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University of Missouri

National champion returns home to teach aspiring players

August 3, 2021 By Kevin Weiss

Mere weeks ago, Land O’ Lakes native Shannon Saile was busy celebrating an NCAA Division I national championship — as one of the top pitchers on the University of Oklahoma women’s softball team.

Her decorated softball career now has quite literally come full circle.

The 23-year-old returned to her tight-knit central Pasco County hometown, again setting foot on the same park ballfields that forged a pathway for myriad athletic accomplishments.

Shannon Saile, left, a national champion softball pitcher for the Oklahoma Sooners, explains the fundamentals of the fast pitch to 11-year-old Laila McClelland, center, of Odessa. Shannon worked with the intermediates and advanced pitchers on developing their form and delivering a fast pitch over home plate. (Fred Bellet)

Her goal is to organize a series of fastpitch softball clinics to train the next generation of youth standouts.

The upstart Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic was held July 25 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, home to Land O’ Lakes Little League.

About 30 girls — ages 8 to 15 — took part on a steamy Sunday, eager to take in guidance from Saile and other well-known pitching instructors and volunteers.

Saile hopes to host similar clinics across the country — the next likely somewhere in Oklahoma — all in the name of growing the game that’s afforded her success and opportunity.

“It’s something I’m passionate about,” Saile told The Laker/Lutz News.

Naturally, it only made sense for Saile to launch her softball instruction venture back where it all began — a ballfield in Land O’ Lakes.

“I just thought it was like really important to me to start it in Land O’ Lakes, because that’s where I grew up,” she said of her softball clinic venture. “I really want to grow it across the country, and always come back to Land O’ Lakes.”

With Saile’s tutelage, young campers sharpened their fastballs and secondary offerings like changeups, through arm path mechanics and leg drive techniques, as well as various speed, agility and balance drills.

“I just hope that I can teach them the foundation of pitching, because it’s much more important than just getting out there and throwing pitches,” Saile explained. “The drills are super important, because they help me grow my strength and my confidence in my pitches.”

With her eyes on the ‘strike zone,’ 15-year-old Daijah Madry, of Tampa, prepares to pitch during the Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Collier Parkway. Saile, host of the clinic, was among the national championship team at the University of Oklahoma.

Besides newfound softball skills, campers also had an opportunity to get signed autographs and take pictures with Saile, who’s become a household name in the sports world. She was invited to ESPN’s 2021 ESPY Awards for being part of one of the best moments from the year in sports. The annual sports awards event was televised last month on ABC.

Saile is arguably one of the most accomplished — if not most accomplished — fastpitch softball players to ever come out of Land O’ Lakes High School and the greater Tampa Bay area.

As a Gator, she amassed 517 strikeouts and a career 1.76 ERA in four varsity seasons from 2013 to 2016, also compiling a combined 41 wins, 31 complete games, 11 shutouts and five no-hitters.

The advancement to the college ranks likewise went swimmingly for the 5-foot-7 right-hander.

Saile began her Division I softball career at Florida International University, finding immediate success with a pair of sub 2 ERA seasons in the circle.

Saile then transferred to blue-chip Oklahoma following her sophomore season.

Oklahoma is a perennial powerhouse that’s won five national softball titles since 2000 —including the 2021 Women’s College World Series over Florida State University in June — under longtime head coach Patty Gasso.

The local athlete enjoyed similar statistical feats in the iconic cream-and-crimson Sooners uniform.

As a redshirt senior this past season, Saile posted an impressive 1.70 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while being second on the team in wins (17), innings pitched (100.1), complete games (six), and strikeouts (132).

Local resident Shayna Rentfro lines up a picture of her daughter, Jayda Lisant, 8, through the fence, during the recent Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Collier Parkway.

Upon returning to the area recreation complex, Saile acknowledged  “flashbacks” of the many years, and countless hours and days, spent in travel ball and Land O’ Lakes Little League practices and games.

She put it like this: “Remembering where I started…it just wants me to remind the kids of, ‘You start small and you work your way up; it doesn’t happen overnight,’ and it’s just a humbling experience of remembering where I was and now where I am. It just means a lot to me to bleed that into these girls, that have the same dreams I did.”

Saile, meanwhile, continues to have vivid memories of guiding the Sooners to a national crown earlier this summer and a showy 56-4 record.

