New Mexico Welcomes NYBC Qualifier for First Time
15 Apr

New Mexico Welcomes NYBC Qualifier for First Time

For the first time in NYBC history, New Mexico hosted a qualifier with 53 teams vying for six berths to the summer championship in New York. The Baseball Legends organized a first class event with teams from several states and even Mexico.

The LBC Broncos came away from the weekend with two championships in 12U and 13U. Both teams went undefeated and put on impressive displays with a combined 77 runs scored and only three allowed in pool play. The 12U Broncos defeated another Texas powerhouse, Sandcrabs Baseball, in the championship game, while the 13U Broncos took down WTX Hitting Factory.

The Sandcrabs organization wasn’t denied in the 9U division punching its ticket to New York. Mexico’s Academia Gonzalez won the 14U division, ATP Elite claimed 11U, and the Tucson Royals took home the 10U crown.

Nearly every champion will be making the trip to New York to compete for their respective age division’s title. After hosting a popular event with teams following up their berth to play in New York, New Mexico’s first taste of the NYBC was a major success.


NYBC New Mexico Qualifier
Champions

9U – Sandcrabs Baseball (TX)
10U – Tucson Royals (AZ)
11U – ATP Elite (AZ)
12U – LBC Broncos (TX)
13U – LBC Broncos (TX)
14U – Academia Gonzalez (Mexico)

NYBC Powered by Brita to Celebrate its 10th Year in 2017
18 Oct

NYBC Powered by Brita to Celebrate its 10th Year in 2017

The National Youth Baseball Championships powered by Brita will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2017 as travel baseball teams from around the country will meet on July 24-30 at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, N.Y.

Steel Sports is teaming up with top tournament organizations and venues on 18 qualifiers spread around the United States from January-June. All World Baseball, Baseball Heaven, Game Day USA, The Baseball Legends, Travel Sports Baseball and Xtreme Diamond Sports will operate qualifiers nationwide. With the inclusion of first class venues in Louisiana’s Cypress Mounds Baseball Complex, Iowa’s All-Star Ballpark Heaven and Missouri’s Ballparks of America on the qualifier schedule, the NYBC will feature events in 12 states, the most in its 10-year history.

“Steel Sports is honored to carry the National Youth Baseball Championships into its 10th year,” Steel Sports CEO David Shapiro said. “We are committed to creating a major league experience on and off the field when it comes to the competition, venue, national television, social media coverage, educational opportunities and interaction with MLB alumni. With the help of outstanding partners like Brita, the NYBC will host more youth players and teams than ever before in 2017 and continue to shine as one of the premier youth events in the country.”

CBS Sports Network will nationally televise 12 games during NYBC’s championship week, and MLB.com will live stream all 12 broadcasts online. The week will also feature an opening ceremonies, a televised 12U All-Star Game, appearances from Major League Baseball celebrities and a festival throughout the week to commemorate the 10th anniversary.

“Having traveled to youth baseball events all over the country, I can say the National Youth Baseball Championships is unlike anything I have experienced,” former Major League Baseball player and manager Bobby Valentine said. “The NYBC is everything youth baseball should be about, a positive and fun experience that offers much more than high level competition on the field. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the NYBC the last two years, and it’s something I want to continue being a part of for as long as I can.”

NYBC qualifying begins on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend (Jan. 14-16) with events in Arizona, California and Florida. Additional qualifiers will be held later in the year in Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Texas.

Click to see the full list of 2017 NYBC Qualifiers!

Texas Teams Punch their Tickets to NYBC Week in New York
26 Feb

Texas Teams Punch their Tickets to NYBC Week in New York

For most of the teams at the NYBC North Texas Qualifier with Steel Sports on Feb. 13-14 it was their first tournament of the 2016 season. Nonetheless, the stakes were high as five teams earned spots in this summer’s National Youth Baseball Championships at New York’s Baseball Heaven.

Nearly 30 teams competed for the five berths at Grapevine’s picturesque Oak Grove Park with pool play on Saturday and bracket play on Sunday. Eight teams competed in the 12U division, and the competition across the board was outstanding. Two three seeds, Banditos Black and Team Citius, made their way to the final with Team Citius earning the 9-2 win.

Both organizations competed in the NYBC 12U division last year in New York, and Citius will return this July. The Banditos are another team on the radar as the Houston based organization has won two NYBC titles in its history.

In the 11U division, the top two seeds NTX Eagles – Bade and the LBC Patriots squared off for the championship and New York berth, and it was perhaps the best game of the entire qualifier. The Eagles won the title in extra innings, 3-2.

The Austin Banditos won the 13U division with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Austin Horns. The Austin Banditos are another organization that traveled to New York for the 2015 NYBC.

The Dallas Tigers organization sent its 12U team to New York in 2015, and this time it was the 14U and 10U teams earning berths. The 14U team went 3-0 on the weekend and defeated the TC Patriots National, 8-5, in the title game. The 10U team went a perfect 4-0 and won the bid with a 9-2 victory over Spitfire Elite.

Texas teams will have other opportunities to qualify at events in Baton Rouge, La., on May 21-22 and again at Grapevine’s Oak Grove Park on Memorial Day weekend May 27-29.

Click HERE to see the full results from the NYBC North Texas Qualifier.

2016 NYBC North Texas Qualifier Champions

10U – Dallas Tigers – Bergman
11U – NTX Eagles – Bade
12U – Team Citius
13U – Austin Banditos
14U – Dallas Tigers – Hernandez/Arias

*All teams from Texas.

Steel Sports Kicks Off 2016’s NYBC Qualifying in Arizona
25 Jan

Steel Sports Kicks Off 2016’s NYBC Qualifying in Arizona

The Road to New York has officially started. Steel Sports hosted the National Youth Baseball Championships Arizona Qualifier on Jan. 23-24 at Big League Dreams in Gilbert, and it marked the first time a NYBC event was played in the Copper State.

Strong Arizona programs in 11U-14U packed the field, but it was California’s Wilson MVP National who dominated the 12U field on their way to earning another berth to the NYBC. MVP won the 11U crown in 2015 and made it clear they wanted to return to New York for a chance at back-to-back titles. They won the title game against nationally-ranked Sandlot Baseball, one of Arizona’s top travel ball organizations, 11-0.

The 13U division title game was perhaps the most exciting finish of the tournament as the Athletics Orange and Phoenix Firebirds were tied 4-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. With nobody out and one on, Jack Talbott smashed a two-run homer to give the Athletics the championship and a trip to New York.

In 11U, the Chandler Heat Black defeated the Scottsdale Dirtbags, 9-3, to cap off a perfect 4-0 weekend. The East Valley Devils scored 54 runs in four games and won the 14U division with a 13-6 victory over the Chandler Owlz Black.

Major League Baseball’s Pitch Smart was implemented for the first time at an NYBC event as Steel Sports and the NYBC are now fully compliant with the pitch count regulations. Player safety is a top priority, and with the constant rise of arm injuries and Tommy John surgeries, using Pitch Smart is a way to help protect young arms.

With the Arizona Qualifier complete, the NYBC heads to Grapevine, Texas on Feb. 13-14 and then Las Vegas on Feb. 27-28. Click HERE to see a complete list of NYBC Qualifiers.

To see the complete results from the NYBC Arizona Qualifier, click HERE.

2016 NYBC Arizona Qualifier Champions

11U – Chandler Heat Black (AZ)
12U – Wilson MVP National (CA)
13U – Athletics Orange (AZ)
14U – East Valley Devils (AZ)