Warrior Academy opens club softball season

This year, the 18U team has come full circle after Grant and Olivia DiNardo were part of the core group that started with the softball club when it was founded by Ray McDonald in 2015. McDonald, who now runs the Warrior Academy in conjunction with his daughter Kelly McDonald and longtime travel softball coach James Jimenez, is intent on navigating the club into the future.

“To maintain that level of one of the top five organization in the country, we have to maintain that level after this group leaves,” McDonald said. “This group brought us there and now we have to maintain it. And we have such get athletes that have come to us, we’re so excited about our future.”

When the Warriors brought home the 16U title from Oklahoma City last summer, it was under a different banner. Formerly the West Bay Warriors, the travel team changed its name to Warrior Academy prior to this season due to a merger with the California Suncats.

As a result, the Warrior Academy has grown, with approximately 160 players in the organization spanning from 11-and-under to 18-and-under. The club has expanded its bases of operation as well, with locations in San Mateo, San Jose and Salinas to give kids local options for practice. The Warriors also have one national recruit on its roster in Maddie Pomykalski, a Chicago native and University of Texas commit who meets the team at its tournament locations.

Friday’s pool play doubleheader was as good as it gets for the Warriors. They opened with a 2-1 win over Aces Fastpitch out of Kansas City. It was a rematch of last year’s national championship semifinals when the Warriors eliminated Aces with a 3-2 win. Brooke Davis — one of the Suncats additions — out of Oakdale earned the win, allowing one run on three hits through six innings.

“She knows how to pitch,” McDonald said. “She’s a strong kid.”

The Suncats merger has led to several additions to the pitching staff, including Iowa State commit Jaiden Ralston out of Paso Robles and university of Pennsylvania commit Kelly Zybura out of Mitty.

Just as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warrriors, though, Grant and DiNardo are still the foundation players of Warrior Academy. And with Grant committed to UCLA, and DiNardo committed to University of Arizona — both programs advanced to the Women’s College World Series this year — the Warrior Academy has players recruited by four of the eight teams from the WCWS, along with Pomykalski and Hannah Cushing (Northwestern) from the 16U team.

“Nobody’s doing that,” McDonald said. “We’re really a leader in the recruiting area.”

Grant is off to a fast start this summer. A member of the Team USA U-18 Women’s National Team last season, Grant finished her Aragon career with her longest home run drought in four varsity seasons, going seven games without a homer. Through four games this summer, she has three doubles and three homers in 13 at-bats in the tourney.

“The kid’s All-World,” McDonald said. “She’s already been crowned All-World being on the national team … and there’s a reason. There’s a light switch. When it’s time to really go, nobody plays with her.”

While DiNardo — recruited by Arizona as a catcher — caught in just one game at Aragon this season, has played all four games behind the plate for Warrior Academy.

“She works on her craft,” McDonald said. “Every Sunday we practice … she catches nine or 10 innings a week at the high level, not at the high school level.”

Center fielder Talia Tokheim — a Sequoia graduate headed to University of Nebraska — is off to a .333 start with two doubles.

The Team 1 Elite Club Invite is a four-day tournament with the playoff bracket opening Sunday. Championship play in each the 18U and 16U tournaments is slated for Sunday at 8:15 p.m.