Prime Softball Academy

09/24/2026

Another great - and HOT - weekend at one of my personal favorite places, Arkansas Tech. I just love the facilities there and the coaches are pretty special people, too. Anytime I get to hang w/ Coach JJ and Coach Scott ... it's a good weekend.

Prime Black continued to roll in its quest to catch and perhaps even surpass James Lyle's 2024 Prime Red team as the best in PSFL history. Black notched two victories to move its record to 9-0 on the year and sports PSFL Player of the Week Joanie Jeffers. The 2029 from Monticello is currently in the midst of what is most likely the greatest individual season in PSFL history. She was 6-for-6 in Russellville, scoring or driving in 8 runs and stealing 4 bags. She leads the PSFL in every major offensive category.

Newcomer and LEGIT prospect 2029 Macee Tidwell earned the Pitcher of the Week Award after striking out 14 in 5.1 innings in Russellville. She doubled as a strong offensive threat and elite outfielder when she wasn't in the circle. She's been really, really impressive in her two weeks in the league.

And 2029 Teagan Strickland, one of the more improved players in the league from 2025 to 2026, had a big weekend punctuated w/ a TANK well over the LF wall. She hit 1.000 and drove in multiple runs on the day.

Team-wise, Navy and Purple navigated multiple absences to have good weekends and Columbia and Pink showed significant strides in Russellville.

A personal highlight for me was getting to spend so much time with one of my favorite people in the world, Abigayle Lowery. She's my longtime CF who's currently a sophomore for Coach Jones at ATU. She was the plate ump for my crew's two games Saturdy and she did a great job. Full of life and personality, that is one special kid to me. I'm so proud of her.

Just a seamless, perfect weekend in Russellville w/ the Golden Suns. The PSFL resumes play Saturday at another one of my favorite stops w/ my good friend Coach Kayla Lucas and UCA, where I'll be spending time with another favorite ... my former pitcher Emory Bowlin. The can't wait.

09/17/2026

😤

👀 Who are we missing?
🥎 2028s are showing up.
⭐ Know an organization?
👇 Drop it below.

09/17/2026

Blazing heat and out-of-nowhere lightning and rain were not enough to keep the down last Saturday in Hot Springs with National Park College and ASU-Three Rivers.

It was hot - REALLY HOT. And for the first time in the PSFL's four-year history, we had a game postponed due to weather. In between, however, we saw some great action with my good friends Coach Dorrie Cormier and Coach Kelsey Rhine and all of their girls.

Black continued its early-season surge winning all three of its games going away to move to 7-0 on the young season. As a result, this group swept the PSFL Awards with 2027 Three Rivers (MO) commit Emma Harrell earning Player of the Week Honors for a jack-of-all-trades performance, 2027 Ouachita Baptist commit Addysyn Billings winning the Pitcher of the Week and 2029 dynamo Joanie Jeffers of Monticello winning the Underclass award. Billings and Jeffers won the same awards in Week 1 and both players lead the PSFL in virtually every offensive and pitching category after two weeks.

Perhaps the best thing we saw, however, was the return of Prime 2028 Presley Clardy to the playing field. We all know her story and what her and her wonderful family has been through - no need to rehash it here. But I think everybody in the ballpark was thrilled to see her return to action after a long hiatus. Clardy was GOOD, too, which shouldn't be a surprise. She threw two strong innings and got a hit offensively in two games. That was a moment many in Prime have been waiting for.

Several players/plays caught serious attention in Hot Springs. The Black Awards trio was steadily-dominant all day. Emmarie Blackwell, a 2027 from LR Central, continued to crush the ball. UAM commit Morgan Williams continued to spin it effectively in the circle. Newly minted Prime member 2029 Macee Tidwell made an unbelievable catch in CF robbing Kend'ra Terry of a 3-run HR - what would've been her 2nd 3R-HR of the game - by crashing into the temporary CF fence, flipping over it and hanging onto the ball. And it was awesome seeing former Prime players Kendall Tooke, Emma Sowell and Emma Ratliff as well as all of the girls on the NPC and ASU-TR rosters. They did an awesome job last weekend.

For me though, Clardy's return takes the cake. That was really cool to witness. Press doesn't want a ton of fanfare - she's just playing ball. But that was a really, really big deal.

