By Kyle LoJacono
While the high school softball season is still many weeks away, travel ball with Tampa Bay Velocity Gold has been in high gear for months.
The new competitive travel team was created about a year ago by Saint Leo University graduate and former Gaither High coach Heather Castle. The team practices at Roy Haynes Park in Forest Hills, but players come from around Tampa Bay to learn from Castle.
“We’ve got players from east Pasco, west Pasco, Lutz, Brooksville, Tampa, Riverview, Clearwater,” Castle said. “Really from all over the place and they are all good, let me tell you. We’ve got some players on this team.”
Castle has been a travel ball coach for five years and also coached high school for four seasons. She created Velocity to help increase the interest in the sport across Tampa Bay and also as a way to get local players noticed by colleges.
“Basically to get schools interested in you, you have to play travel ball in showcase tournaments,” Castle said. “That’s the only way to get a lot of places to see you. That’s what I want is to make them better and get them signed.”
Center fielder Lauren Thompson has already seen the benefit from playing on the team.
“High school softball is really political,” Thompson said. “Here it’s about just playing and I’ve already had Columbia and Virginia show some interest in me from the exposure from the team.”
Thompson and Velocity catcher Nikki Sedivy both said Castle is a very tough coach when it comes to practice, but only because that is the best way to get better.
“They aren’t easy practices,” Sedivy said. “It’s not like she’s mean or anything like that because she’s easy to talk to and listens. She just wants to make you better.”
Castle said of her style in practice, “I make sure to push them. I’ve seen other practices where the players and coaches mess around more than practice. That’s not going to help them get better.”
Thompson has been a part of the program for several months and said she has seen improvement in her hitting. Sedivy said she most wants to improve her speed and footwork behind the plate to better at throwing out base stealers.
“We’ve still got a very young team,” Castle said. “I mean Sedivy is only 14, so right now we’re still working on the little things and then we’ll really start going to the big tournaments in Las Vegas, Georgia and Texas.”
Along with the goal of getting players signed, the squad was established to help children who cannot afford the sometimes very pricey travel ball season.
“It can be thousands of dollars to play travel ball now,” said Velocity president and assistant Bob Gambino. “With us it’s just $135 for the year. We’ve always found a way to help kids who want to play.”
Gambino added the team is looking for playing sites in Pasco County for a softball complex. He said there is no such area big enough for large softball tournaments in Hillsborough County, but thinks there is a chance something could happen in the northern area.
Castle has also worked with the players to better the community. They recently did several charity drives to collect new teddy bears they then gave to All Children’s Hospital in Tampa.
“Being active in the community is something I believe,” Castle said. “We want to show them making a difference is the right thing to do.”
For more information on Velocity Gold, e-mail Castle at .
