EMERSON,
Ga. – Four days into the 2015 17u WWBA National Championship and
many teams are picking up steam heading into the final half of pool
play. There are multiple pools that look to be suited for a close
finish, including Pool U, which featured a head-to-head matchup
between two undefeated teams that both have a very good shot of
advancing to the playoffs. CBA Marucci and Lids Indiana Bulls Grey
had proven to be evenly matched going into this game, and are well
aware of the implications of what a win on Monday could do for their
club moving forward.
Just
by comparing rosters, you wouldn’t think that these two teams would
be neck-and-neck fighting for the top spot in their pool, but the
Bulls have shown that they can hold their own in an elite tournament
like this and hoped to gain the edge against CBA Marucci. CBA is
carrying an unbelievable 14 Division I commits to mostly Pac-12
schools, but they refused to take the Bulls lightly, seeing as they
are right on their heels. One slip up could mean the difference
between advancing and not advancing, and CBA would bring out all the
stops in Monday's game.
Even
though the Bulls are undefeated, they had only been able to muster up
a total of eight runs. They had won some close games, and were really
going to need step up the offensive production if they wanted to stay
in this game. CBA on the other hand had put up 18 runs, but behind
the arm of big lefty Jack Dashwood, they would not need very many
runs at all to walk away with a win.
From
the very first pitch of the game, Dashwood was completely dominant.
The Bulls had trouble even putting the ball in play, and his mid- to
upper-80s fastball carried him to a winning decision. He racked up
six strikeouts and only allowed one hit in four innings of work, and
was mixing and matching very well with his location and pitch
variation. His fastball had tremendous zip on it, and he kept hitters
off balance with a changeup that’s equally as devastating as his
breaking ball.
“I
wanted to have good intensity in this game,” Dashwood said after
the game. “I go out there and just try to do my best, and I know I
have a good team behind my back. I came into the game telling myself
I was going to do well, and each pitch I was reminding myself that.
Mainly, I just wanted to keep good focus.”
At
the plate and on the basepaths, CBA Marucci showed that they are
extremely aggressive. By the end of the game, they put up eight hard
earned runs and showed fantastic energy throughout the entire game. A
big part in their 8-2 win was their ability to manufacture runs, and
Head Coach Daylon Monette was very impressed with his guys energy on
the field today, despite the fact they played such a late game the
night before, an intense 5-3 win over Chandler World Gold.
“Today
we were gritty and tough,” Coach Monette said. “We had a long
game last night and didn’t get done 'til past midnight, and it was
really about these guys being mature and making sure they weren’t
flat. They made some mistakes and gave us some chances, and we were
able to capitalize.
Jack Dashwood allowed only one hit and struck out six in four innings in CBA Marucci's win on Monday.
“The
pitching staff has been so strong for us this tournament and we have
guys that just do a great job of flat out pitching. As far as
aggressiveness on the base paths, we try to exploit holes or mistakes
the other teams make. All these little things play into us winning
games.”
A
big component of the success that CBA Marucci is the superb young
talent they have on their team, and young Dominic Fletcher is a prime
example of the type of special players that this team has. Fletcher
is fresh off a magnificent showing at the Perfect Game National
showcase, and feels very satisfied with the way he performed there.
“I
went out there, and it was the best 300 to 400 players in the
country,” Fletcher said of his experience in Fort Myers, Fla. “I
had worked real hard getting stronger and staying in shape, and I
went out there and played as hard as I could. I tried to do
everything I could, and I think they got what they needed to see.”
Fletcher,
an Arkansas commit, is ready to tear it up in the SEC and is very
happy to say that he will be a Razorback. He will have big shoes to
fill, as he looks to replace star Arkansas outfielder Andrew
Benintendi in the next couple of years. Benintendi was recently named
the 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award winner, and one day,
Fletcher hopes that he might be able to follow in his footsteps.
“I
always wanted to be in the SEC, so I went out and visited a lot of
those schools out there, and I went to Arkansas and loved the coaches
and facilities,” Fletcher said of his choice. “It was just the
right place for me.”
Coach
Monette has known Fletcher since he was very young, and he is
extremely honored to have played a part in his development as a man
and ballplayer.
“I’ve
known Fletcher since he was nine, and he left our team for a little
bit but it was a natural fit for him to come back,” Monette said of
his star outfielder. “Even when he was playing against us, he was
fun to compete against, and he’s the heart and soul of our team.
I’m lucky to be a part of some of his important formative years,
and the kid just loves the game. He’s always smiling, and he’s a
big intricate part of our team. No ego either, and he can do anything
with the bat and with the glove.”
CBA
Marucci certainly has a swagger that not many other teams possess,
and they should be an intriguing team to watch as the 2015 17u WWBA
National Championship continues. Now 4-0 in pool play, Coach Monette
wants to see his guys be locked in on every pitch of the game, and
feels that will be very important for them moving forward.
“We
need to come to play every single inning of every single game,”
Monette added. “The intensity needs to stay up, and it’s hard to
do that sometimes. Our leaders in the middle of the infield have to
keep us up and going and these guys gotta make sure they don’t play
too lax.”