BAWS 2013 Preview: A closer look at the talent
The high school section playoffs are well underway which obviously means the high school season is nearly complete. That doesn’t mean the baseball season is almost over for high schoolers, though. Many, in fact, most high school players continue to play into the summertime with a local or even a regional club or travel team. There are even some kids who still play American Legion baseball, though those are fewer and fewer, unfortunately. Club and travel teams will play in a lot of tournaments all summer, some for the pure purposes of good competition and working at getting better. There is another aspect of club/travel ball in the summer and that is exposure to college coaches. Another way high school players get exposure to those college coaches is by attending showcases. Speaking of which, the original Bay Area showcase-tournament, Bay Area World Series (est. 2004, a.k.a. BAWS) will be held this summer, June 21-23 at Santa Clara University. Another BAWS event, BAWS Underclass, will take place July 19-21 at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. As BAWS 2013 nears, let’s take a look at some of the players expected to stand out. Here’s a few highlights from each roster, which are almost entirely made up of outstanding juniors from the nine Bay Area counties. TEAM ALAMEDA will feature Austin Piscotty of Amador Valley-Pleasanton. Austin is the third Piscotty brother to play at BAWS and his older siblings are VERY well regarded by college coaches and even pro scouts. Middle infielder Kaleo Johnson of Encinal-Alameda is another player who likely will catch the eye of college coaches. He has been playing varsity ball for the Jets since his freshman year. TEAM CONTRA COSTA is always a very talented group and this year will be no different. The player with the best chance to grab the most attention is De La Salle-Concord outfielder Ben Polshuk. Polshuk is a similarlyskilled and built player to former BAWS standouts and future high draft picks Bobby Crocker and Mitch Haniger. Middle infielder Brian Hsu of Dougherty Valley HS is another
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player to watch. TEAM NORTH BAY often illuminates some players the college coaches don’t yet know about.This year look for infielder Kaelan Crisosto of Enterprise-Redding to be the one who grabs scholarship attention. He’s big and strong and athletic, with a good basketball playing background. Middle infielder Michael Walker of Santa Rosa will also be a new name for the college coaches to learn about. TEAM PENINSULA has lefthanded hitting catcher Austin Kron of Palo Alto. Anytime there is a good left-handed hitting catcher, particularly one from a good program like Palo Alto, he will get looks. A pair of outfielders from Aragon, Steven Hughes and Andre Perkins will have a chance to make a name for themselves. Left-handed pitcher Kyle Vallans of Mills may end up on another roster but he’s a Peninsula-area product and a good young pitcher to watch. TEAM SOUTH BAY has righthander Ben Hughes of Valley Christian-San Jose. Hughes was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher at BAWS 2012. Middle infielder Scott Jarvis of Bellarmine Prep-San Jose will draw attention with his size and talent — and Belllarmine is known for turning out good talent. Expect P/OF Theron Kay of Valley Christian to also be looked upon favorably. TEAM WEST has some players from out of the area, including the Monterey region as well as the Central Valley. Right-hander Chris Clements of Pacific Grove is a good college prospect, with three usable pitches and everincreasing velocity. Outfielder Brett Berghammer of Half Moon Bay is another player college coaches will get to stumble upon. There obviously will be dozens of other players who stand out and many many surprises. Come out to Santa Clara June 21-23 and see 140 of the Bay Area’s top high school players. Full rosters and schedules can be seen at www.BayAreaWorldSeries.com. ✪ Blaine Clemmens is the founder and director for the Bay Area World Series showcase event that celebrates its 10th year in 2013. For more information on the Bay Area World Series, visit www.bayareaworldseries.com
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