2012 Perfect Game WWBA 18u National Championships

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (June 27, 2012) – Perfect Game’s series of WWBA National Championship tournaments taking place in the northwest Atlanta area continues on June 29th with the 11th Annual WWBA 18u National Championship. The ten-year history of the event has seen thousands of talented high school baseball players, including 125 players currently playing for Major League Baseball teams and 1,942 players drafted by the MLB. This year’s tournament will add to those numbers, with nearly 300 top prospects expected to play.

The tournament begins June 29th and runs through July 6th. Every team will play seven pool games in the first six days of the tournament. Playoffs will begin July 4th with the pool winners battling to move forward in the championship. Rounds of 16 and 8 will begin at 9 am on July 5th. Semifinals and championship games will take place on July 6th, with the Championship game beginning at 11:30 am.

Games will be held primarily at the East Cobb Complex in Marietta, Ga., as well as at several area fields in Cobb, Bartow, Gwinnett, Paulding, Cherokee, Douglas and Forsyth counties.

Last year’s WWBA Championship series brought thousands to the area of over the course of five weeks. During the 2011 18u tournament 6,384 nights were booked at area hotels. Over the duration of the series 32,618 nights were booked. The total economic impact from the tournaments was gauged at $33,433,450.

In 2011, for the first time in the history of the WWBA 18u National Championship, a California team won the title. San Diego Show dominated the East Cobb Yankees 10-1 in the Championship Game. This year the Show will be back with a powerful roster. Pepperdine commit and 2011 Perfect Game All-American Trey Williams comes into the tournament ranked 12th for the class of 2012. This will be Williams' 17th Perfect Game event.  Events hes attended include the 2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic and 2011 National Showcase.  Left-handed pitcher and UCLA commit Brady Aiken is expected to pitch for the Show. Nationally ranked catcher Alex Jackson will also be helping the Show defend the title.

Another California team is set to make an impact at the 18u National Championships. Yak Baseball West has several players coming off excellent showings at the Perfect Game National Showcase in Minneapolis. Four players from Yak come into the tournament ranked in the top 20 nationally for the class of 2013. USC commits Dominic Smith and John Paul Crawford will provide some power to Yak’s offense. Christopher Rivera and Kevin Franklin also showed off impressive batting skills at the National Showcase.

Team Elite 17u Black is another team that boasts plenty of top-level talent from the class of 2013. Clint Frazier of Loganville, Ga. improved his draft stock at the National Showcase to take over the top spot for the class of 2013. The Georgia native (and University of Georgia commit) will join Clemson commit and Georgia native Austin Meadows and USC commit Rowdy Tellez to make a run for the Championship title.

The Georgia-based East Cobb Braves 17u always bring a large amount of talent. The 2009 champions are prepared to reclaim the title. Right-handed pitcher Cameron Varga comes into the tournament ranked 6th for the class 2014. 2011 Perfect Game All-American Matthew Crownover will represent the draft class of 2012. Right-handed pitcher Kevin Davis and third baseman Travis Demeritte are among the top prospects for the class 2013.

FTB Pride is bringing in plenty of players with histories of impressing at Perfect Game events. Oscar Mercado, a Florida State commit, comes in as the top ranked short-stop for the class of 2013, while Puerto Rican infielder Jan Hernandez is also among the top 20.  A pair of top class of 2012 prospects will join Mercado and Hernandez to try to win the title for the Pride, Avery Romero and Alexis Rivera. 

East Cobb Astros 16u have plenty of young talent on their roster. Atlanta native Terry McClure is one of the top prospects from the class of 2013. The Astros have several top players from the class of 2014 including Georgia Tech commit Kel Johnson, as well as Ethan Walker and Handsome Monica.

Other teams to watch include the Atlanta Blue Jays, Chain 18u Grey, Danville Hoots Zoots, Dulin Dodgers, Marlins Scout Team/Storm, Ohio Warhawks, South Florida Bandits Elite, and Upstate Mavericks Black. 

Perfect Game will be hosting the inaugural 12u BCS Finals at the same time as the 18u WWBA Championship. The event will also be held at the East Cobb Complex in Marietta. Sixteen of the nation’s top teams for the age division will be in attendance. There will be a Fastest Man Contest and Home Run Challenge on June 29th. Championship games will take place on July 5th. The BCS Finals for the remaining age divisions will take place in Fort Myers, Fla. 

Specific information about the event, including schedule and game locations, is available at www.perfectgame.org. Game scores and blogs will available on the website as the tournament progresses. For fans interested in attending, a tournament pass will cost $55. The cost per day (good for all games on one day) will be $10. Programs will be available for $5.