Congrats to Top Tier and coaches Fine, Plotte and Sanderson for an excellent showing in East Cobb. In a tournament with 196 teams, TT made it to the final 16.

TT won their pool handily going 5-0 and won their first playoff game against Carolina Cyclones. In winning their first six games, Top Tier gave up only 9 runs and beat teams from California, Texas, North and South Carolina, Georgia and New Jersey.

Top Tier lost to powerhouse ABD from California 3-1 in an excellent played game. ABD went on to win the tournament. It's the second year in a row that Top Tier lost in the playoffs to the eventual tournament winner.

Congrats to all.

Did Eli Anderson from New Trier pitcha game for Top Tier? If so how did he do?

Yes. Beat an ABD team 6-1.

WP: Eli Anderson (TT) 4 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 6 K, 6 BB
LP: Jason Kim (ABDOC) 6 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 K, 1 BB

ABD also beat Cangelosi/sparks team in championship game down in Jupiter last october .

Congradulations to Top Tier.

Top Tier (Top 16) and the Sparks (Top 32) can compete with anyone in the country. McHenry County and Longshots played in Georgia and showed they can also play with anyone in the country! Longshots won their pool in the 18U with a 5-1 record. McHenry County went 3-2 in their very tough 17U pool.

Are those the top 4 programs in the state?

Lots of good players in Illinois!

FWIW, personal assessment of tournament:

1. Outstanding overall competition. Doesn't get any better.
2. Excellent umpires. Every game professionally umpired and managed.
3. Good weather. Something you can't say every year.
4. Too many East Cobb teams. Some of them obviously can play with anyone in the country but some of them water down the level of play. Probably can't be avoided but true nevertheless.
5. In a perfect world all teams would get a chance to play at the East Cobb facility before the second round of playoffs. Preferential scheduling should take a back seat to allowing each player a chance to play there, imo.
6. All in all, you can't say you've experienced baseball at the top youth levels until you've played in this tournament.

Congrats Top Teir--Sparks-- McHenry for a great showing. I agree with all of the above with the WWBC at any age it is the best teams I have seen at any tournament (not that I've seen them all). We are going to the 15U WWBC I believe Top Teir 15U is the only other Illinois team--last year we were the only 14U team. We went 1-4 but learned alot--we also lost to eventual champion and the best 14U team in the country East Cobb Astros 6-0. But our team learned some valuable lessons and many of our boys worked all year to return and hopefully get a few more W's. But the most important thing is competing even if the score doesn't reflect a win the play on the field can. Go Royals!