After navigating the Big 12 softball championship, NCAA regional and super regional, Oklahoma defeated James Madison, Georgia, UCLA and Florida State at the 2021 Women’s College World Series at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

“It kind of feels like it was yesterday still,” Saile said of the historic collegiate campaign. “I just continuously live that moment in my head of just that feeling of, ‘All the hard work has finally paid off.’ Like, all of the hard work when you’re a kid, on the Little League field, and then now, in the biggest stage, it feels like, ‘Wow, everything I worked for has finally paid off,’ and not a lot of people get to experience that, and I’m so grateful that I was able to.”

All arms on deck
A slew of Saile’s former teammates, coaches and acquaintances pitched in to help the youth softball clinic run smoothly.

Twelve-year old Paige Smith, of Land O’ Lakes, gets a hit in the batting cage, an extra feature at the pitching clinic. She and her 14-year-old sister, Lilly, picked up some pointers at the clinic.

This included fellow former Land O’ Lakes High pitching standout Callie Turner, who launched her college career at the University of Tennessee, but has since transferred to the University of Arkansas, another prominent Division I SEC (Southeastern Conference) program.

Turner and Saile crossed paths in high school, when Saile was a senior and Turner a freshman.

Turner has plenty of name recognition in her own right — a former top-ranked prep softball recruit, state champion and participant on USA Softball’s Junior Women’s National Training Team.

The 5-foot-10 left-hander expressed enthusiasm about sharing her softball knowledge and wisdom with budding campers.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to do stuff like this,” Turner said, “(so) I think it’s really fun, and, I mean, it’s nice to think that they look up to us, so just being able to give back to the community that we grew up in, is great.”

Another notable softball figure serving up lessons — former University of Minnesota pitching standout Amber Fiser, now a softball graduate assistant at the University of Missouri.

Fiser plays alongside Saile for Team Florida in the Professional Fastpitch Softball league.

They also coached together in the Florida Gulf Coast League Pro Series, a summer collegiate softball league in the Sarasota area.

Wearing a protective fielder’s mask, 9-year-old Grace Peters, of Land O’ Lakes, was ready to take her turn on the mound. Peters was among those in the intermediate division at the Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic.

Land O’ Lakes High assistant softball coach Pascal Guarracino, another camp volunteer, took a beating while catching behind home plate.

Still, he was more than willing to don the mask and heavy glove to help current and former students.

The coach came away amazed by how Saile and Turner have transformed into top-flight Division I athletes, and their willingness to help the next wave of local softball youth.

“They really are about community, they’re about family, and it was really important for (them) to come back and do it here,” Guarracino said.

“You know, we still see them as young high school girls, as little kids, but the knowledge of the sport and the progress we’ve seen (from them) in the last four years, we learn more from them than we could learn in a (coach’s clinic) classroom.”

Turner’s father, Dave, chipped in, too.

An area softball coach himself, he emphasized the need for programs to develop more willing, confident pitchers throughout the sport.

Coach Charlie Aliano of the Cincinnati Reds lends some batting knowledge to 13-year old Olivia James, of New Port Richey. Aliano, of Land O’ Lakes, assisted during the Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic.

A lot of kids are afraid to pitch, he said.

“It’s a lot of pressure. I mean, you’re out there in the circle by yourself,” he explained.

In addition to fastpitch drills, hitting instruction was happening in batting cages next to the ballfield.

That was led by Charles Aliano, a baseball lifer who now works as a scout supervisor for the Cincinnati Reds.

His daughter, Addy, is a standout outfielder at Academy at the Lakes.

Aliano was quick to heap praise on Saile, Turner, Fiser and others for coordinating the daylong softball clinic.

He said, “It’s an amazing experience for all these girls to have those girls” working with them.

He added: “It’s special, and I think everybody should embrace it.”

Lessons learned
The next wave of local talent could include Land O’ Lakes High rising sophomore Avaree Hudson and incoming freshman Sammy Magee.

(Shannon Saile, right, a national champion softball pitcher at the University of , speaks to a group of advanced pitchers during a water and shade break at her pitching clinic at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex softball field.

Both assisted during the clinic’s morning intermediate session, then worked on honing their own softball craft in the afternoon advanced session.

They expressed gratitude for having the trio of Saile, Turner and Fiser available to help them and the younger players to develop their skills.

They acknowledged admiring the Division I players’ talent and respective softball feats.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity because all of them are taking the time to teach everyone, and all these girls are going to be girls playing in high schools around us,” said Hudson.

“They’re just taking time out of their day to teach (the campers) new things, like changeups, that they don’t know, and I think that’s really great and really special,” she said.

