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SSBuckeye
575 Posts |
 Posted - 12/11/2010 : 09:44:03
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As a parent on the WFDD team, I have to think the person who commented on our parents, and I also agree! We're competitive, but I think we have the right perspective.
Teams that I have seen:
Atlanta Angels -- Very impressed with their coach. He's doing it right! They were a strong team in the spring playing up. Played them in the fall and they got beat up pretty good. Did not look like the same team to me, so maybe it was just a fall roster thing. Whatever the case, they will be a contender.
Copperheads -- We have played these guys about 15 times since the 6u all star season. Very well coached. Can beat any team on any give day. Can also lose to a team they shouldn't lose to on any given day. I know they've lost some players from last year's team, so they will need to re-stock, but expect they will retain their lofty ranking.
Yard Dogs -- Another nemesis from 6u. They were easily the best team at 6u, one of the top 3 teams at 7u, but fell off a bit at 8u. I know they lost players last year, but if they've re-formed the core they used to have, they could end up being the best team in this age group.
Longhorns -- The best team we played at 7u. I know they played up last year, but I don't buy that they got as much from that as everyone thinks. I guarantee you it's harder to hit a hard thrown ball from 40 feet as it is from 46 feet. They definitely didn't gain an advantage at the plate relative to teams who played high caliber 8u ball. That said, they have the talent to be the best team in the state, and I would say they have to be #1 going in to the season.
Gamers -- We played both the red and blue teams last year, but I have less history with this program. Well coached, but not top 5 from what I saw last year. A definite contender based on whatever additions they may have made.
Mudcats -- We beat them with relative ease at 6u, they beat us with relative ease at 7u, then I think we generally got the better of them last year. Definite top 10 team. I like what I see from that coach.
Raiders -- I watched them play at the 7u WS, and was impressed. Played them straight up last year, but their talent is obvious. Clearly one of the elite teams at this level.
Buzz -- We knocked them out of the Dizzy Dean state tournament at 7u, but they were very impressive! Passionate fan base, well coached and BIG! Did not see them last year, so not sure where they stand, but they deserve mention based on projected potential.
Hitters -- We played them early last year when we were still acclimating to KP, and I think they took it to us. We had caught up by season's end, but they are a definite contender in this age group.
ECB Braves -- Not sure where this team stands. They were a little up and down last year, but when they were on their game, they were tough to beat.
Blue Jays -- I know one of the old YD coaches put this team together last year. Solid, but quite a few holes on this team. Probably outside the top 10 unless they've made some upgrades.
Dacula -- Solid team. Capable of beating a top team on a given day. |
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misfit33
77 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2010 : 07:04:38
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| You are welcome Buckeye. I was the third base coach for the Select last year and I think you are correct by saying you have the right perspective. It's not often after a loss the parents wish the other team good luck. In Nations State you guys were one of the host parks and did an outstanding job. Good luck in the future |
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SSBuckeye
575 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2010 : 20:32:11
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| Georgia Select is another team that needs to be on this list. I believe they beat us pretty good last season. I coach my older son, so I miss a lot of games, and that's one I missed. But I remember how impressed our parents were with that team. |
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SSBuckeye
575 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2010 : 22:25:12
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| Ah, misfit, sorry I left you guys off the list originally. I only commented on teams I remember watching, but you guys are really good based on how you played against our team. Thanks for the compliment! |
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misfit33
77 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2010 : 05:51:49
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| Buckeye the Select from last season won't look much like this years team. I have started my own 9U team the Alcovy Misfits , soon to be East Georgia Misfits. Some of the other boys are now palying on the Select 10 u teams , so Brad is still putting the pieces together. I know Brad's team will still be good just don't know how good yet. Brad is a good coach and an even better guy to play with, so I'm sure he will re-group and still be ok. |
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baldy87
118 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2010 : 08:00:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Stinger44
quote:
Originally posted by baldy87
quote:
Originally posted by Stinger44
I may be bias  , but I think the Buzz will do well.
I can't wait to see some match ups against the teams listed here.
Good luck to all this season!
I'm positive that the Buzz will do well. They have the "ahh" factor with their size and hitting, but they also played exceptional defense with kids drilling the ball at them in coach pitch. My guess would be that, like most of the teams coming up from coach pitch, they will be a lot stronger in May after they've gotten a few kid pitch games under their belts.
