The coaches just sent out info on the first practice for this Saturday. They also sent pics of the new uniforms which are pretty awesome. First tournament starts 5/21. The team looks pretty strong. I don't know if there will be enough quality pitching, but the top 2-3 kids are very good. Then it seems a few average PO's and a few position players who can throw it pretty good.
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MY kid's travel team is having a practice this Sunday at the local D1 field. I was surprised given we are only 2 weeks into the HS season.
I am looking forward to my sons first true Summer ball season as a rising Freshman. The org we are in has all the 14U play 15U summer before starting high school. Still waiting to hear if son will be playing 15U or 16U. He played in 15 and 16u tournaments all last fall. The high school age groups have been having optional practices every weekend since Jan. Son has been attending when he has not had a tournament that weekend.
Just hoping to get a tournament schedule soon for our summer season. There are some differences of opinion on who is going to be heading up our 16u team and along with that is differences of what tournaments we are playing. Also looks like they want us to head to East Cobb for the 16u WWBA National and then drive down to Sanford, FL right after for the PG World Series. Not too keen on that idea. Especially with the way the cost of rental cars is right now. But if things are headed the way I think they will, we will end up playing 6 tournaments from mid June to end of July.
We've got 8 tournaments total. First is a local thing next weekend and the last is a PBR in early August at IMG.
What are the biggest tournaments of the summer? I’m only familiar with the southeast events. Off the top of my head; East Cobb, PG WS in Sanford, the PG BCS in Ft Myers has some good teams, also looks like the PG Ultimate Baseball Championship has some really strong competition (limited to only 10 teams). What are some of the bigger events in other areas?
“Biggest”, or most talented?
“East Cobb” is just a location that hosts 50+ tourneys this summer across all ages. Majority of them are no more competitive than what you’ll find in any other state on any given weekend.
I’d clarify to say PG WWBA Nats, World Series, and UBC, plus the PBR NPI and Nats @ LP and the USA Championship @ Cary are the most talented, even if a few are watered down. BCS has fallen off a bit it seems over the last couple of years, and doesn’t draw some of the top teams any more.
Most talented is a better way to word it. The BCS has some good FL teams, but definitely not a national draw.
2022 gets rolling the 2nd week of June. We start at PBR NPI at Lake Point and have 6 tourney ending in Phoenix late July. Really looking forward to the USA Baseball NTC in Cary but all of the events are going to be fun.
Anyone have any experience with Prospect Select’s Palm Beach Classic and Black Bear Classic?
@Tug Tide posted:Anyone have any experience with Prospect Select’s Palm Beach Classic and Black Bear Classic?
My son has played the PBC and is playing it again this year. Also playing the Black Bear. What would you like to know about the PBC?
@TerribleBPthrower posted:My son has played the PBC and is playing it again this year. Also playing the Black Bear. What would you like to know about the PBC?
Well, just curious about the level of exposure those events draw. Son has had 2 schools say they planned to be there and watch him. 2 others said they weren’t certain of the early June schedule.
He will be in the TOPPS showcase for the PBC.
We’re starting to look at hotels, how spread out is this event? It can’t be any worse than Lakepointe events right?
There is a strong level of competition this year. There were definitely schools at the last event, but my son was playing 14u I think so that park didn't have the draw that the other parks had. Prospect Select does a pretty good job of blasting stuff out on social media.
If I were looking into hotels I would look for something in West Palm Beach. Palm Beach Gardens has nicer hotels and restaurants, but West Palm is central to the parks being used for the event. The last time they held this tournament they used a park called Santaluces Sports Complex and Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. I see this year they are also using Roger Dean and Lawnwood. Lawnwood is in Ft. Pierce and will be the only park that is out of the way. Probably 45-60 minutes from West Palm.
This will be our first summer on the "national" tournament circuit (USA, UBC, WWBA, WS). Son will also be playing with his local travel team when not traveling. Having only ever attended fall WWBA, we are interested to see what the level of competition will be at these "national" tournaments. We did not think the fall WWBA pool play competition was that much better than what he saw locally. Our travel teams can't start practicing until the high school season is over in early to mid June.
