EMERSON, Ga. – Winning back-to-back championships is a feat that many teams attempt, but few achieve, especially considering the quality of teams at this year’s 18u PG/East Cobb Invitational. Home-field advantage probably won’t help the East Cobb Astros in becoming repeat champions, but their roster full of Division I commits might.

The East Cobb Astros have 13 college commitments on their roster, nine of them being to D-I schools including Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Auburn, LSU and Kentucky. Heading into Saturday the Astros had lived up to expectations, having disposed of their first two opponents. They opened the tournament with a big win over the Georgia Blackcrackers, 9-0, and then took care of business against the Gold Glove Elite, 5-2.

The victory against the Blackcrackers set the tone for the Astros this weekend, as three of their pitchers combined for a no-hitter on top of that overwhelming amount of run scoring. Since that game, they haven’t looked back.

“We’re just trying to take it one game at a time,” said East Cobb head coach Jamie Crane before Saturday's game. “We’re set up the rest of the way for pitching as long as we can get through this game without using too many arms. We have Zach Goodman, a Clemson commit, throwing for us in this final game of pool play. I feel real good about our chances with him on the mound.”

And Goodman pitched as advertised on Saturday, an 8-0 win over the previously undefeated Players Edge 18u squad. Goodman worked four impressive innings in which he allowed just one base hit in four innings, striking out a pair.

Goodman is just one of the many pitchers who can reach the low-90s for the East Cobb Astros. They have no shortage of power arms and that may possibly be their ticket to a repeat championship.

On top of the absurd amount of pitching the Astros have, they also have some serious wheels. Goodman will be relying on the speed of his high school teammate Reggie Pruitt to provide a spark on the basepaths for run support.

Over at Kennesaw Mountain High, these two wreaked havoc against opposing Georgia high schools and helped their school break into Perfect Game's Top 50 team rankings, currently sitting in the 39th spot. Goodman is used to having the luxury of Pruitt’s world-class speed behind him in the outfield, and is able to breathe easy any time a ball is hit in the outfield.

Pruitt, a Vanderbilt commit with a blazing 60-yard dash time of 6.58 seconds, is one of the fastest players in the country and an overall intriguing talent. Named as a 2015 Second Team All-American, Pruitt is ranked 119th in the Perfect Game high school player rankings, and has attended 29 PG events. In nine of those events he was named to the All-Tournament team in addition to being named the MVP of two of those tournaments, one of them being the 2014 17u BCS Finals.

Pruitt also attended the 2014 PG National Showcase, where he displayed his top-notch speed and his strong arm (he threw 93 mph from the outfield). After going 1-for-2 in Saturday's win – with that one hit being a triple – Pruitt is now 4-for-5 at the plate, but given his resume, one can certainly infer that he will be a difference maker from beginning to end at this weekend’s PG/East Cobb Invitational.

“Reggie is a fast-twitch player, he’s a catalyst,” said Crane. “(He) plays hard and plays fast. He can go first to third in a second. It helps us to have that guy at the front of the lineup. He really gets things going for us.”

Pruitt is looking forward to enrolling this fall at Vanderbilt and he is excited to play for Coach Tim Corbin in hopes of winning a national championship, which the Commodores accomplished last year. However, there may be an MLB club who’d rather see him play for them instead.

Pruitt is being considered by many MLB teams and hopes to have his name called as the three-day MLB Draft commences on Monday.

“I’m feeling real good about the draft. I have about eight to 10 teams very interested, and are looking to take me somewhere in the second to third round,” said Pruitt. “Whether I decide to forgo college is dependent on the amount of money. My family and I will put a lot of thought into it once the time comes, and if it doesn’t work out, going and playing for Coach Corbin over at Vanderbilt will be a great opportunity and I can do this whole process again in a few years.”

Pruitt’s speed is his x-factor, but he also has impeccable defensive skills in the outfield and a special ability at the plate.

“My speed and my defense are the biggest parts of my game,” added Pruitt. “I’m not a power hitter, but I’ve been working hard to improve on that part of my game. I try to hit more for contact than anything else. My main goal each game is to just make an impact, whether it be with my ability or my instincts.”

Although many of these players are excited to get their college baseball career started, a couple of them will be anxiously waiting by their phone for that once in a lifetime call. However, the excitement of the draft is not posing much of a distraction for these talented few. For these players, this tournament is their last chance to make a good impression and raise their draft stock, so the focus is purely on playing flawless baseball.

Coach Crane believes in his team’s ability to win back-to-back PG/East Cobb Invitational championships. Even though the Astros cut the amount of players they brought to this year’s invitational in half, their pitching is as solid, if not more so, than last year’s. They will continue to face the top arms in the tournament with a pretty big target on their back, but Coach Crane is optimistic that his team will stay hot.

Something that is different about this team compared to last year’s champs is the mentality of the players. Coach Crane feels that this particular group of guys display more toughness than last year’s bunch, and he is impressed with their ability to handle adversity.

“Were a lot more blue collar this year,” said Crane. “These kids are great at battling back when they’re in a corner. I think they take the game personal, and that’s hard to find with young players these days. They just don’t wanna get beat.

“I think this event is special because the draft is coming up and this could be the last time these guys get to play for me. This is their last chance to show their stuff off and have fun playing East Cobb baseball, so a lot of these guys want to finish out on top."