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PBR @ The Rock 14U: Hitters Navy's Class of 2026 group retains its Rock title

June 14, 2022
By Maddox Durst & Ali Pielsnik
PBR Wisconsin Staff

Championship Sunday at the annual PBR at The Rock 15U Summer Championships featured four programs from the area that we're plenty familiar with, and these incoming freshmen just so happened to represent a diverse stretch of the Midwest – and that pipeline of talent stretched all the way to Florida, too.

Below, we'll take you through the two semifinals, as well as the dramatic championship game that allowed Hitters Navy's Class of 2026 group to retain its title at The Rock, having won our 14U championship last summer.

Semifinal #1: Slammers-Coyote vs. Top Tier (Biondich)

Through quality pitching and consistent offense, Top Tier (Biondich) was able to jump all over the Slammers-Coyote in the semifinals of the PBR at The Rock 14U Summer Championships on Sunday, June 12.

RHP Devin Wheaton (Oswego East, IL, 2026) silenced Slammers' bats during the semifinals, as he only allowed two hits and one walk. In five innings of work, he gave up zero runs, striking out five batters, and earning a victory.

Top Tier scored five runs in the first two innings of the ballgame, with the help of a two-run home run from OF Aiden Arnett (Trinity Christian Academy, FL, 2026; Florida commit) that carried over the right-center fence. Arnett proved to be arguably the top pound-for-pound prospect at this event, and it was a loaded field, and his performance in the semis was further evidence of his prospect status.

The home team would add two more runs in the fourth inning, and eventually walk it off in the fifth via a double from 1B Brett Biondich (N/A, WI, 2026). Top Tier went on to win the game 8-0, due to a run-rule.

Along with Arnett and Biondich, C Reed Robinson (New Prairie, IN, 2026) and SS Jason Duy (Minooka, IL, 2026) each had two hits for Top Tier. In total, the team finished with 11 hits, advancing them to the championship game. 

Semifinal #2: Hitters Navy vs. BNBA Renegades Red

Hitters Navy's prominent offense is what helped them capture last year's 13U Rock Summer Championships title, and they proved to be the top offense a year later at our 14U event, having scored seven of their eight runs in the first two innings of the ballgame.

In the first frame, Hitters started it off quickly from four-hitter OF O'Neil Wright (Grafton High, 2026) who shot a single up the middle to score both 3B Nehemiah Torres (Glenbrook North, IL, 2026) and SS Jake Cummins (Milton, 2026). 

Hitters Navy kept the runs coming in the second inning, scoring five more after loading the bases on two walks and getting a single from C Bennett Schueller (Franklin, 2026). After, Torres got his own RBI this time around, singling on an error; Cummins drove a hard-hit ball to right field, scoring another. 1B Dominic Santarelli (Kenosha St. Joseph, 2026) took advantage of loaded bases in a big way, getting his second hit of the game and driving in two more runs to add to their scoring streak. Wright popped out but brought another run in, which was the fifth and final run of the inning.

LHP Ezra Liggon (WI, 2026) pitched a complete game for the Hitters, and he allowed just one hit on two walks, and K'd one. Liggon stayed consistent throughout all seven innings, keeping the ball in the zone continuously. Liggon’s defense was there to back him up, with the Renegades making plenty of contact, but Hitters' defenders had been stout all week, especially for their age level, and it made Liggon's effort on the mound that much easier on Sunday morning.

BNBA turned to reliever RHP Layten Gerdes (IL, 2026) in the third inning and he limited the Hitters' offense from there in five quiet innings, and he struck out five over that stretch.

Championship: Hitters Navy vs. Top Tier (Biondich)

These two heavyweight offenses met up in the 14U championship game on Sunday afternoon at The Rock Complex in what turned out to be a dramatic ballgame that got off to a hot start in the top of the first inning.

1B Dominic Santarelli (Kenosha St. Joseph, 2026) got the energy going offensively – again – after he slugged a ball to right-center field that only missed clearing the wall by inches. That double plated the game's first two runs regardless, and against what was arguably the most talented pitcher we saw all weekend, RHP/UTL Luke Manderson (Bolles, FL, 2026) who reached a high of 87 mph with his fastball, backed by a swing-and-miss breaking ball.

However, Top Tier retaliated in the bottom of the first frame.

C Reed Robinson (New Prairie, IN, 2026) had a two-run single and Manderson helped himself out by forcing an error on a ball in play that scored the early go-ahead run.

Hitters Navy quickly battled their way back to tie it at three, after Cade Miantto (Indian Trail, 2026) forced Top Tier to make a critical error of their own that knotted the game back up – only, Hitters Navy didn't stop there. Though they seemingly tallied a big hit every inning, their biggest inning offensively was the fourth, where they scored six runs to take an 11-5 lead. They batted around the lineup, with clutch at-bats turned in from players on each end of the lineup. Contributing to the six-run inning was SS Jake Cummins (Milton, 2026) who notched a lead-off double that led to another timely Santarelli extra-base hit. Caleb Johns (New Berlin Eisenhower, 2026) turned in several competitive at-bats, and his in this inning scored a run on a base hit, leading to RBI doubles from C Jack Butler  (Waterford Union, 2026) and OF Cameron Carter (Arrowhead, 2026). OF Ezra Liggon (WI, 2026) drove in Hitters' sixth run of the inning to cap a huge rally to take a commanding lead in the championship. 

Hitters kept true to their name, showcasing skills at the plate up and down the lineup. Hitters Navy scored three more runs throughout the game to extend the final lead to 13-7.

Starting on the mound for Hitters was LHP/OF Kaiden Romens (Hartford Union, 2026), who pitched a gutsy performance, dodging a talented Top Tier lineup limiting the damage enough for his robust lineup to build up a lead. Reliever RHP Jarrett Hall (New Berlin Eisenhower, 2026) came in to finish the rest of the game, and had three Ks and two walks to help bridge his team to the weekend's trophy.

The Hitters Navy pitchers were able to use the big lead to their advantage. Top Tier (Biondich) scored one run in four straight innings, but the Hitters Navy defense was able to avoid allowing a crooked number on the scoreboard after the first inning. 

Hall ended the game in a dramatic sense, with a fastball strikeout looking to end the game, and to secure the 13-7 victory in the championship, finishing off an undefeated weekend of play. The Hitters Navy 14U was the second champion at the 2022 PBR at The Rock Summer Championships, which will continue this Thursday with the start of the 15U tournament.

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