Scouting Notes: PG Softball Griffon Indoor 18U

March 4, 2023 

Kai Lane, @scoutlane11

Teams are dusting their cleats off as the winter weather slowly turns into spring, they made their way to St. Joseph, Missouri for the last of the Griffon Indoor tournament of the year. The beauty of the indoor season is to see where they are at as a unit, to gear up for the upcoming outdoor season. Although softball is best played on dirt, these athletes do not let the turf get in the way of their ultimate goal, victory! The Galaxy Elite 18U-Duckworth came to play, winning 4 of 4 games in the single-day competition. The Elite had 27 runs scored, with only 2 runs allowed. Finishing behind The Duckworth was the Nebraska Echoes, 16U Madsen, with 3 wins and 1 tie, they scored 12 runs and allowed 4.  

 Ellie Nolte (2024 Farnhamville, IA) is a talented middle infielder, she plays 2nd base, shortstop, and 3rd base. She is a fundamentally sound fielder. She showed off at the plate, the right-handed junior stands slightly pigeon-toed and does a great job of engaging her legs to generate power as she extends through the zone with balance. She went .429 throughout 4 games, with 1 home run, which was a rocket shot to left-center field; and she had one double. Her bat path is straight to the ball and has a quick bat. 

Mckinna Johnk (2025 Omaha, NE) is a 5’9 catcher whose presence behind the plate is quiet but not unnoticed, she does such a great job of leading her teammates and her pitcher. Her length and athletic build are beneficial to her position behind the plate. She frames and sticks the pitches she’s receiving well. She is constantly calling the plays out to her team, keeping them accountable and ready for the ever-changing and fast pace of high-level softball. At the plate, she had one triple and one run scored. 

Emma Eekhoff (2025 Pella, IA) from the Eastern Iowa Barracudas-Gold, the right-handed pitcher, and first baseman stands at 6 feet tall! She had a curveball, a fastball, and a screwball that were all working for strikeouts pitching in the upper 50s. She had 6 strikeouts in 3 innings, 1 walk with 2 hits allowed. Offensively, she went 2 for 4. 

Kelsie Hearne (2026 Davenport, IA) utility player for the Eastern Iowa Barracudas-Gold is a stand-out softball player in my humble opinion. She particularly shines behind the plate. I was so impressed by the 14-year-olds ability to have such solid skills as a catcher. I kept thinking to myself “she is making her pitcher look so good,” being a former catcher sometimes we go unseen, but I saw how hard Kelsie was working. She is very smooth in her movements, quietly shifting to get the ball in the center of her body to get more called strikes. She does a wonderful job of sticking the strikes and keeping the ball toward the plate.