Sparks NW Fastpitch

07/19/2023

As the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end".

I formed Stods Sparks Select Fastpitch 2 seasons ago with the help from several amazing individuals with the goal of providing a program for many young ladies to play competitive softball. I've given my heart and soul to this program and stuck with what I believe in.

It was certainly no easy task to coach and manage a select softball program. There were countless moments of laughs, pride, success, and, of course, challenges. I've had the privilege of meeting and coaching over 40 amazing and talented softball players in the last 2 years. More importantly, I have had the opportunity to work with many of our awesome assistant coaches and meeting all the wonderful families. I have grown and learned so much through all of that.

My daughter, Alli, wanted to spread her wings and try out for various softball clubs next season. Her hard work and dedication has paid off, as she has accepted an offer to join a great team/program.  I am so happy for her and this is the right time for Alli to move on from her dad as her coach.

This is obviously bittersweet, but I am at peace knowing all the players from Sparks in the last two seasons still love this beautiful game of softball, and they will continue to play for various great programs.

I am clearly not perfect and have had a lot of success and mistakes through this journey. But, I am proud to know that I was able to provide many players with the opportunity to play select softball, and that somehow I had set them up for success with my heart, passion, support, and guidance.

I am going to enjoy being a dad and a cheerleader for my daughter and her new team moving forward. For one last time before I sign off:

"WHO ARE WE? WE ARE SPARKS! LET'S GO, ⚡️SPARKS⚡️!!"

06/26/2023

End of season picnic for our 12u⚡️Sparks⚡️! We ended the season at the same location as we began..I am so proud of how far this team has grown since the beginning of season, and that in my heart, I know that we gave opportunities to our girls to play club ball and they have all become better and stronger softball players and human beings, and more importantly, continue to love the game of softball.  My true heartfelt gratitude to Coaches Dale and Jason this season... couldn't have done this without their passion and dedication to the girls. It was especially special that, throughout the season, all families were so supportive, humble, and that there was no drama, for which I am truly thankful. Let's go ⚡️Spark⚡️!!

06/23/2023

Great start to the NSA State Tournament for our ⚡️Sparks⚡️14u team! The girls fought back from down 0-7 to a 13-9 W!

HUGE CONGRATS to Shaina for hitting the first 🥎OUT OF THE PARK🥎HOMERUN🥎 in Sparks' program history!!

06/18/2023

Huge thanks to all the guest players for coming to help out today as most of our players are in their all stars tournament! We have such an awesome softball community..and Happy Father's Day to all the softball dads!

What a great season and GO SPARKS!

06/18/2023

⚡️Sparks⚡️ 12u went 2-0 C State tournament today!

Bittersweet moment after the games today as the majority of our players played their last game with Sparks this season. The season was a journey, but we are so proud of all the players' growth and how far they have come! Being the number 1 seed in the tournament says a lot about the teams's improvement. All pride here.

Job's not done yet, let's go get it tomorrow!!

05/29/2023

Tough nailbiter runner-up bracket finish by 1 run at the Sterling Invite for our 14u ⚡️Sparks⚡️.  The girls fought so hard all weekend,  especially in the championship game. Go Sparks!!

05/22/2023

05/21/2023

Gold Bracket Sunday for our 12u team against a tough opponent. Overall, the team accomplished quite a bit this weekend! Let's go ⚡️Sparks⚡️! Trust the process!

05/20/2023

Our 12u 🥎⚡️Sparks⚡️🥎 went 3–0 today in pool play! It certainly wasn't easy.. in one game, the team was down 4 runs going into the last inning...scored 9 runs and held the other team with great pitching/defense and won by 4 runs! Super proud of the girls as they dug deep, fought, and never gave up..that's the ⚡️Sparks ⚡️spirit!

It was also really awesome for the team to celebrate 4 May birthdays. Happy Birthday to Alli, Zenna, Maddy, and Katie!

05/07/2023

⚡️Sparks⚡️12u went 1-1 as runner-up in the May Celebration Gold Bracket today! Won the first nailbiter semifinal game on a walk off single and the girls fought as hard as they could in the championship game. Bringing home hardware 2 tournaments in a row ain't too shabby!

05/06/2023

Our ⚡️Sparks⚡️12u team went 3-0 today in pool play! Awesome effort and showing all around from pitching, defense, batting, to baserunning! Scored a total 30 runs and gave up only 5!