Not even
serious injuries resulting from an automobile accident could keep Richie Palmer
away from the 2009 Perfect Game WWBA Florida Qualifier. Now in fine health,
Palmer can't wait to take South Florida Elite Squad back to Fort Myers, Fla.,
to see if it can once again work a little magic over the course of the four-day
event.
The 2010
PG WWBA Florida Qualifier is set for Friday through Monday, Sept. 17-20, and
will be played at various locations in Fort Myers including the Boston Red Sox
Player Development 5-Plex and historic Terry Park. The tournament champion
earns an automatic paid berth to the PG WWBA World Championship at the Roger
Dean Complex in Jupiter, Fla., Oct. 21-25.
Sixty-four
teams - up from 40 last year - are expected in the field, and will be
divided into 16 four-team pools. Pool-play will take place Friday and Saturday,
Sept. 17-18. The pool champions will advance to the round of 16 on Sunday,
Sept. 19, and the semifinals and championship will be played Monday, Sept. 20.
The field
includes some nationally ranked heavyweights, including All-American
Prospects (Miami), Chet Lemon's Juice (Mount Dora, Fla.), FTB Mizuno
(Cherlusta, Fla.), Florida Bombers (Miami), Orlando Scorpions (Altamonte
Springs, Fla.), Palm Beach Select (Jupiter, Fla.) and SWFL Baseball (Fort
Myers, Fla.).
And you
can't forget about South Florida Elite Squad, based in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
South
Florida Elite Squad Select won the 2009 Florida Qualifier championship by
beating Florida Stars Grey in the championship game. And Richie Palmer, the
director of the expanded program that is only in its second full year of
operation, almost wasn't able to make it to Fort Myers to watch it
all unfold.
Palmer
was going about his business preparing his team for last September's PG WWBA
Florida Qualifier when his personal situation changed dramatically. Two
weeks before the tournament, Palmer was involved in a
serious car accident and ended up in an intensive care unit for three days
and in a hospital for a week with assorted broken bones and other
injuries. During his hospital stay, he became determined that the accident
and subsequent injuries wouldn't keep him away from Fort Myers.
"I
knew that I wasn't going to miss it," Palmer said "Just because I
knew the team I had and the accomplishments they had, I told myself I wasn't
going to miss that tournament.
"I
had a feeling we were going to win it. Don't ask me why - I never have those
feelings - and then we ended up winning it. It was the right ending to a summer
for those kids, because those were the same kids I had for four years. They started
the program."
South
Florida Elite Squad will send three teams to this weekend's Florida Qualifier -
Upperclass Black, Upperclass White and Upperclass Red. Palmer called it a
"toss-up" between his Black and White squads as to which would
be the better team on any given day.
"It
all depends on who's on the mound for them," he said. "If they played
a series it would be tough to really decide. If they played a three-game series
it would depend on who those three guys were that they threw against each other."
This
year's South Florida Elite Squad is led by right-handed pitcher Nick Travieso
(Pembroke Pines, Fla., 2012) who is Perfect Game's 14th-ranked national
Top Prospect in the class of 2012 (No. 5 in Florida). Right-hander Hayden Hurst
(Jacksonville, Fla., 2012) is ranked 17th nationally by Perfect Game and
has spent time this summer pitching for South Florida Elite and Jacksonville
Heat. Hurst is ranked 16th nationally by Perfect Game, sixth in the state of
Florida.
Catcher/infielder
Michael Klement (Cooper City, Fla., 2012) is ranked 63rd nationally by
Perfect Game (14th in Florida) and infielder Estebaun Puerta (Cooper
City, Fla., 2012) has been ranked at points in his young career.
South
Florida Elite Squad enjoyed a successful summer. It's 16U Black team finished
second at PG BCS Finals at Fort Myers in late July, and
shortstop Brandon Lopez (Miramar, Fla., 2012) was named the tournament MVP
after batting .521 (12-for-23) with 11 RBIs and nine runs scored.
Because
of last year's title, the Florida Qualifier has become a highlight of the late
summer for South Florida Elite Squad. Palmer said that even if South Florida
Elite Squad already had an automatic invitation to Jupiter, he would
continue to send teams to the Florida Qualifier.
"Just
because it's a great event with good competition, and for the exposure
purposes," he said.
Despite
the heady competition that lies in wait, Palmer thinks one of his teams should
have a shot at the Florida Qualifier championship again this year.
"The
fall is a little bit different because we don't practice as much out of respect
for their high school (fall sports) coaches, so I'm hoping they can gel
quickly," Palmer said. "To win any Perfect Game event, you not only
have to be good but have a little bit of luck on your side, as well. Hopefully
we have both of those things working on our side."
And the
carrot at the end of the stick is there for all to see - the paid berth to the
PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, the biggest and best tournament for high
school-age players in the nation with more than 80 elite teams. Being able to
play at Jupiter last year proved to be a thrill for everyone associated with
South Florida Elite Sqaud.
"At
every game we were surrounded by golf carts filled with college coaches,
crosscheckers, scouts, fans - I don't think it's something any of these kids
will experience unless they go to that event," Palmer said. "(Perfect
Game events at) East Cobb and Fort Myers are very highly scouted, don't get me
wrong, but when you go to Jupiter and you see golf carts lined up from home
plate all the way down the foul line, it's a pretty impressive sight."
Palmer
wants to expose his players to that kind of scrutiny, especially from college
coaches. He said a couple of players committed to colleges after last
year's Florida Qualifier and a couple more followed suit after the World
Championship.
"Obviously,
the best part about it is more and more kids are going to school from our
organization," he said. "The fact that we're able to play a part in
that, that's what it's about. That's why we decided to expand. If we can help
more kids get into school, why not?
"I
really do enjoy going to the Perfect Game events (for that reason). It's the
highlight of our summer. I know every team in our organization, whether it be
15-and-under to 18-and-under looks forward to going to East Cobb, Fort Myers
and, obviously, Jupiter."