Added Magee, “I think it’s cool that the older girls get to come here and help with younger kids, because it all starts with the youth and learning things and getting them to look up to them, it’s like a big thing for them.”

The prep underclassman likewise left with some beneficial softball tidbits of their own, too, from the experienced college trio.

“The way they word things is so helpful to like, ‘Learning how to get into your legs and really drive,’ and get stronger as a pitcher, mentally and physically,” said Magee, who recently moved with her family to Land O’ Lakes from Pennsylvania, in search of facing greater softball competition and exposure.

Published August 04, 2021

Veteran’s gratitude for new face, new friend

August 28, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

When Veteran Don Clough looks in the mirror, he says he’s now satisfied by what he sees.

That’s after undergoing multiple surgeries over the course of the last seven decades.

The surgeries were required after he suffered serious facial wounds while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War.

War Veteran Don Clough now resides in Wesley Chapel with his wife, Sandy. After being injured in the line of duty during the Korean War, Clough underwent numerous surgeries to reconstruct his face. He’s an active member of a local Marine Corps League. (Courtesy of Don Clough)

Born on the Fourth of July, the Missouri native felt an obligation to serve his country from a young age.

“When I was 10 years old, right after World War II, I saw a movie about the Marines,” Clough recalled. “I decided right then: I wanted to be a Marine.”

And so he did.

A call to duty
Before joining the U.S. Marine Corps at 17, he first got his training a year prior in the Reserve.

“I was very little to be a Marine,” Clough chuckled. “I only weighed 114 pounds.”

His eyes welled with tears as he reminisced the pride he felt while marching at his graduation ceremony, on a breezy day.

When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the young man had served for almost two years – landing aircrafts in the Fleet Marine Force.

At the start of the conflict, he was deployed to California, then Japan, and finally landed on the shores of South Korea.

Ten days after landing, Clough was on a mission when he got separated from his platoon and was met by enemy gunfire.

He found refuge in a foxhole, but the attack had taken out six of his teeth and tore away his upper gum, upper lip, his nose, and the left side of his face.

Only a dozen members of his platoon survived.

After he was rescued, he underwent treatment for months in Japan before being transferred to California.

After that, he had more than 40 surgeries.

He underwent operations at numerous U.S. Veteran Affairs hospitals — in Illinois, Missouri and Florida.

During plastic surgeries, physicians placed skin grafts on his face taken from his body.

Efforts were made to reconstruct his face, but he felt dismayed by his appearance.

“I looked terrible when I got out,” Clough said. “I had holes in my nose. I was ashamed to even go out to restaurants.”

However, he did not allow this to deter him from seeking higher education and a career for himself.

Returning to civilian life
Using help from the G.I. bill and disability benefits, the former Marine went on to major in accounting at Missouri State University, then received a law degree at University of Missouri.

Clough obtained his law degree in 1959 and began working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, then as a contract negotiator at the U.S. Department of Defense.

A young Don Clough poses in his uniform, as a U.S. Marine. He would soon put his life on the line fighting in the Korean War.

After a decade in government, he transitioned into his own law practice — following his grandfather’s footsteps, who also had been a lawyer.

“I always figured I’d be a tax lawyer,” Clough said, “but I ended up being a criminal lawyer – which I enjoyed.”

Back in Missouri, he served not only as a prosecuting attorney, but as a judge as well.

In 1994, he retired to Florida, where he continued to undergo plastic surgery.

It wasn’t until 2018, though, that his spirits would be lifted by two procedures under the hand of Dr. William Carter.

A new face of gratitude
At the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Dr. Carter performed what Clough said was exemplary work – even giving him a new chin.

The veteran even implored U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida to honor the doctor for his craft.

In a letter of gratitude to the Tampa VA hospital, Clough stated: “Dr. Carter is a modest man, and will tell you he is only doing the job he is paid to do. But, I tell you this, after undergoing 43 plastic surgery operations by different surgeons, in the last 66 years, Dr. Carter is one in a million. A man to be proud of. A man proud to serve those who served.”

The Wesley Chapel man, who spends time with Sandy, his wife of 47 years, said he often hears expressions of gratitude for his service to the country.

Clough has the same sense of appreciation for the doctor — who through the use of his surgical skills — gave him part of his life back.

Published August 28, 2019

Automotive section launches today

December 13, 2018 By Diane Kortus

This week The Laker/Lutz News is expanding our business coverage with a new automotive section that we’re calling “autoMOTIVES.”

