18U ASA G0LD Nationals

Someone told me the batbusters left all their older girls at home for the boulder tournament. But they bring them for the qualifiers and for the Nationals. Why is that?

 

They do that because their programs have 2 missions....

1. Win Gold Nationals
2. Showcase their players

The coaches, players and parents all know that these are the objectives of the program AND that they are 2 TOTALLY different things. These major west coast programs are basically feeder programs for the major Div I schools. They have major sponsorships from the bat/glove/ball/shoe companies and spend all spring, summer and fall playing in both showcase tournaments and qualifiers.

The 2 main objectives of the programs are different in the following ways...

1. SHOWCASE TOURNAMENTS - for these major programs, they mostly do showcase tournaments in the spring and the fall, plus Colorado. When they go to these tournaments, they play mostly their unsigned kids. Their goals are to get these kids noticed and talking to college coaches. Since a lot of these kids will be going to major schools, a lot of the talking happens during the fall of their junior year. By the spring and summer, these kids have already verballed to a school.

2. QUALIFIERS/NATIONALS - these major programs also use their finishes at national tournaments as a way to recruit the best of the best. When it comes time to play in qualifiers and national tournaments, it is no longer a showcase situation. Now, the best of the best will play, including college players and those going to college this fall. The younger, unsigned kids who play during the showcase tournaments normally do not play much during the qualifiers and national tournaments AND ARE OK WITH IT!!!!! They are ok with it because they know that they will play during the showcase tournaments when they are going to get seen by the college coaches and then after they have signed or go to college, they know they will be the ones coming back to compete at the national tournaments.

That is how it works in the major programs. People know that going into it and it works because it is a cycle. Coaches, players and parents all know the difference between a showcase tournament where the objective is not to win but rather showcase their players (Just for everyone's information, whoever wins or loses at showcase tournaments means absolutely nothing to us college coaches. We are there to watch the players, not the final score.) and a qualifier/national tournament where the objective is to win. Both have their places in the TB world and sometimes they can coexist within the same organization.

 

Don,t know, but you have to be pretty darn good to do what they have done. There starting pitcher is from Tennessee. Talk about recruiting across the country, that is hard to beat teams like that. At least 20 california teams competed in the 18-U Gold nationals. Wonder how many North Carolina 18-U teams there are period? We have the talent, just not near as many. Its sort of like 1A trying to beat a 4A school.

 

Just think the 64 Gold teams used to be playing the 18A Nationals and they did dominate it,reason for the Gold classification competetion.These teams usually have one set of players for pool play and another for elimnation.
juat an observation.

 

Not sure how many exactly..

When we saw them in Boulder they had the young lady from Tenn pitching & 15 other kids. I was told that they had 4 players out at the Jr Nationals.
I assume these would be the college freshman. The Blues have no college
freshman . yet ?

 

Great Job coach

Very nice explanation of how it works.
This should be a handout for anyone wanting to play Gold. It is correct !

 

Firecrackers upset OC Batbusters

2007 GOLD NATIONALS

FIRECRACKERS WIN IN 7TH, 5-4
Mirror image of 6th inning in 2006

GOLD sidebar: In 2006, the Firecrackers had the lead 4-1 then 4-3 until the Batbusters scored 6 runs in the 6th, enroute to a 9-4 decision. Added incentive: the Batbusters started Amanda Williams who was knocked out of the circle; Donna Kerr came in and won, but, Megan Langenfeld couldn’t pitch the title game because of a blistered finger. Coach Gary Haning has won five Gold titles and eight national titles. The Firecrackers were second in 2006; their previous best was 3rd. UCLA can’t lose: Langenfeld is a Bruin and Donna Kerr joins her in the fall. Both were on the victorious 2007 Junior World team. Lauren Schutzler's father predicted the outcome before the game, saying Langenfeld missed her chance last year and she will win now.

