Americus Travelers Baseball Club

Americus Travelers Baseball Club - 2018 13U Preview

THE STRONG TRADITION OF TRAVELERS BASEBALL CONTINUES …

STAFF REPORT

On April 8, 2018, a group of young men will gather for their first day of training camp. This group of 13 year old players isn’t just a hodgepodge of kids thrown together at random. They were sought out, recruited, analyzed and researched by Coaches Tim Estes and Jeff Fussell of the Americus Travelers Baseball Club. There are eleven players from seven different schools who will form the 2018 Americus Travelers 13U Baseball Club. A few of the players are aware of the tradition of excellence that has been built by the Travelers over the previous two decades, but most will begin to learn the history of the program and will begin to appreciate being a part of the outstanding legacy. All of the eleven players have experienced successful Middle School seasons that has prepared them for the level of play the Travelers are expected to compete at in 2018. The roster includes:

#1 Cole Whatley: Catcher and Right Handed Pitcher from Colquitt County.
Coach Estes Comments: “Cole attacks the baseball as a hitter! He comes to the plate with confidence and provides power and will hit for average. Defensively he has a strong arm. He frames the ball well for a young guy, and we will be working with him on dropping and blocking so that he can become an elite level catcher. He will also be counted on to provide us some depth on our pitching staff. He features good location and off speed pitches that can be thrown for a strike.”

#2 Landon Kight: Outfield and Left Handed Pitcher from Fitzgerald
Coach Estes Comments: “Landon is a big, strong, lefty that has grown a lot in the past year. We plan to use him in a variety of ways, but mainly in the outfield and on the mound. He is consistently in and around the strike zone and gets a lot of ground ball outs. Offensively we’ve seen him hit with some power and has shown a real ability to spray the baseball to each side of the ball park.”

#4 Peyton Tompkins: 1st Base and Right Handed Pitcher from Lee County East
Coach Estes Comments: “Peyton will anchor us over at 1st base. He has a lot of experience over there and picks the ball out of the dirt really well. He is a hustler, will dive and knock balls down and has a good feel for the right side of the infield. On the mound, Peyton has great mechanics and keeps the baseball in the zone. Offensively he is a free swinger and has shown some power during his middle school season.”

#7 Gavin Lacey: 2nd Base and Outfield from Lee County East
Coach Estes Comments: “Gavin is one of those players that every coach wants. He is a hustler and has great speed. He picks his teammates up in the dugout and on the field and plays with a lot of emotion. Gavin will see time both in the outfield and at 2nd base. He provides tremendous speed on the bases and hits with good power as well. He is also one of those guys that just has baseball savvy. He knows how to run the bases!”

#11 Caden King: 2nd Base and Right Handed Pitcher from Lee County West
Coach Estes Comments: “Caden is deceptive. His stature is small, but after watching him in just a few games, it’s evident that the kid knows the game and knows how to be effective. He will provide us consistent innings on the mound and really fields his position well. We will probably play him a good bit as well at 2nd base. Offensively he handles the bat pretty well. We’ve gotten the opportunity to see him bunt and he is mechanically sound. He’s one of those guys that provides a variety of qualities to make a team successful.”

#14 Dylan Davis: Catcher, Utility and Right Handed Pitcher from Crisp County
Coach Estes Comments: “Dylan is a player that handles himself well in the batter’s box. He’s a solid contact guy and really squares it up well. He will provide depth to our team at catcher and will probably play a little at 1st base as well. In watching him pitch, we feel like he can provide us some valuable innings there as well. He’s a good versatile player.”

#14 Thomas “Chewy” Willis: Outfielder and Right Handed Pitcher from Lee County West
Coach Estes Comments: “Chewy is just an athlete! He is a big, strong kid with a power arm. He hits well, runs well, really reads the ball well off the bat in the outfield and has a cannon of an arm. On the mound he can be a guy that takes over a game. We expect him to be a middle of the line up type hitter and produce runs.”

#19 Owen Lamb: Outfielder and Left Handed Pitcher from Schley County
Coach Estes Comments: “I’ve known Owen all of his life and Owen knows the game. He will be a quality outfielder, probably on the right side because he has such a strong arm. We are also expecting Owen to be a guy that can give us 5 – 7 quality innings on the mound during each tournament. At the plate, he has shown the ability to drive balls in the gap and hit with some power and we will work to continue that growth.”

