Session 1 of Ronald McDonald finishes on high note

The Triple Crown Ronald McDonald wrapped up its final slate of games on Sunday. Tournament directors battled weather all weekend long, meaning the sight of sunshine and blue skies were welcomed by everyone in the greater Houston area.
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Sunday’s warm weather also meant those who did not see action Saturday were given a chance to showcase talented rosters in front of a bevy of college coaches. While the large majority of teams represent the Lone Star State and its bordering neighbors, the appeal of the Ronald McDonald has historically allured teams from all over the East Coast and as far west as Oregon and California.

“For us, we had two goals this weekend,” said SoCal Choppers head coach Jason Renteria. “The Ronald McDonald always attracts the best teams in the region, so it’s always a benefit to us this early in the fall to see what we have on the roster.

“This tournament also gave us a chance to get everyone on our roster some college exposure. More importantly, because so many colleges are down here, it gives my girls a chance to get seen from colleges outside our area that have programs that the girls are interested in.”

Players and coaches weren’t the only ones happy with the change in climate. Colleges and universities from all levels flocked from around the country to make it to Houston this weekend for an important window in fall recruiting.

“There’s always a ton of talent down here and this tournament did not disappoint in 2018,” said Syracuse assistant coach Vanessa Shippy. “The Scrap Yard is always the place to be this time of year and with so many fields open today, we were able to talk to all these great teams and coaches who are always willing to help out.”

With over 200 teams in action across Saturday and Sunday, you didn’t have to be a power-five school or even a Division-I institution to benefit from Ronald McDonald’s diverse field of fastpitch clubs.

“We really couldn’t have asked for a better weekend for us,” said Jarvis Christian College assistant coach Olinda Molinar. “We’ve been able to see everyone that we’ve been in contact with leading up to the tournament and we’ve stumbled across some players that we hadn’t seen before.”

At its core, the Ronald McDonald is designed to link college coach and athlete with its slate of games. Over the weekend and through all rain, the tournament’s slow start was left in the dust by its equally high-paced finish.

“We’re always looking multiple years ahead to fill roster spots,” said Molinar. “There’s such a great mixture of talent and diversity among teams that year in and year out the Ronald McDonald is the most important recruiting event in our fall schedule. We’ll definitely be back year after year.”