Iowa Select Black plows through Upperclass competition

EMERSON, Ga. – The Iowa Select Black program finished a perfect 6-0 to claim the championship at the 2015 WWBA Upperclass Labor Day Classic at LakePoint with an 8-2 win over the Triton Rays. The championship game was somewhat of a rematch of the Underclass title game that saw the Rays come out on top of Iowa Select Navy earlier in the day.

The Black squad in the upperclass portion of the event was named the No. 1 seed entering playoff competition on Sunday, and overall out-scored their opponents 45-4 with a dominant display of both hitting and pitching.

Three hitters – Preston Blount (Lake St. Louis, Mo.), Connor Van Scoyoc (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Ben Norman (Des Moines, Iowa) – provided run-scoring singles in Iowa Select Black's four-run second inning, which proved to be all the runs the team would need. They put the game out of reach in the sixth inning with three more runs, as Mount Vernon, Iowa's Luke Eldred led off the frame with a solo home run.

Talented 2016 lefthander Spencer Van Scoyoc, the older brother of Connor who has committed to play college ball at Arizona State, worked the first four innings of the championship game, allowing just one run on one base hit while striking out five. Eldred, who provided four scoreless innings in the first game of the tournament for Iowa Select Black, tossed two more scoreless frames in relief of Van Scoyoc.

Iowa Select Black beat the No. 4-seeded Nelson Baseball School 18u earlier on Monday 6-0 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. Norman and Grant Judkins (Pella, Iowa) both had three RBI in that contest, while Brady Stover (Huxley, Iowa) hurled six scoreless innings of one-hit ball, fanning eight batters. It was one of three shutouts the Black squad tossed.

For his dominant semifinal performance, Stover was named the event's Most Valuable Pitcher.

“I think it's the type of kids that we get,” Iowa Select and League Director Steve James said after his program's successful finish on Monday. “They're talented, but they enjoy hanging out together as a team. They have the experience, they look forward to the fall, play hard and can compete with anyone. It's a good group of kidsthat love to play together.”

James coached the program's Navy squad (one of five Iowa Select teams that competed in Georgia) that finished as the runner-up of the Labor Day Underclass Championship at LakePoint. Iowa Select Red and Steel finished 3-1 and 2-1 respectively in the Upperclass portion of the tournament while Iowa Select Royal finished the Underclass tournament 4-1 with a third place finish.

“All five of our teams practice together,” James continued of his program's success. “Everyone in our program helps one another. The older guys help the younger guys (and) it's just one big unit.”

DeAndre Pitts (Troy, Ala.) of the Rays was named the Most Valuable Player by providing a .312/.476/.812 triple slash line. Of his five base hits (5-for-16), he hit a triple and two home runs, scored five runs and drove in eight.

The Triton Rays knocked off the No. 2 and 3 seeded GBSA Rays American and National squads in the semifinal and quarterfinal rounds respectively to advance and finished the tournament 5-1.

– Patrick Ebert


2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Upperclass) runner-up: Triton Rays

2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Upperclass) MVP: DeAndre Pitts



2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Upperclass) MV-Pitcher: Brady Stover





Triton Rays make unbeaten run to LD at LP Underclass title

EMERSON, Ga. – The Triton Rays made the most of eight hits and took advantage of five fielding errors and swatted Iowa Select Navy, 12-4, in the championship game at the Labor Day at LakePoint (Underclass) tournament Monday at Perfect Game Park South.

The championship game victory completed a 6-0-0 sweep of the 28-team field for the Montgomery, Ala.-based and No. 3-seeded Rays; No. 1 Iowa Select Navy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, finished 5-1-0.

The Rays pushed across three runs in the top of the second inning, with David Bohn delivering an RBI double and later stealing home. Javonte Williams walked and stole home as part of a two-run third and an RBI double off the bat of Baker Weldon in the top of the sixth gave the Rays a 6-2 lead after 5½.

Triton put an exclamation point on the 12-4 victory with a six-run seventh, highlighted by Williams stealing home for a second time; four of the six runs were earned. Weldon and Boan each doubled and drove in a pair of runs for the Rays in the title-game win.

