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This past weekend, August 8th – 11th, saw the 5th annual USSSA All-American Games being held in Kissimmee, FL. Top talent from across the country flew into Kissimmee to showcase their talents in an effort to make the 2014 USSSA National Teams that will compete in international competition. The 15u and 16u National teams, which are selected by college coaches and professional scouts, will participate in the 2014 USSSA Gold Medal Games, while the USSSA HS Varsity National Team will travel internationally to compete against National Teams from around the world in an event called Prague Baseball Week.
The anticipation was thick as 160 of the top players from around the country showed up on day one in order to receive their uniforms and hats. Following check-in each player went through a pro-style workout which was led by college coaches and professional scouts such as the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, and Chicago Cubs amongst others. Players were evaluated on their 60 yard dash times, position specific fielding abilities, arm strength, and hitting abilities.
Day two saw each player being put onto a team in which was led by a professional scout, college coach, or qualified baseball personnel in general. The scouts evaluated each player on their own and opposing teams in order to gauge each individual player’s game play ability. Braden Rollins immediately impressed by flashing a 90 mph fastball. Coupling his fastball with his projectable frame found Rollins easily impressing the scouts in attendance.
Day three saw more impressions being made at each age level. At the 14u age level Austin Nowicki, Rigsby Mosley, and Trevor Lindholm lit up the radar gun with all three touching the high seventies with their fastballs. At the 15u age level, Braxton Wood proved to be one of those rare talents of being both an offensive and defensive catcher. Wood showed exceptional bat speed while proving he has the arm strength and mobility to stay behind the plate. Gabriel Garcia, who was the talk amongst the scouts all weekend long, showed exceptional rhythm and fluidity in his swing along with great actions and instincts both at shortstop and as a catcher. 16u player Adan Ordonez showed he was the best infielder at the event with his plus footwork and soft hands while displaying an all fields approach at the plate.
The final day brought much tension to the fields as players tried to prove to scouts one last time that they deserved a spot on the 2014 USSSA National Teams. After impressions were made and game play finished, all scouts and USSSA staff met and finalized the initial roster decisions. All players and their families gathered in Osceola County Stadium for the closing ceremonies. Don DeDonatis, the CEO of USSSA, announced the selections for the 2013 USSSA First Team All Americans and consequently the first members of the 2014 USSSA National teams. All of the player announced as members of the 2013 USSSA First Team All-Americans will have the opportunity to represent themselves, their country, and the USSSA National Teams in international competition during the summer of 2014.
With the immense talent and difficult decisions at hand, the USSSA HS Elite Baseball Staff will be finalizing the 2014 USSSA National Team rosters in the coming weeks. Full rosters will be posted on the USSSA All-American Games website (http://usssaallamerican.com/) in addition to confirmation emails being sent to all 160 USSSA All-American Game participants. Please check the USSSA All-American website regularly for player updates, event announcements, and details in regards to the USSSA HS Elite Baseball Program in general.
About USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!