Freeport ThunderStix 18u

08/14/2026

Our ThunderStix team is moving up to 18u and we're looking for one more player to round out our roster. Pitching would be preferred.

08/01/2026

08/01/2026

ThunderStix 16U 2025-2026 Season Wrap Up

Final record: 13 wins, 27 losses, 2 ties between the fall, winter, and summer seasons.

That record does not tell the story of this team. Not once all season were the Stix run ruled or truly blown out of a game. Too many games were lost in extra innings, in international tiebreakers, and in tight finishes where the girls put runners on base all game and just could not push the last one across, or hit the ball right at a defender. Walk offs went against us more than once. This was a team that competed every single time they were out. We could not be more proud of these girls. Their character and ability showed through constantly.

The pitching staff told a big part of the story. Madalynn Perry opened the year strong, throwing 23.2 innings with 26 strikeouts before an injury cut her season short. Natalie Cupps stepped into the ace role and never blinked, taking the ball for 104.2 innings and 43 strikeouts, pitching to contact and trusting her defense behind her all year. Mackenzee Matz joined the roster midseason, first as a sub and then as a full time piece, and picked up 60 innings in the circle to help fill the gap left by injury while also becoming one of our most dangerous hitters.

A little bit about each player in jersey number order.

Addy (2) played solid at the corner outfield positions and came in to catch as well, just an incredible defender all season, hitting .289 with 22 hits and a .946 fielding percentage overall and throwing out 5 runners stealing.

Payton (4) was a burner at the top of the order, stealing 20 bases and hitting .348. She worked on her slapping, hitting from both sides of the plate moving runners and being a nuisance. She had some time behind the plate as well, throwing out 4 runners.

Anna (7) had a monster year, hitting .427 with 4 home runs, 10 doubles, and 26 RBI for a 1.249 OPS and giving us her all with being tough at 2B. Just an all around gamer, she gave every ounce of effort and did it all with a smile even if she wasn't feeling 100%.

Mari (9) hit .444 with 13 stolen bases, played a nice outfield even rotated into second base whenever we needed her there. A fierce competitor who demands a lot of herself, she worked hard at the plate and was a grinder every out, every base.

Mads (11) battled through 23.2 innings and 26 strikeouts before injury slowed her down, and her competitiveness set the tone for the staff all year. Hopefully she can heal up fully and be the ace her high school team needs for her senior season.

Matz (11) joined midseason and hit .460 with a 1.402 OPS while logging 60 innings in the circle. Her style of pitching gave us a nice back and forth with Nat that helped keep hitters off balance and gave us that chance to win each and every out.

Maddie (12) got on base at a .467 clip and was excellent defensively, handling 166 total chances at a .964 fielding percentage. Maddie really exemplified how first base should be played. We all know that in a game with pressure and fast runners, not every throw comes in perfect and Maddie bailed her teammates out with great scoops and blocks that don't show on the stat sheet.

Alex (13) provided the power, launching 6 home runs and 10 doubles for a 1.139 OPS. All of this while joining the team a little late because Dakota, her high school team, won the State Championship. Alex worked her tail off learning to move from 3B/DP into playing the corner outfield positions. Her strong arm and softball smarts serve her well there.

Kaya (15) brought plate discipline all year, posting a .431 on base percentage with a .986 fielding percentage. Not only the play, but the mentality. Kaya was what we want out of a catcher. Steady. Calm. Positive. She called the game for our pitchers and helped work them through tough situations. The perfect backstop for any team.

Elley (22) held down the left side of the infield, handling 111 total chances and 50 assists while hitting .333. That average came along with her being near the top in total hits, RBI, and runs scored and the defense stats only tell part of the story of how she was a vocal leader from the SS position.

Nat (23) was the workhorse of the staff, throwing 104.2 innings and racking up 43 strikeouts. Each and every time Nat took the ball, we knew we had a chance to win. Repeatedly working hitters into making weak contact so that our defense had a chance to play, Nat's spin and movement was a force to be reckoned with. So much late movement that it often would fool umpires.

Paizley (60) scored 19 runs and swiped 6 bags while grinding out quality at bats all season. A true, natural leader, Paizley represented the attitude of this whole team. Showing up and giving every bit of herself each and every chance. She even started to make diving catches in the outfield look routine.

