Cobb Cherokee In The Game High School Sports Magazine

According to coaches Todd Allen and Al Stone, the term “rising star” should be applied to Danielle Rubin, an eighth-grader at Freedom Middle School in Canton, Georgia. “D,” as she is known to family, friends, coaches and teammates, is a pitcher and multi-position player on the Woodstock Wolverines Junior softball team.

Allen describes Rubin as a complete player with the ability to change a game with one pitch or the swing of the bat. Allen explains that when the team needs a big pitch or hit, Rubin wants to be the one with the ball in her hand or standing in the batter’s box. According to Stone, Rubin’s athletic potential is unlimited. Stone also expects to someday see Rubin representing her country in international competitions or suiting up for a professional softball team. Rubin’s performance on the field with the Woodstock Junior Program has already attracted the attention of Kortney Dempsey, varsity softball coach at Woodstock High School.

Rubin is described by her coaching staff as driven, positive, passionate, dedicated, a hard worker, a leader, a great teammate, competitive, a great person on and off the field, skilled in all areas of her game, and a student of the game.  She is also described as humble and coachable. One of Rubin’s greatest strengths is that she understands the concept of team.  Rubin is also described as a sponge because she is thirsty to learn and improve as a player each time she steps on the playing field.

As the starting pitcher for the Junior Wolverines in the 2011 fall season, Rubin led the team to a 12-2 record.  She pitched 99-1/3 innings, striking out 95 batters while only issuing 35 free passes.  Constantly working on speed and movement, Rubin toes the rubber with a vast array of pitches in her arsenal. Accompanying a 58 mile-per-hour fastball, she can also throw a change-up, rise ball, drop ball, screwball, and curveball.  As a result, she keeps the hitters guessing and off balance at the plate.

Rubin has the specific goal of increasing her pitch speed to 62 mph. Working on her mechanics with her private pitching coach, Barbara Reed, Rubin has achieved a noticeable increase in pitch velocity. One year ago, Rubin regularly touched the radar gun at 52 miles per hour. Now, a continual reading on her pitches is 58 miles per hour. Rubin also devised a strategy to motivate her to achieve her goal.  She changed her jersey number to 62 so that each time she slips on her uniform, she has a visual reminder of her target speed.

Rubin steps into the batter’s box with the same drive that motivates her to excel on the pitcher’s mound.  As a result, this makes her an extremely difficult out for opposing pitchers. Her batting average for the fall campaign was .440 with three doubles, two triples and one home run while coaxing thirteen walks.

Rubin remembers one plate appearance from this past season that stands out above the rest.  She was at the plate facing the opposing pitcher, who is also a friend and former teammate. The pitch was located on the inner half of the plate about waist high. Rubin turned on the offering, connected with the ball, and sent it rocketing toward the gap in left center. The ball cleared the fence with room to spare, giving her a no doubter dinger for a home run. It was a bittersweet moment - sad because the blast was against a buddy, but elation that she had just hit her first home run for the Woodstock Junior Program.

Rubin recently participated in a tryout for the Georgia Impact 97, a 14-and-under team managed by coach Buster Bass. This is a highly competitive team that travels around Georgia and across the nation playing in Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) tournaments. In 2011, the team won the 14U Georgia ASA State Championship and placed third in the ASA 14U Nationals with a 5-2 record in a tournament that fielded 97 teams. Positions on the squad are highly coveted and a large pool of talented players battled for the few available spots.  Rubin earned one of the berths and is currently practicing with the team, concentrating on pitching, third base, and the outfield positions.  She is eagerly awaiting her chance to demonstrate her skills in upcoming games against some of the best softball players in the nation.

Softball at the Rubin household has always been a family affair. Rubin’s first encounter with the sport came when she was in the second grade. She accompanied her aunt to the park to watch her cousin play baseball.  While there, Rubin was encouraged to pick up a bat and take a couple of swings. She connected with the ball and it was love at the first crack of the bat. She started playing in the Cherokee County Parks and Recreation leagues before moving up to the Woodstock Junior Program and travel team level.

Rubin’s parents, Karl and Susan, have always been an active part in her development as a player, as coaches and cheerleaders.  Rubin’s younger sister, Nicole, has become the unofficial cheerleader of her big sister’s teams and attends almost every game. Both parents assist Rubin with improving her techniques on pitching, fielding, and batting. They spend many hours together engaging in activities such as weight training, playing catch, and pounding softballs at the batting cages.

While playing a sport is fun, Rubin’s parents have continually underscored that education is the foundation of her success. Both parents are heavily involved in helping her maintain the balance between academics and athletics. They stress that playing sports is a privilege and that any slippage in her grades will result in her practice time being limited or taken away completely. Rubin maintains a 3.8 grade point average.  Her favorite subjects are advanced math and technology.

While playing, practice, travel, and school take up huge amounts of her time, Rubin does find a few moments to get away and have fun. An avid fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, she enjoys watching Southeastern Conference football with her father.  A typical teenager, she also enjoys swimming, hanging out with friends, and supporting them as they play their respective sports.

In the short term, Rubin will be migrating across the nation with the Georgia Impact 97 14U team displaying her talents.  Next fall, she plans to compete as a freshman for a position on the varsity level as a member of the Woodstock Wolverines. Beyond that, Rubin hopes to play at the college level in the Southeastern Conference, staying close to home so that her parents and younger sister can attend her games.

Rubin wants to follow in the footsteps of two athletes she admires - Jessica Mendoza and Jennie Finch.  In 2004, Mendoza and Finch represented the United States and won goal medals as members of the USA National Softball team in Olympic competition.  Mendoza currently plays professionally as a member of the Orlando Pride.  Finch, now retired, played professionally for the Chicago Bandits.  Rubin also dreams of playing for the Orlando Pride, part of United States Specialty Sports Association’s National Pro Fastpitch league.

A famous disc jockey, was known for signing off his broadcasts with, "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."  With the help of her family and coaches, Rubin is a well grounded young woman who has the talent and desire to become a star in her own right. ITG