THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION

| 2,320 MLB PLAYERS | 15,136 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS

2,320 MLB PLAYERS | 15,136 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS

Create Account

Tournaments | Championship | 6/23/2025

Leaving Their Legacy at 16u Summer Select

Ashley Mears

Ashley Zunic

Legacy Baseball 16U rallied to claim the 2025 Perfect Game Florida Summer Select Championship with a 4-3 comeback win over Lake Norman Thunder.

The atmosphere was electric from the first pitch – loud dugouts, the crowd on edge, and two teams locked in a tense battle. Thunder struck early in the top of the first, with Lj Williams ripping a double and scoring on Carson Rivenbark’s RBI single. That 1-0 lead held for most of the game, as both teams’ pitchers kept the hitters in check.

Legacy’s left-hand pitcher, Grant Falde was a steady force on the mound, throwing a complete game. Over seven innings, he allowed just three runs, seven hits, striking out four, and walking only one through 83 pitches. Falde’s fastball topped at 73 mph, 69 mph with both his curveball and slider.

“Just believed in myself, throwing strikes, just doing what I always do, locked in.”

Despite trailing for five innings, Legacy never lost focus. With the championship on the line in the bottom of the sixth, the bats came alive. Devin Raines led off with a double, followed by singles from Nick Renteria and Logan Miller. Hayden Finke stepped up and delivered a single to bring home Raines and Renteria, giving Legacy the lead.

When asked how it felt to come through for his team, Finke kept it simple.

“[It was] so great. Everybody was cheering me on,” Finke said. “I just tried to get a run in—you know, just hit the ball.”

Legacy added two more runs in the inning, with Miller and Finke crossing the plate to give them a 4-1 lead heading into the final frame.

Thunder responded in the top of the seventh, scoring twice while putting the tying run on third. But Falde stayed composed, recording the final out on a fly out to center field to seal the win.

Tournament MVP Nick Renteria was a steady force throughout with seven hits, five runs, six RBI, and three triples.

Renteria credited his success to his teammates, coaches, and his work on and off the field.

“It’s not just me,” Renteria said. “It was really my teammates uplifting me and working together,” he added. “My coaches, they pushed me to be the best version of myself.”

Beyond the support system around him, Renteria pointed to his training routine as a key factor in his performance.

“I like to do a lot of shoulder workouts, just to keep my arm good, a lot of legs to get a little faster. And really, it’s just my mental game too. I like to work on seeing what I like, seeing what I don’t like in my game, and just working on that.”

For head coach Tim Raines Junior, the win was about more than just the score.

“It means everything to us. I mean, we’ve never played in a Perfect Game tournament before,” Coach Raines said. “A lot of these kids are 15U… playing against some older kids. I think the opportunity for them to get out here and compete and to win something like this should prove to them that they can play with older guys and that baseball doesn't really care about your age.”

Coach Raines emphasized the importance of pitching, defense, and team chemistry throughout the tournament.

“We had some really good pitching this tournament. Defense was solid, we didn’t give up many extra outs. And we had timely hitting when it mattered,” he said. “But the biggest thing was the energy. After the first day, I told them, your chemistry is getting better. This is our third tournament of the summer, and the guys are starting to gel.”

Legacy’s resilience was tested in both the semifinals and championship games.

“Winning is always fun,” he said. “But in a situation like this, it just really proves to them that they can compete, and they can play at this level and winning a tournament like this, it should tell them that.”

As the team looks ahead to the rest of the summer, Coach Raines hopes this win becomes a foundation for continued growth.

They stayed in it, stayed ready—and when it mattered most, they delivered.

As Finke put it: “Always keep trying. You always have a chance to win.”

PERFECTGAME.TV