EMERSON, Ga. – One could say that the Georgia Legends were opportunists on this particular championship Monday at the 2015 18u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint event. Anytime they were handed a free base by way of a walk, or given an opportunity by the 643 DP Athletics defense – who committed five errors in six innings – they capitalized.

Throughout almost every inning, the Legends were able to put at least one run across the board, which really wore out the pitching staff of the 643 Athletics. The Athletics went to three different pitchers, but none made the difference that they had hoped for, as the Legends continued to scrape runs across the board line drive after line drive until the game was over. The Legends came out on top, 11-3.

It wasn’t that the Legends were hitting dinky bloopers that were falling in the right place; they were hitting absolute shots down the line. The speed on the basepaths played its part, as the Legends were able to take extra base upon extra base each time that the Athletics threw a ball away.

The mistakes of the Athletics definitely played a role in this championship game, but that is not to take away from the fantastic performances that the players of the Legends had. Many players had multi-hit days, but the player who shined brightest this weekend was H.D. Dillard. Dillard earned the honors of MVP, and considering he hit over .500 for the weekend, it is easy to see why. Dillard went an astounding 8-for-15 throughout the tournament, with two doubles, four RBI and five runs scored.

“This spring season definitely helped to prepare me for this tournament,” said Dillard. “A lot of us went pretty far in the playoffs and that’s where we got to see a lot of quality pitching. I think for me to be playing in such intense baseball leading up to this tournament, I was able to relax and trust my ability more due to having so many reps in the last couple of months. I really focused on trying to not do too much at the plate this weekend.”

Dillard was not the only one who received honors this weekend; Robert Knox led the way for all pitchers by winning the Most Valuable Pitcher award. Knox’s clutch performance in the quarterfinals of this tournament did not go unnoticed, and it is what helped him to earn this particular honor. Knox’s astounding performance in the quarterfinals consisted of a complete game allowing only one earned run and three strikeouts.

Knox also showed fabulous command, only walking one batter, and his performance helped the Legends to build momentum on the road to the championship.

“I just got on a roll and stuff was moving the way I wanted it to,” said Knox. “I would say that my changeup was my go-to pitch this weekend. Hitters just seemed to be thrown off balance by it, and I was able to put it where I wanted in important counts.”

Coach Ronnie Dillard was certainly impressed with his team’s performance this weekend.

“We have a good group of ball players,” Coach Dillard said after the championship game. “They play at a high level, and have played at a high level all their life. They have been very well coached throughout the years, and they just know how to play the game.”

The most special thing about the Legends claiming the WWBA Memorial Day tournament title is that they have had little to no practice time together. They simply came out here and played baseball the only way they knew how to play it, clean and aggressively. The road was not easy, as they barely snuck past the East Cobb Astros in the semifinals, 3-1. Runs were at a premium in that game for the Legends, but that was not the case in the title game.

Looking forward, the Legends are going to try to feed off this tournament win and attempt to continue the winning streak throughout the rest of the summer.

“This tournament was a good start, but we still have a lot of work to do,” added Dillard. “We saw a lot of unbelievable competition this weekend, and that will definitely help with gearing us up for the rest of what should be a successful summer.”


2015 18u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint runner-up: 643 DP Athletics Cougars 18u



2015 18u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MVP: H.D. Dillard, Georgia Legends



2015 18u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MV-Pitcher: Robert Knox, Georgia Legends





643 DP Cougars handle business against Team Mission for 16u title

The 643 DP Cougars played consistent baseball this weekend, going undefeated throughout the entire tournament to earn them the 16u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint tournament championship. They secured their title today with a 7-2 victory over Team Mission baseball. The matchup of Team Mission and the 643 DP Cougars was certainly an intriguing one, considering that both teams were undefeated when they met this morning.

Both teams displayed prolific offenses, putting up a plethora of runs in most of the games that they played. Team Mission was a relatively unheard of ball club before this weekend, but they definitely made a name for themselves by handily beating each team they played up until the championship. Unfortunately for them, the 643 DP Cougars were on a mission and they refused to be denied.

Throughout the weekend, the jerseys that donned the numbers 643 were seen in every age bracket. Most of the teams that 643 DP had competing were quite successful, but none were as successful as this 15u bunch that impressed fans throughout the LakePoint complex with their fantastic pitching and timely hitting. Specifically in this game, it was one big inning that helped the 643 DP cougars to get the ball rolling and secure their championship win.

The second inning contained a string of hits off of Team Mission’s pitcher Connor Sims and the 643 squad was able to get out to an early six-run lead. They rode that lead all the way to the end, until they were crowned champions.

Although they were eventually crowned the event champion, their path to the title was not an easy one. Both of the 643 Cougars’ playoff games were two-run games. The close games were uncharacteristic of the Cougars this weekend, but it made winning the championship that much sweeter knowing that they had to work so hard to get to where they ultimately wanted to be.

MVP honors went to the Cougars’ Ryan Miller who went 8-for-15 on the weekend with a mind boggling nine RBI and five runs scored. Ryan accounted for a ridiculous amount of offense this weekend, thus justifying his MVP trophy that he held proudly above his head today.

