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Tournaments  | Story | 6/20/2019

Team Georgia claims 18u crown

Jack Nelson
Photo: Team Georgia 17u National (Perfect Game)

MARIETTA, Ga. – Reagan Burford let out a loud yell after crossing home plate following Shep Hancock’s first inning double. Pointing at Hancock on second base, the Ole Miss commit was mobbed as he came back to a dugout of teammates eager to greet him. The moment encapsulated what Team Georgia was all about this week, as they played with a palpable energy that consistently wore down their opponents. They completed their title run on Thursday by defeating the East Cobb Astros 17u Navy, 9-5, to win the WWBA 18u National Championship.

The victory makes Team Georgia just the second organization to win the WWBA National Championship at the 15u, 16u, 17u, and 18u levels.

“We knew this was the 18u’s last tournament,” said Cade Smith. “We wanted to go out with a bang for them. It was special to capture it with those guys.”

Team Georgia got things started early in the championship as both Will Portera and Burford reached base to start the game. With the bases loaded, Shep Hancock smacked his tone-setting double that scored two. In the second inning, Tennessee commit Hunter Ensley demolished a ball over the left field fence for a three run home run, chasing the East Cobb starting pitcher from the contest.

“I was sitting change up, and he left one hanging that I put a good swing on,” said Ensley.

Team Georgia was able to extend its lead to 8-3 by the bottom of the sixth sinning, but things got dicey as the Astros’ John Anderson and Ethan Stamps hit back-to-back home runs to cut the lead to 8-5. But that was the closest the Astros would get, as lefty Sam Stratton was able to come on in relief of starter Camden Hill and get five big outs to clinch the championship.

The victory was sweet for Team Georgia coach Chris McRaney, who says his team has grown immensely the past few weeks. He believes this group took on a different persona in this tournament. But there was one thing in particular McRaney sensed.

“Leadership,” he said. “They love each other and are becoming a family. But this week we just had an extra level of competiveness and a will to win. This morning we were down a run late in our first playoff game and we just found a way to come back.”

It was a total team effort, but the duo of Portera and Burford at the top of the order really propelled Team Georgia. Burford had 17 hits this week, including five doubles, a home run, and 12 RBIs. Portera set the table at the top of the batting order by contributing seven hits, eight RBIs, and a whopping 13 runs scored.

You don’t win the WWBA National Championship without great pitching. That was certainly the case with Team Georgia, as Cade Smith gave them the performance of the tournament in their semifinal game on his way to being named Most Valuable Pitcher.

Just how good was Smith? The Mississippi State commit threw a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in his seven inning complete game. Smith overpowered every hitter that stood in the box, but he was so locked in that he didn’t realize he had the no-no in tact until the final out was recorded.

“I didn’t even know it until all the guys came running out of the dugout,” said Smith, who Perfect Game ranks as the 155th overall player in the high school class of 2020. “It was special to deliver in such a big game.”

Smith had a special day, but what makes it even more impressive is that he left his home in Mississippi around 4 AM and arrived at the East Cobb Complex around 11 AM, just a little over a half hour before he was supposed to start the 11:30 semifinal game against Team Elite. He definitely didn’t look tired. He worked quickly and efficiently, using his low-90s fastball and hammer curveball to generate a lot of swings and misses and weak contact. Not even a rain delay in the fourth inning could throw him off.

“He’s a competitor, and he’s a strike thrower,” said McRaney. “He was up to 96 mph last week, but it’s not all velocity with him. He knows how to pitch. Guys love playing behind him because he works fast. Team Elite really didn’t even hit a ball hard off him. I think that kid can pitch in the big leagues one day.”

Coach McRaney raved about his star pitcher’s talent on the mound, but he said what truly sets him apart is his character and mental toughness.

“Two years ago he came to play on our 16u team as a 15 year old,” said McRaney. “He only threw 1/3 of an inning for us at that 16u WWBA tournament, and lot of kids would have left the program after not even pitching a full inning over nine games. But he didn’t. He texted me after and said, ‘I learned what I need to do to be successful and I’m going to work as hard as I can to get there.’ That is what makes Cade Smith different.”

This championship is sweet for Team Georgia, but it will most certainly not be the last time we hear of them. With a roster stocked with college commitments, included eight pledged to SEC schools, these freshly minted champions will be a scary sight for opponents the rest of the summer. And as good as they have been, McRaney believes they are just scratching the surface of their ability.

“We are still nowhere near as good as we could be with this group,” said he said. “This is a special bunch of guys and a special group of families. Our goal is to win the 17u WWBA. This is a great step to achieving that.”

East Cobb’s Ethan Stamps has been a pitcher’s worst nightmare this summer and that didn’t change this week as he had 10 hits, including four home runs, 14 RBIs and nine runs scored on his way to being named MVP. It is the third tournament this June that the Lipscomb commit has been named the top position player.

2019 WWBA 18U National Championship Runner-Up: East Cobb Astros 17U Navy

2019 WWBA 18U National Championship MVPitcher: Cade Smith
2019 WWBA 18U National Championship MVP: Ethan Stamps
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