Hawg Showcase Features Top Teams
FILE PHOTO ANDY SHUPE Mitch Cameron, left, Prairie Grove coach, is again heading an AR Rawlings Prospects team, which will participate this week in the Hawg Baseball Showcase.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
The Hawg Baseball Showcase is bigger and better this year.
The event, which begins today at five different venues across Northwest Arkansas, involves 48 teams from seven different states in two age divisions.
Baseball
Hawg Showcase Tournament
Today-Sunday
Notable: Forty-eight teams from eight states will compete in two (15-16, 17-18) divisions. … Championship bracket play will be Sunday with tournament finals in each division slated for 2 and 4:30 in Baum Stadium.
Today’s Games
at Tyson Recreational Complex, Springdale
Blue Field
Arkansas Express Rountree vs. Team RealTree 18, 10 a.m.
68 Insider Sports Yeager vs. Arkansas Rockets 17, 12:30 p.m.
Indiana Indians vs. Kansas City Bullets, 3 p.m.
Natural Baseball Academy vs. Wichita Reds, 5:30 p.m.
Aces Baseball vs. Arkansas Express 17 Harris, 8 p.m.
Red Field
Arkansas Express 16 Hicks vs. Dulins Dodgers, 10 a.m.
Kansas City Barnstormers vs. Wichita Reds, 12:30 p.m.
Arkansas Rawlings Prospects Cameron vs. Houston Mustangs, 3 p.m.
Mac n Seitz vs. North Texas Beast, 5:30 p.m.
Natural Baseball Academy 15 vs. Perfect Timing Grey, 8 p.m.
Green Field
Kansas City Bullets vs. Mac n Seitz, 10 a.m.
Arkansas Express 16 Haydon vs. Arkansas Rockets 16, 12:30 p.m.
Arkansas Outlaws vs. Natural Baseball Academy 15, 3 p.m.
Arkansas Rockets 17 vs. Arkansas Yard Dawgs, 5:30 p.m.
Arkansas Express 16 Haydon vs. Houston Mustangs, 8 p.m.
at White River Park, Fayetteville
Field 1
Arkansas Express 16 Mileham vs. NWA Bombers, 12:30 p.m.
Arkansas Rawlings Prospects vs. Perfect Timing Grey, 3 p.m.
Team RealTree 18 vs. Wichita Reds, 5:30 p.m.
Field 2
Arkansas Rawlings Prospects vs. Memphis Tigers, 12:30 p.m.
Memphis Tigers vs. White Brothers Baseball, 3 p.m.
Arkansas Express 16 Mileham vs. Team RealTree 16, 5:30 p.m.
at Greenland High School
68 Insider Sports Lahasky vs. Arkansas Rawlings Prospects Strong, 10 a.m.
Arkansas Rawlings Prospects Black vs. Perfect Timing Blue, 12:30 p.m.
Dulins Dodgers vs. Natural Baseball Academy 3 p.m.
Kansas City Barnstormers vs. Ronin Bat Co. Black, 5:30 p.m.
at Phillips Park, Bentonville
Arkansas Express Kilgore vs. Midwest Warducks, 3 p.m.
68 Insider Sports vs. Arkansas A’s, 5:30 p.m.
Dallas Titans vs. Midwest Sluggers, 8 p.m.
at Fayetteville High School
68 Insider Sports vs. Midwest Sluggers, 10 a.m.
Arkansas Express Harris vs. Dallas Titans, 12:30 p.m.
Arkansas Express 16 Williams vs. Houston Mustangs, 3 p.m.
68 Insider Sports Yearger vs. BLT Hornets, 5:30 p.m.
68 Insider Sports Lahasky vs. Arkansas Express Kilgore, 8 p.m.
Participating Teams
17-18U Division
No.^Team^State
1^68 Insider Sports — Lahasky^Kan.
2^68 Insider Sports — Urick^Kan.
3^68 Insider Sports — Yeager^Kan.
4^Aces Baseball^Ind.
5^Arkansas A’s^Ark.
6^Arkansas Rockets 17^Ark.
7^Arkansas Express (Rountree)^Ark.
8^Arkansas Express 17 (Harris)^Ark.
9^Arkansas Express 17 Flex (Kilgore)^Ark.
