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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/1/2021

Consistent Plays Leads TBT to 14u Title

Sam Warren     
Photo: TBT Ballers National (Perfect Game)
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- TBT Ballers National took home the 2021 PG 14u BCS National Championship title Thursday afternoon, defeating 5 Star National 14u RR, 6-1. Behind a steady pace of offensive production and a dominant performance on the mound, TBT was firing on all cylinders in the final bout, pushing them victoriously across the finish line.
 
With the taste of last year’s third-place finish in the 2020 PG 13u BCS National Championship still fresh in their mouths, TBT used the chip on their shoulder to blow through the competition. Accumulating a 9-0-1 record through pool and bracket play, the fifth-ranked 14u team in the nation compiled an impressive +63 run differential through six long days of baseball.

TBT head coach Stephen Clyne said he couldn’t be more proud of how his team performed on the ultimate day of the tournament.
 
“We knew it was going to be a long day, but we had a mission to accomplish,” Clyne said. “We’ve got dogs on this team. Their uniforms are all full of dirt, and they played their hearts out.”
 
While rain delays pushed back the game’s start time by almost four hours, the wait couldn’t cool down the red-hot TBT bats. In the bottom of the first, Jadyn Nunez got things going with a leadoff single. After Jackson Miller walked, Cameron Uzzillia made the first mark on the final matchup, lining an RBI single up the middle and scoring the game’s first run.



To pull out the win, Clyne believed it was vital that his team’s offense jumped on the opposition early.
 
“Scoring first was very important,” Clyne said. “We knew they were going throw a guy who threw mainly fastballs, so we were sitting dead red and able to get out in front.”
 
TBT kept things rolling in the second, as Gavin Richars kicked things off with a single. After Osjun Rivas singled, Nunez came around again for TBT, this time shooting an RBI single to right to score Richars. TBT then took advantage of some 5 Star struggles, as a pitch hit Miller, and Dayson Griffis walked then after, bringing around Rivas and extending their lead to three.
 
TBT continued to produce in the third due to some aggressive baserunning. After Mason Schirmer walked, Emery Coleman poked a single to center. The two baserunners put the pressure on the 5 Star defense, as a pickoff attempt missed its target. As Schirmer booked it for third, he got the signal to break for home, narrowly beating the 5 Star throw and giving his team a 4-0 lead.
 
While the TBT bats got to work at the plate, Griffis, TBT’s starting pitcher, was equally impressive on the mound. Through his first six innings of work, the 29th-ranked player in the class of 2025 struck out five, allowing no runs and just four hits. While he had struggled as of late, Clyne was confident in Griffis’s ability to clutch up for TBT when they needed it most.
 
“Dayson’s an absolute dog,” Clyne said. “The past few tournaments, he couldn’t get his breaking ball over for a strike, so we worked to adjust that in the bullpen. He found it on the mound today, and he dominated.”
 
Despite coming up empty in the fourth, TBT regained their offensive momentum in the fifth. Rivers Kurland began the inning with a leadoff walk, only to quickly advance to second on a Schirmer single. Coleman then came through for his team, shooting an RBI single to left to score Kurland. Schirmer then promptly scored on a Richars groundout, increasing the TBT lead to six.
 
While 5 Star made a final push in the seventh, plating their first run of the game on a balk, it was not enough. With two outs, TBT left fielder Kurland got the break on a line drive down the line, snaring the lineout and securing a complete game for Griffis and the victory for TBT.

After coming up short last year, Griffis felt retribution after Thursday’s title victory.
 
“Winning this means a lot,” Griffis said. “We came out with a chip on our shoulder. Winning is always our number one objective, and we got the win today.”
 
For his dominant performance in the championship bout, Griffis received MV-Pitcher honors for the tournament. The third-ranked 2025 player in the state of Georgia tossed seven innings for TBT, striking out five while topping out at 87 mph on his fastball. In the critical battle, Griffis believed his aggressiveness was key to his success.
 
“I went in there with confidence for every single hitter,” Griffis said. “I made sure to go after the first batter every inning and didn’t let up.”
 
Miller added to the already-hefty TBT hardware haul, taking home the MVP award for the tournament. The 43rd-ranked player nationally in the 2025 class was 11-for-19 on the week, blasting four extra-base hits and 13 RBI for his squad. The 4th-ranked player in Florida believed his performance was the culmination of a long grind so far this summer.
 
“Winning this means a lot,” Miller said. “I’ve been putting in a lot of hard work to get here. To win the tournament and this award shows that, but without my teammates, I wouldn’t be here.”
 
With plenty more Perfect Game events ahead of them, Miller said his team would enjoy this win, but they’ve already moved on to their next event, the 2021 WWBA 2025 Grads or 14U National Championship.
 
“Winning the BCS means everything, but we’re not done,” Miller said.
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