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Our coaching and family principles and philosophies
We happen to live in a small non-softball town in Central Washington. Constantly told that the teams and skills taught in our area don’t prepare our girls to play at the next level. We are changing that!
What started as a small regional team has lead to players from that team playing across several National organizations. Here are some foundational principles that have served us well and and explain what the Ramynke’s are about
Listen and apply – This was the mantra of our softball loving friends and coaches. Listen and apply – a key and foundational skill required to be coachable. Be coachable, be curious, try new things, and measure results.
War of attrition – A successful coach not only get’s kids to come back next year, but they Come back and are prepared to play at that level. We see way to many girls not come back, sometimes this is a coach thing, sometimes it is a parent thing, but it is always a not having fun thing. Let’s change that.
Effort is everything – A family mantra and one of our rules on our rule board at home. Effort is everything. We put our heart into whatever we are doing and results follow.
Quality over quantity – Yes, like road miles for cardio, sometimes quantity is needed. But in skills we focus on quality over quantity. Believing that a strong foundation is key, building upon that foundation will lead to consistent sustainable results.
All-in – The ai in aiBandits stands for all-in. If you are going to do it, do it, and enjoy the process. Fits right into our family mantra.
Be ready – Tia wants to be the best and understands that she can only control her controllables. She is ready to play anywhere, anytime. The goal is always be ready and contribute however you can.
Enjoy the process– Playing at the highest level is a commitment. Constant development, constant improvement, constant practice, constant breakdown and rebuilding. It is tough and that is why many don’t. Our idea is two folds, understanding this process will lead to success in any venture in the future, and you have to make the process fun.
Have fun – Be deliberate in having fun. Winning is fun, but it is no coincidence that teams that have fun win. We regularly have tough workouts at home but we always find time to make sure it is fun. Backyard wiffle ball golf, water balloon front toss, trick shot pop fly catches, knuckleball challenge, Blitzball strikeout competition, or backyard wiffle ball HR derby all remind us that this is a game and makes us all look forward to the next session that much more.
Be
Be fun
Be ready
Be curious
Be coachable
Be foundational
Be aggressive
Be resilient
Be better
Be effort
Believe
Be
Tia in 2022
Tia Ramynke (2026) is playing for the aiBandits 14u Orchard after playing her last year of middle school ball in the fall of 2021. She has traveled across the West Coast playing against the best teams in the country this winter and together with her team of 08’s and 09’s have grown in all areas. Tia continues to build on her foundational work of 2021. She works 6 days a week on least one element of her game while having fun (see our philosophy on training). The coolest thing is watching the hard work that she and her team have put in pay off as we head into the traditional softball season.
Hitting – Tia’s offensive goal is simple, hit dingers. Tia continues to adapt to the aiBandit swing fundamentals and paired with the blast connect works systematically to improve her swing. Tia’s swing is ready for the highest level pitching. She hits for power and will always lay down a bunt to support her team. Tia is currently swinging a 33 drop 9 with the same speed/acceleration/metrics as a drop 10. Her bat speed regularly reaches 60MPH. Tia has a problem keeping bats in her bag for more than a month running through a 32 drop 10, and 33 drop 10 in quick succession this winter. Dad is hoping the drop 9’s are a little more durable.
Pitching – Tia’s goal is to be in the mid-50’s consistently by summer. She continues to get comfortable with internal rotation and continues to gain speed with her latest speed check touching 53mph. She has 4 pitches (fast ball, change, drop, and rise) and is able to locate them in all quadrants. She is working with her pitching coach Kaylee Brown and is committed to reaching her goals (she also wants that elusive 60MPH as she goes into High School). She is going about it with longevity in mind and really focused on proper form so she can pitch beyond High School.
Defense – Tia plays the corner infield positions with first base being her normal non-pitching defensive position. She is willing to play anywhere and rebuilt her overhand throw following Wasserman’s high-level throwing last year. She wants to make sure that she is a pitcher that can also play defense. Her last overhand speed test was 54mph and continues to improve here as well.
