November 7, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 3rd place at the USSSA KRAZE FALL CLOSE OUT tournament held on November 6th and 7th in Carteret, NJ. The Dragons battled teams from NY, NJ, and PA at the event. The Dragons are wrapping up their 2021 Fall Season with 25 wins and 11 losses. The team did 7 tournaments this fall including both competitive and showcase events at the 16U and 18U levels. The NJ Dragons is currently ranked 1st in New Jersey and 37th Nationally for points in USSSA and has qualified for Nationals.

October 24, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 2nd place at the USSSA WITCHES HALLOWEEN HAVOC tournament held on October 23rd and 24th in Deptford, NJ. There were 16 teams competing in the 16U division. The Dragons had 6 wins and 1 loss during the event. The Dragons defeated USA NJ Elite 5-4 in the semi-finals and battled NJ Ruthless in the finals but were defeated 5-4 in a very close game. The Dragons scored a total of 45 runs on offense during the tournament, including 2 home runs hit by Julia Fox and Josefina Cotero 200+ feet over-the-fence. The Dragons gave up just 14 runs on defense during the tournament. The Dragons are currently 22-9 for the fall season.

October 17, 2021 - The NJ Dragons competed with 18U teams at the FROZEN ROPES FALL SHOWCASE held on October 16-17th in Chester, NY. The Dragons more than held their own over the weekend vs older competiton with a record of 3-1 for the event. The Dragons scored a total of 29 runs and hit 4 home runs led by Autumn Liebhauser with 2 and Josefina Cortero and Jessica Fox with 1 each. The pitching duo of Kama Skrek and Julia Fox only allowed 5 earned runs over the weekend and the defense helped by turning two double plays. The NJ Dragons 16U has attended 5 tournaments this fall with 2 more events to go. The Dragons are currently 16-8 for the fall season.

September 26, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 3rd place at the USSSA KYLE MILLER COLLEGE SHOWCASE Tournament held on September 25th and 26th in Allentown, PA. There were 9 teams competing at the 16U division. The Dragons had 3 wins and 2 losses during the event. The Dragons battled Impact Panthers Black from PA in the semi-finals, but were defeated 4-3 during extra-innings with the International Tiebreaker rule in effect. The Dragons scored a total of 23 runs on offense during the tournament. Gabriella O’Hare and Brynn Lukacs led the offensive charge during the event registering 6 hits each. Julia Fox pitched 22 innings this weekend and gave up just 2 earned runs.

September 19, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 2nd place at the USSSA 8TH ANNUAL HEADLESS HORSEMAN CLASSIC Tournament held on September 18th and 19th in New Windsor, NY. There were 10 teams competing at the 16U division. The Dragons had 4 wins and 2 losses during the event. The Dragons defeated the Empire State Huskies 6-3 in the semi-finals and battled the Electric City Bombers in the finals but came up short. The Dragons scored a total of 47 runs on offense during the tournament. Autumn Liebhauser and Julia Fox led the offensive charge during the event registering 10 hits each. Josefina Cotero hit her 1st home run of the season with a 200+ foot bomb over the fence. She also contributed with 6 slap hits over the weekend.

September 12, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 2nd place at the 5TH ANNUAL STEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS Tournament held on September 11th and 12th in Staten Island, NY. The event was co-hosted by Team New Jersey Fastpitch Softball and Staten Island Saints. There were 17 teams competing at the 16U division. The Dragons had 4 wins and 0 losses during the event. The team scored a total of 39 runs on offense during the tournament and gave up just 6 runs on defense. The Dragons defense made just 3 errors and turned 4 double plays in 18 innings. The team batted a whopping .484 for the tournament led by 7 hits each for Josefina Cotero and Julia Fox. Kama Skrek gave up just 1 run in 10 innings on the mound.

August 1, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16B finished in 2nd place at the USSSA 2021 END OF SUMMER GRAND SLAM Tournament held on July 31 and August 1 in Quakertown, PA. The team had 4 wins and 0 losses during the event, which ended Sunday afternoon in a rainout. The Dragons scored a total of 41 runs on offense during the tournament and gaveup just 8 runs on defense. NJ Dragons 16U is wrapping up the 2021 Summer Season with a USSSA Point Ranking of 2nd in New Jersey in the 16B Division. The team played 27 games this summer with just 8 losses.

