History

The So Cal Pumas were initially formed in 1994. Based in Newbury Park, California, the Pumas won 12 successive Tournaments in the fall and winter of 1994 and 1995. Seven Players from those teams went on to play college softball.

**1994-1995**
Kristi Fox	University of Virginia-Long Beach State
Jan Thorpe	Chico State
Christine Arguillo	Loyola University
Melissa Brecht	West Virginia
Emily Webster	University of Illinois Chicago
Amy Berman ***	University of Southern Mississippi
Julie Zuckerman	Cornell
***	Division 1 ALL-AMERICAN

In 1997, the 14 and Under Pumas won the Open Qualifying Tournament in South Dakota and went on to finish 3rd in the ASA National Championships in Illinois. Thirteen players from that team and subsequent teams are currently playing college softball.

**1997-2003**
Jessica Mendoza ***	Stanford University
Sheridan Fowler	Michigan State
Adrianne Alo	Oregon
Kamala Kiffe	Chico State
Katie Stokx	Chico State
Oli Keohohou ***	Brigham Young Univerity
Mac Vandergeest ***	Arizona
Cindy Muran	Northwestern University
Tawni Yamauchi	University of Pittsburg
Kristi Zappia	University of San Francisco
Chrissy Hildebrant	University of San Francisco
Channel Tripp	University of California Berkeley
Robyn Wike	University of Washington
***	Division 1 ALL-AMERICAN

In 2002 the 14U Pumas won the ASA National Qualifier in St. Louis, MO and went on to ASA Nationals in Columbus, GA. The team placed 17th out of 103 teams.

In 2003 the 14U Pumas placed 2nd at So Cal State qualifying for ASA Nationals in Normal, IL where the they finished 13th.

In 2004 the 18U Pumas were State Champions and placed 13th at ASA Nationals in Clovis, CA.

**2004**
Tiffany Day	Rider University

**2005**
Megan Enyeart	Yale University
Megan MacIsaac	Seattle University
Amber Peterson	Southeast Missouri State University
Kaslin Tucker	University of San Diego

In 2006 the 18U Pumas went GOLD and in their first year placed 17th at ASA Nationals in Oklahoma City, OK.

**2006**
Becca Heteniak	De Paul University
Vicki Brown	University of Illinois

In 2007 the 18U Pumas GOLD placed 13th at ASA Nationals in Oklahoma City, OK. Nine players from that team will play college ball:

**2007**
Lindsay Dean	De Paul University
Anissa Lagos	San Jose State University
Courtney Lee	Sacred Heart University
Brianna Jorgensborg	Notre Dame
Kristen Gensler	University of San Diego
Cat Sampson	University of Indiana
Kris Lesovsky	Florida Tech University
Kristine Priebe	University of Florida
Rachel Rillo	Marshall University
Brittany Clifton	New Mexico State University

WITH THE PREVIOUS SUCCESS OF THE PUMAS ORGANIZATION, WE ANTICIPATE A GREAT SEASON OF SOFTBALL AHEAD AT THE 18U GOLD LEVEL…

Weekly Mental Skills Tip

The mental is such a big part of our game. It's often the determining factor between success or failure.

Tip #1 Overcome fear of failure. Fear of failure might be what is holding you back. Dare to be great by taking risks, chances. Nobody has ever achieved greatness without facing hardship first. Failing is a good thing if you learn from it. Instead of seeing problems or obstacles, see challenges to overcome. The most successful people on the planet are risk-takers. You will never achieve anything by risking nothing.

Tip #2 - Make no excuses and take full responsibility for all your failures and all your successes. The world’s most successful people never make excuses and they hold themselves accountable. Achieving success and making excuses are mutually exclusive, wholly incompatible.

Tip #3 - Accept the fact that you will fail, make a lot of mistakes and learn from them. Failing is a big part of the game. If you succeed only 30% of the time at the plate, it’s excellent. That means that you will be failing more often than you succeed. Failing is part of life and sport in general. You actually learn more by failing than by succeeding. The key point is to look at mistakes and failures as learning opportunities. Ask yourself: “What didn’t go well and how can I do things differently next time to be successful?”

Tip #4 - Be here, now. Play one pitch at a time, confident and focused on each pitch as it is played with disregard for past or future pitches. Ignore the emotional baggage of scores, innings, and pitch counts; just focus on the next pitch. Playing a full game in the present is to ultimate goal and the best way to ensure that you perform at your best.

Tip #5 - Focus on the process rather than the outcomes. You have much more control over the process than the outcome. For example, when hitting, focus on having a good at bat (proper mental approach to the plate, selecting the right pitches, using your best swing, hitting a line drive, etc.) rather than focusing on getting a hit or not striking out.

Tip #6 - Develop routines to help you get in the zone. The use of routine is one of the most widespread practices among elite softball players. They perform routines before games, between innings and between pitches at the plate and on the field. A routine integrates both the mental and the physical aspects. It is a specific way of doing things to stay focus, block distraction and put you in the ideal mindset. Routines are powerful and you should definitely use them.