Submitted photos – The Northwest Elite Softball 16Us.

By Ray Hamill — One of the highlights of summer sports here on the North Coast this year has been the addition of a new softball travel team, Northwest Elite Softball.

And the response from the community has been positive, with the club fielding a pair of teams, a 16U and a 14U squad.

Both teams will head to Newburg, Oregon, this coming week to compete at the NAFA Nationals, which get under way on Thursday.

The players come from all around the county and represent six of the nine H-DNL programs, including Arcata, Fortuna, Hoopa, McKinleyville, South Fork and St. Bernard’s.

The 16Us roster includes the Gossi sisters, Olivia and Abagail from Ferndale, Arcata High’s Lilly D’usseau and Sophia Spetzler, South Fork’s Kendall Kercher, St. Bernard’s Aryanna Osborne and Macie Wantt, McKinleyville’s Sueveya Provolt and Josie Dowd, and Hoopa’s Bella Baldy and Kiera Ashley.

And through their opening two tournaments of the summer, including a trip to Sacramento to compete at theWest Coast Nationals last weekend, the players are coming together nicely.

“What I really like about them is they want to be there and they’re taking the summer to put in the time,” the club’s 16U head coach Daniel Osborne said. “They’re growing together as a unit and they’ve gone out and done their own fundraising.”

Each player has raised at least $600 towards the expenses.

The 14U roster, meanwhile, includes Leah Mayberry, Ierly Ponnay, Brailey Ponnay, Willow Wantt, Emily McArthur, Hazel Little, Stella Carbonneau, Macy Sherman, Bella Aultman, Heaven Butler and Drew Sturdevant.

The Northwest Elite 14Us

The younger team has competed in one tournament so far and will also make the trip to Newburg, Oregon, next week.

Kia Osborne is head coach of the 14Us, and both teams have been practicing together for much of the summer, when they’re not traveling for tournaments.

According to the coaches, the community has played a big role in helping the new club this summer.

“We’re super lucky with the community we have, and I love the family environment,” Daniel Osborne said. “This team is basically about getting them ready for the next level, and we really appreciate all the support.”

The coach is hoping to continue to build the club after this summer.

“We’re going to stay together through the fall,” Daniel Osborne added. “We’re going to try and make this a year-round thing.”

One of the goals for the players is to fundraise enough to travel for showcase events in Oklahoma and Arizona next summer.

“We’ve got to get these girls some recognition,” Daniel Osborne said.