It might not seem like #UnansweredHipHopQuestions, #NationalKissingDay and High School Travel Baseball have a lot in common, but as of Friday afternoon, there is one thing that they all share. These three stories are all among the top talked about topics in social media.
The Perfect Game National Championships are now trending on Twitter. Using the hash-tag #PGTourney, the tournament has peaked up to the third most popular theme for interested tweeters.
Tweets flowed in from multiple incoming players, showing excitement about their upcoming games. Multiple Perfect Game scouts have sent out live game updates and 140 character scouting reports. Even the official twitter of Georgia Tech Baseball (@GT_Baseball) chimed in; congratulating their future Yellow Jackets who helped guide the East Cobb Yankees to the 18u title.
All the buzz about the WWBA is not surprising to those who are familiar with the tournament. Hundreds of college coaches and professional scouts have been seen at the East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, Ga., taking in the action and looking for players to add to their programs.
South Carolina Head Coach Ray Tanner is among the coaches in attendance. Tanner has led the Gamecocks to the national championship series in each of the past three years, winning back-to-back titles before falling to Arizona just 11 days ago.
When asked why he chose to make the trip to Marietta, Tanner said, “It’s simple. Where can you go for three weeks to see as many players as possible? You can go to (individual) games and workouts but it is great to see all of the top players in a competitive environment.”
The 17u WWBA features many of the nation’s top amateur baseball teams. Yak Baseball West has four players ranked in the top 20 nationally for the class of 2013. Clint Frazier (@CJF19), PG’s top-ranked prospect, is competing for Team Elite alongside Rowdy Tellez and Austin Meadows (@awmeads16). Tellez beat Frazier in the finals of the Rawlings Home Run Challenge at the Perfect Game National Showcase last month.
Other teams with top prospects include Marucci Elite, Dirtbags, FTB-Chandler, Houston Banditos-Black, Evoshield Canes, East Cobb Braves and the Orlando Scorpions.
Braves’ first baseman Nathaniel Maggio (@NathanielMaggio) said, “There are so many teams here and so many great teams. It is a lot of fun.”
North Carolina commit Wood Myers, who plays shortstop for the Dirtbags said, “Every time we come to a Perfect Game event there is really good competition. We are just excited to get going and to try to back up the hype.”
With all of the talented players and quality ball clubs, the 17u WWBA has become the nation’s premier tournament.
Tanner said, “This tournament is a rite of summer as an amateur baseball player. It’s just a quality event for evaluating talent in a competitive environment.”
While he didn’t give specifics about his next batch of recruits, Tanner did say that all but one of his future Gamecocks will play this week in the 17u WWBA.
Make sure to follow @PerfectGameUSA for all of the upcoming action, and chime in by using the hash-tag #PGTourney.