The Georgia-based 5 Star Baseball program, one of the best in the country, is on a Perfect Game national championship roll.
Talented and opportunistic 5 Star National 15u Dobbs out-dueled California-based BPA in crispy fashion Friday morning, winning the championship game at the PG WWBA 15u National Championship, 3-0, in a snappy affair played at the East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, Ga.
This championship came just two days after 5 Star National 16u Burress took home the title at the PG BCS 16u National Championship played in Fort Myers, Fla.
“That’s kind of the cool thing,” 5 Star National 15u Dobbs head coach Britt Dobbs told PG Friday. “Our age groups kind of look at what the other age groups do, and it sets a standard; they’re always trying to do better than one another.
“So, when one team wins a tournament the other one feels like it has to get a leg-up on ‘em. The success sets a standard for excellence throughout the whole organization.”
No. 7-seeded 5 Star National 15u Dobbs completed an outstanding week of play on Friday, rolling to a 10-0-0 record while giving the program its first-ever championship at the WWBA 15u National event; No. 25 BPA finished 9-2-0.
The 5 Star National 15u’s scored their first two runs-one each in the bottom of the second and third innings without the benefit of a base-hit. They used a BPA error, two walks and a one-out sac fly from Connor Crisp to get on the board in the second, then two walks, a wild pitch and an RBI fielder’s choice groundout off the bat of Stone Russell to push another run across in the third.
Their bats finally came alive in the bottom of the third. Crisp started things with a one-out single and Drew Burress followed with a two-out single before James Hays came through with a single of his own that scored Crisp from second. Those three runs were all that were needed.
Hays, a 6-1, 200 pound 2023 right-hander/third baseman who is a Georgia recruit ranked No. 4 nationally in his class, was brought in relief in the top of the first inning with the bases loaded and nobody out.
He not only got out of that jam, but went on to pitch five scoreless, three-hit innings with nine strikeouts, showing a 91 mph fastball along the way; 2023 righty Josh Fernald recorded the final six outs without allowing a hit. Michael Walshe, Luke Lavin and Jacob Campagna all singled for BPA, which was all the offense it could muster.
“James did an outstanding job and that’s kind of what we talked about each game as we went through the week,” Dobbs said. “We had some kids get injured and whatnot, and we talked as a team about picking your teammates up.
“James came into the game with a tough situation and kind of put the team on his shoulders and got our pitching rotation for that game back in order. He did a great job in a tough pressure situation; he rose to the occasion, for sure.”
5 Star National 15u Dobbs also swept the MVP awards, with 2023 third baseman Cam Collier taking home MV Player honors and 2023 lefthander Ryker Chavis being named MV Pitcher.
Collier, a Louisville commit ranked No. 4 nationally, finished 12 for 21 (.571) with a home run, three doubles, eight singles, five walks (.679 OBP), eight RBI and nine runs scored. Chavis was equally impressive on the mound, throwing 11 1/3 eight-hit, shutout innings over two appearances while striking out 18 without issuing a walk.
Both BPA and 5 Star received outstanding pitching performances in a pair of 3-1 victories in semifinal-round play Friday morning to advance to the championship game.
2023 righthander Jackson Jenkins threw four perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts to lead BPA past the No. 13 East Cobb Astros 15u (8-1-0). Jenkins came into the game in relief of 2023 righty Keondre Fields, who allowed just one run on one hit with four strikeouts and three walks in three innings of work.
Kaleb Johnson, another 2023 righthander, tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-hit, shutout ball, striking out four and walking one-also in relief-in 5 Star’s win over the No. 11 Georgia Jackets 15u National (8-1-0) in the other semifinal.
5 Star National 15u Dobbs will now head south to Fort Myers to compete in the PG BCS 15u National Championship, where it is the defending champion.
“It don’t get no easier,” Dodds said of next week’s challenge. “We get a couple of days rest and then we get to run down there, and I’m sure every team down there is going to put a big, giant bullseye on our chest, so we’re going to have our work cut out for us, for sure.”