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