EMERSON,
Ga. – Winning back-to-back championships is a feat that many teams
attempt, but few achieve, especially considering the quality of teams
at this year’s 18u PG/East Cobb Invitational. Home-field advantage
probably won’t help the East Cobb Astros in becoming repeat
champions, but their roster full of Division I commits might.
The
East Cobb Astros have 13 college commitments on their roster, nine of
them being to D-I schools including Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Auburn, LSU
and Kentucky. Heading into Saturday the Astros had lived up to
expectations, having disposed of their first two opponents. They
opened the tournament with a big win over the Georgia Blackcrackers,
9-0, and then took care of business against the Gold Glove Elite,
5-2.
The
victory against the Blackcrackers set the tone for the Astros this
weekend, as three of their pitchers combined for a no-hitter on top
of that overwhelming amount of run scoring. Since that game, they
haven’t looked back.
“We’re
just trying to take it one game at a time,” said East Cobb head
coach Jamie Crane before Saturday's game. “We’re set up the rest
of the way for pitching as long as we can get through this game
without using too many arms. We have Zach Goodman, a Clemson commit,
throwing for us in this final game of pool play. I feel real good
about our chances with him on the mound.”
And
Goodman pitched as advertised on Saturday, an 8-0 win over the
previously undefeated Players Edge 18u squad. Goodman worked four
impressive innings in which he allowed just one base hit in four
innings, striking out a pair.
Goodman
is just one of the many pitchers who can reach the low-90s for the
East Cobb Astros. They have no shortage of power arms and that may
possibly be their ticket to a repeat championship.
On
top of the absurd amount of pitching the Astros have, they also have
some serious wheels. Goodman will be relying on the speed of his high
school teammate Reggie Pruitt to provide a spark on the basepaths for
run support.
Over
at Kennesaw Mountain High, these two wreaked havoc against opposing
Georgia high schools and helped their school break into Perfect
Game's Top 50 team rankings, currently sitting in the 39th spot. Goodman is used to having the luxury of Pruitt’s world-class
speed behind him in the outfield, and is able to breathe easy any
time a ball is hit in the outfield.
Pruitt,
a Vanderbilt commit with a blazing 60-yard dash time of 6.58 seconds,
is one of the fastest players in the country and an overall
intriguing talent. Named as a 2015 Second Team All-American, Pruitt
is ranked 119th in the Perfect Game high school player
rankings, and has attended 29 PG events. In nine of those events he
was named to the All-Tournament team in addition to being named the
MVP of two of those tournaments, one of them being the 2014 17u BCS
Finals.
Pruitt
also attended the 2014 PG National Showcase, where he displayed his
top-notch speed and his strong arm (he threw 93 mph from the
outfield). After going 1-for-2 in Saturday's win – with that one
hit being a triple – Pruitt is now 4-for-5 at the plate, but given
his resume, one can certainly infer that he will be a difference
maker from beginning to end at this weekend’s PG/East Cobb
Invitational.
“Reggie
is a fast-twitch player, he’s a catalyst,” said Crane. “(He)
plays hard and plays fast. He can go first to third in a second. It
helps us to have that guy at the front of the lineup. He really gets
things going for us.”
Pruitt
is looking forward to enrolling this fall at Vanderbilt and he is
excited to play for Coach Tim Corbin in hopes of winning a national
championship, which the Commodores accomplished last year. However,
there may be an MLB club who’d rather see him play for them
instead.
Pruitt
is being considered by many MLB teams and hopes to have his name
called as the three-day MLB Draft commences on Monday.
“I’m
feeling real good about the draft. I have about eight to 10 teams
very interested, and are looking to take me somewhere in the second
to third round,” said Pruitt. “Whether I decide to forgo college
is dependent on the amount of money. My family and I will put a lot
of thought into it once the time comes, and if it doesn’t work out,
going and playing for Coach Corbin over at Vanderbilt will be a great
opportunity and I can do this whole process again in a few years.”
Pruitt’s
speed is his x-factor, but he also has impeccable defensive skills in
the outfield and a special ability at the plate.
“My
speed and my defense are the biggest parts of my game,” added
Pruitt. “I’m not a power hitter, but I’ve been working hard to
improve on that part of my game. I try to hit more for contact than
anything else. My main goal each game is to just make an impact,
whether it be with my ability or my instincts.”
Although
many of these players are excited to get their college baseball
career started, a couple of them will be anxiously waiting by their
phone for that once in a lifetime call. However, the excitement of
the draft is not posing much of a distraction for these talented few.
For these players, this tournament is their last chance to make a
good impression and raise their draft stock, so the focus is purely
on playing flawless baseball.
Coach
Crane believes in his team’s ability to win back-to-back PG/East
Cobb Invitational championships. Even though the Astros cut the
amount of players they brought to this year’s invitational in half,
their pitching is as solid, if not more so, than last year’s. They
will continue to face the top arms in the tournament with a pretty
big target on their back, but Coach Crane is optimistic that his team
will stay hot.
Something
that is different about this team compared to last year’s champs is
the mentality of the players. Coach Crane feels that this particular
group of guys display more toughness than last year’s bunch, and he
is impressed with their ability to handle adversity.
“Were
a lot more blue collar this year,” said Crane. “These kids are
great at battling back when they’re in a corner. I think they take
the game personal, and that’s hard to find with young players these
days. They just don’t wanna get beat.
“I
think this event is special because the draft is coming up and this
could be the last time these guys get to play for me. This is their
last chance to show their stuff off and have fun playing East Cobb
baseball, so a lot of these guys want to finish out on top."