With an early morning sunrise, a new day begins … and so does the summer at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina. The 10U Futures Invitational is in full swing, with 16 games taking place on opening day.
You could feel the significance in the air, especially with this tournament being the first USA Baseball action for these young players.
“It means the world to the kids because they get to play at the same place as Mark McGwire, and all the legends of USA Baseball in the past,” said Coach Danny Gipson of Tennessee Elite. “You get to compete against the best of the best, as competitors, and as players, that's what you want.”
The Tennessee Elite squad, the returning champions from last year's 10U Futures Invitational, is out to defend its title. Their attitude to win again this year remains the same, and playing with the same edge is key.
“This year we are coming back with a bullseye on our back; we won it last year, so this year we’re kind of the hunted. We’ve got to have a little perspective, and we’ve got to embrace that challenge.”
Playing well here, compared to your average travel ball tournament, carries more importance than ever for the kids.
“It’s USA Baseball. That means something,” Gipson continued. “That affiliation alone makes it stand out."
The intensity of the competition is unmatched, with 16 teams from all over the country travelling to play here. Each game, the USA Baseball Task Force and scouts get to look for the best talent available and invite players to 12U National Team Training Camp.
Ghost National made the trip from Texas to play in this prestigious tournament. “This has been a great experience so far,” said a Ghost National parent. “This is our first time here, and especially for Father's Day weekend it's pretty special.”
Getting started on their journey through the USA Baseball pipeline early gives these kids a head start on their development. With the possibility of participating in USA Baseball’s national team programming and going to training camp, the 12U National Team lies in front of the selected players.
Formatted with four pools of four teams, winning day one is heavily important, as only the top seeds from each pool make it to the semifinals.
Announcing their presence early, the Original Florida Pokers of Parkland showed up loud, scoring a total of 25 combined runs in their games while only allowing two runs.
Vault Boys Baseball gave themselves a great edge going into tomorrow's pool play games with a 2-0 record today and beating the defending champions, Tennessee Elite, during the first round of competition.
Knights Knation and ZT National Prospects finished their day at 2-0 as well, joining Vault Boys Baseball and Original Florida Pokers of Parkland as the only undefeated teams.
One of the most exciting games of the day was won in walk-off fashion, with the Jersey Storm winning 4-3 over West Raleigh.
Three games ended in ties due to reaching the time limit, leaving it all on the field for those teams tomorrow to take what they want.
Showcasing the brightest young talent of the game, the 10U Futures Invitational has it all. With the summer of USA Baseball off to a hot start, “Our Pastime’s Future” continues to be developed as these players start their journey through the USA Baseball pipeline.
