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Tournaments  | Championship | 6/28/2026

"Why not us?" Canes MW Take 14u WWBA

Kinley Kitchens
Every championship team has an identity.

For Canes Midwest 14U National, it could be summed up in three simple words.



"Why not us?"

That became the team’s motto throughout the week, and by championship day, the players had turned those words into reality.

Canes Midwest capped off a memorable tournament with a 8-4 victory over Canes National 14U, finishing an undefeated 11-0 run over six days while proving they belonged among the nation’s top teams. It was a championship built on timely hitting, dominant defense, relentless grit, and a belief that never wavered.

For Coach Steiner, the title represented far more that simply winning another tournament.

“It has been an unbelievable experience for us,” Steiner said. “Some people call us a mid-major, so I guess we are now solidified as being one of the top programs in the country.”

That belief carried the team throughout a tournament filled with some of the nation’s best competition.

“Our slogan for the tournament was ‘Why not us?’” Steiner said. “They kept showing a lot of heart. We talked about being gritty and never quitting.”

The championship game reflected exactly that mentality.

Canes Midwest collected 13 hits in the victory, with Deacon Barile, Vance Gabey, John Benson, and Harrison Brown each recording multi-hit performances. Five different players drove in runs, highlighting the balanced offense that powered the club through the tournament. On the mound, Gabey, who is normally known as an infielder, stepped up and threw 5.2 strong innings before Jp Gadient closed out the final four outs.

One of the biggest stories throughout the week belonged to Lenox McKeon.

The Indiana catcher not only finished among the tournament’s top performers but also earned Tournament MVP honors after another outstanding week behind the plate and in the batter’s box.

“It means a lot.” McKeon said. “It took a lot of heart. It took a lot of grind. We had some injuries in the past, and I think we showed a lot of grit and played through it.”

McKeon believes one of the biggest reasons for the team’s success was the trust shared throughout the roster.

“I trusted all my guys,” McKeon said. “I knew that if I didn’t step up, they would step up for me, so there was no pressure.”

That trust extended to his relationship with the pitching staff.

“Communication,” McKeon said when asked what worked so well throughout the championship game. “He and I were on the same level. Nobody got crossed up and we synced up nicely.”

While McKeon anchored the defense behind the plate, Gabey embraced one of the biggest challenges of the tournament.

Known primarily as a shortstop, the Indiana native was handed the ball for just his second pitching performance of the season and he delivered.

“I just kept breathing,” Gabey said. “I knew I had a good defense behind my back, and I just kept pitching and throwing strikes.”

Gabey admitted the situation was unfamiliar, but he never let the moment become too big.

“I don’t really pitch,” Gabey said with a smile. “I just went up there and gave it all I had.”

The confidence came from the players surrounding him.

“I think it is very important,” Gabey said of establishing confidence early as a new pitcher. “They hadn’t seen me yet, and I just went up there and trusted myself and my team around me.”

That same trust was shared throughout every interview after the game.

Third baseman Deacon Barlie, one of Indiana’s highest-ranked players in the 14U division, pointed to the resilience the team had built throughout the summer so far.

“It means everything,” Barlie said. “We had a long tournament, but the pitching was amazing and everybody came out and played their heart out. Last weekend we only had nine healthy players, so to win this means so much.”

For Harrison Brown, the championship was another example of what makes this team special.

“It means a lot,” Brown said. “We’re a family, and we like to stick together.”

Brown also credited the defense that consistently made plays throughout the tournament.

“I just trusted my defense,” Brown said. “We have one of the best defenses in the country, so having that behind me helps me a lot.”

Even after winning the championship, the team’s attention was already looking ahead.

“We have two big tournaments the next two weeks,” Barlie said. “We’ll continue to train hard and play hard.”

McKeon hopes to build on the bond the team created throughout the week.

“I feel like we got a lot closer through the grind in this long tournament,” McKeon said.

Gabey’s goal was even simpler.

“We’re going to go win the next tournament in North Carolina!”

For a team that spent the week embracing an underdog mentality, there may not have been a better ending.

A program that some viewed as a “mid-major” finished undefeated.

A shortstop became a championship winning pitcher.

A catcher earned Tournament MVP.

A roster that battled injuries throughout the summer came together at exactly the right time.

By the time the final out was recorded, the answer to the team’s slogan was clear.

Why not them?

 
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