EMERSON, Ga. – The 643 DP Cougars, led by Coach Danny Pralgo, have gotten off to a fantastic start in this year’s 17u WWBA National Championship Qualifier. In their first two pool games they have played all-around great baseball, only letting up five runs and scoring an astounding 18. Their most recent challenge came against Elite Baseball Club, who looked to be a worthy competitor right off the bat.

The Cougars would need to continue their trend of quality hitting if they wanted to come out of this contest with a win. Fortunately for the Cougars, everything came together and they were able to come out with a win by the score of 5-1.

The Cougars were the first ones on the board, and the way that they scored this first run set the tone for an exciting ballgame. The Cougars were patient at the plate early, as they drew two walks from the Elite starting pitcher. Those runners advanced to second and third, but on the very next pitch on a grounder hit to third base, a game of pickle was triggered that included the runner on the third base line. That pickle ended up in a play at the plate, which the Cougars scored their first run off of.

The Cougars were very advantageous when they were given free bases. Their heads up baseball had a lot do with their performance today, but the starting pitcher, Grayson Harbin, played a key factor in today’s game. Grayson flashed great stuff on the mound, topping out at 89 mph and sitting in the mid-80s. Not only did he have a plus fastball, but he also showed his ability to hold runners on the bases and hold them well. In fact, he even picked a runner off in the second inning.

Harbin’s fastball was heavy, but his mechanics made it look effortless and allowed him to throw a large amount of strikes. He was taken out after four innings, but only because the Cougars look to use him again later in the tournament.

“My curveball and fastball were working particularly well for me today,” Harbin said after the game. “I was really trying to command my pitches and go in and out. My focus going into this start was to pound the zone as much as I could.”

Harbin was impressive in today’s game, but he was not the only one who shined. Third baseman Patrick McDonald led the offensive charge for the Cougars with his two base hits, which led his team. In fact, the bats weren’t very live for the Cougars in the beginning of this game and McDonald was the only one to have a base hit through the first four innings. Elite Baseball Club’s pitcher, Carson Coleman, was tough to hit today but McDonald put in 100 percent effort and was able to make a difference at the plate for the Cougars.

“In the cages before the game I was working on hitting balls the other way and squaring balls up,” said McDonald of his success at the plate on Sunday. “I wasn’t really focusing on doing too much; just shortening the swing and taking the ball the other way.

“The mindset going into this tournament was to find my swing and get locked in for later in the summer. Earlier in the season, I had struggled a little bit at the plate, but this tournament, everything seems to coming together. It’s going to be important for us to play clean. We have a big emphasis on defense and pitching, and if we do that then we are going to able to get runners on and get them in. Our offense plays off of our defense sometimes.”

This 643 DP Cougars team is full of amazing young talent, and the players really have a professional attitude when you watch them play. There are multiple Division I commits on this team to big schools such as Georgia, Notre Dame, Missouri and Georgia Tech. Many teams have Division I talent, but what could separate this team from the other teams at this year’s 17u WWBA National Championship Qualifier is that so many of their players buy into what the 643 program is all about, which is playing the team game.

“We have a really good group of kids. Half of them are early committed, and the other half are trying to find a home,” said Coach Pralgo. “The best thing about these kids is that they all buy into the team game. These days, there are a lot of individual things going on with showcases, but these guys buy in to the program and do what they can to play the game the right way. We love to teach these guys hard nose baseball, and it’s awesome that they have bought in.”

Coach Pralgo felt that the starting and relief pitchers' ability to throw strikes is what helped them. If they continue to put their defense to work, and people keep on stepping up when their name is called, than they should be able to produce more wins this week. Situational baseball was big in this game, as a turning point was due partly to a great bunt that moved runners in scoring position. The very next batter singled those two runs in to put the game out of reach, but that just goes to show that these guys manufacture runs any way they can.

This team is smart, and anytime that you have a team that has this high of a baseball IQ, they are going to be tough to beat.

“If we continue to throw strikes then we will be in a position to win some baseball games,” Coach Pralgo added. “We have to do the little things right, because there are so many good teams out here. We have to have quality at-bats and have good outs. It’s gotta be about doing your job and passing it on to the next guy.

“I think it will come down to who does the little things right in this tournament. Our goal is not to win the tournament when we step onto the field; it is to get better each day. If we’re in the championship at the end of the day, then that is a bonus. For us, it’s about not looking too far down the road too soon.”