#23 Chase Ledger: 3rd Baseman and Right Handed Pitcher from Southland Academy
Coach Estes Comments: “Chase is a power pitcher that can dominate opponents. His fastball has good pop and he features an excellent slider as well. We are expecting him to lead our pitching staff. Offensively he hits for a good average and with good power as well. I am anxious to see just how good he can be when he is surrounded by so many talented players. Defensively Chase has a good glove and strong arm and will most likely play a good bit at 3rd base.”

#24 Jaxson Haire: Short Stop and Right Handed Pitcher from Westwood Academy
Coach Estes Comments: “Jaxson is very fluid and has really good feet and hands in the middle infield. He handles himself really well around the bag and has a good arm. We’ve seen him make plays deep in the hole on both the glove hand side and the back hand side so we know he has good range. Offensively he has a good front side and stays on the ball. He can hit to both sides of the field. On the mound Jaxson throws a lot of strikes and will provide us with some quality innings.”

#45 Tripp Thomas: Outfielder, 3rd Base and Right Handed Pitcher from Lee County East
Coach Estes Comments: “Tripp is an excellent pitcher with great mechanics. He’s not afraid to throw inside and has good off speed stuff. Offensively he hits with good power and is a gap to gap hitter. He will be one of the guys we count on early to be a difference maker. He is versatile on defense and has a power arm from the outfield and also from 3rd base. I’m expecting him to be one of those players we can put just about anywhere.”

Together, these players will prepare themselves for the National level of play by participating in six tournaments leading up to the Grand Slam World Series of Baseball. They’ll begin their season in Statesboro, Georgia at the USSSA Mill Creek Shootout. “This opening tournament will be one that allows us to get our feet wet and learn each other. The competition level will be the lowest of all of our tournaments, but we need to kind of test the waters, figure out what everybody can do and learn the lineup” said Estes. The following weekend will be a polar opposite as the team ventures over to Savannah for the Triple Crown Showdown. This tournament will feature some of the top programs in the Southeast and will be a good measuring stick for the Travelers. “We will need to instill in all of our kids that we ARE one of these top tier teams and that we can play with anyone in our age division, no matter what name is on the front of their jersey.” Following this tournament, the Travelers will make their way over to LaGrange for their first Grand Slam event of the season in the Bring the Heat Invitational. This event will be a qualifier for the Grand Slam World Series. After three consecutive weekends of baseball, the team will take a break for a couple of weeks before heading to Dothan, Alabama for a Travelball USA event called the Watermelon Smash. Travelball USA usually features teams from South Alabama and North Florida and will give the Travelers a look at different teams at a high level of competition. On the first weekend in June, another big event will be the Grand Slam Southeast Regionals in LaGrange. The Southeast Regionals will feature the top teams from Georgia, Alabama and North Florida who have plans on attending the Grand Slam National Tournament. “Of all of our tournaments, this is the one that I’ll really use as a measuring stick” said Estes. “We will have played together a good bit and we will see just how much we’ve progressed as a team against the top competition.” The following weekend will be a return trip to Dothan for the Battle of the Bats tournament. In late June, the team will travel up to McDonough for the USSSA Pop Up Classic as a way to tune up for the World Series. Then, from July 2 – 8, we will be a part of the Grand Slam World Series in Panama City Beach. There are already teams from seven different states registered to be in this event. This schedule should prepare the Travelers for the level of play they can expect in the National Tournament. “I am really pleased with our schedule. I think it provides a balance of quality teams and allows us to learn to compete. My hope is that through some adversity and through a lot of good times and victories we can learn each other and how to play the game at the highest level and be prepared to make a run at the National Championship.”

The parents and fans of the 13U Americus Travelers have invested in these young men through player fees and fundraisers. To operate such an organization takes a tremendous amount of financial support. If you would like to make a donation to this team, please make checks payable to: Americus Travelers 13U Baseball Club and mail those checks to: c/o Jolie Ledger, 345 Ga. Highway 195 N. Leslie, GA. 31764.