I'm curious as to how often we'll see a lot of these top teams in the same field. Seems like there were north tourneys and south tourneys last year, and this coming year there will be "far north" tourneys with Dalton hosting some USSSA events. There are several strong teams from up there besides the Buzz (Generals, Chattanooga Colonels). How often do y'all think we'll get 8 or 10 of these top teams in the same tourney?
Baldy...I hope there are some real power packed weekends. As a parent I would rather see the kids play stronger fields. Last year it was hard with teams dropping and other things going on.
It is better for the kids to play the better teams and lose some then play weak team. I know the coaches feel this way and had to deal with a lot of frustration last year trying to find top tier comp.
After watching some YouTube vide0 it looks like ball and strikes calls will be the major source of indigestion this year.
We would also rather play stronger fields. It means so much more to play a good game (win or lose) against a stronger team than to play a mediocre game against a weak team and still win by 6 or 7.
And I agree on the ball and strike thing. We were coach pitch last year, and our team played only one kid-pitch tourney last spring and a handful of games this fall. Mostly, the umps have been pretty good, but we've had a couple with very, very generous strike zones. Sometimes, I think the umps feel they MUST have a big strike zone to prevent a ton of walks, but after awhile, it starts to get a little silly with the ball passing over the opposite batters box and a kid getting rung up - or in the dirt - or at the neck :)
With as many strong teams as are listed here, it seems like it'll be much tougher for teams to avoid each other, and maybe we'll see some teams seperate themselves a little - plus maybe a surprise team or two out there that we haven't thought of or seen much of. |
Edited by - baldy87 on 12/13/2010 08:33:12 |
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9U Coach
30 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2010 : 08:07:03
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| We played as much as we could during the Fall and did not see any of the teams you guys are talking about. I would like to know what you are basing your opinions on. Are you basing it on last year and years before that? Were most of these teams mentioned coach pitch teams last year? It's a HUGE transition from coach pitch to real baseball. It will be very interesting to see how all these "great" teams make the transition, especially considering not many, if any, of them played much in the Fall. |
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SSBuckeye
575 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2010 : 08:52:35
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Other than the Buzz & Longhorns, all of the comments I made above were based on watching/playing teams at 8u kid pitch last spring. Some of the teams I have also followed during their 6u & 7u coach pitch all star seasons. Quite a few of the boys on our team played for the Hopewell Storm team that won USSSA state championships at 6u & 7u, so we've known about quite a few of these teams for 3 years.
We only played a handful of games in the fall, because most all of the boys play football. Rest assured that any team I mentioned above will be a tough out if you come across them in the spring. |
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baldy87
118 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2010 : 09:50:53
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quote:
Originally posted by 9U Coach
We played as much as we could during the Fall and did not see any of the teams you guys are talking about. I would like to know what you are basing your opinions on. Are you basing it on last year and years before that? Were most of these teams mentioned coach pitch teams last year? It's a HUGE transition from coach pitch to real baseball. It will be very interesting to see how all these "great" teams make the transition, especially considering not many, if any, of them played much in the Fall.
I think most all of the teams mentioned (except the Buzz) played kid pitch at the 8U level last year. Longhorns played kid pitch at the 9U level last year. To my knowledge, there are no other coach pitch teams mentioned. I'm assuming the opinions are based on how these teams did last year at the kid pitch level. During the fall, with so many kids playing football, there weren't nearly as many teams actively participating in the tournaments, or weren't traveling as far to play them. Looking at the Buzz's website, for example, looks like they played a lot in north georgia during the fall, but they apparently have made the transition to "real" baseball just fine, as they beat several 10U teams in the fall. I know in our team's case, we stayed close to home in the fall and played a lot of scrimmages, because we had too many kids out on the weekends due to football. I think we all may be a little shocked at how many really solid teams there are going to be in this age group come next spring. And yes it's a big transition, but honestly, I wouldn't overlook a team that played well at coach pitch last year just because they were coach pitch. Kids learn quickly. |
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bigroc19
158 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2010 : 11:28:28
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| 9U Coach,, the top teams that are mention are all KP teams, they have been solid the last 2 years. |
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WestCoastGuru
148 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2010 : 11:42:02
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In 2008 the 6u coach pitch GA state champs were the Gresham Park Blue Jays
In 2009 the 7u coach pitch GA state champs were the Rockdal Raptors(now the Rhinos)
And yes most of the teams listed here didn't play this fall and most opinions are based off of play earlier this year in the Spring and Summer play.