Ivie (71) was one of the most consistent bats in the lineup, hitting .364 with 10 doubles and a .873 OPS. Oh yeah, and putting her first homerun over the leftfield fence in Loves Park! Not only was she a tough out, she completely locked down 3B making our infield one of the toughest, most well rounded we see.

A huge thank you to our guest players this season. Hailie Pafford stepped into the circle for us at Nationals, throwing 12.2 innings with 10 strikeouts and a 0.71 ERA. Addey Wills and Meggy Hubbard both filled in when we needed extra bodies and battled right alongside the rest of the group.

This was a development year for this group, and it showed up every single game. These girls made us proud. The end of the season was very bittersweet and even had some tears (not from the coaches of course...) with some of the girls deciding this was their last season of travel ball. We care deeply for each and everyone and are going to cheer for them in their final seasons of high school ball and life beyond that.

ThunderStix Softball

07/20/2026

Thunderstix 16U Turf Fest Recap

The Stix went 1-4 at Turf Fest this weekend, but the record does not tell the full story of how this team competed. Two of the four losses came down to a walkoff and an international tiebreaker, and every game was a dogfight in the heat on the turf. The lineup posted a .355 team on base percentage against a .248 average, which means the girls consistently found ways to extend at bats and get on base even when hits were not falling. Nearly four in ten plate appearances, 38.46 percent, qualified as quality at bats, and the team stole 13 bases in 13 attempts, a perfect 100 percent success rate on the bases. The offense left 80 runners on over five games, proof that traffic was never the problem, it was cashing in with runners in scoring position, a .228 team average there, that got away in the tight ones. Natalie Cupps and Mackenzee Matz combined to give the team a chance to win every game they took the circle, and a defense that posted a .901 fielding percentage on 111 total chances held its own through five games in tough conditions. This was a team that competed pitch to pitch all weekend and simply came up on the short end of a run of close games, not a team that got beat. Taking games to the final inning just to give up a walkoff run or forcing the international tiebreaker and not managing to push across runs when we need it can be frustrating, but this great group of girls just keeps showing up and competing.

Payton Goswick continued to rake, hitting .462 with a .462 on base percentage and going 5 for 5 stealing bases, giving the offense a spark at the top of the order all weekend.

Alex Moore put together the tournament's best complete line, hitting .333 with a .467 on base percentage, a 1.217 OPS, a home run, two doubles and four RBI.

Amaria Collins reached base at a .400 clip and hit .750 with runners in scoring position, coming through when the team needed her most.

Maddie Moore turned in one of the best on base weekends on the team, reaching at a .455 clip and posting a 66.67 percent quality at bat rate, seeing pitches and working counts all tournament.

Paizley Kundert reached base at a .500 clip, drawing a walk and getting hit by three pitches, and added two stolen bases.

Addyson Ackerson got on base at a .333 clip and went a perfect 1 for 1 stealing bases.

Kaya Holverson put the ball in play and made the defense work all weekend, reaching base four times.

Elley Voss battled all weekend, taking two hit by pitches and squaring up the ball hard four times even though the results did not always fall her way.

Ivie Ellenson hit the ball hard four times and worked deep counts across her 17 plate appearances, a sign the results will come as more of that contact finds grass.

Mackenzee Matz drove three doubles and posted a team leading 46 percent quality at bat rate, and in the circle she struck out 12 batters in 9 and a third innings of work.

Natalie Cupps drove in four runs and anchored the pitching staff, throwing 17 and two thirds innings with a 3.17 ERA to give the team a chance in nearly every game she pitched.

Thunderstix summer travel season rolls on. Onward to the final tournament of the year at the NAFA Northern Nationals in Minnesota.

07/17/2026

07/17/2026

It was a busy travel week on my end, so this recap is coming in a little later than usual, but the ThunderStix 16U were on the field all weekend at the USSSA Illinois State Championships.

It was a hot, tough weekend and the record shows it, 0-4. But the defense held up the whole way, the Stix finished at a .943 fielding percentage with four double plays turned. The bigger story was an offense that kept running into gloves. The team hit .218 for the weekend but got on base at a .340 clip, which tells the real story, at bats were competitive, the girls were working counts and drawing walks, the ball just kept finding defenders.