July 18, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16B finished in 2nd place at the USSSA Kraze Slide into Summer Tournament held on July 17 and 18 in Carteret NJ on the turf fields. The team had 4 wins and 1 loss during the event. The Dragons battled on Sunday shorthanded, with just 8 players on the field, defeating the Red Devils from Brooklyn NY 13-6 in the semi-finals. The Dragons scored a total of 38 runs on offense during the tournament and played a solid defense.

June 27, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16B finished in 5th place at the USSSA RAMPAGE PRIDE IN THE DIAMOND tournament held on June 26 and 27 in Rockaway, NJ. The team had 3 wins and 1 loss during the event. This was a 16 open tournament with both A and B teams competing. The Mavericks Green 16A team, from Montgomery NJ, took 1st place, with only 1 loss during the tournament, which was to the NJ Dragons who defeated the Mavericks 3-2. The NJ Dragons also defeated Rampage Red 16B with a 6-4 victory. Overall, the Dragons played a solid defense during this tournament giving up just 7 runs in 4 games, with outstanding pitching by Julia Fox and Kama Skrek.

June 20, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 4th place at the USSSA 2021 FATHER'S DAY CLASSIC tournament held on June 19 and 20 in Quakertown, PA. The team lost 7-3 in the semi-finals, their only loss of the tournament. The Dragons battled in the heat this weekend with temps reaching into the 90s. Autumn Liebhauser hit her 3rd home run of the season, helping the Dragons to defeat the Delco Diamonds Silver 7-0. The tournament included teams from NJ, MD, and both eastern and western PA.

June 13, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 3rd place at the USSSA 2021 PRIDE IN THE DIAMOND tournament held on June 12 and 13 in Forks Township, PA. The team scored a total of 35 runs on offense during the tournament, including a Grand Slam Home Run hit 200+ feet over-the-fence by Autumn Liebhauser. The Dragons lost 7-6 in the semi-finals to the Talleyville Travellers in a very competitive and action-packed game. This was the NJ Dragons first tournament for the summer 2021 season.

June 7, 2021 - Coach Isabel Seise is returning to the NJ Dragons 16U this summer as Assistant Coach and Trainer. She was previously with the NJ Dragons last summer. “We are so excited that Coach Isabel is returning. She really connects with the players and her college softball experience is exactly what we are looking for.” said Coach Frank Skrek. Isabel is a recent graduate of Messiah College in PA where she played softball all 4 years and was named captain of the team during her junior and senior years. Prior to college, Isabel played for Jefferson High School in NJ. Isabel also played for the Morris County Belles, NJ Rampage, NJ Rocks and East Coast Elite. Welcome back Coach Isabel!

February 21, 2021 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 2nd place at the USSSA 2021 RUMBLE IN THE DOME tournament held on Sunday, February 21st at the Wyoming Valley Sports Dome in Wilkes Barre, PA. Giana Carreiro and Julia Fox both drove in home runs for the Dragons.

December 11, 2020 - USSSA officials notified the NJ Dragons 16U that the team has earned a Berth to participate in a National Championship Event to be held in Salisbury, Maryland on July 26th-31st 2021. USSSA officials congratulated the team. NJ Dragons 16U is currently Power Ranked 2nd in New Jersey and 37th Nationally in the USSSA 16B Division.

November 8, 2020 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 2nd place at the USSSA SALUTE THE TROOPS tournament held on November 7th and 8th in Quakertown PA. The Dragons won 5 of 6 games during the event and competed against club teams from Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Dragons scored 40 total runs during the tournament. NJ Dragons 16U is wrapping up their 2020 Fall Season with a Power Ranking of 4th in New Jersey and 51st Nationally in the USSSA 16B Division.

October 18, 2020 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 3rd place at the USSSA FIELD OF SCREAMS tournament held on October 18th in Princeton Junction NJ. After a rainout on Saturday, the NJ Dragons played 3 games on Sunday scoring 23 total runs and giving up just 5. The morning started at 7AM for warmups on a dark, frosty, grass ballfield at Mercer County Park. The Dragons defeated Westchester Heat Purple 10-2 and Staten Island Patriots Blue 10-0. Their final game of the day ended in a 3-3 tie with Forks Thunder from PA.

October 3, 2020 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 3rd place at the USSSA PINK POWER tournament held on October 3rd and 4th in Linden, NJ. The Dragons scored 35 runs during the event including a home run bomb hit by Josefina Cotero. The Dragons battled Forks Thunder 16U from PA in the semi-finals, but were defeated.