Trust me, this season is going to be outstanding with a lot of new teams making the transition to player pitch. |
Edited by - WestCoastGuru on 12/14/2010 13:57:35 |
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SSBuckeye
575 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2010 : 16:00:24
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| Hey, WestCoast, which division are you talking about for 2008 & 2009? I was an assistant for both Hopewell teams that won the USSSA state championships those years in CP all stars, but maybe there was another division that those other teams played in? Or was it something other than USSSA? I remember hearing about that Gresham Park team at 6u, but we never crossed their path that season. In any event, there is a ton of talent in this age group! |
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WestCoastGuru
148 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2010 : 08:53:14
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in USSSA there is a coupke different divisions....as you said you guys may have won the all-star state champs.....the BlueJays and Raptors were classified as what they consider CP-AAA teams.
Regardless, I love the fact there will be a strong 15-20 teams in this age group and really hope that a lot of these teams play in the same touneys all season!!!
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22202
263 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2010 : 14:45:44
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Hopefully it's not hijacking the topic, and just adding to the thread...
What new teams thru the fall have people seen that they wonder about for the upcoming season? Or maybe heard about? |
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THECOACH
33 Posts |
Posted - 12/20/2010 : 15:30:22
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| I know that there will be alot of new teams coming into the mix this year. I had the chance to see the championship game between West Forsyth Diamond Dawgs and North Georgia Renegades. Very good game and the teams looked very good for early fall. I think that the DD's have gained some new players and the Renegades were out of Adcock last year. |
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SSBuckeye
575 Posts |
Posted - 12/20/2010 : 16:46:10
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| Coach, that was indeed a great game! The Renegades had a kid who could really bring it!!! |
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Stinger44
49 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2010 : 11:17:39
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quote:
Originally posted by 22202
Hopefully it's not hijacking the topic, and just adding to the thread...
What new teams thru the fall have people seen that they wonder about for the upcoming season? Or maybe heard about?
I saw a team last year, from the Nashville area I believe, called the 'Thunderstixx' a compilation of three travel travel teams I heard. Anyway, all giant kids, great athletes - either highly financed or deep in debt because they sure looked sharp! Took an epic comeback to beat them...championship game of big tourney if I remember correctly...may have been semi - not sure.If they are still a team they will be awesome. |
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Phattso
143 Posts |
Posted - 12/21/2010 : 14:26:36
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quote:
Originally posted by SSBuckeye
Coach, that was indeed a great game! The Renegades had a kid who could really bring it!!!
This kid you are talking about might be one of the hardest throwing kids in this age group. They had another kid that threw it pretty well, too. Luckily our sticks were on when we played them in the OP tourney championship. I could see how that flamethrower could shut a team down. |
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baldy87
118 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2011 : 13:00:57
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| Looks like tons of good teams already signed up for the Forsyth County Slugfest, and we're still two months out. Teams already signed up are: WFDD, N. Gwinnett Bulldogs, Cherokee Reds, North Georgia Renegades, Georgia Bandits, Oregon Park Sharks, East Cobb Braves, Acworth Warriors, Lake Lanier Copperheads, Atlanta Bluejays. I'd expect to see 15-20 teams in it before it starts in March. Should be a great early tournament to help hash out who's who. |
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22202
263 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2011 : 15:36:42
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| For the slugfest, is there a different winner for Div 1 and 2 or do the winners of each division play each other? |
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SSBuckeye
575 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2011 : 21:34:35
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| Different winners. |
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THECOACH
33 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2011 : 14:40:37
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| I think that the Forsyth County Slugfest will be a good start for the season for everyone. What is everyone expecting from this tournament. Which teams do you think will rise to the challenge and what would like your team to gain from this event? |
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Baseballready22
107 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2011 : 23:54:46
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| EC Longhorns are signed up, i guess we know who's gonna win it! Seriously, its up for grabs! Team with the most pitching/defense! |
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22202
263 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2011 : 08:34:32
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quote:
Originally posted by THECOACH
I think that the Forsyth County Slugfest will be a good start for the season for everyone. What is everyone expecting from this tournament. Which teams do you think will rise to the challenge and what would like your team to gain from this event?
With a lot of good teams entered in Slugfest anyone have any predictions for the 2 divisions? |
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Phattso
143 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2011 : 11:25:50
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I think in Division 2 it will be the Midway team against GA Select Blue with Midway winning in the 'ship.
I think the Longhorns will be in the final game, but with a dog in the fight I'm not predicting their opponent. A lot of good teams, so it's going to be great!!!! |
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