EMERSON, Ga. – The Elite Squad 14u Prime is back in Georgia for another event, as they participate in the 14u WWBA National Championship at LakePoint. The Miramar, Fla.-based team is no strangers to performing at Perfect Game events, with last year’s 14u squad finishing as the winners of the 14u PG World Series Championship and the third-place team in the 14u BCS Finals.

“We love it, most of our schedule entails Perfect Game events,” said head coach Tyson Ambrose. “We probably go to, as an organization from 13u all the way to 17u, probably every premier event that you have, and some of the ones that are not premier, because we’re right near Pembroke Pines, which we go to Samford, Fort Myers. We’re going to the BCS right after this and then back down here for the World Series.  

The organization, founded by Richie Palmer, has been a hot-bed of talent over the past five years, producing first-round talents such as Jeter Downs (2017), Zach Collins (2016), Lewis Brinson (2012) and Nick Travieso (2012). Their 14u team, although young, is already showing the top-notch talent that is making them a must watch team at the WWBA. Although they are very talented, they are unique because of their collection of talent from one community, not all over the country.

“Well we mostly keep south Florida kids, so we don’t have kids that fly in across the country and stuff like that, so we have kids that we have from a young age all the way to 17,” Ambrose said.

Two of the top 12 players in the class of 2021 are members of the Elite Squad 14u Prime team, including Irving Carter and Jayden Melendez. Ranked as the No. 9 player in the class of 2021, Carter stands out for his arm on the mound, having been clocked at 87 mph as recently as May. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound righty joined Elite Squad when he was 13 years old and is continuing to grow as a player.

“Irv is a power pitcher that has some good secondary stuff,” Ambrose said. “He’s menacing when he’s on the mound and he competes. He’s a competitor, so when the lights shine bright, he wants to be on the mound. I think that his command of the fastball in the strike zone has gotten better. His maturity has gotten better, and just realizing who he is and what he can do and understanding his talent has gotten better.”

His high-octane fastball, in addition to the feel he shows for pitching has yielded him an early commitment to the University of Miami in Florida, one of five in his class committed to the Hurricanes. Carter said that playing for Miami was something he has dreamed of since he could remember.

“Since I was 8 years old, I was in the store and I saw the Miami shirt, and I was like ‘I want to play for them,’” Carter said. “Their tradition and the coaches there and their facilities are just top-notch, so that was an easy decision for me.”

On the other side Carter’s 87-mph fastball, is the team’s catcher Melendez, whose father Mervyl is the head coach at Florida International University. Jayden shows advanced skills on both sides of the ball, and he credits his skills to being around his father and growing up around collegiate teams.

“It’s really been an impact, because growing up, my dad has been a head coach for three universities, three DI [programs], so it’s awesome to see the way that he runs the team and see the way that he really likes the players to be, so it’s really helped me for future,” Jayden Melendez said.

Baseball extends even further in his family, as his brother MJ Melendez was just recently drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. MJ, a Perfect Game All-American and the No. 22 player in the class of 2017 per Perfect Game, has been a big influence in the life of his younger brother, providing an example for his brother to follow. Many of the attributes that his brother was touted with such as leadership skills and top-level defensive tools have been used to describe Jayden, which is no surprise.

“Man, it’s awesome, he’s definitely been a guy for me to look up to because on and off the field, he’s a great kid. He really depicts what I want to be, what I want to be [in the] future, and hopefully I can follow in his footsteps and he’s paved the way for sure,” Jayden Melendez said.

Jayden’s talents have him ranked as the No. 11 player in the class of 2021 per Perfect Game. Although he emulates his brother and his dad, he stressed that he is not just given things because of his name. He wants to be his own player, and hopes to continue to define his game as he moves forward.

“Well, growing up and being labeled as a coach’s kid, people have been like ‘Oh, you’re just a coach’s kid, that’s the only reason why he’s really getting playing time,’” Jayden Melendez said. “Growing up with that label on my back has put a little target, so I want to prove that I’m myself and that I can really prove my game.”

Melendez’s father has already scooped up a few players from the Elite Squad Prime for his own. So far, five players have committed to FIU from the team, including Sean Ambrose. A top 1000 player in the class of 2021 per Perfect Game, Ambrose has been described as a fast-twitched player who can really run. The 5-foot-6, 145-pound shortstop said that his commitment came after he played against Jayden Melendez last year.

“I played against the FIU coach’s son [Jayden] who’s now on our team. I played against him last year in Georgia and I just showed out. I went like 2-for-3 and next thing I know, the next summer I’m committed to FIU as an eighth-grader,” said Sean Ambrose.  

So far, Sean Ambrose is 7-for-16 in the tournament, with three doubles, an RBI and five stolen bases, while Jayden Melendez is 5-for-16 with two doubles, a triple, six RBIs and four stolen bases. On the bump, Carter turned in a four-inning, six-strikeout performance against GoWags.

The team has translated their talents into a 4-2 record, which is good for third place in their pool. They have scored 29 runs, while giving up 12, and both of their losses have been by one run, losing to GoWags 2-1 on Saturday and to Team Demarini 3-2 on Monday. A 4-0 win over the West Coast Braves Red on Tuesday morning helped the Elite Squad bounce back. Nokona Baseball will be their next and final opponent of the tournament on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., and even though they will not make bracket play, the team is looking to compete and show their skills as they finish out the tournament.

“I want to see them execute in certain situations, but they’re playing hard, they believe in each other and that’s all that you can really ask for as a coach,” Tyson Ambrose said.