Sage 14U - White

Our team has its roots in a Sage Futures program, when several of our players were 9 years old. As a 10U C team, we won the USSSA Virginia State Championship, and as a 12U B team we won the coveted Sportsmanship Award at USSSA Nationals along with tournament wins and places in a run that included events in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Tennessee, where we competed in the USSSA Music City Nationals. As a 14U team, we have been competing at the B and Open levels. In Fall 2023, we won the Madison Small Memorial championship (6-0) and the Pumpkin Smash championship (6-0) while going 22-6 in our final 28 tournament games of the season. At the end of the Fall 2023 season, Sage 14U-White was the No. 1-ranked USSSA 14B team in Virginia and the No. 1-ranked USSSA 14B team in the United States by Power Ranking, assembling a 12-1 record at B and a 17-5 overall record in USSSA tournaments, including 9-2 in bracket games, with two championships, a third-place finish and a fifth-place finish. Our teammates have starred in the Little League World Series and have made the USSSA All-America Team, and all age-eligible players have been selected for their high school softball teams. We practice on natural grass and artificial turf fields in Arlington, Va., including at Yorktown High School, Washington-Liberty High School, Wakefield High School, and Gunston Park. We continue practices year-round, with indoor training at Prime Time in Alexandria and at Tucker Field at Barcroft, and we have access to turf fields when weather allows. In Spring-Summer 2024, we’re playing a total of 11 tournaments in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida, where we’ll compete at the Space Coast World Series.

Sage 14U-White relies on a solid corps of expert trainers to hone specialized skills.

We work with pitching instructor Becky Anderson Forbush, who has more than a decade of coaching experience, including as a long-time assistant coach for Westfield High School’s Varsity softball team. She played Division I softball at George Mason University, where she was a four-year starting pitcher. 

Franklin Weaver pushes the girls through a rigorous strength and conditioning program that includes weight training, with a focus on power, endurance, and flexibility. Weaver, the head varsity football coach at South County High School and former head varsity football coach at Falls Church High School, played football at Michigan State University under legendary coach Nick Saban.

Our players also get fielding, hitting, and game-play instruction from Doug Kaufman, the Arlington Impact Commissioner and a long-time travel softball coach. Kaufman has prepared many young women for varsity high school and college play.

We have partnered with Marymount University’s softball team, which plays DIII softball in Arlington. Active Marymount players attend Sage practices, working with our team on mechanics, skills, and game strategy. Marymount Head Coach Paige Knussman provides hitting instruction for our players – both as a team and in one-on-one sessions in our practices and at Marymount University’s facilities. And our players have been on the field for warmups and in the dugout for Marymount games at Barcroft Field. It has been a rare opportunity to receive guidance from a current college coach and to interact with current college players.

Sage 14U win a travel softball World Series championship

The World Series fastpitch traveling softball title was a first for the Sage program at any age level in its 25-year history. The Sage finished 8-0 in the double-elimination USSSA Space Coast World Series, defeating teams from Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Virginia.

Read coverage in the Gazette Leader

We’re No. 1: Sage finishes Fall 2023 season with top USSSA ranking

With a 12-1 record at 14B and a 17-5 overall record, Sage 14U finished the Fall 2023 ranked No. 1 in Virginia and No. 1 in the United States by USSSA Power Ranking, which takes into account record, strength of schedule, and other metrics. Sage’s lone loss at the B level came in a 14 Open tournament during pool play.

Sage 14U goes 6-0 to win Pumpkin Smash Championship

The Sage 14U team cruised to a second straight championship, winning the Pumpkin Smash tournament in Central Maryland with a 6-0 record and outscoring opponents 71-5. It was the second straight undefeated tournament for the team, which continued its torrid streak.

Sage 14U goes 6-0, Wins Madison Small Championship

With two late-inning comebacks in both the semifinals and the championship game, the team won the 14B division of the annual Madison Small Memorial girls softball tournament on Oct. 8. The championship came at the end of a 12-hour marathon of games, with rain on Saturday cutting the tournament down to a one-day event. Sage won all six tournament games they played – a new Sage one-day tournament record.

 Read coverage in the Gazette Leader

Feb. 16-17 – In the Net Girls Night Out Overnight Tournament (Palmyra, Pa.)

March 16-17 – St. Patty’s Day Festival (Jackson, N.J.)

April 6-7: Cottontail Classic (Loudoun, Va.)

April 20-21: Crushers Smackdown (Loudoun, Va.)

May 4-5: Scoring Runs for Mental Health (Manassas, Va.)

May 18-19: Summer Jam Space Coast World Series NIT (Loudoun, Va.)

May 25-27: Memorial Day Madness (Hagerstown, Md.)

June 1-2: Virginia 14U USSSA States (Loudoun, Va.)

June 15-16: Virginia 16U USSSA States (Loudoun, Va.)

June 23-28: Space Coast World Series (Viera, Fla.)

July 6-7: Fun in the Sun (Central Maryland)