Travis
Maezes had a busy summer playing for the aptly-named Ann Arbor
Travelers. Serving as the team's three-hole hitter, he propelled his
team to a 50-15 finish this summer, winning numerous regional
tournament events on their way to participating in the Connie Mack
World Series in Farmington, New Mexico in August.
And
before he did any of that, Maezes participated at the 2011 Perfect
Game National Showcase in mid-June in Fort Myers, Florida.
At
the National, Maezes was able to show off his intriguing and
versatile tool-set, running the 60-yard dash in 6.79 second, throwing
84 mph across the infield and registering a 1.84 POP time from behind
the plate.
Maezes'
overall athleticism may be his most interesting attribute, as he
currently plays shortstop, has played some in the outfield, and yet
many observers think he may be best suited behind the plate.
“I've
just started to experience catching this year and plan to do so to
into the fall,” Maezes said prior to taking the field at Perfect
Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “I'm
just looking for something else to do.”
Maezes
is far from bored playing shortstop, as he recognizes the importance
of doing whatever he can to improve his value as an amateur baseball
player, especially with the attention he's receiving from scouts.
With a compact and strong 6-foot, 190-pound build, Maezes has all of
the pieces to excel as a catcher.
Currently
ranked the 229th player in the high school class of 2012,
the left-handed hitter has a similar strong yet compact swing at the
plate, making consistent hard contact to all fields with very good
bat speed and exciting power potential.
Born
and bred in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it's no surprise that Maezes has
committed to play for the University of Michigan. And as appropriate
as his the team he plays for is named, his last name may make him a perfect fit for the
Wolverines.
“It
would be absolutely great to be able to wear the maize and blue,”
Maezes said of his commitment. “I've grown up a fan my whole life.
It would be an unbelievable honor playing less than a mile from my
house.”
The
Ann Arbor Travelers are one of 30 teams that made the trek to Cedar
Rapids, Iowa to take part of the 2011 WWBA Kernels Foundation
Championship, with the winner receiving a paid invitation to the WWBA
World Championship October 20-24 in Jupiter, Florida.
Head
coach Jordon Banfield recognizes the importance of the Kernels
Foundation Championship as he prepares his club for that tournament.
“We
don't have our full complement of guys here, but all of our big arms
are here so we should be fine on the mound,” Banfield said. “We
definitely have the experience, but we have a lot of new faces here.
Our younger guys don't know what we do as well, but we're working
them in. It will be an interesting experience.”
“We
got to the quarterfinals last year with all 16-year olds,” Banfield
continued of his team's tournament experience. “We're hoping to
improve on that. We had a big summer this year, we made the Connie
Mack World Series. We got to that, and I think Jupiter would cap it
off. We expect to win (the Kernels Foundation Championship). There
wouldn't be any reason to come here if we didn't expect to win.”
Maezes
reinforced his coach's desire to win.
“We
came here to win, anything less I don't think would be considered a
success. The goal is to get to Jupiter. That's the one common
goal.”