My son’s fall coach last year says he requested to be in the hardest pool. I don’t know if he did or didn’t, but we always had the hardest pool. I joked with my wife that he must have pissed off the tournament director.
Most of the time they didn’t win the pool, but for the 2023 WWBA they got a little luck and played lights out. Shocked the top team from CA and beat the other teams pretty good
First tournament in the books. The boys lost the first pool game 6-0 and all the parents were like, what the..... They woke up and won the remainder of the games (including a 12 inning game against the team that beat them 6-0) and the championship.
Championships are won on "Sunday" (or championship day), not in Pool!
Team USA events are good talent draw/invite.
PG Elites in Hoover are good.
WWBA of course (especially with the green light FINALLY for the coaches to be out and about as of 6/1/21).
@TerribleBPthrower posted:First tournament in the books. The boys lost the first pool game 6-0 and all the parents were like, what the..... They woke up and won the remainder of the games (including a 12 inning game against the team that beat them 6-0) and the championship.
I am glad to read your team had bracket play with a pool loss.
@2022NYC posted:I am glad to read your team had bracket play with a pool loss.
Small tournament. I think there were 20 or so teams and top 6 made it. Decent competition but not great.
Our 15u eligible team is playing mostly 16u, all PG except for Black Bear Classic. We play in two 15u PG tournaments (WWBA and National Elite Championship). We only play 6 tournaments in June and July, but the tournaments we entered looks loaded. Can't wait to see how the team fares, and I look forward to seeing the story of all the recruiting craziness that I've heard. We have a bunch of boys on our team that is highly recruited so hopefully, my son will get some visibility when these recruiters watch these other boys in our team.
no tournaments for us this summer. we're in an 18u league during the week and on a barnstorming tour of northern california on weekends. i think we're supposed to get 45 or so games in seven weeks so it'll be fast and furious with a lot of good baseball. looking forward to it.
Schedule for next weekend just came out. A 9:30pm game on Friday and 7:15pm on Saturday. Then the bracket games start Sunday at 8am. Not a huge fan of the late game with a quick turnaround.
Son is also guest playing this Friday in a Memorial Day tourney
@TerribleBPthrower posted:Schedule for next weekend just came out. A 9:30pm game on Friday and 7:15pm on Saturday. Then the bracket games start Sunday at 8am. Not a huge fan of the late game with a quick turnaround.
Son is also guest playing this Friday in a Memorial Day tourney
I find that's the schedule my kid gets at the tourneys too close for an overnight stay 9according to my wallet) but far enough to be a real pita drive.
Wow, schedule for the Palm Beach Classic in a couple weeks is already out. I'm pleasantly surprised at the amount of quality teams playing. I thought my son's coach must have lost a bet based on the pool. Then I looked and realized they are all tough pools.
First big weekend. Awesome to see so many teams playing. Can’t wait to see what it’s like next weekend.
Side note, my son was guest playing yesterday as his team is off this weekend. Spiked on a tag play at the plate. Blood everywhere. 3 stitches and what will be an awesome scar. Kid was out and he showed the ball to the ump and then asked for time, lol.
A rising junior C at my son’s school that son is trying to mentor/guide had his summer season end after 18 pitches.
Foul ball, 2/3 up the 1B line, he and 1B both go for it. He dove for it at the same time 1B arrived. Knee of 1B impacted C’s face, both at full steam. C was knocked out for a few seconds. Broken orbital and broke index finger, 13 stitches above the eye, mild concussion, and possible surgery once swelling has subsided. 6-8 weeks out.
Sometimes having good luck just means you didn’t have any bad luck. So I’m wishing good luck to everyone out there this summer.
My kid has his first tourney. First game they did very well, then the second game their bats went to sleep and lost it in the top of the 7th. My kid struggled with contact and timing. The field was a local one with no cages so they did not hit and given their performance from the first game they did not make an attempt to hit on the oppo field with plyo balls or something. Now it may not have mattered as their bats with the exception of a HR and triple were basically flat. They are probably not going to win their pool which I secretly hope they wont as my kid and others on the team still have finals tomorrow.
