EMERSON, Ga. – The South Bay Hustle are currently 4-1 in the 13u PG Summer Showdown at LakePoint, and are set for a playoff run in the event with pool play finishing up. The team, based out of Upland, Calif., certainly lives up to their name, pursuing players that they believe have the heart and hustle to compete.

“What makes us unique is the type of players we go after and what we look for. We look for gritty, grindy baseball players. We’re not looking for the absolute top talented guys that can throw 90 mph, guys that can do everything exceptionally well,” said head coach Jeff Buries.

The Hustle are a new team, but not a new organization, as they broke off the SVG Hustle to create another squad. The team has only been together for about 10 months, but have already experienced success together.

The state of California is known for its wealth of baseball talent, and although there is talent all over the state, Buries said that the organization selects the team in a way that makes them unique. They select only players who live in the same community.

“We look for the tight knit group of people that are within a community, and then we take that group out of a community, and then we like to run with it that way, instead of taking players from around great, large areas. So, we segregate ourselves into specific areas, the San Gabriel Valley, the South Bay, the Inland Empire, and then we pull kids from that area and not allow the kids from the other areas to come in,” Buries said.

The process seems to be working, as many of the players expressed the chemistry and bond that has formed between them.

“I’ve loved it. I started playing with them since they were the Surf, and we’ve grown up as a team and became the Hustle,” said Matt Little. “It’s basically like another family to me.”

Buries said that many of his players did not have much prior experience in travel ball, but they have been quick to learn. The organization enjoys winning, but the main focus for them is developing kids into better baseball players by teaching them about all aspects of the game.

“It’s development, period,” Buries said. “Winning is very important to the game and to an organization, but what is far more important is the way we’re developing the kids and what we’re after. It’s fundamentally based, and it’s the IQ of the game is what we’re teaching.”

Buries has had experience playing in Perfect Game tournaments before with SVG, so when he had the opportunity to travel to Georgia with this squad, he jumped it right away, knowing that the talent the team would face could benefit his players.

“The competition is very good. It’s very comparable. It’s a perfect tournament for this group of kids, it’s excellent. We love to see the teams from around the country, and then as far as playing teams from out of Georgia and Florida, that’s why we really like to come out here and do it,” Buries said.

Third baseman Thomas Hummer said that he has enjoyed the experience, especially the environment that LakePoint provides.

“It’s been so fun,” Hummer said. “It’s kind of like a kid’s dream out here.”

Little expressed those same statements, adding that the fields have been one of his favorite parts.

“I love it, the fields are amazing,” Little said.  “The atmosphere is great, and the playing level and the intensity is amazing.”

The team made a statement in pool play, en route to finishing second in their pool. So far, the offense has been the catalyst to the team’s success, having outscored opponents 43-30. Three of their team’s five games have been double-digit offensive games. Little has gone 6-for-14 with five runs and six RBIs so far, while Hummer is 8-for-12 with four runs scored. Center fielder Corey Guevara has also contributed to the offense, going 7-for-13 with six runs and four RBIs.

“Honestly, it’s our approach,” Buries said. “The approach that we teach and what we teach them to look for in spots, certain counts and locations, and they’ve really adapted.”

The offense was able to bail out the pitching, who gave up 13 runs over their first two games. The staff was able to get back on track in their next two games, giving up only five runs in that span. They were led by a tremendous effort on the mound by Jeremey Giesegh against the Ninth Inning Royals Edwards. The righty gave up only four hits and one earned run over five strong innings to pick up the win. Buries attributes the recent turnaround of the pitching performances to the change in how their pitchers attack hitters.

“We’ve been playing up for a long time 14u, they’ve been playing up,” Buries said. “You throw strikes at the beginning stages of the BBCOR, and you get outs. Their mindset changed with the drop five, and they tried to be too fine early, walking a ton of guys, trying to be too fine, so finally we just said throw strikes. If they hit doubles, they hit doubles, you live with it, but once we went back to that approach, we started getting people out.”

A game against the Central MS Expos 13u would decide their fate heading into the playoffs. The Expos came in at 3-1, which was second in the pool, and Buries knew his team needed to be on top of their game to win.

“Every pool play game’s been very important for us. It’s not like we get to take a game off,” Buries said.

Although South Bay lost the game 12-5, they still finished in second spot in their pool. Both teams will advance to the playoffs, with the first round beginning on Thursday at 5:15 p.m.

“I’m hoping we win the whole thing, [make] no mistakes and just do really well,” said Guevara.