Iowa Select Navy plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on a hard RBI groundout from Gregory Bennett and a sacrifice fly from Ethan Hayes. Brayden Frazier smacked an RBI double and Anthony Alepra drove in a run with a hard groundout as part of a two-run sixth that brought Navy within 6-4, but the Rays delivered the knockout punch in the top of the seventh.

Iowa Select Navy 2017 third baseman Izaya Ono-Fullard from Iowa City – the No. 1-ranked Iowa 2017 prospect – was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after hitting .625 (10-for-16) with a double, two triples, five RBI, nine runs scored and a 1.622 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

Rays’ 2017 right-hander Dalton Wilder from Salem, Ala., picked up the MV Pitcher award after throwing seven very effective innings in two appearances without allowing a run on three hits and striking out nine without issuing a walk.

The Triton Rays, Iowa Select Navy, No. 4 Iowa Select Royal (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and No. 7 Trojans Baseball (Gainesville, Ga.) all advanced to Monday’s semifinal round after winning quarterfinal-round games Sunday afternoon.

The two Iowa Select teams matched up in one of the semifinal games, with powerful Navy – which outscored its four pool-play opponents by a combined 37-1 – grabbing a 10-4 victory over Royal (4-1-0). The Rays topped Trojans Baseball (3-2-0), 8-0, in the other semifinal.

– Jeff Dahn


2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Underclass) champions: Triton Rays



2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Underclass) runner-up: Iowa Select Navy



2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Underclass) MVP: Izaya Ono-Fullard



2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Underclass) MV-Pitcher: Dalton Wilder





Busty Bulls capture LD at LP Freshman crown

EMERSON, Ga. – Shane Howell and Chuckie Fishbaugh contributed in big ways both at the plate and from the mound, and the Busty Bulls 14u followed them to a 5-1 win over the Southern Athletics in Monday’s championship game at the Labor Day at LakePoint (Freshman) tournament played at Perfect Game Park South.

The Busty Bulls 14u, from Wellington, Fla., worked their way through the 10-team field with a 5-1-0 record while the Southern Athletics, out of Fletcher, N.C., finished 3-2-1.

Howell and Fishbaugh – a pair of 2019 right-handers – combined on a two-hitter without giving up an earned run, striking out 11 and walking three. Howell was 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI; Fishbaugh went 2-for-3 with a run scored.

This was the second time in three days the tandem helped the Bulls 14u to victory. They combined on a four-hitter without giving up an earned run while striking out eight and walking three – they also plunked four batters – in a 6-1 pool-play win over Team 360 Baseball on Saturday. Howell singled twice and drove in two runs and Fishbaugh doubled and drove in a run in that victory.

Other key contributors in Monday win were Ethan Kramer, who was 2-for-3 with two RBI, and Jose Gonzalez, who doubled, singled and scored a run.

The Bulls 14u’s Gonzalez, a 2019 shortstop from Wellington, Fla., was named the Most Valuable Player, finishing 9-for-19 (.474) with two doubles, a triple, four RBI, four runs and a 1.208 OPS. Bulls 14u’s 2019 right-hander Jeremy Neff from Royal Palm Beach, Fla., earned Most Valuable Pitcher recognition after allowing one earned run in 7 2/3 innings (0.91 ERA) on six hits with nine strikeouts and three walks in two appearances.

The Busty Bulls 14u finished 3-1-0 in pool-play, good enough for a runner-up finish to the Triton Rays North 14u from Muscle Shoals, Ala., which handed the Bulls 14u their only loss of the tournament. The Bulls 14u then reached the championship game by rolling past the Elite Gamers RWB (4-1-0) from McDonough, Ga., 10-1, in one of the two semifinal games played Monday morning.

The Southern Athletics finished second in their pool with a 2-1-1 record and then surprised the Triton Rays North 14u (3-2-0) with a 6-4 victory in Monday’s other semifinal.

– Jeff Dahn


2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Freshman) champions: Busty Bulls 14u



2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Freshman) runner-up: Southern Athletics



2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Freshman) MVP: Jose Gonzalez



2015 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint (Freshman) MV-Pitcher: Jeremy Neff