Outfielder Brandon Schrepf had a message for other teams in the Perfect Game 16u WWBA Memorial Day tournament at LakePoint before the game on Saturday:
“Watch out for Game On Stealth this summer.”
Members of Game On Stealth expressed frustration after being shutout last night in their opening game of the tournament, a 2-0 loss to Team Rawlings PSA. They were held to two hits and struck out 10 times against the opposing starter (Jared Barnes) at the plate and knew they needed to wake up their bats. Hitting needed to be the focus today and the team came out and delivered.
“The game plan is to try to come out and be more aggressive at the plate,” said Schrepf. “We’re not used to it (being unable to score), the kid pitched great and we’re trying to bounce back today. We control our own destiny, we have two more games to try to get into the elimination games.”
Schrepf is the no. 20 outfielder nationally for the class of 2018 and is easy to see why. Schrepf is tall and athletic and has a smooth swing from the right hand side. He also pitches, sitting in the upper-80s with his fastball, but was playing right field and batted third in this game.
Manager David Simon and Coach David Spallinger talked about how the team needed to take a step back, leave last game in the past, and to move forward onto the next game. The coaches emphasized that they have a talented team and the players need to realize this was just a bad start and that the turnaround is right around the corner.
“Main thing is sticking to doing what we do,” said Spallinger. “We pitched the ball well and defended well last night, we just have to hit the ball. You don’t have room for error. You just have to take it one game at a time. The only game you worry about winning is the one you’re about to play.”
Tournaments that involve consecutive games can be a tough process for some of the players who have not participated in events like this. It is important to keep a business-like mentality in order to be effective. Friday’s starter, Emerson Hancock, the No. 9 righthanded pitcher in Georgia for the class of 2017, stressed the importance to sticking to a schedule to prepare for a start.
“You just want to stick to your routine,” Hancock added. “Get a good bullpen in, definitely stretch.”
After tossing four hitless innings yesterday, Hancock doesn’t seem too worried about his team’s offensive struggles and knows they can turn it around.
“We all know we have really good players, it’s easy to go out there and pitch and watch these guys take BP (today). We’re going to bounce back.”
Shortstop Tyler Simon, a Kennesaw State University commit, echoed similar sentiments in regards to his team’s ability to turn it around at the plate.
“We know we can hit, everybody has off days,” said Simon, the no. 11 ranked shortstop in Georgia for the class of 2017. “As long as we hit the ball we’re going to win, our defense and pitching are always on point.”
The confidence in the offense paid off as Game On Stealth exploded for seven runs on 11 hits during the game on Saturday, a 7-5 win over the Carolina Rebels. The main offensive contributors included Schrepf going 2-for-5 with one run scored. Jacob Holton went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI and Geoffrey Lancaster also went 2-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI. The offense struck early and often as they scored consecutively in the first three innings and were constantly patrolling the basepaths against the opposing pitcher.
Through the combination of being patient at the plate and hitting the pitches in the strike zone Game On Stealth was able to secure the win. And while scoring runs is a necessity to win, the process is much easier when your pitchers have dominant outings on the mound.
Hunter Goodwin, the No. 13 righthanded pitcher in Georgia for 2018, was dominant on the mound for Game On Stealth. Goodwin was hitting 85-87 consistently with his fastball (topping out at 90), and mixed in a changeup and a curveball to keep hitters off balance. He has a large frame, at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds, and uses his frame for good extension to generate his fastball velocity. By pounding the strike zone and getting ahead early Goodwin was able to cruise through three hitless innings while racking up four strikeouts.
Reed Hanson came on in relief and was very good in his own right. Hanson threw another three hitless innings for Game On Stealth and it looked as if the team was going to cruise to an easy 7-0 victory with a possible combined no-hitter as well.
The Carolina Rebels had other plans.
After being down to two strikes and two outs, still hitless, the Rebels bats finally came around. The Rebels plated five runs with their two-out rally and had the game-tying run up to bat when Tyler Simon came in to try to close the game out. Simon struck out the final batter to secure the victory for Game On Stealth.
Although the serious mentality is instilled in the players’ minds, they are also playing the game they love and want to enjoy it. Emerson Hancock talked about how he enjoys not only playing in tournaments like these but also how he enjoys the camaraderie of the other players and teams.
“They’re great ball players,” Hancock said. “They’re funny, they’re good to hang out with.”
Wouldn’t these players rather be enjoying Memorial Day weekend barbequing and hanging out in the sun? Brandon Schrepf summed up the mood of the tournament nicely.
“I’ll always rather be playing baseball.”