A Bay Area club baseball team recently made waves at the USA Baseball National Team Championships in Arizona.
California Club Baseball Prime 16U, based in Los Gatos, placed third in the 16-and-under bracket at the event, defeating Baum Bat NW 6-1 in the bronze medal game on July 1 at Surprise Stadium, the spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals.
CCB Prime was coming off an extra-inning 10-8 loss to Stacked Baseball in the semifinals and while the disappointment of that defeat has lingered, CCB Prime still takes great pride in what it achieved at the weeklong tournament.
“It was a really cool experience just to make it that far,” said outfielder DJ Delaney, “and to be able to knock off some really good teams in the process.”
CCB Prime finished the tournament 6-2 overall. The 16U squad lost its first game of the tournament on June 26 but rebounded to win five in a row, setting itself up to medal at the national showcase.
“I thought we had a good shot at the gold,” said coach Erick Raich. “We just couldn’t push a run across in the final four. But anytime you’re playing on the final day of a big national tournament like the USA Baseball tournament, you can’t complain. We had some outstanding play by some guys, had some players step up that were a bit unexpected.”
While competing in the Sonoran Desert, CCB Prime had to contend with the Arizona summer heat. Pitcher/infielder Zach Stallworth noted that triple-digit temperatures made it difficult to grip his pitches on the mound.
“I’m from San Francisco, so it’s cold here,” said Stallworth, who preps at Sacred Heart Cathedral. “It’s a big difference for me. I had to battle with the heat, sweating a lot. Balls are going all over the place. I had to use a lot of rosin, get used to that. But by the second start, the last game, I was pretty much used to the heat. It was a lot better than my first start. I was ready.”
Delaney had a personal highlight when he hit an inside-the-park grand slam during an 11-6 victory over Badlands Baseball. Stallworth got to participate, too – he was on second when Delaney came to the plate.
“It was crazy,” Stallworth said. “That was amazing.”
While he savored his individual achievement, Delaney particularly appreciated the opportunity to display his talents alongside his Bay Area teammates on the national stage.
“It’s really cool to represent for the Bay and show that we can ball over here too,” said Delaney, who preps at St. Ignatius. “I know we’re not a big-time baseball area, but I think we showed that we can compete with the best of the best out there, and the Bay Area should be respected in that way for baseball talent.”
After facing off against some of the best 16U teams in the country, Raich was impressed with how his players competed against other talented groups.
“They really shined in some tough moments,” he said. “We had to beat some teams that were exceptional. We’ve always said that it’s not about what you do when you’re facing guys as good as you or that you’re better than. It’s how can you adjust and raise your game up when teams are a little bit better than you physically and talent-wise, and we did a tremendous job with that.”
The elite competitive environment was an additional benefit for CCB Prime. Players soaked in the opportunity to play on the same field as their major-league idols.
“It was an amazing experience playing with all those guys,” Delaney said. “Not just great players, but a lot of great individuals on that team. The Rangers’ spring training stadium on the last day was absolutely beautiful, and it was (an example) of what we’re working for and where we’re hoping to be at one day.”
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For Raich, the result was validation of his vision to return the Bay Area to its rightful place as a top region for baseball talent.
“Being a Bay Area guy myself – I grew up in the South Bay – one of the points of trying to start the program almost 20 years ago was to show that, ‘Hey, the Bay Area has a lot of talent here,’” he said. “A lot of guys were getting missed.
“With the tech boom, it’s definitely taken a little bit of talent away. But it’s great to show that the Bay Area is still a mecca for baseball talent. We haven’t lost pace on a national level. We’re still keeping it with everybody else throughout the country.”