We emphasize the word “MOTIVES” because we believe this section’s outstanding content will educate and motivate you to keep up with the latest automotive trends, and help you decide what is the best vehicle for you and your loved ones.

Our editor is Nitish Rele, an accomplished automotive writer who lives in New Tampa and is under contract with several automobile manufacturers to test drive and write stories for industry publications and blogs.

Rele has been writing product reviews, test drives and reporting automotive news for more than 20 years. He will be doing the same for The Laker/Lutz News, but with a heavy emphasis on local automotive and dealer news for our readers in Pasco and north Hillsborough counties.

Rele is also the founder and publisher of Motoring Tampa Bay, a comprehensive auto enthusiast guide in print and online since 2009.  Also notable, Rele was at The Tampa Tribune from 1989 to 2009 and was the weekly automotive columnist for his last 11 years there.

Rele received his master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, and has been a Tampa Bay resident for nearly 30 years. I’m proud to add that he is a longtime, regular reader of our newspaper.

“Buying a vehicle is one of the biggest expenses a family incurs,” said Rele. “Our goal is to give readers timely and informative automotive news and professionally sanctioned test drives to help local people make informative decisions about their next vehicle.”

It is interesting to note that according to our 2017 readership buyer’s survey, 38 percent of our readers plan to purchase a new or used vehicle in the next 12 months —or 13,557 vehicles.

“We want to educate readers early in the buying process — when you are still considering your top vehicle choices and deciding how much you want to spend,” said Rele.

“Our goal is to give you information to make intelligent automotive decisions, and to help you find your next vehicle close to home at a dealership that is convenient and which provides service, body and warranty work.”

The Laker/Lutz News is able to add automotive news to its coverage because of the support of our inaugural advertisers — Christian Brothers Automotive, Maus Family Chevrolet, Parks Ford of Wesley Chapel and Wesley Chapel Toyota/Lexus/Honda.

All are locally owned, family businesses, just like we are at The Laker/Lutz News.

My staff and I sincerely thank these advertisers for their support, and if you have an opportunity to visit these neighborhood businesses, please be sure to thank them for bringing automotive news to your community newspaper.

Published December 12, 2018

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05/23/2022 – Republican Club

The Central Pasco Republican Club will meet on May 23 at Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. The guest speaker will be Pasco County School Board member Megan Harding, who will present a rundown on the state of education in Pasco County, and what the school board can and cannot do in today’s world. A social will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the meeting at 6:30 p.m. For information, call 813-996-3011. … [Read More...] about 05/23/2022 – Republican Club

05/26/2022 – Food distribution

Farm Share, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, Pasco Sheriff Charities, the Pasco County NAACP, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay will partner for a free food distribution on May 26 starting at 9 a.m., at the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee, 38724 Mudcat Grant Blvd., in Dade City. Food will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. The event is a drive-thru, rain or shine. … [Read More...] about 05/26/2022 – Food distribution

05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

The “Let’s Do Good Memorial Day Concert” is scheduled for May 28 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Tunnel to Towers provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, and builds custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. The foundation is committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters. The event will include vendors, gifts, a Forget-Me-Not Garden, and more. Entertainment will be provided by Fred Chandler, Charles Goodwin, Cruz Er Mac, Mike Henderson, and Travis White. Special guests include Congressman Gus Bilirakis and State Sen. Danny Burgess. Rain date is Sept. 10. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

The North Tampa Bay Chamber’s Summer Seafood Festival is scheduled for May 28 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Tampa Premium Outlets, 2300 Grand Cypress Drive in Lutz, between the outlets and At Home. There will be seafood, crab races, a kids zone, live bands, craft beer, a local market, a Nautical Art Show, and a crab claw-eating contest. For information, call 727-674-1464. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

06/04/2022 – D-Day reenactment

The Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, 39444 South Ave., in Zephyrhills, will present “D-Day, Invasion of Normandy” on June 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. The event will include skydivers, reenactors, World War II veterans, and WWII vehicles/aircraft on display. Visit zmmh.org/events, for additional information. … [Read More...] about 06/04/2022 – D-Day reenactment

06/11/2022 – Community cleanup

Save the date: A Dade City Community Cleanup is scheduled for June 11 from 8 a.m. to noon. The city will provide two garbage trucks and one roll-off to dispose of household waste. Residents will be able to drop off unwanted items at three locations. Volunteers also are needed and can register online at DadeCityFl.com. More information will be forthcoming. … [Read More...] about 06/11/2022 – Community cleanup

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