EMERSON, Ga. – Express came into their game on Monday with a 4-1 record and were looking to continue their winning ways in the 2016 17u WWBA National Championship Qualifier against the 643 DP Tigers. The National Qualifiers are in preparation for the WWBA National Championships in July and are some of the largest tournaments that Perfect Game hosts. Therefore, each team in the 17u level of the tournament is in a pool with eight teams including seven pool play games prior to bracket play.
With the extended amount of pool play, coaches have to be more vigilant than ever in terms of their preparation and strategy. Coaches have to have a cohesive plan in place to keep their players fresh and ready for seven games before the playoff rounds. Express Coach Ted Wood credits his game plan to starting off the tournament hot and riding the momentum from there.
“It’s really important to start well,” said Wood. “We had a pretty good start (against the Illinois Patriots) and I think it all starts with pitching and throwing strikes. If someone swings the bat and does something well against you, I’d rather shake his hand and say ‘good job’ rather than creating runs with walks. Our pitching has done a good job and we also try to preach defense.”
Pitchers might be the most important players to consider when there are seven pool play games. With the implementation of the MLB PitchSmart rules this season, coaches have to carefully consider who pitches each inning and who will be available to pitch in the coming games.
“Because of the new rules we’re trying to learn on the job,” said Wood. “We’re very aware of pitch counts and we’re trying to keep enough arms fresh to pitch the next day because you never know when you’ll need the bullpen. At the end of the day, our kids have pitched well enough and have limited their pitch counts by their style.”
Express has a very team-centric approach to their program’s philosophy. They focus on attracting players who want to play for them and developing their abilities in preparation for baseball past the high school age. Wood credits not only the Express staff but Perfect Game for providing the avenue to which these players can continue their baseball careers.
“If you start with a kid in mind,” added Wood. “You develop a strategy of playing in a decent tournament like this one. That way if we do well we get the kids exposed to maybe play past their senior year of high school. They all love the game, they’re all good kids and the game’s window is only open for so long, so we try to keep the window open as long as possible and Perfect Game gives you that venue.
“We’re really impressed with the event, the facilities, and how well the tournament is run.”
The coaching staff realizes that the Express program is young but they are developing and getting more recognition with each passing tournament. The coaching staff preaches baseball development intertwined with real world skills.
Admittedly, the coaches understand that they are not baseball savants, but at the end of the day they have the best interest of the kids in mind and they believe that to be one of the most attractive qualities of their program.
“The bulk of our team is from Cherokee, Georgia,” said Wood. “Bo Caruth (program founder) started this six or seven years ago. I came aboard about three years ago and helped Bo out but he’s put it all together. If you ever get to really know Bo Caruth, you’ll understand why people are attracted to him. We don’t know everything about baseball but we try to do the best we can for the kids as an influence.
“There’s never a concern about whether Bo Caruth is ready to coach, he’s always going to be there for the kids. It’s attractive to parents and they know that their kid is going to get the best shot they can get.”
On a sweltering June afternoon, Express’ pool play game against the Tigers was a competitive pitcher’s duel. Only one run was scored by both offenses and both pitchers were able to throw complete games for their teams.
Andrew Robertson of the Tigers threw a seven-inning shutout against the Express. He was remarkably efficient on the mound, consistently working ahead in the count and only needing 59 pitches for his entire outing. He was pounding the strike zone all day and struck out two en route to a victory.
John Wood for Express also had an excellent outing on the mound today. He threw six innings of one-run baseball, only allowing three hits and striking out one. He needed only 48 pitches to get through the Tigers lineup, and the lone run was scored in the bottom of the second inning thanks to an RBI single from Riley Spearman.
Both pitchers took advantage of the aggressiveness of hitters and the prowess of their defense. Wood threw 77 percent of his pitches for strikes and Robertson tossed a just-as-sparkling 71 percent of his pitches in the strike zone. Both teams made some impressive plays, including the Tigers turning a double play off the bat of Kelvin Smith Jr. – the No. 7 shortstop in the state of Georgia for the class of 2018 – in the top of the fourth inning.
The loss on Monday was a setback for Express but they understand that just by exposing their players to tournaments of this nature that they are helping their players develop and get better. Each player on their team serves an important purpose due to the size of their team. Express intentionally limits the size of their team in attempt to build cohesiveness and to ensure that every player not only plays, but is able to make a direct impact on the success of the team.
“When you have success on a level like this there’s plenty of players around and plenty of places to play,” said Wood. “If people are interested how we go about our business, then sometimes we’ll get a player from another team. We’re not outwardly trying to find kids, Bo has always said that he wants kids who want to be here. It’s been a good thing to have him be the leader, and people are always looking for the best chance for their kid to play.
“Our biggest challenge is that we want to limit the size of our team because we want these kids to be able to play a lot. It’s really difficult for them to get seen from the bench. If I have 30 players on the team that’s going to cause some problems with playing time. We’re probably as heavy, player-wise, this year as we have ever been and we only have 13 or 14 players.”