Great job this week to all the teams competing at a high level from around the country. We had an excellent event for the Mother's Day Classic with several highly ranked teams. The championship games did not disappoint. If this a peek of what we have in store for the TBR World Series at Action Sports Center in Dayton, OH, we are in for a treat!
This week's rankings recap is a little bit different. We need to discuss the the process of the rankings. It does involve a lot of user input of scores, which helps immensely. It also involves detailed research of USSSA, Perfect Game, Bullpen, TBR, and other highly competitive tournaments every week. From time-to-time we have to give rankings reminders when submitting results and fine tune our process to be better organized. A couple things to remember: -Please do not make submissions unless it states what team was beat and ranking with GC evidence or bracket evidence -Please do not try to pass off B or C teams as A teams or your team will be penalized in the rankings -When rankings are up to date, please do not send rankings updates from more than two weeks ago as they will not be considered. -Scrimmages and league do not count-Develop! -Rankings requests on Facebook, or the “Contact” page WILL NOT BE Processed. Please follow the directions for submissions under "Requests" for organizational purposes. -Bracket play counts a lot more than pool play-submit after tourney is over-If you beat a team on Saturday, but they advance further in a bracket please include... -Tone- If the tone of the email is rude, the rankings submission will be ignored. -Finally, for the most up to date rankings, submit your results closer to the next update. We really appreciate the passionate following from everyone on our site. We also appreciate all those teams that continue to challenge themselves every week against high level teams. State and National Rankings Click Here What a weekend of travel baseball around the Country. The elation, the intensity, and the Disappointment. All these feelings were felt and witnessed throughout the weekend at The Mother’s Day Classic and all ballparks across America.
Why do parents/players/coaches participate in travel Baseball? It is because of all these feelings. Imagine a nine-year old player getting the last out of an excellent 1-run championship game. Then laying there in tears face down, pounding his hand into the ground. We saw that this weekend. I think we all felt for that kid, while also appreciating the happiness of the winners. These kids know what is at stake and they do not want to disappoint their parents, teammates, and coaches. It does not stop at nine-years old parents, so get used to it. Baseball is a humbling game, and contrary to what the great Jimmy Dugan once said, there is crying in baseball. Grown men in MLB and college cry with the disappointment of losing. I watched my son get the last out with the tying run on third and winning run on first. It was one of the best championship games I have seen in a long time. I was frustrated with his mini slump in his final two games. What was I going to say to him about his lack of hitting? I think at that time he just needed a hug… we can work on hitting later. You take the good with the bad folks. That is why we love this game so much. The bitterness of defeat drives these kids. It is character building. It makes the feeling of winning that much better. Congratulations to all the winners this weekend that were able to experience the elation of victory for all their hard work! Hit Machine-Sheboygan 13u We love seeing those unranked or lower ranked teams ascend high into the rankings. Each week new teams emerge and compete. We want to recognize those underdogs! These are the “Biggest Movers”.
AHQ9u(IL) 9u AHQ9u won a championship and also beat the #11 ranked Future Swings Black. This up-and-coming program was unranked to start the year and are clearly poised to make some noise this year. Good work fellas! SJ SandSharks(NJ) and PRD Tri State Ghost(NJ) 10u Unranked to start the year, the Sandsharks have earned the #8 spot in New Jersey. They competed with the top team Cherry Hill National and beat the #9 ranked New Jersey team. Being an underdog sometimes pays off. Perhaps the biggest omission by us in the pre-season rankings was PRD Ghost out of NJ. They have won the last two PG events and beat the # 1 New York Team. As a result, this has catapulted to the top team in New Jersey. Placentia Punishers(CA) 11u The Placentia Punishers are rolling. They have an overall record of 39-8-1 and have beat the Scottsdale Dirtbags, MBA Grays, Diamond Dawgs, and So Cal Truth. This team was overlooked in the preseason rankings and has proved to be a formidable force in California and the country. We see them continuing to compete at a high level. Hit Machine-Sheboygan(WI)13u Sheboygan, Wisconsin is a great town nestled between Green Bay and Milwaukee on the shores of lake Michigan. What else does Sheboygan have? Great baseball! In 2021, Hit Machine-Sheboygan is 8-0 on the season beating #3 Hitters twice. Starting the season unranked and climbing to #3 in the Wisconsin State rankings is very impressive. Keep up the good work boys! Congratulations to all the underdogs and fly-under-the-radar teams. We expect several more teams to emerge as the season progresses. Over the last few weeks, we have had a rise of emails about teams/organizations picking up players- AKA "ringers" for tournaments. Love it or hate it, this is the way travel baseball is. All the large travel baseball events have several teams that are doing this to some degree. There are also plenty of teams that are able to compete at a high level with only their players. Travel Baseball Rankings will not be taking into account team rosters when compiling rankings, because virtually all tournaments allow the practice.
