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Tournaments  | Story  | 10/18/2021

USA Prime Crowned at WWBA 14u Worlds

Blake Dowson     
Photo: USA Prime National (Perfect Game)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – USA Prime National was just about as persistent as a team can be in the championship game of the WWBA 14u World Championship, scoring a run in each of the first three innings and beating Canes National 14u by a 5-2 final score.
 
The two teams seemed destined to meet in the championship game, with two rosters stacked full of the top prospects in attendance. Canes National had four top-20 prospects from the 2026 class rostered: Andrew Costello, Bubba Coleman, Alex Harrington, and Hunter Harrington. They added three more top-50 prospects in Trenton Maybin, Carson Bolemon, and Brady Marshall.
 
The Canes rostered was matched only by USA Prime National, with seven players of their own ranked among the top-32 in the country in the 2026 class: Rouselle “Rookie” Shepard, Grady Emerson, Jesiah Andrade, Ethan Trahan, Colten Springall, Codey Gauff, and Kruz Schoolcraft. They were also joined by Emmanuel “Manny” Lantigua, the No. 13 prospect in the 2025 class.
 
The championship game belonged to Shepard, who went 4-for-4 with three runs scored for USA Prime. A single on the second pitch of the game got his squad started, and Shepard later stole second and came around to score on a Springall single to open the scoring. He again led off the third inning with a single and came around to score on an Emerson fielder’s choice. With what had to feel like déjà vu for Canes National, Shepard again led off the fifth inning, again found himself on base with a double to center field, and scored two pitches later on an Andrade single.
 
Andrade and Springall both recorded multi-hit games for USA Prime. It was the cherry on top of a great tournament for Andrade, who was named the MVP of the event. Over seven games, he hit .524 with four extra-base hits over 21 at-bats, with five runs and RBI as well.
 
Kingston Kela and RJ Cope combined to win the championship game on the mound for USA Prime. Kela got the ball to start, and went four innings with just three hits allowed while striking out five. His two fourth inning runs were the only he allowed. Cope then took over, and finished out USA Prime’s championship run with three scoreless innings, strikeout out four and allowing just one hit in the process.
 
Schoolcraft was given MV-Pitcher honors for USA Prime. The lefty was dominant over two appearances. His first was a quick two-inning appearance in his team’s first pool play game, and the second was a six-inning effort in the semifinal, in which he struck out nine and allowed just one run, helping to push USA Prime to the title game.
 
USA Prime ended the tournament with a 7-0 record, having run through its pool with a 24-3 run advantage. The box scores tightened a bit once bracket play started, but a 6-5 win over SmarTense 14u The Show in the quarterfinal was the closest any team got to knocking off the eventual champs.
 
Canes National was just as dominant on its march to the title game, leaning on one of the great pitching performances seen in some time. Through its first six games leading to the championship, Canes had outscored its opponents by a score of 37-1.
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