“A lot of hard work and dedication went into this weekend,” said Miller after the game. “Getting focused before the game really helped me to get ready for these games. I think this tournament win is a big step for us, and I was glad that I was able to contribute”

The MV-Pitcher award went to Team Mission’s Joseph Blankenship. Blankenship was a big part of the reason that Team Mission made it to the championship this weekend. Blankenship’s impressive masterpiece against the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals of the playoffs consisted of a complete game shutout, in which he stuck out seven and only walked one.

“My off-speed was what was really working for me this weekend,” Blankenship said of his performance. “They were getting ahead on my fastball, so I decided to switch it up with my curveball. Then, towards the end of the game, they had that off=speed in the back of their mind, so I was able to blow them away with the fastball.”

The 643 DP Cougars and Team Mission were dominant throughout this tournament, and they hope to build off the success they experienced this weekend the rest of this summer. Coach Jerry Slutsky of the Cougars, was thrilled with his team’s winning performance, especially given the stage and how early it is in the summer. Coach Slutksy and the rest of the coaching staff at 643 DP like to instill a sense of family in their teams in hopes that the kids learn to rely on each other when the going gets tough.

“The kids were all leaning on each other,” said Slutsky. “The pitchers were handing the ball off to each other and everyone was challenging each other to raise the bar higher each game.

“We go out to win every single tournament, and its fun to start off the summer with a win. Perfect Game tournaments always have strong competition, but our guys were up for the challenge. It’s always fun to win and we hope to continue that trend.”


2015 16u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint champions: 643 DP Cougars Montgomery



2015 16u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint runner-up: Mission Team Baseball



2015 16u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MVP: Ryan Miller, 643 DP Cougars Montgomery



2015 16u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MV-Pitcher: Joseph Blankenship, Mission Team Baseball





East Cobb Astros offense overpowers 643 DP Jaguars for 14u title

The East Cobb Astros 14u team is filled with young talent and potential, and that was shown on their undefeated route to the 14u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint championship. The Astros combined unstoppable hitting, cool headed composure, and a great pitching staff in order to beat the 643 DP Jaguars in the championship by a score of 10-6.

This championship provided a good amount of drama, due to the game being so back and forth, and both teams pulled out all of the stops when it came to their pitching changes. Multiple pitchers were used by both teams, and there was a heavy amount of run scoring. In fact, both of the teams felt, coming into the game, that it was going to be a low scoring affair, but it turned out to be the opposite.

The excitement of this championship was felt by all, and once the final out was called, the fans of the East Cobb Astros could finally let out a sigh of relief. Even in the final half inning of the game, one was not sure what the outcome of this game would be. At one point, there were bases loaded for the 643 DP Jaguars, with the tying run at the plate. Luckily for the Astros, their bullpen did not fold under pressure and got them out of the jam. The energy was electric for this 14u championship game, and is sure to provide great memories for everyone involved.

The East Cobb Astros relied mostly on the bat of the tournament MVP, Chayce Bryant. In today’s championship, Bryant had two key hits, and overall he went 12-for-20 (.600 average) with two doubles, 10 RBI and three runs scored. One could say that he was playing like a man possessed.

“I knew that the wood bats don’t do as much as the metal bats that I use in the spring, so I was just trying not to be tense and stay middle and away with the balls that I was squaring up,” said Bryant. “My coaches working with me in the cages gave me confidence, and when I got to the plate, I just knew to have faith in myself”

Pitching wise, the Astros used Caleb Reis to the best of his ability. Reis earned the honor of MV-Pitcher this weekend, and his outing in the quarterfinals is what cemented his dominant status. Reis threw complete game shutout in the quarterfinals with eight strikeouts against the No. 1 overall seed, the EvoShield Canes.

“In terms of preparation, I was just trying to do my best to stay loose and healthy. A lot of icing and bullpen sessions went into preparing for this tournament,” said Reis. “My fastball was great this weekend, and my slider was diving in to the righthanded batters, but I really think my curveball was my out pitch. No matter what count, my curveball seemed to be working”

The East Cobb Astros didn’t have to sweat much in the playoffs leading up to the championship, handling the aforementioned EvoShield and the Carolina Vipers pretty easily; both of the games included great pitching, for the Astros, considering that they held both of their opponents to one run or less.

All the way around, the Astros did an outstanding job between the lines and rightfully earned the title. Led by Coach Dave Roberts, the Astros are a 14u team that many opponents fear when they see their name on the schedule. Coach Roberts is proud of this bunch, and has high expectations for them moving forward. Upon preparation for this tournament, Coach Roberts stressed error free baseball and trying to drive the ball to all parts of the field.

“Wood bat tournaments are about pitching and playing defense,” said Roberts. “Most games are low scoring games, so to play error free baseball gives you the best chance at winning.

“This tournament was a nice experience. We’re just getting back everyone from high school baseball, and I thought they really came together and made some improvements. The teams we played were really good, especially some of the local teams.”

The Astros hope to keep improving throughout this summer and plan to live up to the reputation of East Cobb Baseball as they continue their winning ways.


2015 14u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint champions: East Cobb Astros 14u



2015 14u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint runnerup: 643 DP Jaguars



2015 14u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MVP: Chayce Bryant, East Cobb Astros 14u



2015 14u WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint MV-Pitcher: Caleb Reis, East Cobb Astros 14u