BLUE WAVE TAKES UNDER ARMOUR SHOWCASE TITLE

Blue Wave Baseball’s 18U-Select team proved that solid pitching and defense truly win games when they swept the field to win the 2011 Under Armour® Southwest Championships (AUG 4) at Azusa Pacific.

“Our pitching and defensive was phenomenal,” Blue Wave Select Team Coach Jason Smith noted. “Every one of our pitchers threw lights out when they got on the mound.”

Blue Wave pitchers dominated in the wood bat showcase that featured 28 top Connie Mack-level teams from throughout the region that played in front of college recruiters and scouts during the four-day event. Blue Wave only gave up five runs in six games, the least of any of the teams. And only four of the runs were earned. Four Blue Wave starters went the distance in their games as well, including Adam Padilla (Santa Monica/2012), John Erhardt (La Quinta/2013), Kyle Schultz (Kennedy/2012), and Ryan Morgan (Kennedy/2012).

PITCHERS DOMINATE

Padilla set the tone for the Blue Wave pitchers in the very first game of the tournament on Monday (8/1/11) when he pitched a 10-1 win over the CenTex Prospects (Texas) that ended in five innings due to the mercy rule.

Chase Kapana (Newport Harbor/2012) started the second game against Ventura County Baseball, going four strong innings, before Brayden Powell came in to strike out five batters in three innings to close out the 4-1 Wave win.

Starter John Erhardt (La Quinta/2013) went the distance (7 innings) in Blue Wave’s 3-1 win over the Danville Hoots in Game 3, followed by a seven-inning performance by Kyle Schultz ((Kennedy/2012) in a 2-1 win over Baseball Factory Red in the fourth game.

Not to be outdone, Ryan Morgan (Kennedy/2012) shutout the SoCal Bombers 2013 team 4-0 in the semi-final. Cesar Carrillo (Diamond Ranch/2012) started the championship game and went four innings before reliever Jeremy Eichmann (Kennedy/2012) came in for two. Padilla closed the game with a 2-1 win (and save) over Baseball Factor White in the championship, as well as go  1-for-2.

CAME FROM BEHIND TWICE

And, defense proved to be the key in winning the title as Blue Wave came from behind in the late innings to win two of the six tournament games they played by a single run.

“Though we took players off of several Blue Wave teams for this tournament, they came together as a team and jelled very well,” Blue Wave Select Team Coach Rich Pohle added. “I have never seen anything like it, it was one of the best performances I have seen by a Blue Wave team.”

HERKINS AND COOK NAMED TOURNAMENT MVP’S

The offense was lead by Jono Herkins (Pacifica/2012) and Tyler Cook (Beckman/2012) – both named co-tournament MVPs.

Herkins, an outfielder, was 9-for-12 (.750) with an RBI, one run scored, and five stolen bases in only four of the six games. He missed the first two tournament games playing with his Pacifica high school team, which won the American Legion State Championship.

Cook was 7-12 at the plate with two doubles and anchored the Blue Wave’s defense at 3rd and 1st base. Cook made several key stops at 3rd to get outs when the team needed them most.

Besides Cook, Blue Wave’s rock-solid infield included Garrett Brown (Beckman/2012) at SS, Michael Fuchs (Calvary Chapel) at 2nd, and Luke Schultz (Kennedy/2013) at 1st.

EVERY PLAYER CONTRIBUTES

Besides Herkins, starting outfielders included Jon Marriott (La Quinta/2012) and Spencer Ludin (Beckman/2012). DH Grant Barring (Beckman/2012) also played outfield and drove in winning runs in two of the games. Catcher Brodie Pearce (Estancia/2012) threw two runners out in five attempts, including the championship game. He was 5-for-15 with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored. 

“Every player did something special in this tournament,” Blue Wave president Steve Kruse noted. “And, as a result we have had a lot of recruiter interest in many of our players. This was one of the better events we have played all year as far as recruiter and scout interest.”

Recruiters/scouts attending the event included Azusa Pacific, Cal Baptist University, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State Northridge, Citrus College, Jacksonville University, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Occidental College, Pacifica College, Pepperdine, Riverside College, San Diego State University, UC Cal Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, University of Missouri, University of Pacific, University of Southern California, Westmont College, Whittier College, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, St Louis Cardinals, and the MLB Scouting Bureau.

RECRUITERS SHOW INTEREST

Several Blue Wave players have been contacted by recruiters due to the tournament and three were mentioned in the official recruiting blog comments as follows:

      #14 Spencer Ludin | OF | (2012): Balanced at the plate – gets barrel out and loads and attacks – poses a threat at the plate with solid body frame

     #24 Tyler Cook | 1B | (2012): Strong hitter with above average power that took one deep to the well in LC @ Citrus. Displays strength and bat speed to display power

     #50 Chase Kapana | RHP | (2012) : 82-86 with 12/6 CB and change up with A/S run – throws strikes, around the plate and forces hitters to put ball in play.

More information on the tournament, results, and recruiting comments are available at: http://www.teamonebaseball.com/releases/Tournaments/?ID=1224

BLUE WAVE 2011 UNDER ARMOUR SOUTHWEST CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER