The first weekend of this month, May 2-3, 2026, saw the top 12U teams on the West Coast assemble for an elite invitation-only event that was held in San Diego— the OnDeck Juniors Tournament sponsored by OnDeck Softball.

Scott Berndes, the head of the Power Surge club organization based in San Diego, teamed with OnDeck’s Derek Allister to ensure the top teams and talent at that age division all had a chance to face each other with the winner of the event taking home a check for $2,000.

With a field of teams that more resembled a late summer National Championship run than an early May event, the OnDeck Juniors Tournament featured the best 12U squads in talent-rich Southern California—including those from the Batbusters, Athletics Mercado, Corona Angels, Power Surge,  Firecrackers, Explosion and more—facing off against “outsiders” such as the Idaho Batbusters, Arizona Storm,  Arizona Rising, NorCal’s LTG, Warriors and many more.

Prior to the Saturday/Sunday tournament, an OnDeck Camp was held on Friday, May 1, at Hickman Field Park where Allister and his experienced crew were able to test the participants to obtain athletic metrics and analyze their on-field talents.

For the OnDeck head man, it was like having Christmas in Spring.

“Derek’s the head of the Junior National Team Selection Committee,” Berndes explained, “and you could see him furiously writing notes all weekend at the camp and then at the Juniors Tournament.”

“There was so much talent participating over the weekend,” the event director laughed, “that I think he ran out of ink!”

Every tourney game seemed tight, and the teams competing were so even in talent that more than a quarter of the games went into ITB.

There were no run rules, not mismatches or one-sided routes; the teams from all over the West, including ones from as far away as Idaho and—showed why they’re considered the best of the best in the 12U age division.

When the dust had settled Sunday evening, however, there was one team that stood above the rest: the Corona Angels – Tyson/Morales team which went 7-1 and defeated a strong Power Surge – Teague squad in the finale to secure the winner’s check of $2,000.

The Angels impressive title run at the OnDeck Juniors tournament made it two championship wins in a row for Head Coach Ruben Morales and his talented team, which had also taken home the title at the prestigious Money Ball Tournament held April 25-26, 2026 at the Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine.

Overall, the event was a big success—one coach in attendance raved about the caliber of talent at the event:

“These 12-year-olds had everything… size, speed, power, impressive arms, great pitching, hitting and defense.”

“We’ll be watching these girls on TV in a few years.”

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Here’s more from the OnDeck 12U Championship tournament including a spotlight on the title-winning Corona Angels team and a follow-up with Derek Allister to see who and what impressed him the most at the three-day softball extravaganza…

Corona Angels 12U Tyson/Morales Team Makes One Thing Clear: They’re the Team to Beat This Summer

What a run the Angels 12U team is on.

This spring, the SoCal power has won three of its last four tournaments played including the Moneyball Tournament, the President’s Day Cup and, most recently, the OnDeck Juniors Tournament.

The only non-title winning event for the Angels team was its third-place finish at the April’s Finest Tournament, but there was still a positive highlight as Coach Ruben’s team topped its SoCal-based rival Batbusters Legacy – Radunio/Stith team 4-1.

“Overall, the team is getting better week by week,” the head coach noted and that includes a deep and talented lineup that will be hard to beat over the next few months in summer club play.

Here are some of the Angels 12U players who came up big at the OnDeck Juniors Tournament:

*** If there had been an MVP two weekends ago, it’s very obvious who it would have been.

Pitcher and 3-hole hitter Nia Nash-Keeton was a one-player wrecking crew who was unstoppable with her pitching arm and her bat.

For the weekend, she batted .421 with two home runs, two doubles and eight RBIs while in the circle she threw 27 innings over six games, going 5-0 with only four earned runs for a sparking 0.88 ERA.

Perhaps most impressively, she struck out 28 opposing batters and gave up just one walk all weekend.

“The biggest thing for Nia that weekend,” Coach Morales says, “was that 94 percent of her first pitches were for strikes.”

Mainly a North/South pitcher with a riseball, screwball and change-up, Nia pitched in all three games on Sunday and effectively used her riseball as her strikeout pitch.

