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Tournaments  | Story | 5/28/2021

5 Star National Builds With Worldview

Matthew Welsh
Photo: Blaydon Plain (Perfect Game)
ATLANTA, Ga. -- For years, 5 Star baseball has rivaled the nation’s top travel baseball programs in an effort to certify itself as one of the country’s top organizations in talent production and tournament achievement. In its 293 total teams throughout its existence, 5 Star has produced 409 top-three Perfect Game tournament finishes, including 139 championships.

5 Star National 17u Black ranks among the organization’s most talented teams, and lists 18 total college commits out of the squad’s 27 total rostered players.



In its first Perfect Game event of the summer, 5 Star has so far posted a 1-1 record through its first two contests along with a +7 run differential heading into its final pool play game on Saturday. This 17u side is fueled by a truly nation-wide talent pool that is capable of competing with any team.

Players from nine different states and Puerto Rico represent this 5 Star team. With players from such a variety of geographical locations, the dugout is a mosaic of cultures, languages and styles of play. But regardless of background, each player on the team has assumed an important role.

“It’s been amazing,” said Coamo, Puerto Rico native Carlos Elian Martinez, on his experiences playing for this Georgia-based club. “Me and these boys, we’ve been together for four years now, and I was even one of the last ones to get here. And with all the experience we have with each other, we love each other like brothers.”

Martinez went 1-for-2 in 5 Star’s second game on Saturday against East Cobb Prime 17u. His two-out knock in the bottom of the fifth inning helped propel his team to a 10-2 run-rule victory.

His teammate and fellow Puerto Rican Adrian Salas Rivera also drove in two runs on the day with a late-inning single to right field. Together, the two accounted for 40 percent of 5 Star’s RBIs in the game.

“We welcome [Carlos and Adrian] like family,” said first basemen Blaydon Plain. “This is a different atmosphere. Coming from school ball to a family here that has been together for almost as long as my team back home, it’s a great atmosphere, and it’s really fun to play in.”

Plain, a 2022 graduate and Florida commit, is one of his team’s highest-ranked players. His exploits have earned him a spot as the nation’s fourth-ranked first basemen in the country and second in the state of Florida.

Other standout players on 5 Star 17 National Black residing inside the top-100 2022 graduates are Vanderbilt commit Sal Stewart and Notre Dame commit David Lally.

The majority of the team’s prospects are SEC-bound, with other prominent landing spots being ACC schools such as Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Louisville. And although among the handful of players yet to make his collegiate decision, Martinez is confident that his play this summer will land him where he needs to be.

“I am trying to commit this summer, and just to see whatever God has in store for me,” Martinez said. “I’m preparing myself mentally before games, and just knowing that it doesn’t matter what I did in the past game. I’m just going to continue doing what I’ve been working for.”

Even in the eyes of the team’s committed players, this summer remains vital to their overall development. Though no longer looking to put pen to paper, each player on the team still aims to contribute in whatever way possible.

For 5 Star National 17 Black, there’s no going through the motions. That’s regardless of your college commitment, or how high your personal stats may be.

“For me, I just want to be able to upgrade my attributes,” Plain said. “I don’t usually get too much work in from the mound because I am always busy hitting or working on defensive stuff. So, I’m looking for personal growth on the mound going into senior year.”

Make no mistake, whenever a team with this magnitude of ability is assembled, the goal is to win. That means, not just in pool play games, but also in later tournament games when 5 Star will undoubtedly face other skilled programs.

And with multiple high-level events scheduled for this summer, they will have exactly that opportunity.

“We are trying to four-peat [the BCS National Championship],” said Plain, bluntly outlining the team’s greatest goal.

That event, located in Fort Myers, Fla. from July 21-26, is 5 Star’s penultimate event of the summer. Other notable events for this team include the 17u Perfect Game Southeast Elite Championship and 17u Ultimate Baseball Championship. Whether or not 5 Star National 17u Black lives up to their early-season expectations, is still to be seen.

What is known, is that this team is not short on skill and drive, two characteristics integral to competing for titles.
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