WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – While most of the attention is rightly being focused on the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., this weekend, down at the Ballparks of the Palm Beaches the best of the 2021 class will be on display at the WWBA Freshman World Championship.
In the fifth installment of this event, and for the first time being contested at the newly minted home of the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros since its inception, 52 teams will showcase their skills and aim to take bragging rights as the last team standing.
Sixteen states along with one team based out of British Columbia make up the 52-team field with games beginning on Friday that take will place at the Ballparks of Palm Beaches along with the Santaluces Athletic Complex.
Elite Squad, one of the traditional South Florida baseball powers, is looking to continue their recent run within their organization as they have won the PG WWBA Underclass World and PG WWBA Sophomore World Championships in back-to-back weekends. Alejandro Rosario (No. 3, Miami) was a part of each of those two clubs and will look for more success and is joined by fellow Elite Squad players Justin Quintana (No. 21, FIU), Juhlien Gonzalez (No. 47, FIU), Bryan Loriga (No. 49) and Marcus Franco (No. 70, FIU).
Thirty-four of the top 100 players in Perfect Game’s Class of 2021 will be present, led by No. 2-ranked Nick Bitsko (Virginia), who will suit up for Team Elite 15u Prime. Bryant Colon (No. 27, Miami) and Drake Varnado (No. 78) also will help the cause for the Prime this weekend.
Tri State Arsenal National 2021 will have two of the top 12 members of the 2021 class in Ethan Wood (No. 10, Louisville) and Joe Mack (No. 12, Clemson) to try and make a deep run.
Other top players to keep tabs on this weekend will include Team BEAST 2021’s Christian Moore (No. 8), FTB Tucci 15U’s Jayden Melendez (No. 17, FIU), MLB Breakthrough Series’ Daniel Corona (No. 33), Sheets Baseball 15U’s Gavin Dash (No. 37), 5 Star National Gold’s Jackson Baumeister (No. 40, FSU) and a duo from the Dirtbags in Joshua Hartle (No. 39) and Brandon Hudson (No. 49) from the class of 2021.