The inaugural Pinto 8U Championship tournament was concluded on Saturday, July 23, 2016. It was hosted by the Jefferson County Sports Authority baseball league in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Some teams came in early and enjoyed the St. Louis attractions including a stop for a St. Louis Cardinal game. Some also traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to the Louisville Bat Factory, and then are returning to St. Louis for ESPN Sunday night baseball.
This nine (9) team invitational was well attended, and we crowned a winner-- Garner, North Carolina with second place being Washington, Pennsylvania. The character of these two teams was demonstrated at the end of the game when both groups came to the pitcher’s mound and joined in prayer. The consolation winner was Wilmington, North Carolina, with host Mt. Vernon coming in at second place. These kids played a lot of games in some extreme heat, and displayed good sportsmanship all along the way. Our local Champions were there as well to participate in a game and receive a participation pin from the host.
The host did an excellent job with this tournament. They made everyone feel welcome and went out of their way to make sure the teams and fans were taken care of. The umpires were outstanding and all the volunteers should be proud of their work. It takes a lot of people to host something like this from the scorekeepers, groundskeepers, to the announcers, to those running a concession stand. The young Marine color guard brought in the flags, and the National Anthem was performed by a local artist. The fireworks at the end were a very special touch by the host.
Jefferson County Sports Authority in Mt. Vernon, Illinois have already accepted a contract for 2017 for this tournament to be hosted again as an invitational. If you are interested in receiving an application, please send us an email to [email protected]. We truly believe it will be much larger next year.
Again, thanks to all the participants and the coaches, parents, fans and volunteers who made this tournament such a success.
2016 National Champions - Garner, NC
Garner 8U (BB16XNC08027440) registered under the Garner Baseball Incorporated from Garner, NC
Players
11 - Karter Bossman
9 - Hayden Buffaloe
7 - Austin Clark
6 - Jennings Dunlap
8 - Ethan Gilchrist
1 - Hunter Graham
3 - David Johnson
14 - Bryan Mcdaniel
12 - Jett Parsley
35 - Seth Pennica
10 - Joseph Speelman
24 - Brady Suber
Coaches/Managers
Manager - Ray Dunlap
Coach - Jason Dunlap
Coach - Darrell Gilchrist
Bus. Mgr. - Justin Clark
2016 National Champion Runner-Up - Washington, PA
Washington (BB16XPA08027102) registered under Washington Youth Baseball from Washington, PA
Players
28 - Jackson Burt
25 - Wiliam Callan
29 - Dominick Canali
22 - Brock Carrigan
5 - Derek Falvo
35 - Jason Hartley
24 - Brandon Kelley
89 - Luke Poland
3 - Jacob Rieg
23 - Ryan Torboli
12 - Ryan Walther
15 - Jonah Williamson
Coaches/Managers
Manager - Joshua Falvo
Coach - Mark Burt
Coach - John Rieg
Bus. Mgr. - Rich Knestrick
Supper Optimist 8U (BB16XNC08027434) registered under the Supper Optimist from Wilmington, NC
Players
10 - Maddoux Batts
11 - Rhett Britt
28 - Davis House
6 - Brayden Langan
12 - Brayden Mazzola
1 - Matthew Naylor
5 - Jackson Noon
23 - Beckett Peterson
4 - Connor Shaw
17 - Lucas Shields
34 - Jason Sproul
27 - Gibson Todd
Coaches/Managers
Manager - Kevin Sproul
Coach - Ted Naylor
Coach - Brian Todd
Bus. Mgr. - Doug House
2016 Runner-Up Consolation Champion - Mt. Vernon
JCSA Pinto (BB16XIL08029642) registered under the JCSA from Dix, IL
Players
11 - Xander Ashby
51 - Bryton Bradford
9 - Truman Carnine
24 - Gianni Cheatham
25 - Tyler Curry
13 - (Joy), Merced (Joy)
16 - Ethan Morgan
8 - Jayden Morgan
3 - Abel Nelson
34 - Nikoli Ortiz
44 - Adrian Rhymer
17 - Hudson Welch
Coaches/Managers
Manager - Eli Hiatt
Coach - Chris Curry
Coach - Chad Morgan
Bus. Mgr. - Matt Miller