ATLANTA, Ga. – Although PG National is over, it seems like
the event continues each time the Canes 17u take the field in the 17u WWBA
National Championship, as they draw a plethora of scouts to watch their games.
The team is 3-0-1 so far, outscoring opponents 26-4. Joe
Gray Jr. and Xavier Edwards led the offense in pool play, as Gray Jr. led the
team with five RBIs, while Edwards had six hits to contribute to his team’s
efforts. Carter Lohman, a Louisville commit, threw five strong innings of
eight-strikeout ball in the tie against Bo Jackson Elite on Tuesday. The team
is set to begin their playoff run on Thursday, and the organization has
experience in winning Perfect Game events, having won the 2014 17u WWBA
National Championship, and the 2009, ’10 and ’13 16u WWBA National
Championships.
“We’re just an organization trying to get these kids
prepared for what’s next and the next level of baseball, so [we] try and play
as much competitive baseball as we can this summer and get these guys prepared
for what’s next,” said Canes head coach Jeff Petty.
The organization is based out of Fredericksburg, Va., but
the team is comprised of players from all over the country who come together
and play. Thirteen states are represented on the roster, ranging from California
to Florida and many in between.
“All of us are from different areas, so it’s cool,” Edwards
said. “Not everyone can say that they met someone from another state on their
team, and we have a bunch of them from all over the country, so it’s cool.”
Even with the separation, the team is able to build
chemistry by riding on a charter bus all throughout the city they play in. They
eat, room and even attend outside events together, such as a trip to Six Flags
after being rained out on Sunday. Petty said that this method helps provide the
players with what it is like traveling with their team at the next level.
“We went to Arizona, we’re here and we’ll go out to y’alls
tournament in Arizona next week, and just let them try to see the whole country
and broaden their horizons,” Petty said. “Some of these guys that will play
professional baseball, just try to give them as many opportunities to be
prepared for that.”
The team certainly boasts future draft picks, featuring
eight players on Perfect Game’s top 100 players of the class of 2018, six of
which are in the top 59. Three of those
players, Austin Becker (No. 16 overall), Nicholas Northcut (No. 34) and Xavier
Edwards (No. 59) are all committed to the recruiting powerhouse Vanderbilt, who
has scooped up 11 of the top 100 players in the class of 2018. Jared
Hart (No. 142) is a fourth teammate that will be joining the three in
Nashville, Tenn.
“Oh, it’s awesome,” said Northcut of having the other three
guys committed to Vanderbilt. “Building relationships now, you can’t beat it.
So, we’re going to get there and have a strong group of guys.”
All three top 100 players in that group have unique talents that
they bring to the table. Becker, from Sunbury, Ohio, is a hard throwing righty
who runs his fastball up to 96 mph. The 6-foot-6, 185-pound Becker shows little
effort in his delivery, and still has room to grow. He joined the team in the
fall of his freshman year and said that coming to the Canes was a great move
for his development.
“It’s been the most fun time of my baseball career in high
school,” Becker said. “Greatest guys to be around. Everyone wants to win. Great
environment and I love everybody on this team.”
Before the fall, Becker had previously only topped out at 94
mph, but consistently sat around 89-91 mph. He said that he was able to take
the next step physically this past offseason through his workout program.
“I’d say definitely last fall in Fort Myers,” Becker said on
when he thought he took the next step. “Right before that tournament, I was
working hard and lifting a lot, and I took off right there when I hit 96 mph
down there at Terry Park.”
Sharing the left side of the infield behind Becker is
Northcut and Edwards. Northcut, a 6-foot, 198-pound third baseman has been
lauded for his hitting abilities, having been clocked at 96 mph off the bat at
PG National. The Mason, Ohio native said that he just tries to hit the ball
hard and do what the team needs him to do at the plate, showing his unselfish
nature.
“Northcut is a ‘steady Eddy,’ just very consistent third
baseman,” Petty said. “Defensively, [he’s] very good defensively. Offensively,
he’s hitting in the middle of our order, he’s been very consistent all summer
and also just another great kid off the field.”
The 18-year-old has been with the Canes for a year now and
said that he feeds off the energy that this team provides. Although he said that
he has learned a lot from the coaches, he said that he has just learned a lot
by being around the other talented players on his team.
“It’s a lot of feeding off your peers,” Northcut said.
“Everyone on the team can hit, and everybody can pitch and everybody can field,
so you feed off each other and you learn from each other. You learn some new
things that you might not have used before and feed off each other.”
While the bat is the standout tool for Northcut, the glove
is the standout tool for Edwards, who possesses soft hands and good range at
shortstop. The 5-foot-10, 155-pound Edwards also possessed a good arm, having
been clocked at 89 mph across the infield.
“I don’t say this loosely, and I’ve been doing this 12 years
and have coached hundreds of draft picks,” said Petty, “to me, he’s the best
defensive shortstop we’ve ever had in twelve years and I’ve thrown out
comparisons to professional scouts of Ozzie Smith. I really think he’s that
special. He gloves it as good as anyone I’ve ever seen.”
While he certainly possesses top-notch defensive skills, the
bat also plays. A switch hitter, Edwards has been noted to barrel up balls on a
consistent basis and is a line drive hitter. The Wellington, Fla., resident has
continued to advance his game over the past few years, and said that coming to
the Canes really helped him realize not only his talent, but the talent that is
all across the country.
“It definitely just opens your eyes a little bit,” Edwards
said of being around other top-ranked players. “You might be the best in your
area or on your high school team, but you know there’s always someone out there
that’s better than you, so you’ve got to keep working. I’ve got a bunch of
great teammates that could fill in any spot at any time, so it’s just good to
look at when you’re measuring yourself against other people.”
Those three were named to the Perfect Game All-American
Classic watch list in addition to teammates Gray Jr., Brandon Birdsell, Emilio
Rosas, Anthony Seigler and Patrick Wicklander. The selections will be announced
as part of the MLB All-Star Game FanFest in Miami, Fla., on Tuesday, July 11
a.m. ET on MLB.com. Even though it is the watch list, Petty said that it was a
huge honor just have those players recognized, but was not surprised based on
the amount of talent his team has.
“This [team] is geared towards helping the high-level player
that takes this extremely serious, because we do. We’re obviously flattered
that we have seven on the watch list and hopefully we can continue to have that
type of talent year in and year out,” Petty said.