“She doesn’t throw a lot of pitches,” the head coach continued, “because Nia gets a lot of three pitch strikeouts. Still, she is able to pitch a lot because her training is phenomenal. Nia works out hard every day with a strength and conditioning coach and does all the extra work she needs to do.”

Showing her dedication to the sport and to her Angels team, the Bakersfield athlete and a parent will drive three hours regularly to go to practice with the team in Corona, Calif. or travel to games around the Southern California area.

*** Centerfielder Maddie Brinkley, one of best athletes in the Class of 2031 class, is also an elite track runner and is nationally ranked in the 100 meters and the 4×100 relay.

She’s a powerful No. 2 hitter who batted .386 at the tournament with eight steals.

“Her speed is a real problem for our opponents,” Coach Morales said.

*** 2031 shortstop Jayla Perry is described by the Angels head coach as “the foundation of our defense.”

She went error-free for the weekend while making several spectacular highlight reel plays also with making the routine plays regularly.

The leadoff hitter sparked two come-back wins for the Angels, both being two RBI walk-off doubles—one against the Idaho Batbusters and the other against Athletics Mercado Greg Gold.

*** Catcher Lacey Stube, the cleanup hitter and Class of 2031 grad, led the team in hitting with a sizzling .529 batting average and caught all three games on Sunday.

“She’s Nia’s partner and they work well together,” Coach Morales explained.

“Lacey is the leader of our team and our defense, and we call her our captain.”

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The OnDeck Head Man Shares His Thoughts

Derek Allister has been in and around the softball world for decades, but it’s not hard to see that working with the young talent gets him especially pumped up.

“For the third year in a row,” he began, “OnDeck and Power Surge have created a classic in the 12U space. Maybe there are other events that are equally competitive, but I don’t know of any.”

“The competition is top tier, the games are ultra-competitive and the parents are into it.  It is a fun time!”

The Rising Generation

What was one main take-away he had from the softball-heavy weekend?

“I was amazed this year at how good these kids are getting,” Derek responded.

“Even when comparing players over the last three to five years, these young players are bigger, faster, and more skilled than ever before, but they still need to work on refining those skills and mastering the finer points of the game.”

“They still need to continue to develop their overall athleticism and there is a lot they can do to become even better but make no mistake… they are getting good and the games are flat-out fun.”

Derek’s Thoughts on the Champs

“The Angels are really good,” he noted after the SoCal team’s championship run in San Diego.

“They are deep, they are tough and they play really well together,” Allister continued. “The Angels compete like crazy and they are very well coached.”

“If they stay together, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the years ahead,”

Derek was also impressed by several of the Angels’ standouts.

• “Nia Nash-Keeton would be the MVP of the tournament if we had such an award,” Derek agreed. “She is a legit prospect as a hitter and a pitcher and can really pitch. Nia also can smoke it offensively.”

Others who impressed on the tourney-winning team…

• “Madison Brinkley just oozes with potential. She is going to.be great if she keeps working.”
• “Jayla Perry had a great weekend. She is a good, solid player both offensively and defensively.”
• “And finally, (2032 infielder) Emma Encinas, who is a year younger, is going to be a hitter to contend with in the very near future.”

Two Programs to Keep an Eye On

“We all know about the Angels, Athletics Mercado, the Batbusters. the Bengals, Power Surge, the Explosion, the Firecrackers, AZ Rising, etc.,” Derek continued, “but there two great, emerging programs in the NorCal’s Warrior Academy and the West Coast Dukes.”

“Both teams are legit. They have good players and they play the game right.”

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The Warriors are one of the sports best hitting teams at all levels and have won multiple national titles, but they still tend to run under the radar”

“Ray McDonald runs the Warriors and he is a great teacher of the game. His teams are good, smart, disciplined, and can really hit. Rarely do they beat themselves.”

“This was my first look at the West Coast Dukes—Brian Spottsville is the 12U coach—and he and his group were impressive. I expect big things from this team in the immediate future.”

“It will be fun to keep getting to know this young organization and it will be fun to watch the Warriors in their pursuit of more national titles this summer.”

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media

Our thanks go out to Marisa Stube, a team representative for the Corona Angels 12U – Tyson/Morales squad, who shot the great player photos used in this article. Marisa can be followed on Instagram at MVP_Action_Shots.