PEORIA, Ariz. – They are 16 of the best 17u baseball teams in the country, and represent every region in the nation. And after the tournament’s 60th game is played Saturday morning at the Peoria Sports Complex, one of the 16 will be able say emphatically that it is, indeed, the best of the best.
The first 17u Perfect Game World Series will kick off with eight games Tuesday (July 24) night at the Peoria Sports Complex and continues with 16 games a day through Friday. The semifinals and championship games will be played Saturday morning, with all the action at the spring training home of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.
The teams involved in this prestigious event are the ABD Bulldogs, based in San Bernardino, Calif.; Arizona Elite (Phoenix); Baseball U (West Branch, N.J.); the Dallas Patriots (Richardson, Texas); the East Cobb Braves (Marietta, Ga.), The EvoShield Canes (Fredericksburg, Va.); the Houston Banditos (Houston, Texas) and the Indiana Prospects (Indianapolis).
Also, Marucci Elite (Baton Rouge, La.); Mountain West ’13 (South Jordan, Utah); NorCal Baseball (Manteca, Calif.); San Diego Show (San Diego); SGV Arsenal (West Covina, Calif.); the South Florida Elite Squad (Miami); Team Northwest (Puyallup, Wash.) and the Tri-State Arsenal (Vorhees, N.J.).
The 16 teams have been separated into two eight-team pools and each will play seven pool games between Tuesday and Friday. The top-two teams from each pool will advance to Saturday’s semifinals.
For this year’s inaugural event, Perfect Game tournament directors and scouts selected the 16 teams based on their performances at PG national tournaments in the past and the expectations for each in 2012. Beginning in 2013, teams will be given the opportunity to qualify for the PG World Series through a series of qualifying tournaments that will be held throughout the country.
The 14u, 15u and 16u Perfect Game World Series will be held July 31 through Aug. 5 in Marietta, Ga.
Here’s another excerpt from the PG blogs about some of the teams attending:
South Florida Elite
Perfect Game staff members asked about a sleeper team to take home the title almost unanimously picked South Florida as their choice. With the likes of C Zach Collins, OF William Abreu, IF Danny Zardon, 1B Nick Longhi and OF Brandon Diaz in their lineup, the Elite are not going to be outscored in a slugfest. Where the pitching depth comes from is another matter.
Player to Watch: C Zach Collins. Collins has put on some of the most impressive hitting displays in WWBA history at past events and is one of the elite power hitters in the country. Scouts will also be watching how he handles the South Florida pitching staff.