1st. Batbusters visitor. Schroeder led off with a single to left. B. Lastrapes reached on an error by Hansen at short. A Harrison singled to center, bases loaded, no outs. Paculba looked at a third strike. M Harrison, one of the hitting stars in 2006 flied out to shallow left. DiSalvatore ground out to short.

B1. J. Reid looked at a third strike. Hansen ground out to short. Langenfeld hit a dribbler back to Kerr. 0-0.

2nd. Left fielder made a super diving catch of Huff’s dying liner, then caught Schutte’s foul ball out of bounds. Sappingfield ground out to Hansen at short.

B2. Koria flied out to left. Schutzler beat out an infield hit but was forced at 2nd on Arriola’s fielder’s choice. Trott flied out to center.

3rd. Schroeder walked and was forced at 2nd by B. Lastrapes’ grounder to short. A. Harrison rifled a single into right field, Lastrapes going to 3rd. Paculba loaded the bases for the second time with a walk. M Harrison, the most dangerous Batbuster, lofted a grand slam home run over the left field fence, 4-0 Batbusters. (Ironically, this is the reverse of the 3rd last year when the Firecrackers held a 4-0 lead.) DiSalvatore lobbed a hit into left which a racing Hansen caught backhand. Huff flied out to left.

B3. E. Reid struck out. Shults revived Firecracker hopes with a double to right. J. Reid lofted a blooper over 3rd, and continued to 2nd, pinch runner Acosta taking 3rd. Hansen grounded to 3rd, the runner holding. Schutzler drew ball four on a wild pitch; catcher Huff recovered in time to flip the ball to the plate to put Acosta out.

4th. Schutte lined out to Hansen at short. Sappingfield reached on an error by Hansen and stole 2nd. Schroeder flied out to right. B Lastrapes grounded out.

B4. Koria hit a deep fly to Schroeder in center. Schutzler fanned. Arriola grounded out to DiSalvatore at 3rd.

5th. A. Harrison made the first out. Paculba singled to right. M Harrison popped to catcher Shults, who held on to the ball after a collision with Koria racing in from 3rd. DiSalvatore was out 5-3.

B5. Trott made the first out. E Reid ground out to short. Shults struck out. The Batbusters were six outs away from a consecutive championship, their fourth in the new century.

6th. Huff was thrown out by Hansen at short. Schutte whiffed. Sappingfield’s low flying slap was caught by a diving Koria for the third out.

B6. J Reid bunted but no one covered 1st, the fourth Firecracker hit. Hansen hit into a fielder’s choice by Kerr, forcing Reid at 2nd. Langenfeld walked, Wheeler to run. Koria hit into a fielder’s choice, erasing Hansen. Schutzler hit a bloop single loading the bases with two out. Arriola singled in a Firecracker run, 4-1. Trott lofted a high fly to left which fell in and rolled to the corner, three runs scored to tie the game 4-4. (Eerily reminiscent of 2006 when the Batbusters scored 6 runs to defeat these same Firecrackerss.) Pinchrunner Ontriveros took 3rd on a wild pitch. E. Reid worked a 3-2 count flied out to A Harrison in right.

7th. Schroeder singled to 3rd. B Lastrapes sacrified to Hansen at short who threw on the run. A Harrison walked. With Paculba at bat, both runners advanced on a passed ball. Paculba walked on four pitches. M Harrison, who hit a grand slam when the bases were loaded in the 3rd, popped up in foul ground to Koria at 3rd. DiSalvatore, who will join Langenfeld at UCLA, worked a 2-2 count, then flied out to Schutzler in center.

B7. Shults drew an opening walk, Acosta in to run. Reid slapped a single. Hansen ground out to 2nd, moving the runners. Langenfeld, with a chance to win her own game, was given an intentional pass, loading the sacks. Wheeler in to run. Koria went to 3-2, fouled off three pitches (two of which might have been ball four), singled to M Harrison at short – and Acosta ran home with the winning run – the first Gold championship for the Firecrackers.