We need to analyze the state of travel baseball a little more for a better understanding. Travel baseball teams are essentially All-Star teams with the best players from surrounding areas. Little league has been ravaged by players that have decided to drive hours for better training and competition. Athletes play travel baseball to compete against the best players. It would be futile and rather disingenuous for TBR to somehow attempt to control what teams are doing, in regards to "ringers". What it inevitably boils down to is the personal reward for coaches/teams that have built the comradery between existing players. What type of organization do you want to be? What are your motivations? We get plenty of emails from top ranked teams that say, “we beat this stacked team, with our OWN players”. A cohesive team and coaches that can develop players, oftentimes can make up for the talent gap. We wish all travel teams luck in their pursuit of competing against the best. Canes Pirro 12u NC-Super Regional NIT Champs Last weekend, 4 of the top 12u National teams played in North Carolina. Additionally, several other teams are surging and putting themselves on the radar as state or national contenders.
Featured Game: 12u Canes Pirro(NC) Vs TX Florida Canes(FL/TX) A match up of the heavyweights! Canes Pirro(#3) and TX/FL Canes(#6) played through a grueling bracket of excellent teams into the championship game. This game did not disappoint! Canes Pirro squeaked out the win (9-8) after getting out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 6th. There is no doubt we will be hearing from both these teams all season, including during Championship month. 8u Homeplate Chili Dogs(GA) The Homeplate Chilidogs have been rolling in 8u as of late and have climbed to #10 in the national rankings. This team could very well make a run at the #1 spot by the end of the year. Keep rolling boys! Citi Pirates 9u(CA) Citi Pirates 9u have emerged as a contender in the 9u division, recently beat the top 9u team-MVP Barberena. They also have wins against ZT Cali, San Diego Show, and GBG Vegas. This team is the perfect example of an un-ranked underdog that rattled off a bunch of quality wins to put themselves in the conversation for the top team in California... and the Country! RBI Redstitch 108 10u(TN) and Carolina Cardinals 10u(NC) RBI Redstitch 108 has won two high level tournaments in Atlanta, beating top ranked teams, Turn2 and Dingers Athletics. They climbed all the way to the #4 team in the country. We expect them to continue to have success and make a run at the #1 spot by the end of the year. Also, the Carolina Cardinals came out of nowhere this week and won a major PG event in NC. They catapulted themselves to the #3 team in the country as a result! Canes Midwest 11u (IN) The Midwest Canes 11u won the championship in Grand Park against some high-quality competition. Look out for this team as they are challenging themselves with a very difficult schedule and may make a run during championship month. They have proved over the last few years that they are one of the best teams in the Midwest at their age. Cangelosi Vs Cangelosi 12u (IL) There was some quality baseball being played in Inwood, IL at all age groups. Five of the top ten IL teams, including the top 3 teams battled it out. Cangelosi Penz and Cangelosi Campbell beat out some highly ranked teams to meet in the championship. Cangelosi Campbell won the championship, but Penz proved the belong in the top 5 in IL. Campbell proved they are the team to beat in IL. Cincy Flames 13u (OH) The 13u Cincy Flames battled though the #1, #4, and #5 Ohio teams to win a highly competitive early season tournament in Southern Ohio. After winning this quality tournament, we fully expect them to continue to compete at a high level in 2021. Keep competing fellas! Utah Chiefs (UT) 14u and Top Tier South Zilis 14u (IL) The Utah Chiefs are on fire! They beat the #5, #10, and #15 Utah teams in route to winning the NIT Spring Baseball in the Desert Championship. This team is on the radar as a team to watch in 2021 after playing and beating these very quality opponents. Finally, Top Tier South Zilis knocked off the #1 team in Illinois and Nationally Ranked Cangelosi Sparks 10-9 in an excellent championship game in Inwood, IL. What a game! We will continue to provide TBR Recaps throughout the season that will accompany rankings updates. Good luck to all the teams that continue to challenge themselves every week. Gem City Throwbacks 11u-Turf Madness Champions What a Weekend in Travel Baseball...
