MIF04

We are awful happy and proud of 'em...but they deserve the credit: they did the work.

Caleb committed to ULL to play baseball. As a LA resident, he also qualifies for TOPPS funding that will cover what his scholarship won't.

C'mon guys....lets put some runs on the board. Whoever is pitching for Denham Springs must be pretty @&#^ good....

Defeated So Cal Elite 2-1. Nice job pitching by Price Jacobs, Jared West, Trevin Sonnier and Ronnie Sanchez. Lance Phillips hit 2 run HR for both Devils' runs. End of the summer....trying to remember what my house looks like....

Both 'Horns-to-be (Felts and Bellow) as well as future Aggie Statum received very good/competitive offers. They all had other offers from other top D1 programs. Exactly 'how much' is a matter for the school, the player and his family. I will say it is for more than the proverbial 'bag of seeds'....LOL.

I think the fans should be licking their chops for the OF vs. BC games this year. To no great surprise, that district will rock this year. Plus there's that 4A district around here that usually provides a little excitement....LOL

The should be a lot of great matchups between the 'Horns and Aggies for the next few years...all with SE Texas connections. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't say that all of us with the Sun Devils are very happy for Jacob and his family. Great people all around...

Danny will love that dig...

Nederland P/1B Kirby Bellow committed to the Texas Longhorns. Once again, the Sun Devils are very proud of Kirby, and congratulate him and his family. Well done.

Not only does 1 run loss 'sting' a little, it really stings when the Canes went on to win the whole thing. It was a good run but so close...

Jace Statum will trade his OF orange for the maroon/white of the Texas A&M Aggies as he committed today. On behalf of the entire Sun Devils' family, we are very proud and happy for him (and his family).

Sun Devils advance to round of 16 and play at 2 p.m. vs. Mac-N-Seitz Indians (program out of midwest run by two former MLB players). Sun Devils Toss No-Hitter To Start Playoffs 7/12/2009 8:57:56 AM SE Texas Sun Devils' RHP Kirby Bellow (2010, Nederland HS, TX) and RHP Dillon Pitts (2010, LaPorte HS, TX) combined to throw a no-hitter in a five-inning 10-0 victory over the Philadelphia Senators to open the playoffs on Saturday night. The Sun Devils will be squaring off against the Mac-N-Seitz Indians 17U in the Round of 16 at 2:00 PM on Sunday at Kell HS.

Yes. Clinches pool and advance to final 32. Play last pool game at 9 a.m. tomorrow then playoffs begin at 7 p.m. tomorrow nite.

The missing inning: Bellow singles to lead off. Advances to 3rd on consecutive wild pitches, then Henderson walks. Rosado pops out. Trahan beats out infield single and Bellow scores. Dishon singles to load bases. Henderson scores on balk. Trahan out at home on failed squeeze. Cecchini singles to LF but Dishon thrown out at plate. 2 runs, 4 hits. Sun Devils 3-0 in pool. GT lost today (3-1 to Indiana Bulls) but remain tied for 1st in their pool.

To the person that created the team, it is a business for them. They created the team. You look at the owners of the teams like Houston Heat, Texas Sundevils, etc... They will make profit off of it. That's not to say that they shouldn't be coaching and working for their money. Coming from experience, if your kid is good enough, it's worth paying a little extra to have your kid on a more solidified team. Not a team that some parent on your kids little league team from last year decided they would start. Not that they don't know baseball or how to run a program, but they do not have the experience/knowledge of these coaches from the more solid programs. I can only speak for the SE Texas Sun Devils but I promise you that there is not a profit made of of it. Indeed, it is operated at a substantial loss every year...but, as they say, when 1 of your guys gets drafted or signs a scholarship -- 'priceless'. As far as if/when to go select, I personally believe that league play thru Little League is the way to go. You get the chance to play the game, in your own backyard, with your own friends, etc. If you want to do more for your kid up to age 12, get him (or her) lessons. After that, select becomes an option. It takes the right kid (committed, etc.) and the right parents. By the same token, once you get in that age group (and if you don't want travel ball), the Babe Ruth League down in Mid County is outstanding. They do a great job year in and year out. Select worked for me and my son. Baseball was what he wanted...but, if you ask him, he wouldn't trade his Little League years for anything. It is simply a matter of the right kid at the right time.

