EMERSON,
Ga. – With the 17u WWBA National Championship right around the
corner, and pool play in the 2015 18u WWBA National Championship
coming to a close, we revisit the 17u WWBA Elite Round Robin.
Tomorrow will be the last day of games for this smaller event, and
teams are making sure that they get every bit of preparation they can
in these final two days.
Whether
you’re a team that’s been on a roll all summer and continued it
into the Round Robin, or a team that is still working out the kinks,
rest assured that the slate will be wiped clean come Friday when the
17u National Championship tournament commences.
These
games have provided some great entertainment to spectators seeking
elite amateur baseball. The Team Citius Warriors decided they could
use the head start and made the trip all the way from Dallas, Texas,
to compete in this week’s Elite Round Robin. So far their offense
has been lacking, as they have only scored three runs, but they still
entered the day with a 1-1 record.
They
squared up against the 2-0 Florida Burn, who have put up only six
runs, but have yet to be scored on. These teams came into Wednesday
with the hopes of finding their bats and gaining some momentum going
into the National Championship tournament.
Both
the Florida Burn and the Team Citius Warriors have their fair share
of talent ranging from multiple top D-I conferences such as the SEC,
Big 12 and Pac-12. The Warriors carry a lot of top talent from all
over the country, including players from New York, California,
Florida and Texas. Most of their commits are to schools in the Texas
area, with a few exceptions to schools such as Stanford and Oregon.
With a respectable amount of D-I commits, both of these teams have
the potential to be a real force in the 2015 17u WWBA National
Championship; they just have to piece it all together in these last
two games.
Even
though both of these teams seemed pretty evenly matched coming into
today’s contest, the outcome of this game would be very lopsided.
The Florida Burn really turned on their bats today, and they also got
a stellar performance on the mound from their starter, Corey Ireson.
Right from the start, one could tell that Ireson had his stuff today.
His long and lengthy motion allows his fastball to get on batters
very quickly, and he also has a sharp curveball that he can locate
with pinpoint accuracy.
Through
the first two innings, there was little offense for both teams but
the Florida Burn would get their scoring party underway in the top of
the third. With a few deep drives to left-center field after a walk
or two, the Burn put up four runs in the third and fourth innings.
That would be all the offense that was required for today, but the
Burn did not stop there. They busted the game wide open in the fifth
inning with an exciting seven-run offensive output that included a
monster three-run home run off the bat of Florida commit Brady
McConnell.
This
inning would seal the deal, and help the Burn cruise to an 11-0
victory in a game that ended after just five innings.
Corey
Ireson was the x-factor in this game for a couple of reasons. One
being that the game could have gone either way in the first couple of
innings, but he stayed confident in his fastball and let his defense
work behind him. The other reason being that he only allowed two hits
through five innings of work and didn't allow any runs to score.
“My
go-to pitch was my fastball,” said Ireson of his performance. “My
fastball was pretty on; the other pitches were alright, but I
definitely relied on my fastball. I feel really good about how we
have played so far, and hopefully tomorrow we can get back out there
and not let any runs on the board like we have been doing.”
Ireson’s
amazing job on the mound was complemented by a great day at the plate
for Brady McConnell. McConnell’s three-run bomb in the fourth
really got that big inning started, and his home run would
essentially be the dagger in the hearts of Team Cititus.
“I’ve
been struggling a little bit lately, so I just tried to simplify
things and get my foot down earlier, let the ball get deep,”
McConnell said of his approach. “I like our chances at the National
Championship later on this week. We have been winning big games and
our pitching has been real good. I think we need to keep swinging how
we are. For myself, I just need to keep leading the team. We have a
lot of other leaders too, so if those guys step up, we should be
good.”
The
Florida Burn have been racking up the wins as of late, and are really
picking up steam coming into the 2015 17u WWBA National Championship.
Their last game tomorrow puts a cap on their Round Robin experience
and then the focus will then shift to a much more competitive
atmosphere. The Burn won the 16u PG World Series in 2012, and
captured a championship at the Florida WWBA World Championship
Qualifier in 2014; they’re goal is to add 2015 17u WWBA National
Champs to that resume, as well.
Their
Head Coach, Craig Faulkner, is optimistic heading into the big
tournament after today’s convincing win.
“It
took us a little bit to get going today after the rain delay, and we
had to get focused and shorten up our swings,” Faulkner said.
“After that, we really started hitting the ball. A bunt in the
third was big for us, and of course, Ireson was great and throwing
all his pitches for strikes. I think the thing that we can do better
is taking advantage of opportunities early, and having better at bats
early.
“Our
pitching has been outstanding, but we have to be more advantageous at
the plate. This Round Robin is a great event because you’re playing
against great competition, and also there are a lot of people to
watch our guys shine. It’s been a nice experience.”