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Tournaments  | Championship | 7/20/2025

5 Star Dominates, Takes Down 14u WS

Jheremy Brown
Elijah McClary
5 Star Mafia Storms to 14U Championship with Dominant 9-1 Win Over Ghost National
SANFORD, FL – In a championship matchup featuring two powerhouse 14U squads, 5 Star Mafia 14U Black delivered a commanding performance to capture the title at one of the most talent-rich youth tournaments of the year. Behind electric pitching and a late offensive surge, 5 Star defeated Ghost National 9-1 Wednesday morning at Boombah Sports Complex, invoking the mercy rule after six innings.

The first two innings were a tightly contested duel, with both teams scoreless until Ghost National scratched across the game’s first run in the top of the third. But the early 1-0 lead would be short-lived. In the bottom half of the frame, 5 Star Mafia responded with plating three runs to gain the momentum. The game then settled into another brief stalemate through the fourth and fifth innings.



But in the bottom of the sixth, 5 Star Mafia delivered the knockout blow. Fueled by discipline at the plate, they exploded for six runs—capitalizing on six walks and a pair of singles—to seal the 9-1 victory via the 8-run mercy rule.

On the mound, it was a two-headed monster for 5 Star. Cole Christian (2029, NC) set the tone early, allowing just 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7 batters across 4.0 innings. Working consistently in the 81-84 mph range and mixing in a sharp 69-mph curveball, Christian lived up to his billing as a Top 100 player in the nation—ranked No. 51 overall by Perfect Game.

He handed the ball to Carter Reddick (2029, NC), who closed the door with 2.0 hitless innings of relief. Reddick struck out two and flashed a fastball in the 79-81 mph range with a 66-mph curve to complement it.

At the plate, Landon Blackard (2029, NC) led the offense, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and continuing to prove why he’s a Perfect Game High Follow talent. Christian also contributed with the bat, going 1-for-3, scoring two runs, and adding 2 RBIs—bringing his tournament average to a scorching .500 through six games.

Henry Numssen (2028, SC) added a 1-for-3 performance with two runs scored and an RBI, while Austin Tack, TJ Coleman, Jahmeer Damon, and Mason Mackay each added RBIs as part of a well-rounded offensive effort that saw seven different players drive in at least one run.

Ghost National was led offensively by James Sanfilippo (2029, NJ), who went 1-for-2 and is now hitting .429 over seven games. Whitton Butler (2029, NC) chipped in a double and scored a run, while Gavin Heil (2029, NJ) went 1-for-2. Minjoon Kim drove in the lone run for Ghost.

On the mound, Braxton Faulkner (2029, NC) put in a strong effort for Ghost National, allowing just 5 hits over 5.0 innings while striking out three. Faulkner’s fastball sat 80-85 mph and was paired with a biting 78-mph curveball.

In a tournament brimming with national-level talent, 5 Star Mafia rose above the rest, closing out their championship run with dominance, depth, and a flair for the big moment.

-Elijah McClary


It was a quick Look for me during the 14u World Series, catching only a handful of slots following the 13u National Showcase, but that still proved to be plenty of time for some players to prove themselves and make noise on the national scene.


Shortstop Josh Sosinov (2029, Marlboro, N.J.) did a little bit of everything over my looks, standing out both in the field and at the plate. And by in the field, I mean he recorded all three outs in a single inning and capped it off with an exclamation point of a play in which he ranged up the middle with a slide, popped and delivered a strike on to first base. With a heater on the bump in the low-80s, the arm certainly plays, and so too does the stick as he finished No. 2 on the top performers list and couldn't seem to miss the barrel if he tried. There's a combination of athleticism, bat speed and barrel control you like to see in a young bat and he collected 4 hits over 2 games worth of looks, including a 3 run double in the playoffs. 


Jacob McCarter (2028, Concord, N.C.) is younger for the 2028 class, hence his inclusion in the 14u World Series, and it makes him all the more interesting given what the young left-hander is already bringing to the mound. Long limbed at 6-foot-3, 165 pounds, McCarter came out attacking hitters in pool play, living comfortably in the low-80s, bumping 84 mph, with good carry through the zone given the extension he's able to generate out front and hitters simply weren't comfortable in the box, something his 7 strikeouts in 3 innings supports. The changeup was one of the better off speed pitches I saw as he maintained both his arm speed and release, turning it over with conviction in the low-70s, again, keeping hitters off balance in the box. 


Perhaps the most impressive arm I saw in my time in Sanford came in the form of right-hander Nathan Jarrett (2029 Whitsett, N.C.) and though he's listed as a primary shortstop, what he brought to the mound was truly eye opening. Over the course of his 5 inning start Jarrett lived comfortably in the 82-84 mph range, it was how he went about attacking hitters and the very real carry he was able to generate on the pitch courtesy of his lower release height. And by that I mean he's able to backspin the ball effectively through the zone, winning those battles at the top of the zone, and allowing that low-80s fastball to play up even higher in the eye of the batter. While he didn't ultimately need much more than his heater, which also induced weak contact on top of his 8 strikeouts, he did show a slider in the low-70s with late biting action from a similar tunnel to that of his fastball. 


Carter Nash (2029, ) entered the event as the top ranked prospect in attendance and he performed like it in my looks, consistently living on the barrel while picking up a handful of hits, including a double to the pull side in the opening round of the playoffs on Tuesday morning. Over the course of his 4 games during thee World Series, Nash picked up 7 hits in 10 at-bats, finishing with a .700/.667/1.567 slash, again showing the top-of-the-class bat speed we've come to know while consistently squaring up baseballs. The bat often gets the headlines for Nash, but his defense in center field is equally impressive as he simply floats to baseballs, covering lots of green in the outfield to shrink the gaps and take away balls that would otherwise be hits for the opposition.


There's not much more to say about right-hander Joshua Pfeffer's (2029, Cypress, Texas) performance at the 14u World Series other than "dominant", or maybe "awesome" if you're looking for another adjective. The byproduct of a low effort, simplistic operation, Pfeffer was able to fill up the zone with a barrage of strikes, working upwards of 82 mph during the course of his complete game shutout, one that saw him carry a no-hit bit into the fifth during the opening round of playoffs on Tuesday. In total he'd go on to strike out 11, getting ahead in the count while using a low-70s breaker to keep hitters off balance. Over the course of 2 appearances, Pfeffer struck out 13 over 9.2 innings, didn't allow a run and scattered just three base hits while walking only three. 

-Jheremy Brown
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Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

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College | Recruiting | 12/22/2025

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Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

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