Baseball Heaven Hosts Final 2017 NYBC Qualifier
26 Jun

Baseball Heaven Hosts Final 2017 NYBC Qualifier

New York’s Baseball Heaven hosted the final 2017 NYBC Qualifier on June 23-25 as over 40 teams competed in 11U and 12U. Two champions were crowned and awarded free berths into next month’s NYBC Finals in both age divisions.

Top teams from around the Northeast competed in 11U and 12U with New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland and Pennsylvania represented.

In the 12U division, two familiar faces took the two championships and NYBC berths. Tri State Arsenal Prime and Long Island Body Armor Titans won their title games on June 25 after battling it out on national television in the 2016 NYBC 11U championship. The two teams will be back at Baseball Heaven next month ready to fight for the chance at another national title.

Jersey Storm was dominant in 11U, going undefeated and winning their title game 12-2 over the Long Island Storm. They will be joined in July’s NYBC by Team Francisco Notorious 9 who also went undefeated and won their final 9-6 over the New York Phenoms.

The 2017 NYBC is set for July 24-30 at Baseball Heaven with two games per day televised on CBS Sports Network and MLB.com. Stay tuned to NYBCbaseball.com throughout July for updates on the championship week.

End of April Concludes with 5 NYBC Qualifiers Nationwide
04 May

End of April Concludes with 5 NYBC Qualifiers Nationwide

The April 28-30 weekend was a busy one for the National Youth Baseball Championships, as five qualifiers were held nationwide with 22 teams earning paid berths into this summer’s finals.

Qualifiers were held in Nevada, Michigan, South Carolina, New York and Connecticut with a combined 200 teams.

All World Baseball hosted the NYBC Nevada Qualifier at the Golden Eagle Sports Complex in Reno. Game Day USA ran the Great Lakes Qualifier at Art Van Sports Complex in Grand Rapids, Michigan. First-time NYBC partner Top Gun Sports hosted the Southeast Qualifier at the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Another first-time NYBC partner Super East Tournaments hosted their qualifier in Hartford, Connecticut, and Baseball Heaven, site of the 2017 NYBC, hosted a 13U-14U qualifier.


NYBC Nevada Qualifier with All World Sports
Champions

9U – Kali Bees
10U – Golden Spikes Bruins
11U – NorCal Scorpions
12U – Lamorinda Vikings
13U – Scorpions Baseball
14U – Team Marucci Fresno

NYBC Southeast Qualifier with Top Gun Sports
Champions

9U – Richmond Rockies
10U – Evoshield Canes – Simpson
11U – Rock Solid Red
12U – Evoshield Canes – Gallaher
13U – Battalion by Under Armour
14U – Bengals Baseball

NYBC New England Qualifier with Super East Tournaments
Champions

10U – New England Knights
12U – Adirondack Heat

NYBC Northeast Qualifier with Steel Sports
Champions

13U – Brooklyn Blue Storm Elite
13U – Black Sox Elite
13U – Legends Prospects
14U – Legends Prospects

NYBC Great Lakes Qualifier with Game Day USA
*event shortened due to rain

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)