10^AR Rawlings Prospects — Cameron^Ark.
11^AR Rawlings Prospects — Strong^Ark.
12^Arkansas Yard Dawgs^Ark.
13^BLT Hornets^Kan.
14^Collierville Dragons 17^Tenn.
15^Dallas Titans^Texas
16^Houston Mustangs^Tenn.
17^Indiana Indians^Ind.
18^Kansas City Barnstormers^Mo.
19^Kansas City Bullets^Mo.
20^Kickapoo Baseball^Mo.
21^Mac n Seitz^Kan.
22^Midwest Sluggers^Mo.
23^Midwest Warducks^Okla.
24^Natural Baseball Academy^Kan.
25^North Texas Beast^Texas
26^Ronin Bat Co. — Black^Texas
27^Ronin Bat Co. — Red^Texas
28^Team RealTree 18^Okla.
29^Wichita Reds (Hall)^Kan.
15-16U Division
30^Arkansas Express 16 (Haydon)^Ark.
31^Arkansas Express 16 (Hicks)^Ark.
32^Arkansas Express 16 (Mileham)^Ark.
33^Arkansas Express 16 Flex (Williams)^Ark.
34^Arkansas Rockets 16^Ark.
35^AR Rawlings Prospects — Black^Ark.
36^AR Rawlings Prospects^Ark.
37^Arkansas Outlaws^Ark.
38^Collierville Dragons 16^Tenn.
39^Dulins Dodgers^Tenn.
40^Houston Mustangs^Tenn.
41^Memphis Tigers^Tenn.
42^NWA Bombers^Ark.
43^Natural Baseball Academy 15^Kan.
44^Natural Baseball Academy 16^Kan.
45^Perfect Timing — Blue^Ark.
46^Perfect Timing — Grey^Ark.
47^Team RealTree 16^Okla.
48^White Brothers Baseball^Mo.
Greg Baxendale, tournament director, said the biggest changes are moving it from a four-day to a six-day event and having team champions crowned for the first time.
"Every team used to just play four games, but now they will be guaranteed seven games," Baxendale said. "The biggest change is we'll actually have a winner. Before everybody just played four games and that was it.
"It's about exposure for these players, and we've averaged 50-plus college coaches in attendance."
The showcase will involve teams from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee and Texas. Games will be played at Tyson Sports Complex in Springdale, White River Park in Fayetteville, Fayetteville High School, Phillips Park in Bentonville, Greenland High School and Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.
Teams will get six pool games then move into gold, silver and bronze brackets on Saturday. Championship games for the 15-16U Division and 17-18U Division gold division will be Sunday afternoon at Baum Stadium. The 17-18 gold final will be at 2 p.m. followed by the 15-16 gold final slated for 4:30 p.m.
There will be plenty of outstanding talent from Arkansas and surrounding states. One Arkansas Express 17-year-old team includes Arkansas commits Ty Harris of Rogers Heritage, Cody Scroggins of Bentonville, Jacob Adams of Conway and Class 7A state tournament MVP Blaine Knight of Bryant. The team, who coached by Heritage assistant Greg Harris, went 4-0 over the weekend at a showcase in Fort Scott, Kan.
Heritage coach Keith Kilgore is coaching an Express 17-year-old team in the tournament. That team includes Kilgore's son, Chase, along with Spencer Lloyd, Kaleb Pianalto and Kurt Phillips of Springdale Har-Ber. Prairie Grove coach Mitch Cameron is also coaching a Rawlings Prospect team, which includes Ty Tice and J.D. Speed, who both played for him in the spring.
Other top teams in the older division from out of state include Mac n Seitz of Overland Park, Kan., Ronin Bat Company of Dallas and the Kansas City Barnstormers. The Mac n Seitz team includes UA commit Brendan Stanek, the younger brother of former standout Ryne Stanek who is now in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
The Arkansas Express 16 Mileham team includes Kasey Ford of Bentonville, who is also a standout in football, along with several members of Arkadelphia's Class 4A state championship team. Dulins Dodgers of Memphis is another top team in the younger age division, also with several Southeastern Conference commits on the roster, including Grae Kessinger, the grandson of former big leaguer Don Kessinger.
Sports on 06/17/2014