The invades Russellville this weekend for a date with some of our favorite coaches in Jordan Jones, Scott Gongola, Avery Sanders and Mr. Wilson as we'll host at Arkansas Tech. Saturday can't come soon enough.

09/11/2026

Better late than never, right?

Took us a while to get our pictures and then once we did, I didn't realize we had them all. But we're back on track now w/ our Week 1 Awards in the PSFL.

As usual, it was an AWESOME weekend hosting in Arkadelphia w/ Coach Jeff Jackson (OBU) and Joel Worthington (HSU). It was hot. Our girls were dead after playing 4 games each. But ... there was some great softball played throughout the day.

It was a super tough call for Player of the Week between Navy's Aspynn Austin and Black's Joanie Jeffers. The nod went to Austin, however, to ensure the three most deserving players brought home hardware in Week 1. Austin was a sparkplug for Bailey Camp's Navy team, hitting .769 (10-of-13) w/ 4 XBH, 7 RBIs, 4 runs and 5 stolen bases. Navy went 3-1 behind Austin's play and the 2027 longtime Prime player showed out at her future school - OBU.

Addysyn Billings may be new to Prime but we've been after the OBU committed RHP from the Lonestar State for several years now. She most definitely didn't disappoint in her PSFL debut. Billing logged six innings, struckout 11 w/ just 4 walks, finished w. a 2.33 ERA and picked up 3 wins in route to helping Black go a perfect 4-0 on the weekend to earn our Pitcher of the Week.

And finally, Prime ⭐ 2029 Joanie Jeffers of Monticello was perfect - literally - in leading my Black squad to a 4-0 record to earn the Underclassman of the Week. Jeffers hit 1.000 - 7-for-7 - on the weekend across 4 games and reached base safely in all 12 PA's. She scored 9 runs, stole 5 bags, had 3 triples and 3 RBIs. Long a staple of the PSFL and already on multiple career leaderboards in the league, Jeffers picked up right where she left off a year ago and continues to be a white-hot name on the recruiting trail.

Again, better late than never. Big THANK YOUS to OBU and HSU for being such great hosts. Kicking off our fall season with these two schools is a tradition in the PSFL that I love. And it's extra special now that we have Prime alumni at both schools. Seeing them out there umpiring and mingling with our kids is what this is all about. I love every second of it and cannot wait for Week two w/ Coach Dorrie Cormier and Coach Kelsey Rhine in Hot Springs Saturday.

As always, it was a great weekend in the .

08/17/2026

The 4th edition of the PSFL is here, and I couldn’t be more excited to get it started!

We’ve put together a great group of players, teams and an outstanding schedule designed to give these athletes the chance to compete and be seen.

Every year, we see established stars continue to shine and we will again in 2026. But one of my favorite parts is seeing new stars emerge. There are always players who take advantage of the stage, make a name for themselves and show everyone what they can do.

That’s what this league has always been about - creating opportunities for our kids. Opportunities to play. Opportunities to compete. Opportunities to grow. And most importantly, opportunities to play in front of the people who can help them achieve their dreams.

The rosters are set. The schedule will follow.

Year 4... Let's get it.

Every second of every weekend is an opportunity.

08/15/2026

🎟️ Lottery Ticket Basket Raffle! 🎟️
Enter for your chance to win a basket with $200 worth of lottery tickets!

All proceeds will go toward helping our girls prepare for a big fall season. 🥎

$5 for 1 ticket or $20 for 5 tickets!

We appreciate everyone’s support!!

08/14/2026

Final call for the 2026 PSFL ...

- Sign up ASAP if you intend to do so and haven't
- Rosters announced Monday
- NO Combine 8/15
- Opening Weekend 8.29 in Arkadelphia w/ OBU/HSU
- Details to follow roster announcement

08/03/2026

We all knew it was coming. And quietly, we were hoping it’d be a big one. Well ... the 100th commitment in Prime's program history most certainly did not disappoint.

It was a MASSIVE late-class pull for Coach Jordan Jones and Arkansas Tech Monday as Prime 2027 hyper-stud Harley Grammer committed to the Golden Suns.

