Get on board with Dugout Chatter’s regular feature, The Final Pitch!
We are scouring the Internet and Social Media and keeping our ears to the street for the latest going on in the softball community.
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Here’s our TFP for Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023:
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THE FINAL PITCH: JAELYN LEE
Uncommitted 2025 LHP/1B Jaelyn Lee recently talked to Dugout Chatter about Sorcerer-Gann, Oakdale High, winning a PGF 16U Premier national championship, BSC Bengals-Briggs, coming back from injury, future college, medical field, science, Jeff Lee, “The Hunger Games,” Soulja Boy, “Criminal Minds,” Marvel and skiing.
THE FINAL PITCH Q&A
Name: Jaelyn Lee
Hometown: Oakdale, CA
High School: Oakdale High
Club Team: Sorcerer 16U-Gann
Graduation Year: 2025
Height: 5-foot-6
Position: LHP/1B
Nickname: “Jaebird,” my parents gave me that name when I was very little because I used to eat like a bird.
Honors: 4.0 GPA; and PGF 16U Premier national champion.
Travel Ball Summer Stats: 25 games, 9 wins, 1.99 ERA, 73.2 IP, 68 hits, 21 earned runs, 50 strikeouts and 14 walks.
High School Stats: 1.10 ERA, 12 IP, 5 hits, 2 earned runs and 19 strikeouts.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? My travel team is my family. We have created such a bond with each other it makes playing the game so much more fun and stress-free!
Tell us about your high school team and how you did? I love playing with my high school team. We all come from very good softball backgrounds and being able to play for our school is an awesome experience. Also, shout out to our head coach Larry Loger and our assistant coach Pete Cordova … they are amazing!
Can you tell us about your team’s run to the PGF 16U national championship? We had a great run at Nationals. winning the Premier 16U championship. It was a life-changing experience, one that I will never forget.
Which player/team has been your toughest opponent and why? The BSC Bengals(-Briggs) have been our toughest competitors. We played them three times during Nationals.
What have you faced/overcome in life that has made you the person you are today? When I was 10 (years old), I broke my ankle playing softball. It was a very bad brake causing me to get two screws inserted into my growth plate that are still there today. Having to sit out for five months while watching everyone else grow at the sport was definitely a big setback for me. Once I finally got cleared to play again, I knew I needed to work double the time to be able to get back to where I was a keep competing at the best level.
What are you looking for in a future college? How are you approaching Sept. 1? I am hoping that September first comes with lots of joy. It has always been my dream to be able to play at the Division 1 level and with the timeline coming so close, there are so many mixed emotions, but overall so excited to see what the sport has in store for me. In college aspects, I just want a school with a beautiful campus with great programs.
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I am very interested in the medical field. With both my parents being first responders, I have grown up listening to their stories coming back from work and I just love hearing about how they can help someone every day.
What’s your favorite subject to study in school and why? My favorite subject to study in school is probably anything science-related. Being able to learn about how things came about and our bodies is so interesting to me.
Who is your sports hero and why? My sports hero would have to be my dad, (Jeff Lee). He broke many records at my high school in track and I strive to break records just like he did.
What’s your favorite book to read and why? “The Hunger Games.” I love the movies and reading the books feels like I am watching the movies all over again.
What’s the best hype song and why? My favorite hype song is probably “Turn My Swag On” by Soulja Boy.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? My favorite TV (show) to binge definitely has to be “Criminal Minds.” I have watched the whole show twice.
What’s your favorite movie and why? My favorite movie, probably, (is) any Marvel movie. They are really the only movies I can stay entertained (by).
Do you have a secret talent/skill? I am really good at skiing.
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NEWS & NOTES
***Ole Miss-committed 2024 SS Mackenzie Pickens (Georgia Impact-Sampson) made Buford High history with her 33rd career home run and 2026 RHP Caroline Stanton (Lady Dukes-Lamar/Burgess) threw her first career no-hitter in Buford’s 7-0 win over Apalachee High on Wednesday in Georgia. Pickens’ 33 homers surpassed the previous mark held by Samantha Thomas, a 2017 grad.
SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Mackenzie Pickens breaks Buford's home run record in Caroline Stanton no-hitter @kenziepickens @BWolvesSoftball @bufordathletics https://t.co/0vtli5Rz0J pic.twitter.com/Lcq9umCXvH
— Gwinnett Daily Post (@GDPsports) August 17, 2023
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HSOTD
Today’s Hype Song of the Day is …
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BTITW
Today’s Best Thing In The World is …
Apple TV+ has offered up some tantalizing details — as well as the first photos — from its upcoming series based on Legendary’s #Godzilla Monsterverse, 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' https://t.co/8FHoapzAHL pic.twitter.com/Q00LYNoAs9
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 17, 2023
— Carlos Arias, Dugout Chatter (Follow Carlos on Twitter @Los_Stuff and Thread @los_stuff)