Valley League games can be found @ www.valleyleaguebaseball.com. They broadcast them.

Johnny was named player of the week in the South Division. [Hidden Content] 29, 2009 Players of the Week Players of the Week North Player: Greg Hopkins, Haymarket. The Valley's leading hitter, Hopkins continued his strong summer by hitting an even .500 with 15 hits in 30 at-bats in eight games last week. Hopkins had two doubles, two home runs and seven runs batted in. North Pitcher: Kyle Putnam, Fauquier. Putnam allowed just one run on three hits while striking out nine in a 6-1 win over New Market on June 27. For the season, Putnam is 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA. Central Player: Kenny Mickens, New Market. Mickens led the league in hitting this past week, going 14 for 26 (.538) and driving in five runs. In addition, he had a co-league-high four doubles. Central Pitcher: Heith Hatfield, Woodstock. Hatfield tossed a complete game shutout against Rockbridge on June 24, striking out 10 and allowing just three hits and one walk. He is 1-1 on the summer with a 2.08 ERA. South Player: John Dishon, Staunton. Dishon hit .400 for the week with 10 hits in 25 at-bats. Three of his hits were doubles and he also drove in eight. South Pitcher: Ricky Marshall, Waynesboro. Marshall combined with two other Generals pitchers to shutout Rockbridge 4-0 Sunday evening. Marshall threw the first seven innings of the victory, striking out seven and scattering six hits.

No. NCAA limits # that can travel...plus he was ready to start playing and left for summer ball immediately after Regional was completed. FWIW: Johnny had 3 run HR and double last night.

Rather than having people 'guess' at this: 1. Johnny redshirted at LSU this season. It was his decision. 2. He is not transferring. 3. He will compete for 1 of the 2 open spots in the Tiger OF next season. He has received that assurance from Coach Manieri. 4. He is playing summer ball in the Valley League and is hitting nearly .400.

Best to Jerrod....he's really gonna enjoy playing for Puhl. Good coach, good program. Doing very good things done south...

I just read this...tried to work through it...took 3 Advil for developing headache...tried some more. Finally, just took their word for it. What an inning...and I like to keep the book.

Why not Jasper? BC vs. Cartrhage there 2 years ago.

And, I don't want to forget about Trae Hester. While his velocity may not match some of the othes in the area, no doubt he is one heckuva pitcher. Ready for him to get healed !!!!

That was my bad...I always forget someone or something. Kirby is a mid to upper 80s guy from the left side. Great competitor, leader, etc. Should be MVP in that district (should be unanimous pick for that IMO). Also, good gap-to-gap hitter and one of the best 1B I have sever seen around the bag.

(1) To answer the original question: Kellogg and Hicks (both BC) are uppers 80s...touch 90. I have not seen the kid from Livingston who is purportedly throwing with the same velocity. (2) With the exception of Kellogg and maybe Hicks, I don't know that we have any pitchers this year who project to the next level (college or pro), although the younger guys always improve as they mature, etc. (3) The trio from BH are all quality arms. Same with Eric Harrington (PNG/Lamar) and DD Lott (Ozen/Northwest La.). They are already at the next level. The 2007 class was a "position player" group although they did have Jeff Stringer (BC/Lamar/Panola) There were some pretty good pitchers in the 2006 class: Clayton Ehlert (LCM/Tex A&M), Kevin Angelle (drafted/San Jac/Lamar) and Mattison Smith (Ned/Lamar) to name a few. So, the area hasn't exactly been without quality arms the past 2-3 years; however, I will grant you: some of those prior years were unbelievable. Talk about some pitching...