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2,580 MLB PLAYERS | 16,393 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS

Tournaments | Championship | 7/20/2026

FTB National Completes Elite Run

Kinley Kitchens

Championships are never won in a single game.

For FTB National 2027, this one has been in the making for years.

An 8-0 victory over Team Elite 17U Scout capped off an unforgettable week at the 2026 Perfect Game 17U National Elite Championship, but according to those inside the dugout, the championship was a product of friendships formed long before the tournament ever began. FTB took their first national elite win in team history, giving one of the nation’s top 2027 teams an elite ending to their 17U summer.

“This is a homegrown group,” head coach Will Haynie said. “This team has been together for the last four or five years, and I think a lot of them have been together since the Little League World Series when they were 12. It’s been fun, and a nice little cap off to their 17U summer, especially after winning a big event like this.”

That chemistry showed throughout championship day.

FTB’s offense wasted little time when it came to collecting runs as seven different players recorded an RBI in the victory. Jay Insani leads the lineup with two RBIs while Rylan Sutton, Aiden Britton, Warren East, Brayden Holland, Ryan Newell, and Brennan Jones each contributed to the balanced offensive attack that help secure the championship win.

The pitching staff was equally dominant.

While this championship was won with contributions throughout the roster, none was more remarkable than the performance of 15-year-old Brayden Morrison.

Playing up by two age groups as a member of the 2029 class, Morrison arrived the morning of the championship game and was immediately handed the ball against one of the nation’s top 17U teams. Rather than looking overwhelmed, the young right-hander embraced the moment, allowing just one hit while striking out three over four scoreless innings to set the tone for FTB’s championship victory. Morrison, who is already ranked among the Top 100 players nationally in the 2029 class, showed composure beyond his years while attacking hitters with an 86-88 mph fastball.

Coach Haynie couldn’t say enough about what the top performer meant to the team on championship day.

“We worked hard all week and came out here and beat a really good Team Elite team,” Haynie said. “We actually had a 2029 on the mound who is 15. He came out, drove in this morning, and gave us a really good start, so it is truly a great group, and I am really proud of them. They do a really good job.”

For Morrison, it was simply another opportunity to compete.

“I am only 15 years old, so it was nice to come up here and do what I am meant to do with a bunch of older guys,” Morrison said. “Luckily, I have played a lot so far in high school baseball, so that has really helped me come out here and compete against these older guys and do what I am supposed to do.”

Even with his success, Morrison’s focus never drifted from the task at hand.

“I just have to focus on myself. I can’t worry about what’s going on behind me and just focus on what I am doing.”

That same mindset was shared throughout the roster.

Despite featuring a roster full of Division I commits and nationally ranked players, Coach Haynie challenged his team to focus less on the future and more on the standard they set every day.

“We challenge them every week to come out and hold themselves to a standard,” Haynie said. “Obviously a lot of them are going to play at the next level, and they’re already committed, but trying to stay in the moment and play team baseball, that is what is most important, and they do a really good job of that.”

Florida Gulf Coast commit Brennan Jones, who joined the team this summer, quickly found himself becoming part of what made this team so special.

“It means a lot,” Jones said. “This is my first summer playing with this team, and I really made a good connection with every single player. They are just like family to me now.”

Jones backed up those words throughout the tournament, finishing at No. 3 among the event’s top offensive performers with eight hits, 10 RBIs, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases, while staying committed to the approach that fueled his success.

“Not letting my ego get too big,” Jones said when asked how he stayed so consistent throughout this tournament. “Just getting my timing right and sticking to my approach that I have been working on with my hitting coaches.”

Another player that embodied that selfless mentality was Vanderbilt commit Nolan Brown, who earned the award of Most Valuable Pitcher for the tournament. Yet Brown admitted the individual award never crossed his mind while he was competing.

“It feels great,” Brown said, “but I wasn’t really looking to win it. I was looking to go out there and do my job and let my team do the rest.”

Having played alongside much of this group since he was 11 years old, Brown said winning their final 17U tournament together made the moment even more meaningful.

“It means the world,” Brown said. “I’ve been playing with these guys since I was about 11 years old, so to win the last one is really important to all of us.”

Before the first pitch of the game, Coach Haynie’s message was simple.

Play together as a team.

His players answered that challenge all week.

A roster filled with future college baseball players never lost sight of playing for one another, and in doing so, they delivered a historic championship for their team.

For a team that grew up together, competed together, and matured together, there could have been no better ending than celebrating one final title side by side.

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