Storm Dayz: First 10U team in more than a decade has high expectations

SYCAMORE – Although it’s their first year with the Kishwaukee Storm, coach Max Piper and the 10U team are no strangers to Storm Days.

Competing with the Sycamore Syocs program last year, the core group of players is back competing in this year’s 23rd annual tournament, which starts Friday for most age groups and Saturday for 10U.

“We got a group of 10-year-olds that you wouldn’t believe they’re 10 by the way they’re playing and where they’re at now,” Piper said. “So it’s pretty crazy. We’ve got a couple of girls throwing 50, which at 10 years old is absolutely insane. They work their butts off and we’ve got a really good group, and we really love it here at the Storm.”

[ Photos: Kishwaukee Valley Storm 10u scrimmages in preparation for this weekend's Storm Dayz softball tournament in Sycamore ]

The team, which features players from a pair of Sycos teams from last year, plus some who came in via tryouts, is led by pitchers Elena Staley and Neve Crittenden. Piper said they work on their craft every day and learn a lot from pitching coach Izzy Odom.

According to Storm program director Steve Heide, it’s the first 10U team in the program in at least a decade. And they have very high hopes for their four-team bracket. Pool play starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday for the group, with the double-elimination bracket kicking off at 11 a.m. Sunday.

“It feels different, because we’re a little better this year,” Staley said. “Like, there’s more people and stuff.”

Heide said it’s good to have a 10U team back in the program.

“It’s been a hot minute,” Heide said with a laugh. “I was going through my records, and we haven’t had one since at least 2013. So it’s been a while. I guess at that age they’re not familiar enough with our program even though we’ve been here 24 years now. Maybe they want to stay closer to home – I think people have the impression we travel farther than most programs, and I don’t think that’s necessarily true.”

“It feels different, because, like, we’re like a little better this year. Like, there’s more people and stuff.”

—  Elena Staley, Kishwaukee Valley Storm 10U team

Heide is coaching the 18U team, which will compete in an 11-team field. There are 20 teams in the 16U field, including two Sycos and one Storm club. The 14U field has 16 teams, including a Strom group. And the 12U division has 16 teams, including one each from the Storm and Sycos.

“I feel confident,” 10U player Brooke Brackmann said. “I feel like we can really beat those teams. We’ve done it before. I feel confident in ourselves.”

“I feel more confident in ourselves, and I think we’re better than last year,” Roslyn Johnson said. “I just think we’re a good team and we can do it.”

Storm Dayz will also, as usual, be battling weather concerns. Rain messed with the schedule the past two years and is traditionally an issue – so much so Heide and the club made up special shirts with “Storm” crossed out and replaced with “Sunny.”

It still rained.

And while forecasts showed virtually no chance of rain Saturday and less than 50% on Sunday, Hiede said experience has taught him to be prepared.

“Whenever we’re in a drought I’m going to plan a tournament, ‘cause that will work better than any rain dance I could possibly do,” Heide said.

But he also said everyone from the park district to the Storm crew administering the tournament do what they can to get in as many games as possible.

“People come to our tournament because they know we’ll bust our you-know-whats to get the games in,” Heide said. “There are so many tournaments out there that don’t have the people we have involved in our program, our volunteers, our parents that will go the extra mile and do whatever we can to play. And the Sycamore Park District, those guys do an awesome job.”

For Piper, he said he hopes that includes his club playing in the title game Sunday.

“It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” Piper said. “There’s some good teams coming out, but the girls are out there to win. They want to, they said go out there and win the whole thing and show everybody this is our home turf.

“They’re expecting to win the championship.”