KENNESAW,
Ga. – Teams have traveled from many different areas of the country
to compete in the 2015 18u WWBA National Championship, but the Team
Elite Roadrunners are feeling right at home. Based out of Winder,
Ga., these talented groups of ballplayers do not have to make much of
a trip to get over to the local fields around here, and they are
hoping to bring a National Championship home with them when this
tournament is all said and done.
On
paper they have a pretty good shot at it too, considering their
roster is riddled with D-I commits to multiple SEC powerhouses.
As
we’ve seen in past events, it’s not always the team with the most
talent or D-I guys that makes it to the championship, but the
Roadrunners think they have that “it” factor that sets them apart
from other loaded teams. They plan to play as close to flawless
baseball as they can, and are hoping to have some luck on their side
as well. So far, they’ve done a pretty good job.
They
came out with some pep in their step against Futures Baseball and
came out with a close 3-1 victory. In a game that featured some
seriously powerful arms, lefthanded pitcher Jonathan Gettys shined
bright in this win and was able to hold them to just two hits and had
seven strikeouts. Gettys is the younger brother of former 2013 PG
All-American outfielder Michael Gettys. Jonathan is an LSU commit and
is certainly living up to the lofty expectations for him set by his
older brother.
Gettys’
start set the tone for this tournament, and the Roadrunners would
look to Zach Linginfelter in this second game against Stars Baseball
Gold to step up and continue their winning ways.
Anytime
you have someone with the ability of Linginfelter starting on the
mound for you, you know you have a good chance to win the ballgame.
Linginfelter’s arsenal of pitches is absolutely overwhelming for
opposing hitters, as he features an upper-80s to low-90s fastball and
a devastating curveball. Linginfelter is fresh off the PG National
Showcase that was held in Fort Myers, Fla., last week, where he
showcased his skills against other top prospects in the country and
peaked as high as 95 mph.
He’s
very satisfied with how he performed there, but for right now, he is
focused on trying to help his team win a National Championship in any
way he can.
“I
felt really good about the National Showcase,” said an upbeat
Linginfelter of the experience. “Funny thing is, I was really
struggling going into that, but I was working really hard leading
into it, so things ended up working out there. I loved it. It was
awesome to compete against the best competition in the country. It’s
just unreal how many good players are there.”
Linginfelter
was not the only one from this stacked Team Elite Roadrunners squad
that took part in the PG National Showcase over in Fort Myers; he had
about 11 of his teammates make the trip with him. Among those players
are UGA commits Austin Biggar and Justin Glover as well as Ole Miss
commit Will Ethridge, just to name a few.
What
started as a rainy, overcast day turned to hot and sunny skies, and
when the clouds parted, it was time to play ball. The game began as a
pitcher’s duel and both offenses couldn’t seem to get anything
going through four innings. Linginfelter showed that he had real
swing-and-miss stuff, and was mowing down hitters right from the
start. Aside from a few walks here and there, Linginfelter was quite
effective, but his day would end very quickly. His pitch count was
probably a little bit higher than Coach Brad Bouras would have hoped
for, and he was taken out so he can be of use later in this
tournament.
These
tournaments can sometimes stretch out to 10 or 11 games if you make a
deep run in the playoffs, and can really exhaust a pitching staff, so
it’s was a very advantageous move on Coach Bouras’ part to pull
Linginfelter. Linginfelter was glad to be of service to his team
today.
“I
have the velocity, but keeping the ball down and not hanging anything
is what made me good today,” Linginfelter said. “It’s a
different mindset coming into this tournament, compared to how I
prepared for the PG National Showcase. It’s different when you’re
in a game and trying to grind it out for a win, compared to just
going out there and showing your stuff. I definitely enjoy playing
with my team more. I like playing as a team simply because of the
competitive aspect.”
Linginfelter
has verbally committed to the University of Tennessee, and is very
excited to start his college career, but he knows that his last year
of high school is his chance to take his game to the next level.
“My
top three schools were UT, Georgia Tech, and South Carolina.
Tennessee just felt (like) home. I always saw myself going to UT, but
I had a jump in velocity and suddenly I was hit in the face with an
offer, so I jumped right on it. This last year, I just want to try to
be the best pitcher that I can be. I don’t wanna let any
distractions get in the way of me improving.”
Coach
Brad Bouras can’t say enough about the attitude and work ethic of
Linginfelter. He feels that it is his mindset that sets him apart
from other top prospects in the country.
“As
far as a baseball player goes, it’s obvious he has all the tools;
size, makeup, arm strength, pitchability, and movement on his
pitches,” said Coach Bouras of his talented righthanded pitcher.
“The one thing that separates him from other pitchers is his
competitiveness. He wants to be the best, and there’s no question
in his mind that he wants to be the best pitcher in any game he plays
in. He’s a really good teammate, as well.”
After
Linginfelter was taken out, there was a next man up mentality, and
righthander Jake Lee was put in the game to keep the zeroes on the
board. Unfortunately for the Roadrunners, in the top of the fifth
inning, the Stars started to swing the bat a little bit and scored
two runs off of a clutch two-out hit. The Roadrunners would not sweat
it, and the next half inning they would come out with a level of
intensity that was absent through the first four innings, and start
raking.
Three
straight base hits forced the Stars starter out of the game and
loaded the bases, setting the stage for a big inning. The inning
would eventually fizzle out and the Roadrunners would not be able to
score any of those baserunners.
However,
in the bottom of the seventh the Roadrunners showed why they’re one
of the best teams in the tournament and displayed a level of
resiliency that you don’t see from every team. They quickly got two
men on to start the inning, and the winning run for the Roadrunners
was now at the plate. A first pitch fastball to Garrett Hodges found
its way over the fence, and the Roadrunners would win on a monster
walkoff home run.
The
game ended with a final score of 5-4, but as the tournament
continues, the Roadrunners will hope to improve their energy and keep
their mental focus.
“It’s
all about maintaining mental aptitude,” Coach Bouras said. “You
gotta make yourself focused, and stay in the game at all times, even
if you’re sore and on little sleep. It’s a mental grind, and you
gotta dig deep and figure it out. That’s what baseball is right
there. Moving forward, we need consistency on everything in the game
if we wanna make a run at the championship.”