit a towering 3-run homer to put away the So Cal Stars. Alena is a junior at Quartz Hill Highschool in Lancaster, California.

Pitcher of the weekend: Heather Sandberg only allowed 1 run in two games, and went two-for-two against the Pirettes. Heather is a senior at Lancaster High School in Lancaster, California, and is a recipient of the 2007 Scholar Athlete Award. She was named to the LA Daily News 1^st Team All-Antelope Valley in 2006, was a Defensive Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Golden League in both 2005 and 2006, and pitched a Perfect Game and a 20K Game in 2006 (school record 7 innings).

Key hits: Stephanie Gutierrez's double to the base of the right center fence against the Rookies, Ikea Mauldin's double to the base of the left center fence against the Pirette's, and Alena Murgatroyd's 3-run blast againt the So Cal Stars.

The Southern Cal Stealth 18U ASA fastpitch Gold team. Inset: Defensive Player of the Weekend Megan Hutnick.

The So Cal Stealth 18U ASA fastpitch Gold team. Inset: Defensive Player of the Weekend Megan Hutnick.

    Front Row (L-R): Rhea Murphy, Stephanie Gutierrez, Candice Miller, Ikea Mauldin, Megan Hutnick, Shelbi
    Garcia. Back Row (L-R): Laura Borland, Cree Pleasant, Kory Cascarella, Heather Black, Alena
    Murgatroyd, Karissa Hartwig, Heather Sandberg, Vanessa House. Not Shown: Marissa Urbanski.

Stealth Continues Winning Ways
Elite 18U Gold Team Goes 3-1-1 at Turkey Bash
11.16.07
Castaic, California
When the smoke finally cleared, the So Cal Stealth emerged from the Triple Crown Turkey Bash at Castaic Sports Complex this past weekend with victories over the Smashers, Sharks and Stealerz. Their lone loss was to the Mirage, and they tied the Pumas.

Offensive Player of the Weekend was once again Vanessa House #4 from Palmdale High School, who followed her dominating performance at the Oktoberfest tournament with a .500 batting average, 2 home runs and 6 RBI.

Defensive Player of the Weekend was outfielder Megan Hutnick #18 from Quartz Hill, California, who showed a lot of hustle, made some great plays, showed great base running and, most importantly, great attitude and spirit! During her prep softball career, 17-year-old Megan has won the 2006 MVP Award on her JV squad and the 2006 and 2007 Scholar Athlete Awards.

The So Cal Stealth Travel Softball team. Inset: Player of the Weeked Vanessa House.

The Southern Cal Stealth 18U ASA fastpitch Gold team. Inset: Player of the Weekend Vanessa House.

Stealth's Debut is a Hit!
New Club Goes 4-1 at Prestigious Oktoberfest Tourney
10.23.07
Palmdale, California
The newest 18U ASA fastpitch softball team in the Antelope Valley, the So Cal Stealth, did the valley proud this past weekend posting a win-loss record of 4-1 at the Lancaster Oktoberfest College Recruiting Tournament.

The Stealth began play Friday night facing the MsStix team from Washington on the main field at the Best of the West softball complex in Palmdale. The Stealth overpowered the MsStix with timely hitting and the pitching of Heather Black, who threw a two hit shut-out, winning 6-0.

At 8 AM on Saturday, the Stealth faced Crystl Bustos� So Cal 3D team from Santa Clarita. It must have been too early for the Stealth players, as 3D won 4-1�but again, the Stealth team showed their bats and speed to make the play interesting throughout the game.

Game #3 was at 1PM, with the Stealth facing off with one of the Arizona Outlaws 18U clubs. Karissa Hartwig and Heather Sandberg showcased their pitching talents for several college coaches in attendance as they kept the Outlaws at bay, winning 4-1.

At 8 PM in the cold winds, Stealth faced another team from Washington, the Spirits, winning 6-3. Once again Karissa Hartwig and Heather Sandberg picked up the pitching duties for an absent Heather Black, who was at a volleyball tournament all day for Lancaster High School.

Game #5 was at 3 PM Sunday afternoon and again, the Stealth proved too powerful for their opponents, beating the OC Bandits 6-1. Their final tournament record was 4-1, which manager Steve Sandberg considers a huge success after only practicing 3-4 times and being together as club since the beginning of September.

So what did the college coaches have to say about So Cal Stealth? Nothing but high compliments on their pitching staff, speed, and bat power. Player of the weekend Vanessa House recorded two triples, two home runs, multiple hits including one that hopped the 312' fence, and nine RBI's.

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