Illinois Impact College Exposure Teams
Players from All Teams - Sunday All Program Practice 11-5-17
2021-22 Illinois Impact Fastpitch Teams
18u Assistant Coach/Impact Program Assoc Director Gary Potter
Roving Coach/Impact Program Assoc Director Frank Morelli
Frank Morelli has coached at Illinois Impact for 12 years and will serve as a part-time roving coach where needed in 2022-23. He was a member of the first Impact 16U coaching staff as he served as an assistant coach to Kent. Frank has been coaching softball for over 36 years with experience at the college level (Illinois State University and Trinity International) along with several travel programs. His two daughters (Haley and Annie Morelli) both played in the Impact Program and both went on to play college softball at Wisconsin Whitewater.
TRYOUTS and TEAM Formation
Tryouts are generally held during the first full week of August. Teams are formed at the 14u, 16u, and 18u levels based on the results of the tryouts.
Practice and Tournament Schedules
Middle school athletes on our 14u teams practice year round and play in tournaments in all seasons. (3-4 tournaments in the Fall, 2-3 in the Winter, and most weekends in the Spring)
High school athletes practice from late August until the beginning of the high school softball season and play in 3-4 tournaments in the fall and possibly 1 or 2 in the winter.
In the summer, all teams practice 2-3 times per week and play tournaments nearly every weekend in June and July. All teams play in a National tournament at the end of July. Teams never play each other in the same tournament.
Winter practices include 1-2 weekly practices for each team and organization-wide Sunday night conditioning, hitting, and fielding practices led by Coach Kent and the entire coaching staff.
impact Team Expectations and Goals
The common goals of all Impact teams are to:
- Embrace the highest standards of practicing, playing, and winning as a TEAM at the highest levels of travel softball.
- Create maximum opportunities for players to realize their college softball dreams at whatever level they desire and to support them in the recruiting/college selection process.
- Develop players who ENJOY fastpitch softball and who EXUDE positivity, respect, pride, dignity, integrity and passion on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.
Team placement, playing time, and positions are earned. Coaches are dedicated to helping each and every player reach their current and future personal goals for softball.
