Also see: No sleeping on the Hitters

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Rawlings Hitters Navy knocked out heavy hitter after heavy hitter on their way to winning the 2015 WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship. Their final win, moving the Hitters to a perfect 7-0 in the tournament, came against Iowa Select Navy, seeded third heading into the playoffs, with a 5-2 victory.

As they had been doing in the games leading up to the championship tilt, the Hitters got on the board early, scoring a run in the second inning and two more in the third.

PG All-American shortstop and leadoff hitter Gavin Lux set the tone at the top of the order by going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in the championship game. Jarred Kelenic, Austin Emanuel and Trey Leonard added the other run-scoring base hits.

Kelenic and Emanuel, the Hitters' five- and six-hole hitters, were particularly tough outs in this tournament. Kelenic batted .450 (9-for-20) in seven games with a double, a triple, four driven in and nine runs scored while Emanuel hit .556 (10-for-18) with two doubles, eight driven in and three runs scored.

Kelenic also took the mound in the Hitters second game of pool play, striking out three batters in 1 1/3 innings on his way to being named the event's Most Valuable Player.

“It's a blessing to have,” Kelenic said of the honor. “I wasn't really worried about getting this award. I was really just competing, getting this championship done. We've worked so hard in the offseason and in the season, so just to come here and win was a good thing.”

One of the younger players on the team, Kelenic, who is currently ranked 10th overall in the nation in the class of 2018, has been able to learn a lot about the game and grow playing in such a successful program with the older players leading the way.

“Playing with older guys my whole entire life I've learned to grow up pretty fast,” Kelenic added. “(Knowing) that even if you make an out it's not the end of the world, you're always going to get another one. To always compete. You can't come out here some days and compete. Every day you have to come out 100 percent all of the time.”

Hitters founder and coach R.J. Fergus was also quick to recognize the production that both Kelenic and Emanuel provided this weekend.

“Kelenic and Austin Emanuel, you couldn't ask anything more from them guys,” Fergus said. “I don't know how many RBIs Austin had and how many runs Jarrod had scoring, but it was huge. Without those two guys in the middle of the order we're not standing here now.”

Iowa Select Navy had to turn to a reliever in the first inning after righthanded starter Jarred Wood was forced to leave the game after taking a screaming line drive – off the bat of Ben Rortvedt – off of his pitching arm. Izaya Ono-Fullard, who closed out Iowa Select's semifinal game, was called upon to carry the team through the next 2 1/3 innings, with Bryce Simon working the final four frames.

With those two arms minimizing the damage, Iowa Select threatened late in the game, scoring single runs in both the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings. However, the Hitters, who scored single runs of their own in the fifth and sixth innings to widen their lead, were able to close out the game without any further damage and secure their automatic, paid invitation to the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla. in late October.

“This is the fifth big one of the year, we'll take that any day,” Fergus said of his team's championship, his third Kernels title while at the helm of the Hitters program. “The biggest thing is that the ball bounced our way and we pitched when we had to and had our timely hits.

“We feel blessed to win. In all of the years I've been playing out here there used to be three or four, maybe five or six, club teams that were always together in the end. Now, it's all different. The guys from Iowa are so much better now than they were 5-6 years ago, thanks to Steve (James) and everything else that they do.”

Lefthander Troy Hickey started the game for the Hitters and worked five scoreless frames, scattering three base hits and two walks while striking out three.

With the championship the Hitters cap off a tremendously successful summer travel season, winning multiple tournaments on their way to having the opportunity to play for the biggest trophy of them all in Jupiter. While some of their more notable stars have committed to play with other programs at the WWBA World Championship, traveling to Jupiter to compete against the nation's top players and teams will give Fergus the opportunity to give some of his younger players an opportunity to shine on the biggest stage there is.

“We're really happy to be the champion and we're really happy and proud that Perfect Game allows us to play in their events,” Fergus said. “Without what (Perfect Game) does I don't know how many of these kids would be seen by universities outside of the Midwest.

“I'm not sure how the other (qualifying events) are, but I can't imagine them being more competitive than this one is. We're just really, really glad that we won. I can't say anything more than I'm happy.”

To get to the championship game the Rawlings Hitters Navy had to fend off a tough Twins Cities Baseball Academy team, who were the No. 1 seed entering the playoffs. In the top of the first it looked as though the Hitters may have their way with the Twin Cities club, putting four runs on the board with a pair of two-run doubles, one by Justin Lavey and the other by Emanuel.

However, Twin Cities answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, and then moved ahead of the Hitters with a three-run third. Single tallies in the fifth and sixth innings allowed the Hitters to tie the game, and then move ahead, winning the game 6-5.

In the quarterfinals the Hitters rode a masterful performance on the mound by two-way talent Cyrillo Watson to knock off Iowa Select Black, who entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed, 11-0. Kelenic and Emanuel each went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, while Watson shut down Iowa Select's 2016 club by allowing just one hit and two walks, with 10 strikeouts, over five innings before the game ended due to the run rule.

Due to his dominant performance on Sunday night Watson, who now peaks in the low-90s with a sharp mid- to upper-70s curveball, was named the event's Most Valuable Pitcher.

“In the bullpen it was kind of rough,” Watson admitted about how he felt prior to the game. “Throughout the game I felt a little more confident with myself, and as the team went on to put runs on the board for me I gained more confidence and dominated throughout the game.”

“The game that Cyrillo threw last night, if there was a better guy in this event I'd like to know who it was,” Fergus added of Watson's performance. “He was 90, 92 (to go along with) that breaking ball. It was phenomenal how he threw, with command and everything else. It's on him to get us to this day.”

This year marked Watson's third in Cedar Rapids for the Kernels Foundation Championship, and his time spent in Jupiter later this month will mark his second time at the WWBA World Championship. A long-time member of the Hitters program, Watson is quick to point out the growth he has enjoyed the past several years playing under Fergus' guidance.

“I've been playing with Hitters since I've been 12. R.J.'s been a big part of it, helping me grow up, becoming more mature (and) he's what made me the baseball player I am today. We've been coming here the past couple of years and we always made it until Monday. It's been a great experience, and going forward to Jupiter, that's just one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.”

Iowa Select Navy's path to the title game included a come-from-behind win against a tough Team DeMarini Illinois club. Team DeMarini took an early 3-0 lead, scoring a single run in the top of the first and two more in the second. However, Iowa Select righthander A.J. Pierce shut them down for the next four frames and allowed his team to get back into the game.

And they did just that, scoring two runs in the fourth and single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to pull even and then ahead to win the game 4-3. Nick Hagen's run-scoring double to the gap in left-center allowed Iowa Select to tie the game in the fifth, and another RBI double by John Swanda allowed them to pull ahead.

Team DeMarini did make things interesting in the top of the seventh. Jacob Diaz led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on an error by the left fielder. He then moved to third on a wild pitch by reliever Izaya Ono-Fullard with no one out. Ono-Fullard then induced a pop up, and with the infield drawn in Gregory Bennett made a spectacular diving play at second base to snare a line drive hit back up the middle, holding the runner at third base with two outs.

The final batter was retired on a groundout to shortstop that secured the semifinal win for Iowa Select Navy.


2015 WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship runner-up: Iowa Select Navy



2015 WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship MVP: Jarred Kelenic



2015 WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship MV-Pitcher: Cyrillo Watson