There was a lot of action this weekend in travel baseball. We look forward to providing rankings updates throughout the year with the pinnacle being in July with several highly competitive tournaments. Gem City Throwbacks 11u(OH) The 11u Gem City Throwbacks went to Grand Park and won a very competitive tournament that included a couple top ranked National teams. They bested Hawks Gold in a very close championship game 7-6. Congratulations boys on a hard fought tournament championship. East Cobb Astros Orange 12u(GA) The 12u East Cobb Astros have also been surging and showing they belong as a top ranked team in the Country. They have won a couple highly competitive PG tournaments against top ranked competition. They will be a force to be reckoned with during the 2021 campaign. Monster Baseball 8u(CA) This team is hot, hot, hot! They have surged to the number two team in the country after wins against MVP Trejo(CA) and Sin City Baseball(NV). Their recent performances has catapulted them to the #2 spot in the Country! This team has a chance to take over the top spot and be a contender all season long. Klutch Baseball 10u (MO) Klutch Baseball has proved they belong as a top team in the 10u age group after beating the Gators, who were the top ranked MO team and also a highly ranked National Team. As a result, they have climbed the rankings to #8 nationally. This team challenges themselves by playing up to prepare for a national schedule. Team ZT 13u Teams from the ZT organization currently occupy 3 of the top 10 spots in 13u nationally. There was a huge shake-up in the rankings a few weeks back with Texas Canes Elite dropping their first game in 100+ games. We expect them to still compete for the National Championship against teams like ZT Prospects(CA), Twelve Baseball Black(TX), ZT Elite(AZ), ZT Elite Nava(TX), B45 Oklahoma(OK), Brandon Blazers(FL) all in contention. West Virginia Take Me Home- This weekend Tournament USA had a well ran tournament- "Bust the Rust-Powered by TBR": A lot of smiles and kids having fun. We look forward to their upcoming events and continued success in West Virginia. All event are powered by TBR. Stay tuned for more updates as the season progresses. The updates will take place every two weeks until Championship Month in July! Remember all rankings requests are now done through the Travel Baseball Rankings APP in the Android /Apple store. The top 10 8-13u tournaments for 2021 from all sanctioning bodies-big implications for the 2021 final national rankings. 2020 has been a tough year for tournament directors, travel baseball teams, facilities, and families. Some very notable tournaments were postponed; for example, Cooperstown, NYBC, and the USSSA International World Series. We expect/hope we will back to normal in 2021 and the following highly competitive tournaments will go a long way in deciding the final 2021 National Rankings. This list is based on previous years, as well as current teams registered. With that being said, lets look at the top 10 expected travel baseball tournaments for 8-13u for 2021. Like all rankings...this list may be fluid depending on tournament turnout and how teams perform this year.