Kaya Holverson had the best weekend at the plate, going 1 for 5 with a triple and three walks for a 1.100 OPS. Mackenzee Matz drove in a team high four runs on a 2 for 8 weekend with a double and a triple. Paizley Kundert reached base at a .556 clip, going 2 for 6 with two walks and came up big with runners in scoring position. Maddie Moore battled all weekend, going 1 for 5 with a double, two runs scored, and took three hit by pitches. Addyson Ackerson drove in three runs on a 1 for 5 day, stole a base, and covered time behind the plate and in center field. Natalie Cupps worked a .375 on base percentage with two walks and also took the ball in the circle. Amaria Collins went 2 for 9 with a walk. Elley Voss went 2 for 9 and hit .400 with runners in scoring position. Payton Goswick went 2 for 10 with a double and two runs scored. Ivie Ellenson went 2 for 10 with a double and an RBI. Anna Bartels went 1 for 4 in her time at the plate with two runs scored. Alex Moore went 2 for 10 with two RBI.

As a team there were 46 runners LOB to highlight the fact the team kept putting on the pressure, but simply couldn't push runs across. Sometimes that is just how this game goes, but if this team keeps playing as they are the breaks will start to come their way. Keep getting on base, keep putting balls in play girl, eventually we will break through!

In the circle, Mackenzee Matz and Natalie Cupps combined to throw all 21 innings on the weekend and gave the team a chance every time out behind a defense that kept playing clean, tough softball.

The finale was the one that hurt. The Stix played their best softball of the weekend, battled all the way to international tiebreaker, and fell to ICE on a walk off. Tough way to lose, good way to find out what this team is made of.
Next up, the Stix are back at it tonight at 5pm at TBK in Bettendorf for the Summer Turf Fest.

07/07/2026

ThunderStix 16U turned in their best weekend of the summer at the NAFA Illinois Summer College Exposure Tournament in Loves Park, going 2-3 but playing their most complete softball of the season when it counted most.

Pool play was a grind. The Stix went winless in three games, losing twice by two runs and mounting a comeback in both of those games running out of time. The energy was always there, the fire to compete never dropped.

Then the bracket opened up and this team showed exactly who they are. Back-to-back wins against higher-seeded opponents put them in the semifinals, where they pushed the game to extra innings before falling short. That is a performance to be proud of.

Anna was the offensive anchor all weekend. She hit .467 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and a 1.433 OPS across six games. When the game was on the line she hit .625 with runners in scoring position. She was the most dangerous bat in the lineup from start to finish.

Ivie was right behind her, hitting .529 with her FIRST CAREER HOMERUN, four RBI, and nine hits in 17 at bats. She posted a .824 slugging percentage and made hard contact all weekend, finishing with an OPS over 1.350.

Alex had a strong tournament, going .563 with four doubles, a home run, and six RBI. She put together 10 quality at bats and hit .500 with runners in scoring position. She was locked in all weekend.

After subbing for us last tournament, Mackenzee stepped into this group fulltime and immediately looked like she had been here the whole time. She hit .533 with two home runs and seven RBI while also taking the ball in the circle for 17 innings, going 2-1. She was one of the most complete players on the field all weekend.

Mari hit .467 with four RBI and reached base consistently throughout the tournament. She hit .600 with runners in scoring position and brought the same dependable contact game she has shown all summer.

Maddie hit .462 with six hits and drove in a run while working counts and making contact at a 92 percent clip. She was steady in the lineup and errorless across 31 innings at first base.

Elley's on base streak came to an end this weekend, but she came through when it mattered most, delivering the tying hit with two outs that sent the semifinal game to extra innings. She also drove in three runs on the weekend and hit .750 with runners in scoring position. Streak or no streak, she showed up in the biggest moment of the summer.

Addy caught five innings locked it down playing the outfield corners. At the plate drew a key walk while showing solid defense throughout, holding runners to a 1-for-2 mark in stolen base attempts.

Payton got on base and stayed active on the basepaths, contributing in the field across 30-plus innings in center. The offensive numbers were not where she wanted them, but she kept playing her game. We shook things up in bracket play and she got her first time this season catching where she threw a DOT to nab a runner trying to steal.

Natalie worked the mound with her no fear competitiveness once again, working 14-plus innings across six appearances, while getting on base in half her plate appearances. In the circle, she kept competed and made big pitches when the team needed her to.

A big thank you to Addey Wills, who stepped in and helped this team compete. She drew two walks, worked deep counts, and gave everything she had. We appreciate you.

This group showed something different this weekend. The talent has always been there. Loves Park showed the mentality is catching up. More softball to come with the USSSA Illinois State Championships in Peoria.