FORT MYERS, Fla. – Last year’s championship game at the Perfect Game WWBA Underclass World Championship had a decided purple and black hue to it, with the Orlando Scorpions ’15 Prime beating the Orlando Scorpions ’16 Purple for the coveted PG underclass national championship.
The Scorpions organization returns to this year’s WWBA Underclass World with eight teams flying the company flag, betting that one of them will capture the program’s third title at the event since 2009. They’ll have plenty of competition.
The 13th annual PG WWBA Underclass World Championship begins its five-day run Thursday with 216 teams and nearly 3,600 players from all four corners of the country, Puerto Rico and Canada set to take part. Games will be played at 16 locations in and around Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Port Charlotte, including current and former MLB spring training sites used by the Red Sox, Twins and Rays.
Several of the country’s elite programs, like the Scorpions, are coming to the tournament with large contingents of teams, parents and fans. Team Elite out of Winder, Ga., has six entrants; EvoShield Canes (Fredericksburg, Va.) and FTB (Kissimmee, Fla.) five each; Elite Squad (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Florida Burn (Sarasota, Fla.) four each.
Other storied organizations like Marucci Elite from Baton Rouge, La. (which won this championship back-to-back in 2010-11), East Cobb Baseball from Marietta, Ga. (titles in 2002, ‘04-06), Dirtbags and Tri-State Arsenal will bring two teams each but won’t be any less competitive.
The Scorpions 2016 Prime will arrive with 10 players that have made commitments to NCAA Division I programs and seven prospects from the class of 2016 ranked in the top-179 nationally.
Shortstop/right-hander Drew Mendoza (No. 19, Florida State), right-hander/first baseman Todd Peterson (No. 48, uncommitted), third baseman/shortstop Joe Skinner (No. 50, Central Florida) and right-hander Brandon Reitz (No. 56, Florida State) lead the way. Mendoza, Skinner and right-hander/middle-infielder Ross Korosec (No. 179, South Florida) were members of the Scorpions ’16 Purple team that finished as runner-up a year ago.
Elite Squad 16u Prime also features 11 players with D-I commitments and its roster includes eight prospects from the classes of 2016 and 2017 ranked in the top-152 nationally. 2016 right-hander/shortstop Gregory Veliz (No. 10, Miami) and first baseman/outfielder Alejandro Toral (No. 6), catcher/right-hander Zach Jackson (No. 20) and corner-infielder Joseph Perez (No. 21) – all 2017s – provide youthful depth.
The EvoShield Canes hit town with two very formidable rosters, one stocked with 2016s and the other with 2017s. The top guys on the 2016 team – with nine D-I recruits – include catcher Brad Debo (No. 33, South Carolina), right-hander/outfielder Reid Schaller (No. 40, Vanderbilt) and shortstop Grant Bodison (No. 41, South Carolina).
Top guns on the EvoShield Canes 2017 Prime – with 10 commits – include right-hander/outfielder Jordan Adell (No. 23, Louisville), right-hander/second baseman Weston Bizzle (No. 29, Vanderbilt), middle-infielder Noah Campbell (No. 32, South Carolina) and middle-infielder Ashton McGee (No. 41, North Carolina).
The Florida Burn organization – which won the Underclass World Championship in 2012 – also has strong 2016 and 2017 teams. Florida Burn 2016 Pennant is led by right-hander/shortstop/outfielder Austin Bergner (No. 2, uncommitted) and Florida Burn 2017 Pennant by left-hander/outfielder Jordan Butler (No. 11, Florida).
Team Elite 17’s Prime looks salty with seven D-I recruits and six 2016s ranked in the top-172, including left-hander Jonathan Gettys (No. 20, uncommitted). FTB Max Bats 16u comes armed with five D-Is and top 2016s in catcher/third baseman Herbert Iser (No. 4, Miami) and middle-infielder Bo Bichette (No. 26, uncommitted).
Marucci Elite, not all that far removed from those back-to-back titles in 2010-11, is led by right-hander/first baseman Easton McGee (No. 64, Kentucky) and has five other 2016s ranked between Nos. 108 and 159, all uncommitted. Marucci Elite 16s’ roster – all from the class of 2017 – includes shortstop Nonie Williams (No. 9, uncommitted) and third baseman/right-hander Tanner Burns (No. 47, uncommitted).
The East Cobb Astros 17u are not to be outdone with five D-I’s and top-2016s in left-hander Braxton Garrett (No. 34, Vanderbilt) and first baseman/left-hander Will Benson (No. 42, uncommitted).
The venerable Midland Redskins are in the house with six D-I’s, including catcher Tyler Duvall (No. 54, Vanderbilt) and shortstop/right-hander Austin McNicholas (No. 58, Texas). The Tri-State Arsenal Show has six players ranked in the top-187 in the 2016 and 2017 classes, including 2016 left-hander Jason Groome (No. 9, uncommitted).
Elite Baseball Training also has six 2016 D-I recruits on its roster, including right-hander/first baseman Drake Fellows (No. 21, Vanderbilt).
Austin Banditos right-hander/first baseman Mason Thompson (No. 15, Texas); Ninth Inning Royals right-hander/third baseman Garrett Gooden (No. 16, Georgia Tech); Iowa Select Navy third baseman/right-hander Joey Polak (No. 25, South Carolina); IMG Academy Black right-hander Anthony Holubecki (No. 36, Notre Dame), and Atlanta Blue Jays third baseman/right-hander Alex Speas (No. 38, uncommitted) are among the other highly ranked class of 2016 prospects that will be attendance.
Seventy-four alumni of the PG WWBA Underclass World Championship have made their Major League Baseball debuts, including four who were here as recently as 2008: Manny Machado (Orioles), Nick Castellanos (Tigers), Kyle Crockett (Indians) and Robert Ray (Tigers).
Andrew McCutchen (Pirates), Justin Upton (Braves), Jason Heyward (Braves) and Eric Hosmer (Royals) are among the many other notable alumni from this event.