September 27, 2020 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 2nd Place at the USSSA AUTUMN HARVEST FEST tournament held on September 26th and 27th in Linden, NJ. The team won 4 games during the event with 42 total runs scored on offense. The Dragons battled the Red Devils in the final Championship game but were defeated 3-2.

September 20, 2020 - The NJ Dragons 16U finished in 2nd Place at the USSSA PLAY LIKE A GIRL tournament held on September 19th and 20th in Linden, NJ. The team won 4 games during the event with 47 total runs scored on offense. The Dragons battled the Lower Bucks Lady Bombers in the final Championship game but were defeated 14-11 during extra-innings with the International Tiebreaker rule in effect. The Dragons just moved to the 16U Division with this tournament being their first official event.

August 27, 2020 - NJ Dragons 14U completed their summer season by winning the Gold Championship Bracket in the Rockaway Rampage Summer League. A total of 15 teams from Northern NJ competed in the league this summer. NJ Dragons was victorious against Rockaway Rampage Red, winning the final playoff game 8-2, and taking the championship.

August 23, 2020 - The NJ Dragons 14u finished in 2nd place at the USSSA BRING ON THE HEAT tournament held on August 22 and 23 in Quakertown, PA. The team scored a total of 46 runs on offense during the tournament, including a Home Run hit 200+ feet over-the-fence by Gabriella O’Hare. NJ Dragons 14u is wrapping up the 2020 Summer Season with a Power Ranking of 7th in New Jersey in the USSSA 14B Division.

August 9, 2020 - The NJ Dragons 14u finished in 1st place at the 2020 HEROS OF THE DIAMOND USA Softball tournament held on August 8th and 9th in Flemington, NJ. The team won 6 straight games during the event with 55 total runs scored on offense, including a Grand Slam Home Run hit over-the-fence by Julia Fox. The NJ Dragons were victorious over Staten Island Fast Pitch winning the final game 5-3 to take the Championship.

I have two daughters who play club softball. They love the sport. Softball started when they were 5 years old. We purchased little pink gloves and signed them up for Tee-Ball. They were so cute. A few years later, I was coaching and they were playing town travel games - spring, summer, and fall. They couldn’t get enough. In the winter months, they would practice in the freezing garage hitting balls into the net, listening to their favorite music.

We soon found that town travel programs had limitations, mostly because of poor parent coaching or program rules designed to level the playing field. So, we attended tryouts for a popular club team in Morris County. My kids were so excited when they were offered positions on the team. Unfortunately, that lasted about one season. Given the cost, we were not impressed with the coaches or the program. So, we began moving from team-to-team, looking for better opportunities.

We quickly learned that most club teams are motivated by money, and, the more money you contribute, the more favoritism your daughter receives. This was discouraging. We were hoping that club teams would favor the most skilled, talented, and dedicated athletes. We also learned that Morris County has very few club softball options, and, traveling 60+ minutes to practice in rush hour traffic was completely unsustainable for our family. Finally, we learned that great softball programs require great coaches, which are really difficult to find.

Paid coaches make very little money. From our experience, this can impact their overall performance and commitment. Why invest extra time and energy into a team that pays you peanuts? Parent coaches are highly motivated because they want the best for their own children. However, parent coaches are often accused of Daddy Ball. This happens because their children are granted special privileges and positions, which are unearned and unjustified. Some parent coaches can be great, especially when their daughters are exceptional athletes and respectful. For any coach, success starts with your own children. They are shining examples of your coaching competence and ability.

We also learned that club softball costs can be much more affordable. You just need parent volunteers, who are dedicated and experienced, to manage your program - no profits, no paid coaches. Sharing costs is a better fee structure for everyone involved. Plus, it provides more freedom for the team to do tournaments and other events that everyone wants.

One of the great things about fastpitch club softball is that you meet some really great people along the way. We joined together with another softball family who shares similar goals and beliefs to our own. Together, we started NJ Dragons Fastpitch Softball. Our mission is to create an affordable club program, local to Morris County NJ, where talented athletes are given the opportunity to compete at the highest levels and play on a really great team.

We are always looking for families to join us. We are the NJ Dragons. Please contact us for a private tryout and more information.

Coach Fox - NJ Dragons 16U

Email: DragonsFastpitchNJ@gmail.com