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)