#10-Cooperstown Dreams Park-Cooperstown, NY Overall, Cooperstown is a great experience for kids. It doesn't always scream top level competition, however, is deserving of mention in the top 10. Many great 12u players and teams play in the events, which run 13 weeks. The interesting part-we cannot definitively tell you which week will be the most competitive, because we don't know. Two years ago the top 2 12u teams in the country faced off in the championship game in Cooperstown. We know one or two of these tournaments will definitely have somewhat of an impact on the 12u rankings, but probably not until the championship game. #9-NYBC, Baseball Heaven-Yaphank, NY The NYBC is very competitive at 12u. It is televised which really gives kids, parents and coaches something to look forward to. The other age groups are decent, but mostly regional to the Northeast. We think the 12u alone carries enough weight to get it ranked in the top 10. We look forward to seeing New York playing travel baseball again in 2021! #8-Super Select, Grand Park-Indianapolis, IN This tournament is a sneaky good one. Bullpen has several good tournaments throughout the year, but we scoured their website and discovered this one sticks out big time. What is particularly surprising-it is stacked with great teams in May, with only a 3-game guarantee. Many top ranked Midwest teams are converging on Westfield this weekend. #7-Power Showcase National Championship, Marlins Park-Miami, Florida For the first time in amateur baseball history, a tournament and National Championship will be played in a Major League Stadium. The prestigious Power Showcase World Classic will be hosting the pro series at Marlins Park in August 2021. This 4 game minimum tournament will feature twelve of the top 13u travel teams in the country. Originally scheduled for 2020-and postponed due to Covid-19, the 12u event had some of the best teams in the Country expected to participate. The Power Showcase is an unbelievable event; think Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, and Blaze Jordan! We have every reason to believe this will be one of the top events for 2021. #6-USSSA Wilson/Demarini Elite World Series, Space Coast Complex-Viera, Florida Hear us out on this one. The USSSA Elite 32 has always been the Mecca for travel baseball 9-12u, however, there have been some major developments in the last few years. It will still be a very good field of teams, however, many of the better teams down south and out west(Cali) are opting for the top level PG events. With the selection process not being as stringent as it was in years past(more than 32 teams allowed)we put this tournament at #6. This could change, but think it is an appropriate spot for now and going into 2021. #5-TBR World Series, Action Sports Center-Dayton, OH Say What??? Many people may think it is crazy to put this one ahead of the USSSA Elite World Series, but listen to the rationale and compare the teams in each tournament. This is the top overall Midwest Tournament and one of the top in the Country. It boasts 55+ top 5 teams from 11 different states in the Midwest/Northeast. There are truly no breaks in pool or bracket play from 8-13u. It will be one of the best in the country for overall competitiveness. #4-PG Super Regional-Houston, TX This one is a monster tournament! Last year it was a USSSA tournament and was one of the best in the Country. It had a huge impact on the final rankings for 2020. The former tournament director from USSSA Texas, has since moved to Perfect Game (taking all those teams with him). With the addition of some more excellent teams, we expect this tournament to be near the top again for 2021. #3-USSSA International World Series, Southern California, California This tournament did not run last year due to Covid-19, but in 2019 was one of the best in the Country. We expect all the best from California to go to this event, just as they did two years ago when it had a huge impact on the final TBR rankings. We expect no different in 2021 and hope they are playing baseball again soon in California! #2-PG World Series-East Cobb, GA/Sanford,Florida At 13u this is the #1 tournament, however, the competitiveness an exclusiveness of our number #1 tournament for other ages put this one right on the cusp of the number #1 ranked tournament in the country. 9-12u will be off the charts here too, just not quite enough to earn that #1 spot. All of the PG World Series events will have a big impact on the final TBR rankings for 2021. #1-PGI National Championship-Sanford, FL The top 8-12u teams in the country will be playing in this one. It is an invite only with all the top teams attending. PG is only taking the top 48 teams, making this one of the most grueling and challenging tournaments in the country. Many top 10 ranked 2019 and 2020 teams are in the PG National Championship. We expect this tournament to have a huge impact on the final 2021 rankings. That concludes the top 10 rankings for the most competitive tournaments in 2021. If your team is one of these tournaments, excellent job and good luck! |