The Orlando Storm 14U continued its winning ways yesterday by capturing the President’s Day Classic Select30 Super NIT in Viera, Florida. The Storm went 5-0 throughout the weekend and outscored opponents 44 to 15 including an 11-4 triumph over the Lake Nona Lightning in the title game. About a month ago the Storm was featured on Youth1.com after taking the Battle of the Bats Qualifier – this time manager Eric Seeber’s club elevated its game up to win at the prestigious Super NIT level and become Elite WS Qualified.
One of the premier early-season youth baseball tournaments in the sunshine state, the President’s Day Classic attracted close to 100 total teams across six Major-restricted age groups. The 13 and 14U divisions competed on 60/90 diamonds – regulation size. There were 9 teams that made the cut in the 14-Major division, all of which came from the host state. The Central Florida Select (13-Major) opted to play up and compete against older competition.
Each team played two pool games in the first round and the Storm caught a scheduling break. Their two opponents were the only two in the field that did not carry a Major designation. First up was a contest versus the Upper Deck Aces (AAA) from Melbourne, Florida. The Storm defeated them 7-4 and used four pitchers along the way to get the job done. After starter Murray Critcher threw three innings, Seeber used three arms – none for more than 2/3 of an inning: Matthew George, Nathan Seeber and Nolan Juvers.
The second game on Saturday came against the AA Kachi Edge. The Edge did manage to plate seven runs but surrendered 13 to the Storm who used three new arms to showcase their pitching depth: Nick Walsh, Tanner Reid and Tyrell Williams.
The Storm were given the third overall seed behind fellow unbeaten teams the Lake Nona Lightning and Ocala Elite Baseball. Both squads had lower average runs allowed metrics which bumped the Storm to No.3. The Storm were thrusted into quarterfinal action yesterday morning against the 1-1 5-Star Dowen team. This turned out to be a nice way to start a long day of baseball for the Storm as they blanked Dowen 8-0 behind the complete game effort from Nathan Seeber.
In the semifinals they faced the Upper Deck Aces fresh off an upset of Ocala Elite Baseball, 13-8. The Storm continued its dominant ways however – pitching a second consecutive shutout, 5-0. This time the hero was Tyrell Williams who threw all seven innings which led the Storm to a finals showdown against the top-seeded Lake Nola Lightning. The Lightning were 19-3 overall heading into the game but didn’t match up well against the powerful Storm offense.
The Storm capped its outstanding run by plating 11 while only giving up four. They now have an excellent 26-7 record, 7-4 In Class.
Speak with a Youth1 Recruiting Counselor
Youth1’s Recruiting Counselors are on a mission to educate you on the recruiting process - one that's very competitive and starts early. Let us provide guidance through the most important decisions that shape your athlete's journey in sports.
Learn how to become a recruitable student-athlete, find out what colleges you match best with, and get the ability to message college coaches directly with a specialized recruiting package.
Don't wait, schedule a time to speak with a Youth1 Recruiting Counselor. It's FREE! Just fill out the following information and then select a date and time in the form below.
