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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/8/2021

SD Show Proving They Belong In Georgia

Matthew Welsh     
Photo: Roni Chutke (Perfect Game)
MARIETTA, Ga. -- The San Diego Show are direct evidence that the WWBA 17u National Championship draw the best competition from all corners of the country. Based in San Diego, Calif., the sixth-ranked team in the nation made the more than 2,000-mile trip to Atlanta for one goal and one goal only: to win it all. 
 
As one of only three tournaments the team is playing in this summer, Wednesday night’s starter David Horn and his teammates are sure to make the most of their long-awaited national championship appearance. 
 
“We’re excited to be out here, it’s a blessing,” Horn said. “Last summer, we weren’t able to come out and compete in this event, and the fact that we can get out here and get two wins under our belt, and have fun and compete, we’re really excited.”
 
Through their first two contests, the Show have a 2-0 record and have posted a +17-run differential in two run-rule victories. In their most recent Wednesday win, San Diego put up nine runs on 10 hits, four of which were for extra bases. 
 
“Whenever you go out to Georgia, and you get on a plane to play baseball, the intensity is just a little bit different, so coming out here with the best of the best, we’re just excited to compete,” said shortstop and Louisiana State commit Mikey Romero. “Our approach kind of just depends on who is pitching, but we want to put the ball in play because good things will happen when we put barrels on baseballs.”
 
Romero is not the only highly-touted bat that San Diego has at their disposal. Catcher Karson Bowen (TCU commit), outfielder Bryan Martinez (Long Beach State commit), Mason Neville (Arizona commit) and outfielder Dean West (UCLA commit) compose an on-field nine that can play with anyone in the nation.
 
Alongside their offensive onslaught lies a pitching staff with several big arms. Horn, the nation’s 47th-ranked overall player, headlined in the game two start, going three innings where he allowed no hits and only a sole baserunner via a walk in the first inning. His outing lasted only a calm 42 pitches, in hopes of retaining energy for later games. 
 
“I just wanted to pound the zone and throw strikes,” Horn said. “I wanted to minimize my pitch count, and I have a great defense behind me, so any time I can let those guys work, I know it’s going to be a good game.”
 
Vanderbilt commit Duke Ekstrom (125th-ranked player) and Texas Christian commit Gabriel Miranda followed in subsequent relief outings after Horn’s departure. Collectively, the three Show arms of the day allowed only one hit in an utterly dominant pitching display.
 
Both on the hill and in the box, the San Diego Show have so far solidified their place among the top-10 teams in the country and have no intention of stopping.
 
Even with their current level of execution and a determination to perfection, Romero thinks that above all, he and his teammates have something to prove. They want to be more than just the ‘team from California,’ that plays a ‘different’ style of ball. 
 
“We’re just out here to prove that California has gamers, and that we’re going to compete as hard-nose baseball players,” Romero said. “We’re going to play to the end just to win.”
 
And what better way to do that than to speak through your play. The Show has two more opportunities on Thursday, at 12:30 PM and 2:45 PM, to take the field again and show the world what they can do. Coming off the heels of such a strong start, they are certainly a team to keep your eye on come the weekend. 
 
“It’s huge that we have a lot of momentum going into our doubleheader tomorrow," Horn said. "We’re going to have some dudes on the bump, keep the sticks hot, and hopefully get two more tomorrow. We want to get back to San Diego with a championship.”
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