EMERSON,
Ga. – Pool play in the 2015 18U WWBA National Championship is
coming to a close, and some teams are making a late push to clinch a
coveted spot in the playoffs. The East Cobb Yankees, who are leading
Pool D, came into Tuesday with the goal of hopefully creating some
separation between themselves and the North East Mudhens.
The
Mudhens and the Yankees are two of the best teams in this tournament,
and they squared off on Monday in a game that saw the Yankees take
the top spot in their pool standings.
Both
teams are 4-1 but the Yankees now have the head-to-head advantage,
seeing as they won 11-5. The Yanks have scored 44 runs through five
games, and have only allowed 13. Half of those runs allowed came in
an unexpected loss to open pool play against the Evansville
Wolfepack, who are now in the bottom half of the pool standings. That
loss must have awoken a sleeping giant, because the Yankees have been
on fire ever since.
Their
game on Tuesday afternoon against Team Elite South would prove that
they are playing top-notch baseball at the right time.
It’s
no surprise this team is leading the standings; they have 15 D-I
Commits to pretty much all ACC schools. In fact, most of the Georgia
Tech recruiting class is on this team, as the Yankees have seven GT
commits. This roster is certainly riddled with talent, and they have
been putting on a show at this year’s National Championship
tournament.
Today’s
contest featured spectacular displays of power hitting from almost
every player in the lineup for the Yankees. The scoring got underway
in the second inning when Logan Moody hit a home run to the deepest
part of the park on a first-pitch fastball. The starter for Team
Elite South got a little wild after that and put some men on by way
of walk, which the Yankees used to their advantage when they drove
them in with timely base hits. This would be a four-run inning, and
that would be plenty of cushion for their starter, Holden Thompson.
Team
Elite South would only score one run of Thompson, and the Yankees
would continue to absolutely tear the cover off the ball. There were
multiple deep drives, and in the third inning, Brian Moore would have
himself a three-run home run to widen the Yankees’ lead. The
Yankees would bring more entertainment, as Logan Moody once again hit
a home run to make it two for the day. This one was a moon shot over
left field, and sealed the win for the Yanks. They would win by a
score of 10-1 in a game that was cut short by run rule.
Aside
from a great pitching performance by Thompson, Moody and Carter
Kieboom stood out today with their defense and bats. Moody felt
comfortable with his performance, to say the least, and hopes to stay
hot as they look to win out and claim their pool in tomorrow’s
game.
Logan Moody hit two home runs in the East Cobb Yankees 10-1 win over Team Elite South on Tuesday.
“I
was seeing the ball well, being aggressive at the plate, and trying
to look for a first pitch fastball,” Moody said of his two home run
performance. “I wanted to square the ball up, hit it hard and make
them make a play; especially with runners on. We just need to keep
pitching well and scoring runs like we have been; I think we have a
good shot at the Championship.”
Kieboom
did some work at the plate as well and got himself a line drive
single in a fourth inning that would help truly put the dagger in
Team Elite South. He would come in to score after stealing a base on
Moody’s second home run.
Kieboom
also flashed a little bit of leather at third base and made some nice
plays.
“In
the beginning, I was looking for a first-pitch fastball and then
after that first at-bat, I kinda knew how they were going to pitch
me,” Kieboom said of his approach. “Depending on how they pitch
me, I either scoot on or off the plate, and today they went away on
me so I just adjusted accordingly and got a base hit up the middle.”
Kieboom
is one of the many players on this team committed to a Division I
program, as he plans to sign with Clemson this fall. He is very eager
to represent Clemson, and is excited about competing in the ACC with
what he feels is one of the best college baseball fan bases in the
country.
“I
had my oldest brother go to Clemson for three years, so I was able to
go to a lot of games and I loved it,” Kieboom said of his decision.
“It’s a great school, and the baseball fan base is second to
none. I want to go to school where the school was actually into the
baseball program, and they are.”
Carter
is the 11th ranked third baseman in the country, 115th overall, numbers that are likely to change after his strong performance at the 2015 National Showcase two weeks ago playing alongside and against the top players in the country. He felt
very satisfied with his experience and performance there, and has
carried his success in to this tournament.
Kieboom
is no stranger to success this summer, as he was selected to the
All-Tournament Team for the 2015 Perfect Game/East Cobb Invitational
about a month ago.
“The
National Showcase was great. I had a lot of fun down there,” said
Kieboom. “You get to see the best pitchers, and I was fortunate do
well against all those guys.”
Head
Coach James Beavers is very impressed with the way both Moody and
Kieboom have been performing this summer, and gave them high praise
after today’s convincing victory.
“Logan
is super hot right now, and he’s just a good baseball player all
around,” Coach Beavers said. “He is one of those rare guys, and
you never have to worry about him focusing. Carter is the same way,
and he comes to the ball park everyday ready to play and focused. He
prepares the right way, works the right way, and it shows. Those two
guys are just special guys, really.”
The
East Cobb Yankees captured the 18u WWBA National Championship in
2012, and look to be well on their way to another championship this
year. Coach Beavers likes what they have done so far, but knows they
have to win tomorrow in their four o'clock game at Lassiter High
School if they want to secure a spot in playoffs.
“We
still have to win tomorrow, because we lost that first game,”
Beavers added. “We’re glad that we have put ourselves back in a
position to control our path, so tomorrow we just have to come ready.
I think we can always work on better at bats, regardless of our run
scoring today. We just have to avoid a let-down like that first loss
of the tournament.”