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Madi Kelly chosen for elite softball training
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Madi Kelly, daughter of Mike and Chris Kelly, has been chosen to attend the Under Armour Softball Factory in Vero Beach, Fla., on Nov. 6-9.
By ABBY SLANKER
At the young age of 12, Madi Kelly, daughter of Mike and Chris Kelly, has been chosen to attend the Under Armour Softball Factory in Vero Beach, Fla., on Nov. 6-9.
Kelly is a seventh-grader at Canfield Village Middle School, and at 12 years old, is a rarity to be chosen for the softball camp. Most players who are selected are 14-18 years-old. She is a member of Canfield Baseball Club and plays for the 12U Canfield Crush, where she is a left-handed pitcher and plays first base.
“The girls who play in Canfield are a close knit group who are like sisters. They have each others back and are very close friends. Many have been playing together going on six years,” said Mike.
Kelly was nominated to try out for the Under Armour Softball Factory by Dan Black of ROC Elite and decided to try out to learn what she could work on to improve her game.
“Madi works very hard on improving her game. When she was 10, she asked me to take her for batting lessons. When I asked her why she wanted to take batting lessons she said she loves playing softball, and when her team wins it’s the most fun. So if she gets better she can help her team win more and it will be more fun. She has always had that mentality. She wanted to go to the tryout to get an idea from the coaches and trainers running the tryout to find out what she can work on in the off season. She really had no anticipation of making the next level,” said Mike.
The Under Armour Softball Factory has tryouts across the country from California to New York. Out of the thousands who go to the tryouts only 30-35 girls will participate in each training camp.
“The tryout in Columbus had 32 nominated girls who were from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Out of those 32 girls, five were selected to participate in either Oklahoma City or Vero Beach training camp. Madi chose Vero Beach.
“The camp is run by Lea Ann Jarvis, former D1 catcher at Louisiana Tech, Louisiana Tech Hall of Fame, two-time all American first team, USA National Team, former head coach at Texas and New Mexico State. Coaches include Olympic gold medalists, USA National Team members, NAIA Champions, World Champions and All-American players and coaches,” Mike said.
Softball Factory is partners with Under Armour, ASA, Easton, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gatorade and SKLZ. All select training camp players are submitted to ASA/USA Junior National Team selection committee for future consideration. These committees will track the progress of the players.
The camp consists of four days of training in a spring training environment. Players will begin their day at 8 a.m. and finish at 10 p.m. at the former home of the L.A. Dodgers. They will train, play games and attend seminars on goal setting and what it takes to make it to the next level.
According to Mike Kelly, the Softball Factory is very straight forward with the potential and expectations of the players. They stress four things on which each player must focus.
Academics - If a player does not have a 3.5 GPA or higher, D1 schools will not accept them, regardless of talent. They stress to the players to always focus on school and SAT, ACT scores to give themselves options.
Work Ethic - Players can’t stop learning or improving their skills in softball and must always strive to get better.
Self Promotion - Players need to take control of their own path.
“The organization does not want the parents to pay for the expenses of the camps or tournaments. They look for the girls who want it bad enough to go out and earn or raise the money on their own to enhance their experience. Coaches do not want to hear from parents why their kid wants to play for this team or that college. They want to hear from the player why they want to take their diamond. They want the girls to take control of their own path and not sit back and have parents carry them through. They need to take control,” Mike said.
- Attitude and Goal Setting - Both in academics and sports to keep players focused on what they are striving for.
Even at 12, Madi has her long-term softball goals set.
“I want to play for Canfield High School, and would love to play D1 softball somewhere warm,” Madi said.