By: Cody Smith
Top Tier Reporter
Week #6 in Top Tier Baseball
Top Tier Tournament Recaps: From 15u-18u
15u Americans, WWBA 15u National Championships
Currently, the 15u Americans are playing some fierce competition in Atlanta, Georgia. Playing in the same tournament the 17u Americans and 16u Americans did these past two weeks the team is fighting to earn their spot in the playoffs with over 300 teams in the tournament. To get the full roundup of how they finish, wait till next week’s roundup.
15u Nationals, WWBA 15u National Championships
Just like the 15u Americans, the 15u Nationals also traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to compete against some of the best 15 year olds across the states. To find out how they end up, wait for next week’s post.
15u Nationals-Navy, Buckeye Elite Tournament
The 15u Nationals-Navy were out of state this weekend playing in Columbus, Ohio. Top Tier was one of 72 teams in the tournament. The team got off to a nice start going 2-1 in pool play after some solid pitching and defensive performances. After the pool play round of the tournament, the 15u Nationals-Navy were seeded No. 33 as they got ready to start off their bracket play. Nate Schuster got things started as he threw a complete game shutout against Elite Baseball Club in the first round of the playoffs. He tossed seven strong innings giving up just one walk on eight strikeouts in their 3-0 victory. Sadly, that was where things ended for the 15u Nationals-Navy as they dropped their next game in the second round, eliminating them from the tournament. Even though the team didn’t make it all the way to the finals the team still had a quality weekend. Kevin Schoefernacker saw the ball really well as he went 7-14 (.500 avg) with a triple and six RBI’s. Additionally, he was able to produce seven runs scored on the base paths.
15u Nationals-White, Game Day National Championship
The 15u Nationals-White were the only 15u Top Tier team to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin this past weekend. The team finished the tournament dead even at 3-3 while making a small run in bracket play. In pool play, the squad went 2-2 giving them a shot to play in the gold bracket. Jeremiah Powell helped lift the offense this past weekend going 6-11 (.545 avg) with two triples and a double, totaling six RBI’s. In their first game of bracket play the team went on to beat the Kenosha County Royals 5-0 thanks to Jake Adam’s pitching performance. The right-handed pitcher threw eight innings giving up zero runs to go along with nine strikeouts. After Adams strong showing, the 15u Nationals-White moved on the reach the quarter finals. Ultimately, the team wasn’t able to move on further than that as they dropped their second game of bracket play.
15u North, Off
16u Americans, WWBA 16u National Championships
The 16u Americans went down to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in one of the most elite tournaments in the United States. Playing in a tournament with over 300 teams, the 16u Americans played against some of the best amateur baseball clubs across the nation. Playing in front of many scouts, pitcher Joe Sarver threw an excellent game against the Chandler World 2020’s. He threw six innings giving up just one earned run while striking out six in a 5-1 victory. Ben Hernandez also had a nice outing in a tough loss where he tossed a five and a third inning gem giving up just one run while managing to strike out eight.
16u Nationals, WWBA 16u National Championships
The 16u Nationals also made the trip to Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend. Playing against the best competition the team didn’t end up with the success that they were hoping for. Still, players from the 16u Nationals did not fold under the pressure of playing in front of many big time scouts. Will Dietz threw a complete game gem against Allout Peck, winning 6-3. He threw seven strong innings tallying eight strikeouts while allowing just two earned runs on three hits. Another great pitching performance game from Billy Le Pretre. The right-handed pitcher had a tough loss after throwing six strong innings while giving up three runs on eight hits to go along with five strikeouts.
16u Nationals-Navy, National Championships Tournament
The 16u Nationals-Navy had another good weekend playing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Finishing pool play 3-1 the team was set as a higher seed going in the gold bracket. Brock Bevil hit .455 including four RBI’s and three runs scored. The team also had a quality win against the Crystal Lake Bombers in the first round of the playoffs, winning 9-3. Jack Landmesser had a monster weekend hitting .563 with three extra base hits, four RBI’s, seven runs scored, and four stolen bases. Sadly, the team dropped their game against St. Joes Bombers in the semi finals which eliminated them from contention.
17u Americans, Amateur Baseball Championship Tournament
After getting the weekend off last week the 17u Americans looked to pick things back up playing in Westfield, Indiana. The team finished 4-1 overall on the weekend while barely missing the final round of 16 due to giving up one more allowed run than the Cincy Flames. They started the weekend off going a perfect 3-0 in pool play, putting themselves in a good position playing in the gold bracket. Their success was undoubtedly due to their offensive prowess. Kyle Radcliffe hit .538 with three RBI’s, Brendan Carrane hit .625 with five walks and four RBI’s, and Tyler Snep hit .417 with six RBI’s. Going into bracket play the 17u Americans went on to win their first game before losing their second one. Kra Player of the Week, Collin Wilma had a nice outing pitching against the Motor City Hitdogs. He threw six flawless innings giving up just one run on three hits and nine strikeouts. Overall, the team hasn’t been able to come home with a trophy but that might not last for long as the team is riding a hot streak as they have finished 10-2 in their last two tournaments.
17u Nationals, Amateur Baseball Championship Tournament
The 17u Nationals also looked to get back on track after getting the week off. The team went on to go 4-3 in Indiana making a run in the silver bracket. After starting the weekend slow, going 1-2, the 17u Nationals were seeded in the silver bracket where they got hot. The team picked up two-straight wins against the MC9 Elite (6-0, W) and Vipers Baseball Club (5-3,W) earning themselves a bye in the first round of the silver bracket playoff round. Logan Riley helped the 17u Nationals turn their weekend around after throwing a seven inning complete game shut out against MC9 Elite. He only gave up three hits while striking out five and walking zero. In the second round of the playoffs the 17u Nationals went on to win in extra innings, 1-0. Jack Lindish hit a walk off triple to help lift the Nats over the Kentucky Prospects. That’s as far as the team could advance however as they fell in the semi final game to IBB. Jac Lindish went off this weekend as he got 10 hits hitting .500 to go along with 4 runs scored, five RBI’s, and nine stolen bases.
17u Nationals-Navy, Amateur Baseball Championship Tournament
The 17u Nationals-Navy had a rough weekend playing some tough competition in Westfield, Indiana. The team had some really close loses losing 5-4, 8-5, and tying 4-4. Tyler Preissing threw a nice game as he tossed six innings giving up three earned while striking out six and walking one. Outfielder, Adam Gaydos also had a nice weekend as he went 6-14 (.429) on the weekend, totaling five RBI’s.
18u Americans, Off