FORT MYERS, Fla. – The 16-team playoff field for the Perfect Game 15u BCS Finals fell into place after 19 rain-delayed pool-play games were completed early Wednesday.
And no one should have been surprised at who was sitting on the top of the heap as the playoffs were scheduled to begin Wednesday afternoon (weather permitting).
The East Cobb Astros, No. 2 in the PG 15u National Travel Team Rankings, went 6-0 in pool-play while limiting its six opponents to five combined runs – they scored 73 themselves – and earned the playoffs’ No. 1 seed.
“I feel like if our team comes out and plays the way we’re capable of playing every day, then we’ve got a chance,” head coach Dennis Jordan said after the Astros won their tournament-opener Saturday. “We look to try to be there at the end – I guess that’s everybody’s goal – and we come out to play every day with a lot of energy and try to work our way to where we need to be.”
Team Georgia, the nation’s No. 16-ranked team, also went 6-0 in pool-play and earned the No. 2 seed. Team Georgia allowed its six pool-play a total of six runs while scoring 52 itself.
Team Georgia head coach Jim Butler down-played his team’s chances in a conversation with Perfect Game before his team had even played a game at the 15u BCS Finals.
“We just want to come in and be able to compete,” he said. “We would be disappointed if we didn’t make the playoffs, but realistically we just want to come in and compete because we know this is one of the best tournaments in the nation, and we know there are a lot of good teams down here.”
East Cobb Team Rawlings and Team Elite 15u also went 6-0 in pool play and earned the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively. All four top seeds were scheduled to play their playoff-openers Wednesday afternoon at Terry Park, weather permitting.
No. 1-ranked Dulins Dodgers and No. 6 So Cal earned high seeds by completing pool-play with 5-0-1 records. Several other teams won their fifth games Wednesday and advanced to the playoffs, including the Dallas Mets.
The Mets won their first two games at the tournament by shutouts, and then dropped a 2-1 nail-biter to the Georgia Academy TPX Dodgers in their third game. They rallied for three straight wins to grab the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, including a 10-2, five-inning decision over the 6-4-3 DP Cougars Wednesday at Terry Park.
“This was our goal. We worked hard all year to be right here,” Mets head coach Miguel Perez said. “The kids want it and hopefully we’ll be there at the end.”
Mitchell Williams, Omar Salinas, Nathaniel Banks and Daniel Ferra each drove in a pair of runs in the win over 6-4-3 DP. Zach Torres allowed four hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts and three walks in four innings of work, and Marshall Herron pitched a perfect fifth.
“Our kids have been playing some good baseball all year,” Perez said. “One thing about our team is that we stuck together as a team. It’s not just one person – everybody has been contributing on this team.”