EMERSON, Ga. – With the 17u WWBA National Championship right around the corner, and pool play in the 2015 18u WWBA National Championship coming to a close, we revisit the 17u WWBA Elite Round Robin. Tomorrow will be the last day of games for this smaller event, and teams are making sure that they get every bit of preparation they can in these final two days.

Whether you’re a team that’s been on a roll all summer and continued it into the Round Robin, or a team that is still working out the kinks, rest assured that the slate will be wiped clean come Friday when the 17u National Championship tournament commences.

These games have provided some great entertainment to spectators seeking elite amateur baseball. The Team Citius Warriors decided they could use the head start and made the trip all the way from Dallas, Texas, to compete in this week’s Elite Round Robin. So far their offense has been lacking, as they have only scored three runs, but they still entered the day with a 1-1 record.

They squared up against the 2-0 Florida Burn, who have put up only six runs, but have yet to be scored on. These teams came into Wednesday with the hopes of finding their bats and gaining some momentum going into the National Championship tournament.

Both the Florida Burn and the Team Citius Warriors have their fair share of talent ranging from multiple top D-I conferences such as the SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12. The Warriors carry a lot of top talent from all over the country, including players from New York, California, Florida and Texas. Most of their commits are to schools in the Texas area, with a few exceptions to schools such as Stanford and Oregon. With a respectable amount of D-I commits, both of these teams have the potential to be a real force in the 2015 17u WWBA National Championship; they just have to piece it all together in these last two games.

Even though both of these teams seemed pretty evenly matched coming into today’s contest, the outcome of this game would be very lopsided. The Florida Burn really turned on their bats today, and they also got a stellar performance on the mound from their starter, Corey Ireson. Right from the start, one could tell that Ireson had his stuff today. His long and lengthy motion allows his fastball to get on batters very quickly, and he also has a sharp curveball that he can locate with pinpoint accuracy.

Through the first two innings, there was little offense for both teams but the Florida Burn would get their scoring party underway in the top of the third. With a few deep drives to left-center field after a walk or two, the Burn put up four runs in the third and fourth innings. That would be all the offense that was required for today, but the Burn did not stop there. They busted the game wide open in the fifth inning with an exciting seven-run offensive output that included a monster three-run home run off the bat of Florida commit Brady McConnell.

This inning would seal the deal, and help the Burn cruise to an 11-0 victory in a game that ended after just five innings.

Corey Ireson was the x-factor in this game for a couple of reasons. One being that the game could have gone either way in the first couple of innings, but he stayed confident in his fastball and let his defense work behind him. The other reason being that he only allowed two hits through five innings of work and didn't allow any runs to score.

“My go-to pitch was my fastball,” said Ireson of his performance. “My fastball was pretty on; the other pitches were alright, but I definitely relied on my fastball. I feel really good about how we have played so far, and hopefully tomorrow we can get back out there and not let any runs on the board like we have been doing.”

Ireson’s amazing job on the mound was complemented by a great day at the plate for Brady McConnell. McConnell’s three-run bomb in the fourth really got that big inning started, and his home run would essentially be the dagger in the hearts of Team Cititus.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit lately, so I just tried to simplify things and get my foot down earlier, let the ball get deep,” McConnell said of his approach. “I like our chances at the National Championship later on this week. We have been winning big games and our pitching has been real good. I think we need to keep swinging how we are. For myself, I just need to keep leading the team. We have a lot of other leaders too, so if those guys step up, we should be good.”

The Florida Burn have been racking up the wins as of late, and are really picking up steam coming into the 2015 17u WWBA National Championship. Their last game tomorrow puts a cap on their Round Robin experience and then the focus will then shift to a much more competitive atmosphere. The Burn won the 16u PG World Series in 2012, and captured a championship at the Florida WWBA World Championship Qualifier in 2014; they’re goal is to add 2015 17u WWBA National Champs to that resume, as well.

Their Head Coach, Craig Faulkner, is optimistic heading into the big tournament after today’s convincing win.

“It took us a little bit to get going today after the rain delay, and we had to get focused and shorten up our swings,” Faulkner said. “After that, we really started hitting the ball. A bunt in the third was big for us, and of course, Ireson was great and throwing all his pitches for strikes. I think the thing that we can do better is taking advantage of opportunities early, and having better at bats early.

“Our pitching has been outstanding, but we have to be more advantageous at the plate. This Round Robin is a great event because you’re playing against great competition, and also there are a lot of people to watch our guys shine. It’s been a nice experience.”