Fitness– Tia hits the gym 2-3 times per week at aiSports as part of her off-season work with the aiBandits. She works on cross-fit style workouts and favors leg-day. She doesn’t shy away from the weight room and has goals to beat her cousin’s high-school records. Of course this will turn into some HR records as well.
Academics– Academics are most important and Tia ensures that her work here is taken care of. She wants as many doors open for her in the future. She is currently maintaining a 4.0 with high-school semester credits in both Algebra and Spanish (as an 8th grader). Tia recently joined her friends in a math competition and together they took first place.
We are uploading videos in the video section so you can see some current highlights
Tia’s 2021 Recap – Softball is Life
2021 was a pivotal year for Tia in her softball journey. Coming out of 2020 (the year of COVID), Tia and her team missed out on a year of softball. The East Valley Diamonds (EV Yakima) coached by Jay and Katy Weatherley and Jason Ramynke entered 2021 as a true second year 12U team that missed their first year of 12u. But because this team had two girls that were ’07’s and two pitchers that continued to work independently the whole year, we decide to play up as a 14u team to keep the team together. The team handled this just fine. Officially going 14-28-1, but that was just the beginning.
The 2021 season started with off-season workouts. Tia started working 5-6 days a week in early winter getting in indoor workouts wherever she could find space. Tia found some space and was able to work out out with a 16u team in the Tigers organization (West Valley Tigers) coached by Randy Souers, Sean Barbee, and Ryan Hall. Tia made a mark with this team as they took her under their wing and invited her to hitting and fielding practices. Tia continued to work on her hitting and pitching being mentored by some of the 18u Tigers who had committed to play softball in colleges. Tia impressed the coaches with her work ethic and dedication which gave her some great opportunities later in the season.
The season officially began in March and Tia split the circle time with one of her best friends and the “2” spot in the battery happens to be both of their other best friends. These four will be a force to be reckoned with over the next few years! Tia, being a 12yo, had some learning moments during the year but those just drove her to want to play even more. The end of the season ended with Tia having an 11 strike out performance against their rival and more importantly lead the Diamonds to their best tournament of the season losing in the semi-final game to the tournament winner. As her time with the diamonds came to a close, Tia realized that she wasn’t done with softball. Tia played in two pick-up tournaments with the TC Wildcats 14u (who she pitched against in a tournament in Idaho) and then finished out the season playing with the WV Tigers 16u.
The WV Tigers 16u had a couple injuries and needed to pickup a player or two to finish out their season. Tia got the invite to play. A now 13yo playing up in 16u. Tia got to play her two primary positions (P/1B) at Two state tournaments, Western Nationals, and against 18u teams at Hot August Nights (a well attended overnight tournament). Tia scored several hits in the box, pitched for a win in the NSA state tourney, and got some strikeouts at Western Nationals and at Hot August Nights. Tia is so grateful for the opportunities, and has memories that she will keep forever. One of my favorite all-time softball moments was when she told her mom, “She had tattoos mom, and I struck her out.”
It was during these opportunities and experiences that Tia decided that she wanted to pursue playing softball at the highest levels. It was late in the tryout season for the 2022, but we managed try outs with playing in these late tournaments. Tia joined the aiBandits organization and found her new softball home.
States played in the 2021 Season: Washington, Idaho, Oregon
The Yakima Valley plays middle school softball in the Fall. So Tia and her friends were able to play a condensed Spring Season (weird due to COVID) and a full Middle School Season in Fall. As 8th grader’s Tia and the rest of the EV Diamonds went undefeated until the last game of the season, when they happened to lose a tight contest to a cross-town rival.
Technically part of 2022, Tia also played fall ball with the aiBandits, playing in several tournaments across the country, but we will give that rundown for 2022. You can also start to catch Tia’s highlights on the video page