Grammer, an IF from DeWitt, has been one of the more productive players in the history of Prime - and the state of Arkansas for that matter - since joining the organization several years ago. She starred for Doug Sterritt’s 16U National Team two summers ago and was a critical piece to Prime’s flagship team - Prime Black - as a 15 year-old at the 18U national level last summer. This summer, Grammer paired with several other promising young players to form the core of a Prime 16U Hood squad that finished 26-6.

At DeWitt, Grammer has been a total wrecking ball in her three seasons in a Lady Dragons uniform. She’s slashing a career line of .574/.631/1.174 with 30 home runs, 126 RBIs and 72 XBH. Grammer has been the centerpiece of DeWitt teams that have made two 3A state semifinal appearances (2024 and 2025) and a state runner-up (2026) finish.

For Prime, she’s been equally effective. Grammer led Coach Lilly Hood’s team in hitting this past summer at .532 and added 9 home runs, 54 RBIs and 36 runs. She started and more than held her own as a 15-year-old on a Prime Black team that featured multiple Division I signees and a handful of kids who saw lots of action in the GAC this past spring. Grammer was the Prime Softball Fall League underclassman of the year in 2024 and the player of the year in 2025.

“Harley is just a ballplayer,” Prime Director Jay Lupo said. “Does everything well. Hits for high contact, high average. Very good defender w/ sneaky speed a great lateral quickness.

“But it’s the power metrics - bat and arm - that really jump off the page for her. That kid is strong. She can leave the yard with quickness - I’m talking moon shots - and she has a total hose for an arm. She’s going to be a heck of a player at the next level. The sky is the literal limit for her.”

Grammer becomes the 100th commitment in Prime’s program history and the fifth to pledge her services to Coach Jones. She will join former Prime Black teammates Abby Lowery and Klaire Womack and Prime alums Maddie Melhorn and Breanna Phillips at ATU. We are beyond proud of her.

Go get ‘em, Goulash (iykyk).

07/31/2026

Prime Softball is taking signups for Year 4 of the PSFL and select tournaments in the fall. Looking for players in the 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030 and select 2031 classes.

Prime is Arkansas-based and the largest high school showcase organization in the state. More than 95 Prime players have found their college homes in the last 4+ years through our program. Exactly 100% of Prime players that wanted to move on to the next level have done so.

Prime Softball is home to the PSFL, a one-of-its-kind college showcase league. Players are placed on teams and play a 14-16 game league season with every game on a college campus in front of college staffs - dates already booked with Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State, Arkansas Tech, Central Arkansas, Southern Arkansas, Arkansas-Monticello, National Park and ASU-Three Rivers. The season concludes w/ a double-elimination tournament to crown the champion on 10.17, just in time to form teams and hit the major showcase events across the region.

Spots in the PSFL are filling up fast!

If interested in learning more, sign up via our player form at:

https://www.primearmy.net/player-sign-up

Or contact Jay Lupo at [email protected] or (870) 692-0369.

Opening Weekend - 8.29 in Arkadelphia w/ OBU and HSU.

PSFL Championship - 10.17 in Monticello at UAM.

07/29/2026

Big proud of Prime 2027s Kendyl Roch and Sophie Schirack after they became Prime’s 98th and 99th commitments over the last week. Roch will be taking her game to Mena to play for Coach Nealy at UA Rich Mountain. Schirack is headed north to play at St. Louis Community College.

Roch, a smooth-fielding left-handed hitting MIF from Morrilton, came to Prime late but had a litany of suitors after a summer that saw her lead our Prime Martinez team in hitting and anchor its middle infield. She slashed a .476/.500/.622 line in nearly 100 PAs. But her best trait has nothing to do with statistics. “Kenny” is a leader on the field, the best teammate and a winner in every sense of the word. Kendyl will be a WHITE-HOT commodity on the recruiting trail after spending a year in Mena.

Schirack, a catcher from LR Christian, came to Prime a year ago questioning her desire to continue playing. A year later, she has rediscovered her love for the game with an environment change and will be heading to one of the nicest areas of one of the great cities of the Midwest. Schirack hit .407/.462/.627 for a Prime Hood team that was 26-6 this summer. She’s a “Steady Eddy” behind the dish and packs a punch with her bat on top of being a GREAT kid.

I am very proud of both girls as they should step foot on campus ready to impact their teams. Glad they’re part of the 💪 🩵.