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The PBR Cup: Championship Sunday Recap & Quick Hits

September 23, 2019
Phil Kerber
PBR Georgia



The first PBR Cup at LakePoint took place this past weekend, September 20th through the 22nd. The tournament was broken down into two age groups, underclass and upperclass. The underclass division consisted of 24 teams and the upperclass 12 teams.

A highly competitive weekend came to a culmination on Sunday with an action packed bracket play. Both underclass semifinals were nail biters. The No. 1 seed Georgia Scorpions 16U and No. 5 seed Triton Rays Dingers 2022 were knotted up at 2-2 heading into the seventh, with a berth in the championship on the line. Triton were able to get men in scoring position, but were down to the final out of the inning. In step 1B Zach Campbell (North Gwinnett, 2022). Campbell came up HUGE with the clutch RBI single through the left-side of the infield, to give Triton the 3-2 lead. They would hold on in the bottom of the seventh and punch their ticket to the championship.


On the other side of the bracket No. 2 seed Top Gun 15U Black took on No. 3 seed Canes Southeast 15U. Canes jumped out to the early lead, but Top Gun stormed back to tie things up at 5-5 heading into the seventh. It was fitting that Canes OF Kael Whiddon (Bremen, 2023) would be the hero. The right-handed hitter was an offensive catalyst all weekend long and he came up with the deciding hit. With one man on, Whiddon blasted a ball into the outfield that got under the outfielders glove, rolling all the way to the fence. Whiddon, sensing this was his opportunity, turned it on and wheeled all the way around the bases to give Canes the 7-5 lead and eventual victory.

Playing their fourth games of the day, No. 3 Canes Southeast and No. 5 Triton Rays Dingers 2022 faced off in the final with the PBR Cup on the line. Clearly fatigued, both teams struggled to generate much of any offense. Triton starter RHP Elijah Reece (North Hall, 2022) was untouchable. The big right-hander sliced and diced the Canes Southeast lineup, making quick work of them. You got the feeling that all he needed was one run and that would be good enough for Triton to capture the cup. He got those insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning when Triton were able to scrape across two runs, giving them the 2-0 lead. Reece could see blood in the water and finished Canes, taking a no-hit bid through six and two-thirds innings.


The upperclass division did not have all the drama the underclass had, but the matchups still proved to be very exciting. No. 1 Triton Rays 2020 took on No. 4 Barrett Braves on one half of the bracket and No. 2 eXposure Upperclass Fall Scout Team faced No. 3 Sox Baseball.

Barrett Braves walked into the finals, stunning Triton with an 11-run top of the first, finishing the game in five innings. Sox Baseball had to hold on to their seats as they fended off a furious comeback by eXposure. Sox were able to build a five run lead over the first three innings and then held on over the final four frames to punch their ticket with a 5-3 victory.

In the championship game, Sox Baseball once again jumped out to an early lead, going up 3-0 on Barrett Braves. Sox were cruising right along until Barrett made a game of things by plating two runs in the top half of the six, cutting the lead to 3-2. The response was immediate from Sox as they were able to get an extra insurance run in the bottom of the sixth and then slam the door shut in the seventh for the 4-2 victory and the upperclass PBR Cup.
Quick Hits

The top arms of the weekend undeniably belonged to Team eXpousure. Kentucky commit RHP Ryan Hagenow (Farragut - TN, 2020) and Georgia commit RHP Jake Poindexter (Gordon Lee - GA, 2021) were head and shoulders above the rest.


Team eXposure also had the top uncommitted 2020 arm at the tournament in RHP Landon Lewis (McCallie - TN, 2020). The 6-foot-6, 195-pound right-handed pitcher has a lot to work with physically, and will make a college coaching staff very happy when he finally picks a home.
A pair of Barrett Braves’ pitchers were impressive on the mound: RHP/3B Richard Westrop (Lambert - GA, 2021) and RHP Clay Tyas (Chestatee - GA, 2021). Westrop is a big, strong 6-foot-2, 205-pound two-way prospect. He ran his fastball up to 88 on Saturday afternoon while also mixing in a solid slider at 77-79. At the plate, he dials into his strength well and turns on pitches with aggressive force.
Tyas is a very good athlete, standing 6-foot-1, 170-pounds with broad shoulders, projecting to fill out his frame with more strength. He was able to run his fastball up to 88, sitting comfortably at 85-86 with life. His slider is a true-out pitch, displaying depth and late bite at 73-75 (2600rpm).

Triton Rays SS Aidan Stewart (Next Level Academy - AL, 2021)has really started to put it all together offensively, hitting for power from both sides of the plate. A projectable 6-foot-5, 178-pounds, he also plays exceptional defense up the middle with a plus arm to work with.
Two younger prospects to watch from MGBA 16U are Louisville commit and No. 2 ranked prospect in Georgia’s Class of 2023 3B/1B Cam Collier (Mt. Paran - GA, 2023) and OF James Thorpe (East Coweta - GA, 2022). Collier has long been on radar and continues to hammer baseballs with present power from the left-side. It is scary to think how much power the freshman will develop as he continues to mature, while currently checking in at 6-foot, 190-pounds. Similarly, Thorpe is a physical 6-foot-2, 205-pounds with a muscular build. The right-handed hitter has power to all fields, looking to elevate the ball and let it fly.

Be on the lookout for a complete underclass and upperclass scout blog coming out in the next few days. We will highlight standout prospects from each team with reports and video.


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