Take
a quick glance at the profiles for Ashe Russell and Beau Burrows and
you're going to find a lot of similarities. Both are righthanded
pitchers that were selected to participate at the Perfect Game
All-American Classic in San Diego this past summer. Both have
committed to Texas A&M, and both have fastballs that have peaked
at 96 mph. One is ranked fifth in the high school class of 2015 and
the other eighth.
They
shared co-Most Valuable Pitchers at the 17u WWBA National
Championship this past summer as members of the event champion EvoShield
Canes. They also were teammates at the 17u PG World Series where the
Canes finished as the runner-up, and most recently participated at
the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., once again capturing
the tournament crown for the now back-to-back champions.
Russell
and Burrows are also the best of friends.
“Ashe and I met each other this summer in North Carolina,” Burrows
said of the fast-growing friendship that he and Russell built since
meeting at Team USA's Tournament of Stars in late June. “We hit it
off and we're best buds now. We talk all the time, everyday, and I
got him to commit to A&M so we're going to go to college together
and be roommates.”
Although
the two are separated by nearly 1,000 miles, Burrows helped influence
Russell, who was originally committed to play for the nearby Fighting
Irish of Notre Dame, to de-commit and express his intent to play for the Aggies.
“He
was actually the one who gave my number out to the recruiting
coordinator at (Texas) A&M and got me started in that process,”
Russell explained. “Through Texas A&M and sitting on the bench
five games out of eight in every single tournament we became really
close.”
Both
Russell and Burrows also took the mound for key playoff games at this
year's WWBA World Championship.
Burrows
did so against the Richmond Braves, working all four innings of a
12-0 run-rule victory that put the Canes in the quarterfinals. The
young flamethrower showed his customary stuff, striking out six
thanks to his 91-94 mph fastball that peaked at 95, but it was the
command of his curveball that made the difference on this day.
“I
felt really good,” Burrows said of his performance. “My curveball
worked really well, I was throwing the ball down to both sides of the
plate, I just felt really good. We all hit really well and we
run-ruled that team pretty easy and I felt it was a good game
all-around.”
Russell
took the mound in the very first game for the EvoShield Canes, and
returned to the hill for their semifinal matchup against an upstart
Palm Beach PAL team. They won that game 6-2 to advance to the
championship game against another loaded team, the Orlando
Scorpions/Mets Scout Team.
Overall, Russell worked six total innings in Jupiter, picking up a win while
striking out five. His fastball sat in the 89-93 range while peaking
at 94.
“The
overall experience was awesome, the environment was awesome with all
of the scouts and stuff,” Russell said. “I was especially happy
for Coach (Jeff) Petty because he won it last year with his team and
it was exciting to see all of the kids that were on the Canes last
year to get to do that. So I was happy for my teammates.
“The
competition down there was awesome, it was awesome to face, that's
what it's going to be (like) in the future after high school ball is
over. Because there is a difference between high school ball and what
was going on down there (in Jupiter).”
Ashe Russell (left) and Beau Burrows were named co-Most Valuable Pitchers at the 17u WWBA National Championship in 2014.
It
shouldn't be surprising that these two young men, who seemed to
become best friends overnight, also have similar core values, as both
pointed to the philanthropic efforts of the PG All-American Classic
when asked what aspect of their incredible summers stood out the
most.
“I
liked the All-American game because we went to the hospital -- that was
a big eye-opener for me -- I really enjoyed that,” Burrows said. “I
liked being at all of the places over the country playing baseball,
and of course the two (WWBA) championships, that was amazing.”
“Definitely
(the) Perfect Game All-American Classic,” Russell added. “I did
not know what to expect when I got there. Once I got down there I was
rooming with Brendan Rodgers, it was the first time I ever met him,
and we became really close there. Getting to do the Rady Children's
Hospital though, that was awesome. I go to a Catholic school and they
value community service and visiting the sick, so I value it too, so
I think that was my favorite memory from this summer.”
And
it was Rodgers, the No. 1 ranked player in the high school class of
2015, and the Orlando Scorpions/Mets Scout Team, that Russell,
Burrows and the Canes had to take down in the championship game in
Jupiter to claim their second consecutive trophy.
“Adrenaline
definitely kicks in, especially knowing that I'm his friend, but even
other hitters like that you know you're close with them through the
summer circuit so you want to strike them out so you can brag about
it to them,” Russell continued. “It doesn't make it easier, it's
definitely harder than normal, but it makes you focus and makes you
realize you have to hit your spots and you have to work with
different pitches.”
From
all of the similarities to the two PG All-Americans share on and off
the field, from a scouting perspective, the two couldn't be more
different.
Russell,
a 6-foot-4, 195-pound righthander from Indianapolis, Ind., is all
arms and legs, with a lower arm slot and somewhat slinging arm action
that makes his mid-90s fastball and low-80s slider that much more
difficult to pick up out of the hand. His success this summer led to
him being named the starter in the PG All-American Classic for the
East squad, and clearly was a player in the center of the attention
of his talented teammates.
“Between
now and next summer I'm definitely going to (focus on) conditioning
and workout-wise,” Russell said of his goals between now and the
2015 MLB Draft. “I definitely need to work on my changeup. I know I
have it, it's worked. I threw it at Area Codes a couple times, I
threw it at the Perfect Game All-American (Classic) a couple of times, but it
still needs to develop a little ways, so that's what I'm going to
work on the most.”
At
6-foot-2, 200-pounds, Burrows, a native of Weatherford, Texas, is
built shorter and more compactly strong, with a rock-and-fire
no-nonsense delivery that epitomizes Texas heat. While he has no
issues dialing his fastball up to the mid-90s, it's the consistency
of his curveball and overall ability to throw whatever pitches he
chooses in whatever counts that he's working on the most.
“Right
now I'm not throwing at all,” Burrows said upon returning home from
Florida. “I stopped throwing after (Sunday's game). Right now I'm
just doing weight lifting and conditioning, arm maintenance and
stretching and stuff. Whenever baseball starts we're going to hit
that hard and try to win a state championship.”
Now
that the summer showcase and tournament circuit has come to a close,
the focus for both young pitchers turns to their high school baseball
seasons, and both have similar aspirations of carrying their winning
ways to a state title.
“I've
got high school ball left so hopefully we can get out there, my team,
and win the 4A state championship because we were one run away from
winning it my sophomore year and that left a bad taste in my mouth,”
Russell added. “I definitely cherish all the camaraderie we had
with the team this year. I know it was a brand new team with kids
from all over the country, but it's something that will live on
forever especially winning all of the tournaments we did.
“Depending
on how next season works out there will be the draft, which I really
hope works out, but if not I have Texas A&M which will be
exciting, where Beau and I would still be together. It will be a lot
of fun either way.”