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SJHS sisters step up for Shamrocks in pursuit of national bid
None of the players on the 18U Virginia Shamrocks gold-level softball team can grasp the precariousness of the situation in which manager Tommy Orndorff finds himself and his girls.It's not because they don't understand what they're up against; it's just that the Shamrocks' streak of appearances in national title tournaments stretches back to before any of them were born.
For the first time in 23 years, the 18U squad based out of Vienna is on the cusp of missing a qualifying berth to Oklahoma City largely due to circumstances beyond the team's control. Perpetual rain has plagued travel teams across the East Coast this season, forcing them to play half as many games and netting them less real-time experience than their opponents from states further west.
The Shamrocks (5-4) have two more chances to clinch a national berth but must finish in the finals at either a tournament this weekend in Pennsylvania or at another in Lynchburg July10-12.
"Rain: it's destroyed our season so far," said Orndorff.
Players for the Shamrocks come from all across the Metropolitian Washington, D.C. region and even from places further away, like North Carolina. A pair of sisters from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas are helping lead Orndorff's squad down the stretch in pursuit of the post-season.
Hailey and Krystal Smith both came up from younger levels of the Shamrocks organization and both could be playing 16U ball again this year. However, according to Orndorff, they opted to compete against the best of the best and managed to claim coveted spots on the 18U squad, which contains NCAA talent from across the country.
"It needed to be the players' decision to play up. And after listening to them, I felt that's what they both wanted to do," said Orndorff.
The manager praised Hailey as a naturally gifted athlete who is destined to be recruited by colleges throughout the country due to her speed, skill and instincts for the game.
"I think Hailey Smith is an impact player," he said, later adding, "She has the tools to be a very special player."
At age 15, the outfielder and shortstop is the main base runner for Virginia as she bats lead-off in the lineup. Hailey is a speedster by trade as her resume includes an all-region record time in the 100-meter dash. She's been named on of Adidas' Future 100 softball players and earned a spot on the OnDeck Softball National Top 64 Elite Futures list.
Meanwhile, her 16-year-old sister Krystal has been "a pleasant surprise" who will "be a better player than people think," said Orndorff.
Krystal has produced some pop in her bat this season as she cranked a double off the wall in a game against a team from Philadelphia last weekend at a tournament in Pennsbury, Penn. As a right-fielder, the elder Smith showed some zazz in Marietta, Ga. when she dove for a ball, picked it up and threw a perfect strike to the plate on the run, holding a runner at third base.
"I don't even know if the Washington Nationals would make that play," said Orndorff.
The Smith sisters, despite being among the team's youngest players, are in good company with veterans like Briana Hanafin of Baylor University, Kristyn Sandberg of the University of Georgia, and Broad Run High School alumna Caitlyn de la Haba, a four-year Shamrocks veteran pitching in her first season back from Villanova University.
"You look to those kids to kind of bring those [younger] kids along," said Orndorff.
He's also going to be counting on them to grasp the sense of urgency that this point of the season requires as the team has two tournaments left to have a chance to reclaim a national title that the Shamrocks last brought home in 2005. The team has finished in fifth place at nationals during the last three years.
"I always expect us to be successful so I hope we can take care of business and qualify this weekend," said Orndorff.
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