Michael Lotief’s job is to identify potential.
In 12 seasons as co-head coach or coach of the University of Louisiana Lafayette softball program, Lotief has advanced to the NCAA tournament every year. In the process, Lotief has compiled a 596-147-1 (.801) record, so he’s accustomed to identifying elite prospects and developing their skills at Division I’s highest level.
So when Lotief calls former New Hope High School standout DJ Sanders an “exceptional athlete,” you have to take notice. It’s not that Lotief’s evaluation needed to be validated, but he isn’t the only one who has noticed Sanders’ potential. Last month, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced Sanders was one of seven players who have been invited to attend the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT) Selection Camp on Jan. 3-4, 2015, at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, California. Sanders is the only player in that group from the state of Mississippi. Five are from the state of California, while one is from the state of Georgia.
Sanders and the six other players will join 20 others who have accepted invitations to attend the Selection Camp. The USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC) will select 17 players from the camp to represent the United States in the World Cup of Softball X in July 2015 in Southern California and the International Softball Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World Championship on Aug. 9-15, 2015, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
“I think it is one of the highest honors,” Lotief said of Sanders’ invitation to the JWNT Selection Camp. “To put it into perspective, Mississippi probably has not had a lot of kids invited to National Team tryouts. It is a West Coast dominated tryout because it is in California. For this kid to be invited without even playing a year of college softball is really an honor and a testament to how athletic she is and what her upside is.”
Sanders was a five-year letterwinner in fast- and slow-pitch softball and basketball at New Hope High. She was a four-time state champions in slow-pitch softball as an infielder, and five-time district champion and state runner-up in fast-pitch softball as a pitcher under coach Tabitha Beard. She also played forward for girls basketball coach Laura Holman, and twice helped the Trojans claim district titles. The team also won a North State Championship in Sanders’ senior year. Sanders was an All-State selection in all three sports as a junior and senior.
Despite all of Sanders’ accomplishments, the wealth of experience and depth of softball talent in Mississippi doesn’t compare to states like California, which is why Lotief said he doesn’t remember many, if any, players from the Deep South getting invited to National Team tryouts. He also understands softball is growing in the region, so he hopes Sanders’ invitation to the JWNT Selection Camp helps other players in this part of the country.
“I think it opens a lot of opportunities for other kids in Mississippi,” said Lotief, who last season guided the Ragin’ Cajuns to their sixth Women’s College World Series, and first since 2008, with a 49-10-1 record. “Most every little girl who plays softball — it is not in the Olympics right now — dreams of representing their country. … For this kid to show up on their radar is a big deal. It is a big deal for her, it is a big deal for Mississippi, it is a big deal for our program, it is a big deal for little girls who dream about that opportunity.”
Sanders said her father, Donnie, first alerted her to the possibility she might be invited to the Selection Camp. She said she didn’t pay much attention to her father’s initial inquiry because she didn’t expect to hear anything about it. When he checked back with her and told her she might receive an invitation in a few days, Sanders said she received an email two days later.
“I am excited,” Sanders said. “(ULL senior pitcher) Jordan Wallace was invited to the Women’s National team tryout, and she has been giving me advice about what to expect when I get there so I am not completely blown out of the water.”
In the meantime, Sanders said she will continue to transition from high school studies and softball to college life. She said Lotief has changed her swing in an attempt to keep her bat through the strike zone longer. She said the move is designed to help her produce more power.
“He changed everything about it,” Sanders said of her swing. “He told me, ‘Everything you know so far about your swing, you’re never going to do it again, so forget it.”
Off the field, Sanders credits her teammates for helping her stay focused. She said they are helping her lose her “high school mentality” and keep her on track.
Lotief said the changes he made to Sanders’ swing aren’t uncommon, especially for players who haven’t had chances to compete consistently against elite competition. He said Sanders is strong enough and has the hand-eye coordination to be able to drive the ball and hit doubles and home runs. He said Sanders has handled the transition well and that he anticipates that it will be a two-year process until she is completely comfortable with her new swing.
“When she showed up on day one, she had a lot of work to do,” Lotief said. “We’re basically only two and a half months into it and she has made incredible progress. It is not like she is going to get it in three or four or five months. Sometimes kids don’t get it in six or eight months. Like I said, we have a kid who works extremely hard, who is extremely athletic, who has good hand-eye coordination and the main thing is she trusts us and she trusts the process. That is what is really allowing her to put herself in the mix.”
Lotief said Sanders spent about 90 percent of her time in the fall playing shortstop. Sanders said that, too, was an adjustment. She might have been a little hard on herself when she said she looked like she had never played softball in her first few fall games. But she said she relaxed at the plate and in the field and started to play better. She hopes her experience at the JWNT Selection Camp is something that helps her see what she needs to work on so she can return to ULL and contribute as a freshman.
“I do consider it an honor to get invited, but I still want to go out there and make it,” Sanders said. “I don’t want to go out there happy to be invited. I want to compete and try to earn a spot on the team.”
Lotief believes the experience will be a great test for Sanders before she even plays a game for ULL. He feels Sanders has all the tools she needs to be a consistent contributor for the program and another player from a lesser known part of the country who makes big things happen.
“This kids excels in the classroom and is a leader among her peers,” Lotief said. “The way her parents raised her and her values and what she stands for are crazy good. This kid pursues excellence in softball, in the classroom, the way she lives her life, and the way she treats people. There is no question in my mind she represents what the USA uniform is all about, and she would be a role model for all of our young kids out there.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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